iPhone isn't transferring photos taken with built-in filters

I came across this problem yesterday after taking heaps of photos with the camera's filters and then found when I tried to upload them using iPhoto all the filters were missing and the photos were all in colour.

I found a simple way around it for non-techie types like myself - I created an album on Facebook that was set so only I could see it, and I uploaded all the photos into that album. All the filter affects are retained and I can then easily download the photos from that album.

The only problem I've found is the size it uploads them, which ends up being under quite small, so if I want to print any of the photos at a larger size, I will need to email those ones to myself first so I can choose a larger size.

Yes, Facebook will reprocess any images. It does not upload and display the original. You'll likely see them as slightly less sharp and often reduced file size.

I think all of these Heath Robinsonesque methods illustrate the issue clearly, and that a method of tethered import - with filter data needs to be made. I'm perplexed as to why this does not exist as it seems the most obvious and simple method to get photos from A to B.

I have still not found a resolution to the problem. Emailing photos to oneself - especially as Photos does not provide a Select All (and selecting too many will fail to send anyway) - is utterly tedious. Also, you lose the image name and it becomes called FullSizeRender - which sounds like the name of a low rate **** star.

Come on Apple! Let us import photos properly!

I have found another way of keeping the formatting and also the original photo size, and that is to load them to Dropbox. Unfortunately it loads EVERY single photo stored on my iPhone so I'm going to have to go in and delete them so I don't run out of space as I only have the free version of Dropbox.

The first photo I loaded as a test (into a separate folder, before realising it was then loading EVERY photo into a Camera Uploads folder) was 1.5MB and it had kept the black and white filter I had used in the camera to take the photo.

It is still VERY annoying that Apple doesn't have some way of allowing us to retain the formatting and upload the photos to iPhoto or similar.

Ah, just discovered it's not really working, the Dropbox idea! If I go into Dropbox on my phone and load each photo I want separately, it keeps the formatting, but if it does an automatic upload, it doesn't.

I don't know if there is a way to stop the automatic upload of every photo as I only want to upload selected photos. Maybe I will have to choose the ones to upload and then turn the feature off so the rest don't upload as well.

Sort your stuff out, Apple!

Yes, Apple doesn't seem to understand that there exists a world besides iCloud. I have many cameras and devices, family members have other brands of phones, etc. The concept of a Camera Roll is so simple that I am astounded that Apple found a way to screw it up. Fine if Apple wants to use AAE sidecar files for the edits, but at LEAST put a function in the Photos app on iOS, whereby I can "commit" the edits permanently (which would result in rewriting the JPEG and discarding the AAE sidecar file for that image.) There are in fact a few Apps in the App Store that will do this, but they are tedious. I like to make quick edits on the fly right from the camera roll, I rarely need to UNDO the edits later, or re-edit them. Maybe even offer a Setting in iOS where I can choose if I want destructive edits or not. Or maybe, when I make edits, duplicate the photo! (like was done in the "old days") Apple can't even give me a "Duplicate" function in the Camera Roll, for crying out loud.

iCloud is not for everyone. I don't want my photos synced all over the place and don't need them in the cloud. I don't want to pay Apple for storage that I don't really need. Apple should not have reinvented the wheel as far as the camera functions, just because of iCloud.

Exactly! I could understand Apple not keeping the formatting from outside apps, but to do this for the onboard camera filters is bizarre. If you can upload the edited photos to Facebook, why not allow them to be kept when loading using iPhoto?

I use an app called SuperPhoto and when I apply that to photos stored in the camera, I am given the option of saving the photo - and it saves it in addition to the original. Why can't Apple offer this feature?

I am a photographer and wanted to have a play and do a series of shots just using my iPhone and the onboard camera filters. I'm rethinking that decision now!

Ok. Now I am from India and majority of people here dont have iPhones or Macs..

I faced this problem yesterday and it was kind a bummer because I took loads of photos in a family event and then promised everyone that I will send them those photos (with filters). But when I connected my phone with my Windows laptop, the photos were showing without filter.

Spent some time thinking how to get filter-attached photos. Finally, found a really handy and easy workaround.

I opened Xender and transferred all the pics to my wife's Galaxy S4. Once they were in S4, I connected S4 with my laptop and copy pasted all filter-attached photos from it. BOOM.

Really wish Apple will do something about it in next iOS itself, so I don't have to rely on other apps to do this simple things.

I have called Apple Support numerous times on a similar issue. A really nice guy from the US is trying to help at the moment. Basically I have always used the USB cord to import photos and videos from my iPhone to the PC. I use a Surface Pro (full version, not RT) and in the past ALL of my photos have appeared as they were taken with the filters.

I'm not even sure when it started but now when I import my photos and videos any photos I have taken using a filter this happens; they show up as a JPG file named for example 'image_123' and then next to this file is another file called 'image_123.aae' which in file explorer appears blank. The JPEG file is an unfiltered photo. The filter effect is lost! I am desperate to get this sorted as I can see photos on my phone which are filtered but they simply won't import as they appear on the phone. To make matters worse, for some reason iCloud is showing 1700 photos when on my phone I have over 7000. Tech guy is baffled too. If I could at least get them to sync into iCloud I could grab them there (in iCloud my photos DO show with the filters). I must say, even if I could get this to work, the idea of rifling through thousands of photos of tiny thumbnails on iCloud to pick which ones to download, makes my brain hurt.

All of these work arounds, to me, seem completely insane. My suspicion is that the 'optimise photos' function on the iphone (which gets the iphone to store a smaller version of your picture to save space but downloads the full version onto iCloud) is the cause of the problem but I'm not sure.

If I get a solution I will be sure to share it!

This looks promising. Sorry, I'm not too familiar with Xender. Could you explain further? When you say "I opened Xender and transferred all the pics to my wife's Galaxy S4" what do you mean? On what device did you open xender? Can you log into it on a web browser? And am I correct in understanding that you uploaded all of the photos which had imported to your PC with the .aae files to Xender?

Look forward to your response! 🙂

What to expect when you import edited photos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your Mac or PC - Apple Support

Apple HAS done something. What to expect when you import edited photos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your Mac or PC - Apple Support

Use iCloud photo library, as described in the link.

Try to import with the latest version of iOS and iPhoto, the filter will not be shown at the time of import, but will be applied at the photo after that.

The solution is to edit and share them with iPhoto.

Apple, please give us a simply Render fx button. Thanks.

I now have this same issue for ios8 transferring the filers and crops from my ipad 2. it was fine not long ago.