what is the .AAE extension?

Where were the JPG files when you deleted them? If it was on the phone then it's quite possible that the AAE files were deleted at the same time if you used the Photo app to delete them, or if you used iPhoto to delete them after importing them.

Files were a very bad idea when they were invented. A computer user should never see a file, because files interact with each other, and manipulating them independently can have unexpected consequences. Apple tried hide files with iOS; there is no Finder, no way using the built in tools to see any files. And, in fact, they aren't files, but objects in a database. But people found ways around this innovation, and the results have not been good. I'm following other threads where users are trying to delete images to free up memory using iOS file managers. The results aren't pretty. You end up with iOS thinking there are a thousand images on the device, but it can't find them. They were deleted, but the index database wasn't updated to reflect the fact. The same risks occur in iTunes on a computer; if you attempt to move media files using Finder or Windows Explorer you break the iTunes database. Likewise for many other PC and Mac programs.

Thanks Lawrence-any .jpg files that I deleted, were deleted either from my iPhoto APP (the albums or Library) or from the external hard drive. I never delete from my phone...I always import everything and then delete thereafter, from the external hard drive.

If you deleted an image with iPhoto it would have deleted any associated AAE files also.

Thanks Lawrence-that's what I thought. So therefore, the deleted AAE files are probably ones I *wanted* to delete (along with their associated .jpg files). That is good to know.

Many thanks!

I think Apple is doing a great thing and it just occurred to me what.

[ I only photograph in RAW format, a pure digital capture of an image through the lens; jpeg format are mathematical interpretations, in a smaller image file format. But it comes in 2 flavors. if you shoot Canon's proprietary RAW FILE (.CR2 ) you can either shoot .CR2 and always carry around .xml (sidecar-.aae file) file forever or convert the RAW file to Adobe's proprietary .DNG (digital negative) which contains the edits to an image that can only be interpreted through another program like Lightroom, or iPhoto etc.. The same thing is happening on our phone's format. ]

The end result that is in front of all this technical crap is: NON DESTRUCTIVE EDITING to a photographic image. The edits you make to an image, i.e. instructions on how you want to view the final image for printing or playback-are contained in sidecars; in this case .aae or .xml. or embedded in a propriety file format. How one views the image in print or screen depends on the device that the edits control. Most images are USUALLY converted back to jpegs which are a fraction the size of the original image and so on.

"Forget about the AAE files for now.

When importing photos from iOS 8 to your Mac:

– Importing them with 'Image Capture' will give you the original photos

– Importing them with 'AirDrop' will give you the edited photos.

So you can have both versions on the Mac should you so desire."

This is not my experience.

i have a number of photos on my iPhone and until recently when importing to my Mac I was able to import the photos to any folder of my choice where they would show up as jpegs. Now, unless I import to Photos I only get the .AAE file, but Photos is useless to me as it won't allow me to access the jpeg I can only "share" to a variety of destinations. I have never used iPhoto, and I've no real use for Photos either; I prefer to maintain all photos in an indexed hierarchical folder structure rather than use "library" apps.

Either there is something wrong (I am using the latest public beta of Yosemite or this is another example of Apple taking control of something away from the user, which is the way they seem to be heading now.

OK... I'm using Adobe Photoshop CS4 and I downloaded about 50 shots made with my iPhone to my iMac. I go into PS and try to use the image processor to downsize these photos so I can actually create a "How-To" thread in an automotive Forum. Used to be a piece of cake... now Photoshop sends me a pop-up saying there are no files in the specified directory that can be read. In the directory are both JPG and those AAE files. I can edit the JPS individually, but cannot do a quick, down and dirty "Image Processor" function?

How do I fix this? I have no use for Apple's editing, its way too limited compared to Photoshop.

Mike

I have got a solution for those who want to transfer their edited/cropped pictures to mac.

1, Select all the pictures on iPhone.

2, iMessage them to your Mac.

This way pictures are sent in their final version & in .jpg format.

Cheers.

Thanks for your useful advice! I have tons of photos in Photos on my MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, I have to export them to change the filename. I was doing this when I ran into a bunch of .AAE files. What would you do if you didn't see the AAE files until you'd already renamed all the movies and images?

You would llose any edits you made to the images, unless you renamed them using a photo management app that knows about newer image management standards.

Thanks, Lawrence. Thinking back on the way I exported the photos in question, I chose "Export Unmodified File" instead of "Export 220 Photos." When the files appeared on my desktop, many of them had a white sheet of paper icon with a turned down corner sitting in front of and slightly above the photo thumbnail. Perhaps the "Export Unmodified File" option exports the AAE file separately?

1lefsa4 wrote:

Forget about the AAE files for now.

When importing photos from iOS 8 to your Mac:

– Importing them with 'Image Capture' will give you the original photos

– Importing them with 'AirDrop' will give you the edited photos.

So you can have both versions on the Mac should you so desire.

I have found this to be true.

Also note: I had been concerned that the "creation date" info would be lost with the AirDrop process, but it turns out that this time/date stamp is preserved. This is important to me because I am collecting vacation photos from two family iPhones plus a (GPS-equipped) camera, and I want to order the whole set chronologically before performing further edits with PhotoShop. (I don't use iPhoto, Photos, or Aperture.) So although it is a pain to separately AirDrop the on-cam-edited photos, at least there is a way to bring them into the on-computer editing process.

I just emailed my AAE pictures from my iPad to myself and the jpeg version came thru

I have always used Image capture to transfer my photos and movies from my iPhone to my Mac. Since iOS 8, with edited media, I've been getting the jpg/png/mov and AEE sidecar files. After transferring the media from my phone I often delete it (to make space). Does anyone know if it's possible to apply the AAE file to the corresponding jpg/png/mov file???

Thanks,

Steve

I haven't tried, but you should be able to open the images with an app that knows about .AAE files, such as Adobe Photoshop Elements.

This is Apple's note on it: What to expect when you import edited photos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your Mac or PC - Apple Support