Importing iPhone images into Lightroom Classic on PC

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Importing iPhone images into Lightroom Classic on PC

Hi, I'm an iPhone user who uses PC rather than Mac for my computing. I'm running Windows 10 64 bit Pro and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 10.4 (i.e. current one).

Oh and I'm a photographer so I have "work" photos and "iPhone images".

My iPhone imabes are set to replicate via iCloud so I end up with a folder \Pictures\iCloud Photos\Photos

Everything there works fine.

I now have a LOT of photos on my phone and I'd like to take a bunch off and just leave what I care for.

Many of my images have been edited with Snapseed on the phone so I have for example IMG_1234.HEIC and IMG_1234.JPG - I wish to keep both.

I've noticed that if I try to delete an image in that folder and it has not downloaded (i.e. I just see a thumbnail) that works. If I try to delete once I have clicked and seen it big (i.e. it has downloaded) then I get an unexpected error from stopping me deleting it. I have to delete on the phone.

What I'd really *love* to do (and I'm hoping someone will tell me it is possible and easy) is just to run an import on that folder, it throw the files into a folder for the year (so I end up with iPhone images from 2019, 2020 and 2021 separated on my PC), and then magically removes them from iCloud once they are safely downloaded to my PC.

Essentially I want to take the majority of my images off my iPhone, store them on my PC and incorporate them into my PC backup routines.

After that I'll probably put some of the ones I want to have on my phone (pictures of my family for example) back on the phone so that I have them handy, and can start filling up with "new" iPhone pictures.

Does anyone do similar and can advise at all before I simply go for it and experiment/get it wrong?

Windows, Windows 10

Posted on Sep 9, 2021 2:17 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 10, 2021 5:47 AM in response to elDuck

Hi elDuck,

From out understanding you're wanting to import photos to your Windows PC, and have them save to a folder(s) by year. Here's a great article that provides information on importing: Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch Here's another article by Microsoft that may interest you: Import photos and videos from phone to PC

This process imports photos however there isn't an option to automatically have them going into a folder. You can create the folder, select the photos for that year, and import that way. If you would like to submit feedback or suggestions to Apple, you may do so here: Product Feedback

Take care.

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Answer 2

elDuck Author

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Sep 11, 2021 3:15 AM in response to Matthew.S81

Hi Matthew, thanks for your reply. Whilst I hadn't read those articles they add nothing new to what I've asked, I'm afraid.

The MS one on importing is irrelevant as I already know how to import photos. I'm using PhotoMechanic for my imports in general and then Lightroom Classic for doing my sorting and filing. I'm not quite sure why you pointed me at it when I'm asking about Lightroom?

In theory the images are "on" my PC as I'm using iCloud. However they're not really "on" the PC as they aren't yet downloaded.

The one about transfer from iPhone etc (iPod Touch... wow there's old school!) misses a fundamental point. When one uses iCloud on a PC the images are fundamentally not downloaded to the PC automatically. They are only downloaded when they are used.

Until then you see what you see in this image - a little "cloud" icon.

After you've viewed them that changes to a little green tick in a circle. The file is then downloaded on the PC.

I currently have 2181 images on my iPhone. Most are not downloaded to my PC.

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Answer 3

elDuck Author

Level 1

5 points

Sep 11, 2021 3:22 AM in response to elDuck

Today I'll be seeing what I can do with importing them from Lightroom directly. Last time I did this (and why I have left it so long to tidy up) the images remained in the iCloud folder. I couldn't "manage" them properly from Lightroom. So I couldn't simply choose a set of images that I no longer wanted on my PC and delete them from PC and iPhone - I had to delete them from the Lightroom folder and then also delete them from iPhone separately. That's messy and likely to leave me making mistakes.

I use my phone to take photos as images as well as photos simply as notes: for example I've just been to the DIY shop and took a photo of the tin of paint I wanted - that may stay on my phone for a while but I'd go through and tag it as one to delete and zap it from Lightroom along with dozens of others. I'd like that action to filter through to the phone too in an ideal world.

However I look at it I'd really want to end up with two folders:

1) D:\Mark\Pictures\iCloud Photos\Photos (which is on my PC but is also just the images that are on my iPhone)

2) D:\Mark\Pictures\Lightroom\iPhone-images\2019 (and 2020, and 2021 etc.)

I'd want to import from iCloud direct into Lightroom and then move the images that I no longer want on my iPhone into one of the yearly summary folders.

Indeed my ideal would be that my initial import took everything out of the iCloud folder and put everything in to the dated folders and then I subsequently appraised the images and put what I wanted to keep on my iPhone back into the iCloud.

Thanks,

Mark

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Importing iPhone images into Lightroom Classic on PC

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