[Diggory Laycock]

I'm rather confused about the 'proper' way to use Photo Stream and an iPhone and iPhoto.

Here's how I use iPhoto and my iPhone: (This workflow was as far as I can tell the correct way to operate before iCloud)

- Getting photos into iPhoto:

-- Take photos on iPhone.
-- Every so often connect the phone to my mac and in iPhoto import any photos and videos from the phone's camera roll into iPhoto (deleting those photos from the camera roll once they are imported.)
-- This means that iPhoto is the canonical store for my photos - the camera roll on the phone was just a temporary store until i could get them into iPhoto.


- To get photos from iPhoto onto my iOS device:

-- in iTunes, select the device and in the Photos tab of the settings choose 'Sync photos from iPhoto' - only including events from the last two years (for limited phone storage reasons.)

This worked well until iCloud came about - now with photo stream every time I import into iPhoto it warns me of duplicates as the photos already exist in monthly photo stream events. I end up with both monthly photo stream events and 'real' events which are groups of photos taken on the same day.

So - what is the correct workflow now that photo stream exists?

Do I not ever import from my iOS devices into iPhoto and just allow photo stream to do its stuff?

If so

- Do I just let the camera roll on my iPhone get bigger and bigger and never empty it? This seems wasteful as there would be duplication of photos between the camera roll and the photo stream events.

- How do I import videos from the iOS devices?

Or is there a more correct workflow?

What strategies do you use?

Thanks

[alabama24]

Photos in the photo stream disappear, so there will not be a permanent duplication. If your desire is to always edit photos on your mac, you can just delete the pics in the camera roll.

[Diggory Laycock]

Originally Posted by alabama24 

Photos in the photo stream disappear, so there will not be a permanent duplication.

That is only true if Photo Stream automatic import is not enabled in iPhoto. If auto import is on then they are imported from iCloud (and then later also imported when I connect the phone.)

Originally Posted by alabama24 

If your desire is to always edit photos on your mac, you can just delete the pics in the camera roll.

I suppose that's true - I could just keep emptying the camera roll. It seems a little inelegant to have to keep deleting all photos by hand though. Also, I suspect that could lead to certain conditions where you accidentally delete photos off the roll before the phone has had a chance to upload them to iCloud.

[Stuke]

EXCELLENT POST, and exactly what I want to know as well! I'm just one step behind you as I've not upgraded my MobileMe to iCloud...yet.

My ADDITIONAL problem:

- I have a wife and three kids, all with separate iDevices running the latest iOS 5.x and all sharing as aliases my one MobileMe account. I could not upgrade to the Family Pack account when I wanted to...Apple had just cancelled it to prep for iCloud. So do I:

Keep everyone on my one main Apple ID account, creating what I see as a merged, cross-infested photo stream (which then enters into Diggory's workflow problem),

or

Create new Apple IDs for everyone and let their devices roam independent of my watch?

Seems there is no easy way to keep the master account any longer, now that iCloud has appeared over the horizon and rained on my MobileMe/Mac management of 5 iPod touches, 5 iPhones, and 2 iPads! Apple (and Apple fans)...what should I do?

Many thanks.

[ibook_steve]

I just let iCloud handle everything. I don't connect my iPhone to my computer ever.

except...

For some reason, videos are not put in the cloud. To get them into iPhoto, you have to connect your iPhone to the computer as if it was a camera. When I do this, I only see the videos as not imported. All the stills show as imported via iCloud and I do not get an error/warning about duplicates. I can then delete stuff off my phone as needed (though with a new baby, I haven't ended up deleting anything yet!).

As for Stuke, I think it's time for separate accounts for everybody.

Steve

[Diggory Laycock]

Originally Posted by ibook_steve 

All the stills show as imported via iCloud and I do not get an error/warning about duplicates. I can then delete stuff off my phone as needed.

Ah - that's interesting. If that is the expected behaviour then it would make much more sense. I wonder why my iPhoto doesn't behave the same way.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by ibook_steve 

For some reason, videos are not put in the cloud. To get them into iPhoto, you have to connect your iPhone to the computer as if it was a camera. When I do this, I only see the videos as not imported. All the stills show as imported via iCloud and I do not get an error/warning about duplicates.

Ahhhh...but there's a rather annoying caveat:

If you go through the Photo Stream in iPhoto and delete unwanted photos in there, they WILL show up as not imported when you hook up the iPhone the next time to transfer videos.

This is Really Lame™.

[Diggory Laycock]

I've got iPhoto to behave properly now - i reset photo stream from iCloud.com and turned if off and on again on all my devices.

Thanks for the help.