Looking for software to transfer images to mac

[ognistik]

Before using a mac, for transferring my photos to the hard drive I always used Windows default application. It was very simple, but effective. The closest I've found is "Image Capture" ... I tried iPhoto, but even though it is a nice interface, and it helps to organize photos, I don't like the fact that it makes a copy of every single photo (using twice the space in my HD).

What I would like is something like "Image Capture", but with a little extra feature: renaming. The thing is that, for example... I take photos, every photo is automatically named by my camera with DSC_01 ... _02 ... 03 ... then I get them to a folder called (August 09, for example) ... I go out and take more photos, they get named DSC_01... _02... inside the camera again, so at the time of downloading them to the same folder (August 09) they get something like "DSC_01_2... DSC_02_2" ... it really makes a mess. I never know which photos I took first or later in the month. The cool thing of the Windows default app was that it renamed my photos to "Photo_01, Photo_02" as it downloaded, and the next time I downloaded it would just keep renaming after the last one "Photo_03, Photo_04..."

What do you guys recommend me?

[geoffshep]

If you are talking about importing them from another computer, or camera, or external memory, iphoto should just copy the files to it's library folder. If you copy the files to your hard disk first, then import them to iphoto, yes the originals will still be on your hatd disk as well - but you could then delete them.

If you want to keep all your pictures in a specific location on your hard disk, or external disc etc, you can still use iphoto as a library 'front end'. Just set iphoto preferences NOT to copy items to your iphoto library.

[miles01110]

I don't think there's an all-in-one application to do this, but Name Mangler is the best file renaming utility that I know of.

[devburke]

You can tell iPhoto not to make a copy in its library. Although, to be honest, I think the cleanest way to do it is let iPhoto make the copy, and delete the original. It does kind of hide the photos away in an iPhoto Library file, but you can still use them with other apps, the easiest way would be to simply drag them right from iPhoto as if it were the Finder.

FYI, changing picture names in iPhoto doesn't change the filename, just the "title" of the image. Although if you pretty much just interact with your pictures through iPhoto, there's no effective difference.

[geoffshep]

Yes - it would be nice if it did - like renaming in itunes.

[devburke]

Originally Posted by geoffshep

Yes - it would be nice if it did - like renaming in itunes.

That would be nice, but I think the idea is that you don't interact directly with the files, you only do it through iPhoto.

Still, I don't know why they don't just let you rename them. Maybe to help link up the originals with the modified versions?