Difference between camera roll, photo stream, and photo library

Any photo I take with the iPad camera, first goes into the CAMERA ROLL, then a copy also goes into my PHOTO STREAM. This creates two copies of the same photo.

Because you have Photo Stream enabled, which is a way to have the photos captured or saved by one device available on other devices with the same Apple ID and allows for transferring the photos to your computer automatically with Photo Stream enabled on your computer without having to import the photos.

If you don't need or want to use Photo Stream it is quite simple, turn it off.

I pulled a photo from a Web site. I did a hold on the photo with my stylus, and selected COPY. It only shows up in CAMERA ROLL. When I select it and try the ADD TO, I have no way to put it in my PHOTO STREAM. I can add it to any existing FOLDER or create a new one.

There is not an option to do so and there is no reason to do so since photos captured or saved by the device which are stored in the Camera Roll will be added to your Photo Stream automatically when the device is connected to an available wi-fi network.

I Just attached my SD Card Reader attachment, and when I selected the photos for IMPORT, they all went to my PHOTO STREAM. None went to the CAMERA ROLL. Also equally confusing is that there are three import folders, all with copies of my photos imported from my SD card: IMPORTED PHOTOS & VIDEOS, LAST IMPORTED, & ALL IMPORTED.

As already provided, the first is not supposed to happen and can't happen unless you are importing the photos while the iPad is connected to an available wi-fi network. I don't believe photos imported by a camera or from an SD card using the Camera Connection Kit are imported to the iPad's Camera Roll. They are imported to or stored in Imported Photos and must be placed there first before the photos are transferred to your Photo Stream.

I tried to delete these, but I've seen photos disappear sometimes (not always) from my PHOTO STREAM. When I delete from one IMPORT folder, the image is deleted from all three, if they are in them. It seems to also disappear from my CAMERA ROLL.

Photo Stream is temporary with a maximum of 1,000 photos and 30 days.

There is a primary import folder for imported photos and a recent import to view the most recent imported photos. Deleting a photo from the recent import album should not delete the original from the primary import folder.

Deleting a photo from a user created photo album does not delete the original photo stored in the Camera Roll or from wherever the original photos is stored.

When I copy a photo from PHOTO STREAM to a FOLDER, existing or new, a copy is also put into my CAMERA ROLL.

Because the Photo Stream is temporary storage with the main Photo Stream library stored on the cloud. To place a photo that is in your Photo Stream in a user created album, a local copy must be stored first as already provided. In this case in the Camera Roll.

When i DELETE from my PHOTO STREAM, or any FOLDER, that is the only copy of a photo that is deleted.

Correct since the Photo Stream is completely separate from the Camera Roll and from your Import folder. As already provided, all photos in a user created album or folder are not duplicates as in taking up double the storage capacity. The photos in a user created album or folder include a pointer to the original photo stored in the Camera Roll. You can remove the copy in a user created album or folder without affecting the original stored in the Camera Roll, but if you delete the original stored in the Camera Roll all copies or pointers to the original will be removed as well.

When I DELETE from my CAMERA ROLL, it deletes the photo from every single folder, including the PHOTO STREAM in cases where I shot a photo from my iPad and it placed a copy there after it went to CAMERA ROLL first.

The first part is correct as already provided, but once a photo is in your Camera Roll and transferred to your Photo Stream, deleting the photo from your Camera Roll does not or should not touch the photo in your Photo Stream and vice-versa.

There is no folder called PHOTO LIBRARY. Do I just create it? When I go to settings and look at Photos App, I see that most of the space is taken up by CAMERA ROLL, and it shows PHOTO LIBRARY, but it is always empty.

As provided in my previous post, the Photo Library is for photos that were transferred from your computer via the iTunes sync process. If you don't have a computer and never transfer photos from a computer, you will never have a Photo Library.

The Camera Roll stores photos/videos that were captured by your iPhone. The Camera Roll also stores photos saved from a received email, from a website, or from a received MMS/iMessage.

The Photo Stream adds all new photos in the Camera Roll which will make the photos available on your computer with Photo Stream enabled and the same with another iOS device with Photo Stream enabled. Add photos on your computer to the Photo Stream on your computer and the photos will be available in the Photo Stream on your iPhone and with any other iOS device with Photo Stream enabled.

The Photo Library stores photos transferred from your computer via the iTunes sync/transfer process.

You're welcome.

PhotoSteam is not turned on automatically. PhotoSteam is available with your iCloud account and can be turned on or off with your iCloud account settings.

Settings > iCloud > Photo Stream > on or off. PhotoStream is optional. I have a MacBook Pro using iPhoto with Photo Stream enabled there. I also have it enabled on my iPad 2, personal iPhone 5S, and business iPhone 5. I capture a photo with my iPhone 5S which is saved in the Camera Roll and automatically uploaded to my Photo Stream when connected to an available wi-fi network making the same photo available in my Photo Stream on my Mac, on my iPad 2, and business iPhone 5. There is an option available with Photo Steam with iPhoto on my Mac to automatically transfer Photo Steam photos to my iPhoto Library on my Mac so I don't need to import photos captured by any of my iOS devices with iPhoto on my Mac. If there are photos in my iPhoto Library imported from another camera on my Mac that I want available on all my iOS devices, I can transfer the photos from my iPhoto Library to my Photo Steam on my Mac making the photos available in my Photo Stream on all devices without having to connect each device to my Mac one by one to transfer the photos to each device via the iTunes sync process.

I haven't imported photos with my iPad using the Camera Connection Kit so I'm not sure about being able to transfer photos from your Import Library to user created albums or folders. You should be able to determine this easily. I've always done it from the Camera Roll on a particular device.

It should not do that since photos can't be transferred to your photo stream when imported or when captured by the device without being saved locally on the device first.

Unless there is an option or selection available to import all photos with the Camera Connection Kit direct into the Photo Stream.

All photos captured by the device or saved by the device from a received email, from a website, or from an iMessage are stored in the Camera Roll. A photo placed in a user created folder is not copied as in taking up double the storage space. The original is stored on the Camera Roll. The user created folder includes a pointer to the original photo only that is stored in the Camera Roll. Delete the original from the Camera Roll and the duplicate or duplicates are removed as well from the user created folder or folders.

This prevents what you are saying and allows a duplicate that includes a pointer to the original photo stored in the Camera Roll only to be placed in one or multiple user created photo albums without taking the same storage capacity for each duplicate.

The same for photos transferred from your computer to the device via the iTunes sync process. All photos in all albums transferred from your computer are stored in the Photo Library. The photos in the albums below transferred from your computer are not copied as in taking up double the storage space. The photos on the albums below include a pointer only to the originals stored in the Photo Library. This way you can view the photos in an album only by selecting the album, or all photos in all albums by selecting Photo Library without having copies taking up double the storage space.

Try same with iTunes playlists. A song placed in a playlist is not copied as in taking up double the storage space. The song in a playlist includes a pointer to the original only. Allows for having a copy of the same song in more than one playlist, under artists, and genres, etc. without taking up storage space for each copy of the song where available. Remove the original from the main song library on the device and the song will not be available anywhere else on the device.

The same principle applies to photos.

Today, we had a devil of a time explaining the difference between Camera Roll and Photo Stream (or Albums) to an iPad study group. These are all people who have a level of computer experience (mixed Mac & PC, all iPad users), so they are not neophytes, but the idea of there being only one actual picture file (in Camera Roll) and the other forms just being pointers couldn't seem to penetrate. The analogy of the "shortcuts" in the Windows world, "aliases," etc. were of no avail.

Then a lady got up to explain a related topic, and when she was asked something or other about Camera Roll, hit upon the old film camera technology of negatives and prints. She compared the actual file on the Camera Roll to the negative, and the various pointers in Photo Stream, Albums, etc. as prints, stating that even though all the prints were burned, the negative would still exist....which actually seemed to clarify the point for many of them. But I'm sure we'll be back at that next week.*

*Note: She was careful to point out that this was just an analogy to things that exist only as 0s and 1s, and didn't correspond to anything physical.

Photos/videos in the Camera Roll on each device are included with the backup for each device, but not a good idea to depend on that backup alone for this data. If a problem develops with the backup in regards to the photos and the photos are imported by your computer, they will be lost.

The PhotoStream is temporary - limited to 1,000 photos and 30 days for each.

Photos/videos in the Camera Roll on each device should be imported by your computer as with an other digital camera.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4083

Most photo import utilities include an option to delete the photos/videos from the Camera Roll after the import process is complete.

Allen, if I follow the string correctly and if I understand my experience correctly, I take a photo with one of my Apple devices and with iCloud enabled and a WiFi connection, all my devices are updated via the cloud, but the photo only exists on the device with which I took the photo (Camera Roll) and in the cloud (My Photo Stream).

• If on the image capture device (e.g. my iPhone) I delete it from the cloud (My Photo Stream folder), its gone from the stream on all devices but remains in the Camera Roll folder of the "capture" device. I can resend it to the cloud by sending it to the cloud (box with arrow icon that permits sending to a variety of apps including the cloud).
• If I delete it from the Camera Roll folder on the primary device and it has not been saved to a folder I have created on that device, it also deletes it from the cloud (My Photo Stream) and hence all other devices to which it has not been saved.

My other devices only "reference" the photo in the cloud (My Photo Stream folder on those devices) until I save it to a folder I have created on those secondary devices. If I delete it from the cloud (My Photo Stream folder) on a secondary device, it deletes from the cloud and hence from the My Photo Stream folder on all devices. If I save it to a folder on the secondary device, it is then saved to the Camera Roll of that device and the Camera Roll is where the photo actually resides on that device. The folder I created or saved it to merely references back to that photo in the Camera Roll of the seconday device. And it will still appear in the cloud (My Photo Stream folder) until such time that I delete it or its pushed off by 1000 new photos.

With iCloud enabled and a WiFi connection, I do not need to connect to my MacBook Air to save the photos on my hard drive provided I have the MacAir on and the devices are connected by WiFi.

For saving or transferring videos I still need to physically connect the capture device to the MacBook Air in order to transfer to my hard drive and iPhoto library.

Thanks for your help. I have a MacBook Air, iPad 2, and iPhone 4G and I am living in Argentina where there are no Apple Stores, Genius Bars, or training sessions. Hence, like Blanche DuBois, I must rely on the kindness of strangers. 🙂

You're welcome.

The Camera Roll is not included or touched with the iTunes sync process, except for being included with your iPhone's backup if you are not backing up your iPhone wirelessly with an iCloud account.

The number of photos in the Camera Roll won't match the number of photos transferred from your computer stored in the Photo Library unless all photos in the Camera Roll are imported by your computer followed by all be re-transferred to your iPhone via the iTunes sync process.

OK, I think I get part of this now-- Camera Roll reflects photos taken fresh by the iPhone, as well as photos transferred into iPhoto and synched back via iTunes.

The Camera Roll stores photos and videos that were captured by the iPhone, and stores photos saved on the iPhone - from a recevied email, from an MMS/iMessage, from a website, or from an app, etc. When you say "transferred into iPhoto", the iPhoto app on the iPhone reflects photos in the Camera Roll and photos that were transferred from your computer. iPhoto on a Mac can be used to import photos/videos from any digital camera including from the iPhone's Camera Roll. Photos/videos in the Camera Roll on the iPhone are not touched or included with the iTunes sync process.

After importing photos from the Camera Roll with iPhoto, iPhoto includes an option to delete the photos from the Camera Roll after the import process is complete - the same prompt is provided after importing photos from any digital camera or from a camera storage card. After the photos are imported by your computer, you can transfer the photos to your iPhone along with any other photos on your computer via the iTunes sync process, which is selected under the Photos tab for your iPhone sync preferences with iTunes.

With your iPhone connected to iTunes, go to the Photos tab. This controls which photos are synced to your phone. There are several options. You can sync all or none of your photos, or choose a folder or folders which you'd like duplicated to your iPhone.

It's not so much a matter of deleting the folder from your iPhone as selecting which items you want to be there.

If you have Photo Stream enabled on your iPhone, all photos captured by your iPhone, any photos saved from a received email, photos saved from a received message, and any photos saved from a website with all saved in the Camera Roll are added to your Photo Stream automatically.

Photo Library stores all photos that were transferred from your computer via the iTunes sync process which is selected under the Photos tab for your iPhone sync preferences with iTunes.

If I delete it from the Camera Roll folder on the primary device and it has not been saved to a folder I have created on that device, it also deletes it from the cloud (My Photo Stream) and hence all other devices to which it has not been saved.

Not true. Deleting a photo from the Camera Roll on a device does not affect photos in the iCloud photo stream.

If you place a photo that is in the Camera Roll in a user created photo album on the device, the photo in the user created album on the device includes a pointer only to the original photo in the Camera Roll. The photo is not duplicated as in taking up double the storage space. If you delete a photo placed in a user created album on the device from the Camera Roll, the photo will be removed from the album on the device as well. This is completely separate from the iCloud Photo Stream. After a photo captured or saved by a device is copied to the Photo Stream, deleting the photo from the Camera Roll does not affect the photo in the Photo Stream.

I have about 1100 photos on the camera roll, and 1400 in the photo library. I don't care to use Photo Stream.

I am periodically downloading photos from my iPhone to Picasa on a Vista PC.

I would like to save all my pictures, just not all on my iPhone. How can I archive them and clear all but a few from my iPhone.

Are they all physically taking up space on my phone? Are there duplicates? Obviously, I really don't understand how Apple has designed this.

Thanks.

Allan, really appreciated your description-- Camera Roll holds all your iPhone photos and Photo Library the ones synched with iPhoto. Crystal clear.

However, I just did a fresh sync via iTunes of various iPhoto folders to my iPhone and ended up with 849 photos in Camera Roll and 833 in Photo Library. Only a couple of hundred of the photos were taken by the iPhone (the rest by other cameras and a handful were iPhone screen shots), so how did I end up with 849??!

The difference of 16 intrigues me. What would cause that and is there an easy way of finding out which 16 those are?

I'm assuming that if I take a photo with the iPhone, that number in the Camera Roll will go up to 850, yet the new photo won't be synched.

I did find that the total number of photos in all the albums synched added up to 867. I suppose that's explainable if there were duplicates in some of the albums.

So, count me in on the confusion expressed by others here! Appreciate any illumination that anyone, including Allan, can shed on this!🙂

One interesting additional wrinkle on this. I rearranged the albums on the iPhone (dragged and changed their order in a couple of places) and re-synched.

Now, it's 849 and 847!

I should add that I did sync the iPhone with iPhoto before starting all this and brought over to iPhoto all photos that had been taken with the iPhone. Perhaps that will help in trouble-shooting this.