Delete Photostream Photos off iCloud

I really think a lot of people have the wrong idea of a number of Icloud services. Photostream is really meant to sync the last 1000 photos to all your devices so you can view on Iphone, Touch, PC/Mac as well as Ipad--oh, and Apple TV if you have it.. It isn't really meant for backup, per se. If the photos are in your Photostream they are also in events, etc, If you want to keep them on your Ipad just create some appropriate albums and move them to that album. For backup try Dropbox or Box.net.

I find it not really worthwhile for my purposes. I've turned it on, off, on, off. I was traveling for 10 days and loading photos each evening. Some servers were slow so I turned it off. I always process photos I upload or I process from raw on my PC in Lightroom and move back to Ipad. I don't really want a lot of dull, uninspiring photos on all my devices just because I uploaded them---and quickly deleted. But----if I have Photostream on there they are LOL. Dropbox is my friend. I use Icloud for backup but not Photostream. Just my own feelings. Still, I like IOS 5 quite a lot and I've had my Ipad since May 2010.

Picnicmetoo wrote:

I really think a lot of people have the wrong idea of a number of Icloud services. Photostream is really meant to sync the last 1000 photos to all your devices

Actually, it is designed to sync all your photos between devices. Only the last 1000 photos will stay for 30 days.

The computer is meant to be the main library.

So if you take 1500 photos with your iPhone and your computer is on, all 1500 will sync but only the last 1000 will stay online for 30 days.

Yes, you explained it more correctly than I did.

The two posts before me have it. I have a long thing to say about how to use the Photo Stream. I have a personal blog about photography, and I have a few entries about using the iPhone to take photographs. I added a new entry that covers a lot about using the Photo Stream on iPhone. I wrote about how the stream should be used, why it is good that we cannot delete photographs from the stream. There are a lot of options to choose from for managing photographs. Needless to say, the Photo Stream is not meant as storage, nor is it meant to be a photo sharing site like the old MobileMe. If you are interested in what I have to say, you can find it on my blog at christophergriggs.com.

Apple says "Keeping a complete set of your photos on your Mac is as simple as turning on Photo Stream in iPhoto or Aperture..." but of course there isn't a way to turn on Photo Stream in Show Leopard, only in Lion. The only way to save a Photo Stream image on the desktop is emailing it to yourself and moving it into iPhoto.

hi,

itis an anoying issue I faced when I wanted to delete a private photo from the photostream, I figured out this work-around itis a long procedure but it does the job:

1- copy photostream photos to your local iPhoto library on your mac (go to iPhoto app, click photostream, select all photos, drag them to photo folder under library)

2- delete all photos on photostream from your mac by turning off photostream on mac (go to settings, icloud, uncheck photostream)

3- delete all photos on your ios devices (go to settings, icloud, photostream, turn it off, confirm delete photos), ps: this should be done on all ios devices using ur apple ID

4- on your mac iPhoto, go to photo folder under library, now you can delete unwanted photos,

5- delete all photos in icloud (go to icloud.com, login, click your name on the top corner, click advance, click reset photo stream)

6- turn photostream on on your mac (go settings, icloud, check photostream)

7- select all remaining photos from photo folder under iPhoto library and drag them to photostream folder on your mac

8- now iPhoto will upload all selected photos to your iCloud

9- turn photostream on in all your iOS devices (settings, icloud, photostream, turn it on)

now all wanted photos will be downloaded from your icloud account to ur ios devices

as I said itis a long procedure but it does the job

hope it helps

biko_r. This might work, can't say however, because none of it works in Snow Leopard.

I don't think the real problem is Photo Stream because it is, after all, self-limiting. The real problem is that if you are an iOS 5 newbie (like me) and make the mistake of thinking iPad "Photo" is like OS "iPhoto" and upload all your events from your desktop, you are screwed. They are there, forever, taking up memory and Apple in it's wisdom won't allow any deletions.

I can understand the propritary response to messing around with iCloud storage, but I figure the iPad is mine, my money, my data, I should be able to do what I want with it. Apparently not, unless somebody has found a work-around to delete iPad "Events" "Photos" and "Albums" ? I hope...

Right now you can't delete from Photostream but its being said that IOS 5.1 will allow this. You cannit delete albums, events, etc, but you can delete photos from any of those individually (and if you delete everything from an event, he event disappears). I think Apple saw Photostream as a running stream of (I think) the last 1000 photos to be shared on all devices and didn't think it through completely that some people (like me who has a lot of printscreens for tutes, for instance, and actually only wants processed, saved photos shared) don't want the last 1000 photos everywhere and wants to delete selected ohotos. I have Photostream turned off for now.

I really can't beleive cannot get their head around this. The stream is not a photo archive. Nobody, but the person using the stream has access to the photographs. The photographs in a stream are 'key point' not on your phone. These pictures will delete themselves. Maybe this will help. - Run around, take your pictures, do whatever you want. Most pictures on the phone are crap you will not want them. Now, if you do take a picture and you actually want to 'keep' it. Go to the stream, and snatch it.

Far too many people are used to the reverse of this. They want to run around, take a whole bunch of crap photos, and then later go back and delete out all of the crap. The point is, the photo stream is just an autodelete temporary file. You know, like when you edit a document, in the background there's a version saved. Maybe you have timemachine.

If the photostream bugs you, just turn it off. I think if there is any option that should be made, that's all it should be. Sure, turn off the stream, and just put it on my phone, and then I can delete it from there or just let it automatically delete when the time comes. What are you all talking about?

The other topic is keeping photographs in the cloud. I would agree. It would be nice to keep photos and videos in the cloud, maybe that will happen. If it does, it will NOT be the photostream. Of course, and I am only taking a guess here, I think Apple suggests you use FLICKR or YouTube. These two are available though the iPhone, as well as on the AppleTV. It does not require that someone has an iTunes account, and they also have a great many options for how you can share your photographs.

I use the photostream, I have written a short blog on how I use it, and it's long, and it's about photography. If you are interested, here .. http://www.christophergriggs.com/2011/12/19/icloud-photo-stream/

Lol is that so? So I am guessing that's why apple is adding the delete individual photos in 5.1 (it's been confirmed)

Calm down everybody, after 5.1 we will be able to delete individual pictures from the stream directly from our iPads, iPods and iPhones.

Have you seen how many people have been complaining about it? So, the next will be the people complaning that they deleted it out of the stream, but it's still on their computer, and that's horrible, they should have stayed with the Android. Now, you have to manage the stream, and local. I only hope they make it an option. I guess we'll have to wait and see. I don't know. If someone wants to show their boring stream with all the useless photos as a photo album, then they will need to delete all of the crap they have out of the stream too. I like not having to deal with anything on the stream. I still will not even with the change. If I want to keep a photograph, I will go to the stream and grab it. When it comes right down to it. Who gives a FS. Really, people have to complain about not figuring out that the stream just keeps the photographs off of the phone. I don't know. Maybe they will end up making an online FLICKR type thing where people can share too and manage their photographs there as well. You know, the good thing is that Apple listens to people and tries to satisfy them.

So, if you can add any photograph you want to your device from the stream. Why do you want to manage the stream? Is it just embarrassing photos someone may see? I don't get it. They all delete in 30 days anyway... So, what is it exactly?

They are probably taking dirty pictures of thier privates to sext to people.

I agree. Just ignore the photo stream. It's there just to import photos onto your devices automatically. Delete any of the imported photos you do not want to keep. The photostream will delete automatically. No one uses their photostream to share pictures.

LOL. Yeah. I did the autoimport from the stream into Aperture. - ended up turning it off. All I was getting was a bunch of useless pictures. Percentage wise, I only want about I don't know, 10% of the photographs. I don't even sync up to the photostream. If there are pictures I want, I just sync them to the particular device.

You may have found this already, but if not....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUr7IFoGgec

Joanne Mandel

Amici Photography

<Personal Information Edited by Host>

You can now delete individual photos from Photo Stream directly on the iDevice.