Industry guru Dave Taylor offers tech support on technical and business topics, including iPhone, iPod, Microsoft Windows, Sony PSP, cellphones, online advertising, CSS, Web design, business, Unix, Linux, SEO, Mac OS X, and shell script programming.     


Import photos into Aperture from my DSLR camera?

I've been experimenting with different photo management applications on my new iMac system and am impressed with Aperture. Except for one little glitch: sometimes when I plug in my camera it automatically shows up in Apple's Aperture, and other times it doesn't. When it isn't showing up, how can I find my DSLR digital camera in Aperture?


Dave's Answer:

Aperture used to be quite different from Apple's iPhoto application but in the last year or so many of the popular features of iPhoto have moved into Aperture, including publishing albums to Flickr, Facebook and MobileMe, face recognition and geolocation of photos on a map of the world. All very fun stuff, and it definitely makes Aperture a good step up from iPhoto if, like me, you have a zillion photos on your computer.

But I've seen what you're talking about too, when I hook up my camera (or even my iPhone 3GS) and nothing happens in Aperture and I am left sitting, trying to figure out what to do.

Fortunately, I figured it out. :-)

Here are the steps you need. To get to the starting point, I'm assuming that you have Aperture running and have a digital camera or DSLR or cellphone hooked up.

mac aperture device not showing up

This is probably what you see in the top left corner in Aperture when you aren't seeing your camera show up. What you need to do is click on the "Import" arrow...

mac aperture device not showing up import iphone

Ahh, there's that pesky digital camera (well, in this case, my iPhone)!

Once you choose the device, give it a minute or two and Aperture will show you thumbnails for each and every photo it finds:

mac aperture selecting photos to import

I generally click on "Uncheck All" then manually select the photos that I want to import. Yes, this can be rather tedious in some cases.

Now look on the top right to see the default import settings:

mac aperture import photo settings

The key thing here to help keep your photos organized is to enter a project name. If it's part of an existing project -- that is, that you are adding new pics to a project -- select a different destination project here.

Ready? Look down in the bottom right corner:

mac aperture import photo settings import checked

One extra bonus tip: you might want to check your import preferences in Aperture too:

mac aperture preferences import

That should make your relationship with Aperture a happier one!


More Useful Mac OS X Help Articles:
✔   Audacity can't find LAME library, I can't save Mp3?
Hey Dave. I read your article Audacity can't save mp3 audio files and am still puzzled because I downloaded the LAME Mp3 converter...
✔   How to remove Dashboard as a "space" in Mac OS X Spaces?
I'm a big fan of the Spaces utility in Mac OS X that lets me have multiple virtual screens [see Set Up Mac...
✔   Best place to buy a cheap MacBook laptop?
Hi Dave. I am looking for two gently used MacBook laptops for my teen daughters. Personal computers would greatly facilitate their studies as...
✔   File too big error copying to USB flash drive on my Mac?
I'm baffled. I have a 16GB Kingston USB flash drive that I use on my Mac system and I'm trying to copy a...
✔   Stealth image capture photo from webcam on my Mac?
Someone sneaks into my cubicle while I'm at lunch and takes candy out of my desk. Petty, but stupid too. I want to...

Let's stay in touch!
Sign up for my weekly AskDaveTaylor Newsletter and you'll receive even more tech and gadget help right to your inbox, along with exclusive news and industry updates. It's good stuff. I promise!
    Enter your name: and your email addr:  





Categorized: Mac OS X Help   (Article 9419, Written by )
Tagged: apple aperture, apple iphoto, digital cameras, digital photography, mac os x, photo management
Previous: What is "article spinning" software?
Next: How do I change my MSN Hotmail Live.com password?




Reader Comments To Date:

Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
Rather amazingly, there are no comments on this article yet.

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!











I will never send you any unsolicited email. Ever.






Check This Out Too...

 
Look for Answers
Need Help? Ask Dave Taylor!


Follow Me on Pinterest

Find Me on Google+
ADT on G+
© 2002 - 2013 by Dave Taylor. All Rights Reserved.

Note: This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this web site or on any linked site. Further, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to my terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site. My lawyer says "Thanks".
"Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.