introduction : interface : Importing Photos
Importing Photos : Getting photos into your computer, at times, used to be a difficult task. The rest of the time it was IMPOSSIBLE! iPhoto, and a compatible camera or card reader, makes importing photos from your camera much easier.

Compatible Camera? : Which cameras are compatible with iPhoto? Apple has an extensive list of all the cameras that are compatible (work) with iPhoto. Click here to view the list. If your camera is not on that list then there is still hope for you. iPhoto is also compatible with a number of card readers. (Compatible card readers are also listed on that site.) Card readers are USB devices that work with whatever type of media (memory) your camera uses. Example of media types include Smart Memory, Compact Flash, MicroDrive and Memory Stick. It is likely that there is a Card Reader that is compatible with your media type and iPhoto.

Still out of luck? : If neither of those routes work for you then there is always the local photo developer who will put the images on disk for you. Many of the bigger developers will do this. Once you have the images on CD (not floppy!), or if you have scanned the images in to your computer already, you can import them manually. Later in this lesson you will learn how to import images manually. Click here to skip to importing images manually section if you are too impatient.

Launch iPhoto : To launch iPhoto, the first time, click on its icon in the dock or click on the hard drive, go to the applications folder and then double click on the iPhoto icon. The first time you launch iPhoto, it will ask you whether or not you want it to open automatically when a camera is connected. Decide whether or not you want it to, and click the appropriate button. If you selected yes, then you will never have to launch iPhoto to import images from your camera again.

Connect your Camera : In this lesson, I will be using a Nikon Coolpix 775. This camera, like most current cameras connect to the computer via the USB cable. Each camera has its own specific settings for transferring images. On the Coolpix, you must turn the dial to image view mode to transfer. Set your camera to its appropriate setting and then plug in the cable to the camera and in to a USB port on your computer (any USB port will do - even the ports on the Apple Keyboards).

Import Images : Once you connect your camera, and iPhoto loads, you should see that iPhoto recognizes that a camera is connected. In the above image, iPhoto recognizes my Nikon DSC E775. It also tells me that it contains 3 photos. I can decide whether or not I want to erase the camera contents after transfer or not, and then Import the images. (note - If I select that I do want the images erased, it will ask me one more time if I am sure of this.) The video below shows what it will look like when images are being imported.

Where do they go? : Once your import is complete you can see the images in the main, image library window (below - highlighted in orange). As you can see, the three images that I imported are there and ready for organizing.

Where do they go? (Pt. 2) : The images are now in iPhoto but, where did they physically go? Where does iPhoto store the images? iPhoto conveniently places imported images in your Pictures Folder, in your Home Directory. The Path to the file should look like this: Hard Drive / Users / Your Home Directory / Pictures / iPhoto Library. Inside of the iPhoto Library Folder you will find that the images are further organized by Year, Month and then Day (2002 / 08 / 06 ). Below is an image that shows the iPhoto Library folder and how it is organized.

your pictures can be found in your Pictures folder

Importing Images from Hard Drive : You may also have images already stored on your hard drive that you want to import (scanned files, downloaded images, etc.). This is easily accomplished. Instead of clicking the import button, you go to the File Menu and click on Import… (image 2A below). You will then have to direct the computer to where your images are and then select Import (image 2B below).

2A - To import images from the hard drive go to the file menu and click on Import…
2B - find the images on your hard drive or CD-ROM and then select Import

You can select multiple images at once by holding down the shift key and selecting the images that you want.

Images that are imported manually are placed in the iPhoto Library folder just like images that are imported from a digital camera, and can be erased from their original location (don't take my word for it though - make sure that the images are in the iPhoto Library before deleting them!).

Another way to Import Images into iPhoto is to simply drag them from your Hard Drive (or other source) into the Main iPhoto window.

Removing Unwanted Imports : I know this never happens to you, but I occasionally take pictures that don't look as good once I see them full screen. To delete unwanted images that have been imported, simply click on the image once and then hit the delete key on your keyboard. This will bring up an alert asking if you are really sure that you want to permanently remove this file from the library and all albums. Select Yes and that's all there is to it. Gone.

In lesson three you will learn how to Organize your photos for easy retrieval later. Go to Lesson Three.
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