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Level 1

0 points

iTunes keeps re-optimizing photos for iPhone and iPad

Hi all,

I'm not sure when this started, but for a while now, every time I make any sort of change on my iPad or iPhone (adding a podcast, changing a contact, etc.) iTunes decides to re-optimize 78 photos (I don't know why 78, I have hundreds of photos saved), delete them, and then sync them again. This only seems to happen when I change any kind of content to sync to the iPad or iPhone, though I'm not sure if that's really the case and it may be more random than that. It does happen a lot and it is such a waste of time.

I tried deleting the iPod Photo Cache from iPhoto (using Clean My Mac) and it didn't help... In fact I'm wondering if using Clean My Mac is what started this. However I'm also not sure if this started when I got my 3GS and started adding videos on iPhoto, which I do sync to my devices. But the number is always 78 and I have less videos than that, so this doesn't make sense.

Please help if you have any ideas at all... It's a big nuisance and I don't understand why it's happening. Thanks.

Macbook, Mac OS X (10.6.3)

Posted on Apr 15, 2010 12:09 PM

89 replies

Gregor04

Level 1

0 points

Jul 30, 2010 9:13 PM in response to applefish

Don,t know sorry, but if you open iPhoto and that's where all your photos are stored the it may work

JimDiver

Level 1

11 points

Aug 3, 2010 12:07 AM in response to Jester

This is true for me as well.

As soon as I unchecked include videos, the problem vanished. As soon as I check include videos, the problem returns.

Aug 3, 2010 12:15 AM in response to Paul Bienick

Same here. When I realized the number of "photos" being optimized again with each new sync was the same number of videos being synced in the photo library, I decided to try unchecking "Include videos" in the Photo tab in iTunes. When I did, iTunes was no longer re-optimizing them over and over again each time when I synced my iPhone or iPad to it.

The trouble is that now if I want to have any of those videos on my iOS device, I have to import the video as a 'movie' into iTunes and have it sync that way.

Aug 8, 2010 3:43 PM in response to Aandroid

I am going to agree with the person above whow spoke about mulitple devices. I can reproduce this by syncing photos with a 2G and a 4G phone. My 2G has roughly 3000 photos being sycned while my wifes 4G has 10k. I am using the most current itunes and I no longer use a MAC. A single cached folder is likely to blame I havnt checked.

I original thought it was the process of adding new files to an existing sync'd folder. Followed by a sync with 2 different devices. Waiting for my 2G to finish what a pain in the butt.

Aug 8, 2010 7:00 PM in response to tzohar

Had both my iPhone 4 and iPad with me this weekend, and was surprised to see neither contained my photos from the past 30 days, despite having synced both devices before leaving. Upon plugging both in when I got home, I see that the "Sync Photos from iPhoto" checkbox has been mysteriously unmarked on both devices in iTunes. I rechecked it first with the iPad, and it warned me that it would have to delete every photo because it was synced with a different library (it wasn't). It then spent an hour or more optimizing all of my photos, and now it's doing the same thing for the iPhone 4. Why can't it use the same optimized photos (unless it doesn't retain them of course), and why did it become unchecked in the first place?

Peter505

Level 1

0 points

Aug 22, 2010 3:34 AM in response to Jester

For me it is related to every MP4 video from my Sony HX5V camera.

They don't get synced, however, the number of "photos" that keep being optimized, is the exact same number as the videos from this camera only.

I have other videos from other cameras, and they don't result in reoptimization. Some of them don't get synced, but this happens without showing the optimizing box.

The HX5V can record in MP4 and AVCHD. Since I don't have any AVCHD videos yet, and no other MP4 videos from older cameras, I'm not sure whether the problem is related only the MP4 format, or to every kind of video from the HX5V.

Still, I have no solution to the problem - I still want to sync the other videos, so unchecking "include videos" is not an option.

Aug 24, 2010 9:15 AM in response to Peter505

I remedied this by importing the video files to iTunes as movies, then using iTunes to create iPod/iPhone version (From the advanced menu), then copied those files back to the photo folders, finally I deleted the original videos. They were optimized the first time I synced after that but not since.

Aug 27, 2010 7:58 PM in response to tzohar

hey I'm just another IDIOT saying..."I have the same problem too..." and clogging up 4 pages worth of reading w/o finding a working solution...

With you tards quit saying "me" too! After the 1000 person, we get it...there is a problem...

Aug 28, 2010 12:01 AM in response to carboncow

I spoke to somebody at AppleCare.

They recognised this problem, appreciated how frustrating it was, and told me that it was being addressed.

Though they weren't sure of the release date, they said a new iTunes version would fix this bug. Their guess was that the release would be "in a couple of weeks or so."

Fingers crossed...

Peter505

Level 1

0 points

Aug 31, 2010 12:27 PM in response to Richard Carr

Richard Carr wrote:
They recognised this problem, appreciated how frustrating it was, and told me that it was being addressed.
Though they weren't sure of the release date, they said a new iTunes version would fix this bug. Their guess was that the release would be "in a couple of weeks or so."

Don't count on it. Please remember to use this form:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

Peter505

Level 1

0 points

Sep 6, 2010 12:32 AM in response to Richard Carr

iTunes 10 is now released, and the problem still exists.

It is now clear that the Apple representative only wanted to end Mr Carr's phone conversation quickly, by claiming that the problem would be solved in the next version.

iTunes 10 still keeps reoptimizing all MP4 videos from my Sony HX5V camera, and none of them actually get synced to my iPhone 4.

So please use this form - otherwise Apple will not solve the issue:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

(as of now, the form is a little outdated - there is no iPhone 4 and iTunes 10 options - so please specify this information in the text area)

Sep 6, 2010 8:54 AM in response to Peter505

Not that it helps you a great deal, it would appear that my problem has been fixed by the upgrade to iTunes 10 - just as Apple said it would.

At least, for the moment it's fixed...

Sep 9, 2010 11:51 PM in response to Richard Carr

Spoke too soon.

It isn't fixed.

I'm sick of this. Absolutely sick of it. 😟

gulu23

Level 1

4 points

Sep 11, 2010 9:23 AM in response to tzohar

Hi,

I have an iPhone 4 and iTunes 10.0. Had this problem on my iPhone 3, 3GS and 4.

I have the same problem as all the people in this topic. iTunes decides to re-optimize 42 photos in my case. I can recreate the problem and increase the number of photos being re-optimized. I would sync my iPhone 4 that has pictures already on it from the iPhone camera. Wait 10 seconds. Now, durning the syncing process I would import photos via iPhoto '09 (however, iPhoto is not the cause). Then, delete the photos on the iPhone after importing (from the iPhoto prompt). Next time I sync via iTunes, I will have the exact # of photo added to the re-optimized photos.

Deleting iPhoto caches does not work. A restore from new iPhone 4 in iTunes does not work. Switching from an iPhone 3G to 3GS to 4, does not work. This may have started when I added videos for the first time, I can't remember.

Sep 21, 2010 4:15 PM in response to Richard Carr

Ditto...

iTunes keeps re-optimizing photos for iPhone and iPad