Why SO many random DCIM Folders? I want ONE!

That actually has been mentioned a few times in the thread. The only disadvantage is if you have edited the images on the phone or iPad those edits will not be in the .jpg; it will be the original before edits, because the edits are contained in a "sidecar" file with an AAE extension, which Windows Explorer interprets (incorrectly) as a mounted disk.

We've suggested using the search tool throughout this thread. But instead of searching for .jpg, try just typing an asterisk ( * ) in the search box. That way it'll not only list the photos, but the video files (.mov) as well. You can then right click on a particular photo or video and choose Open file location from the context menu to open the DCIM folder that contains that photo/video, as well as any others taken that month. The biggest downfall being, as Lawrence said, it will not transfer any photos that have been edited (e.g. red eye, brightness, etc.). It will only transfer the original, unedited photo.

The bottom line is the photo import and management process from iphone to PC has become non-nonsensical and illogical.....period! At very least, at an absolute minimum, the DCIM folders should reflect the date the folder was created in the file number so the user can easily tell at a glance what they're looking at and where things are. Would that be so difficult? Maybe I don't want to import *every single* new pic since I last imported. Maybe I just want to import one or two new photos. Good luck with that.

I will continue to be a huge Apple advocate and will continue to spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars on the products because they are the best there is - hands down. But before the moderators block my comments for "ranting", please remember that constructive criticism is a healthy thing right ?

I disagree. It WAS nonsensical and illogical in the past, and it has been made logical and sensible when used with the correct tools. What you ask is impossible; the date on a folder is the date of the last update to it. This is an intrinsic operating system design feature, and has been that way for Unix-based operating systems since 1972, which Unix was first deployed.

Using the correct tools you do NOT have to import "every single* new picture since you last imported. Any photo management tool gives you an option of what to import. For example, I use Picasa or Nikon ViewNX interchangeably. Both of them display all of the photos on the iPhone in chronological order (independent of what DCIM folder they are in; I don't need to know that information) and both allow me to check the photos to import, and whether to delete them after import or not. It's quick and easy. And it imports the editing data along with the image. And the default app opens automatically when I connect the phone to my computer, so it is much easier than trying to use Windows Explorer or Mac Finder. It works the same way with Windows Camera and Scanner wizard; once you enable it the first time it will automatically open and display the thumbnails of your images, and let you choose which to import.

adamkrause2004 wrote:

At very least, at an absolute minimum, the DCIM folders should reflect the date the folder was created in the file number so the user can easily tell at a glance what they're looking at and where things are.

Agreed. This is what I'd like to see as well.

Lawrence Finch wrote:

What you ask is impossible; the date on a folder is the date of the last update to it.

Every single sub-folder within my iPhone's DCIM folder has a creation date of 3/6/15. I don't even have any photos on my iPhone that were taken on that date. If I did, I've removed them. And I've taken many photos since that date, the most recent being yesterday, 5/20/15. But it hasn't updated the creation date for 2 1/2 months. So no, the date on the folders is not the date of the last update to them.

A new DCIM sub-folder is created for every month we take a photo(s), regardless of whether it's only one photo that month or many. If they can set it to create a new folder to store photos according to the month they were taken, and it can assign some off-the-wall creation date to every single folder (even though there are no photos taken on that date) then why can't they set each folder's creation date as the date of the first or last photo in that folder?

Reply Helpfulby T-Minator on Dec 27, 2014 6:38 AM

"I have the same issue with too many folders, and not being able to find my most recent photos. I can't get rid of the folders yet, but have found a decent temporary solution to finding my most recent photos (until Apple corrects this problem, that used to not be a problem). Open your DCIM folder in Windows Explorer (WE). You should now see all of the folders that your iPhone has created. In the search box at the top right corner of the window, type in an asterisk: * (no punctuation before or after it), and hit enter. WE will now show you a list of everything in the DCIM folder. All of the folders your iPhone created will be listed first (yes, the same folders that are causing all of us headaches). Scroll down to the bottom of the folder list, and immediately after that you will see all of your photos. Your most recent photos should be listed first (immediately following all of the DCIM folders). Once you see the image you are looking for, right click on it, and you will have the option to go to the containing folder ("open file location"). Once at that location, you should see all of your most recent images."

thanks very much T-Minator - this was the perfect solution to a seemingly ludicrous problem.

how apple with all of their technical expertise cannot find a simpler solution to this is incredible.

not sure why everyone insists you have to download all of your photos - some of us dont want to do that! i have heaps of photos on my phone i use for work and do not want on my computer - many are for reference and only temporary. i just want to find the last one i took sometimes.

the search idea did the trick for me. thanks very much.

Same problem here. I have over 3000 photos on my 128GB iPhone 6, and when I connect my iPhone to my Windows computer they are strewn across 54 folders! I have idea which folder my latest pictures are saved into. It's absolutely ridiculous.

To avoid this I connected my iPhone to my Mac to use Image Capture, but for some reason it doesn't display any of my photos taken after Feb 2nd, 2015. So that's useless. Probably another of the many Yosemite bugs I've already encountered.

Brilliant so I've just spent an hour trolling through 11 pages of repetitive complaints about exactly the same thing (justified), various people claiming credit for the * fix and yet still after 11 pages and 8 months of comments Apple have not stepped in with a solution !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have got to be kidding me - if that's the level of disinterest they take in their customers problems, Android is clearly the way to go !

Grats21 wrote:

Brilliant so I've just spent an hour trolling through 11 pages of repetitive complaints about exactly the same thing (justified), various people claiming credit for the * fix and yet still after 11 pages and 8 months of comments Apple have not stepped in with a solution !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have got to be kidding me - if that's the level of disinterest they take in their customers problems, Android is clearly the way to go !

You truly don't get it. This is a USER TO USER TECHNICAL SUPPORT FORUM. Apple NEVER steps in. Apple doesn't even read it. To communicate with Apple use the Contact Us link at the bottom of every page. There are many ways of talking to Apple but THIS FORUM IS NOT ONE OF THEM. Which you would know if you had bother to read the Terms of Use that you accepted when you joined.

And, if you haven't realized it yet, this thread is a "honeypot", a place to keep the gripers and malcontents in one place, so they don't muddy the threads of people with real problems who want real solutions.

haha wow I think you are taking life a little too seriously !!

If you've calmed down now what I meant was Apple haven't stepped in to fix the problem given this is just one forum of many complaining about this issue. ALL manufacturers will have researchers and focus groups trolling these type of boards to head off problems. Anyone who thinks they don't get read is a fool! I work for a bank and they have software which picks up every single time their name is mentioned on the net, forums, twitter, facebook etc etc and monitor thresholds for bad press. Apple will be the same! There, so educated you on that one.

However well done for dismissing people with genuine issue as 'malcontents' - it did you proud.

Now go and scoop up all your toys and put them back in your pram!

T-Minator, thanks a lot!

I am wondering why did Apple implemented such a stupid thing. It is obviously NOT user-friendly. No reasons to import all photos to my computer first. Especially when I wand to copy 1-2 photos to another's computer. And such annoying thing will obviously NOT insipre my to move to MAC.

Well, in the world of a Mac, you would never go to your photos via the Finder. That is Windows mentality. If you import and export photos from iPhoto, then the structure of the folders inside of the library are irrelevant.

GB

gail from maine wrote:

Well, in the world of a Mac, you would never go to your photos via the Finder. That is Windows mentality. If you import and export photos from iPhoto, then the structure of the folders inside of the library are irrelevant.

GB

It's also true in the world of Windows, for people who know what they are doing.

You are saying as if I going to migrate to Mac world. Can you just imagine that people also live in Windows world? Do not move us away from the problem, please!

To find the recently done pictures is the common task, obviously. It can be resolved user-friendly and it eve was done so. And in the recent versions of iOs they broken that.

Just an addition to the steps from T-Minator. I've just done what you suggest. My WE shows pictures, but does not allow to copy them in shif mode (search results). I was needed to do nore:

1. Right-click on the recent photo and called 'properties'.

2. In the appeared dialog I saw the file full path.

3. There I got the name of the non-human readable directory. I t was "900ONROE".

4. I opened "900ONROE" in WE and my recent picturess were there.

Amazing! So you found yet another complex workaround for what is a simple process using the right tools. And what you will get is the raw images, missing any edits you made on the phone or any of the advanced camera settings. And then I'll bet you will complain that your edits were lost.