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Understanding iPhone Sync

Can someone explain to me exactly the methodology by which the iPhone syncs using iTunes?

What I'm not understanding is when I try to sync using an empty folder on my desktop(myPhotos), no photos show up in myPhotos even though I selected in iTunes under the photos tab. Instead get some executable file in the myPhotos folder.

Someone from apple had told me to use iPhoto to sync (choose iPhoto in iTunes before syncing) but I don't have the leopard version.

Helping me understand the sync process would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

oh, Happy New Year!!!!!

iMac intel 20" 2Ghz 1GB 256vram, Mac OS X (10.6.2), iPhone 3Gs

Posted on Dec 31, 2009 9:47 PM

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11 replies

Dec 31, 2009 9:57 PM in response to roaminggnome

right, I actually managed to install an older version of iPhoto and saw where to import the photos/video.

What I'm not understanding is that, at one time, something got deleted that present on the iphone or computer, but not both. Why didn't the sync just add to whatever was there instead of deleting??

Adding to, instead of deleting, is exactly what iPhone sync does with contacts, why not everything else??

Dec 31, 2009 10:05 PM in response to damonlee

The iphone should sync the photos from whatever folder/album that you chose to sync under the photo tab. The iphone ( photo library) should mirror whatever is in that folder. If you remove something from that folder it will be removed from iphone when you sync.

The camera rolls includes pics taken with or saved via the iphone (screen shots, saved from e-mail,etc). These pics can be deleted via the iphone and can/should be imported into your computers photo program.

Dec 31, 2009 10:19 PM in response to damonlee

You don't select folders to import. You import photos that you take with iphone to your computer. You can select individual photos to import or you can select them all.

You sync photos from folders on the computer to your iphone. Are you saying that you selected/checked the box for sync photos under the photo tab in itunes, then you selected a folder to sync, then synced the iphone, and the photos that were in the selected folder did not sync to the iphone?

Dec 31, 2009 11:19 PM in response to damonlee

Sync, in regards to photos, is one way -computer to iphone. When u select a folder or folders from the photo tab in iTunes it's asking you to select a folder or folders with pictures already on your mac or pc that you would like to put on your iPhone.

If you are trying to import pics, that you have taken with your iphone, from your camera roll then you have to import them as you would from any digital camera. you can use iphoto for this or whatever photo management software that you use.

http://manuals.info.apple.com/enUS/iPhone_UserGuide.pdf

Jan 3, 2010 9:17 AM in response to creekyboat

If you manually manage photos on your computer, create a parent folder that will contain the named folders of photos that you want transferred to your iPhone.

Select the parent folder under the Photos tab for your iPhone sync preferences and the named folders of photos placed within the parent folder on your computer's hard drive will be transferred to your iPhone.

You can't have a named folder of photos placed within another named folder of photos. Each named folder of photos that you want transferred to your iPhone must be at the top level within the parent folder.

Jan 4, 2010 2:40 AM in response to Allan Sampson

Thanks for the quick reply! What you are saying is exactly what I experienced and, in my opinion, very limiting. I have about 20,000 photos on my computer and my private photo server in a at least 6 level deep folder structure. I had hoped to replicate that on the iPhone. A flat structure of folders is useless for me.

Maybe I can find a 3rd party app. I looked at Photo Album Pro but I am not convinced that is the app I want to use.

Understanding iPhone Sync

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