Photo Organization or a FREE app for it

[Panama]

Is there a way to organize photos in the PHOTO app included with base iPad2? I searched here and read the instructions but maybe I missed it....When I downloaded photos from the camera to iPad they are all jumbled and are in some sort of random folders. I want to create a folder of say ...Colorado Trip....and move the pics I want into the folder.....and another for ....Florida Trip.... and move what I want there and so on and so on.......
I cannot figure how to do it and have read the instructions ---such as they are???
If there is not a way to do it internally with what came on the iPad -- Is there a free app that will let me create files or folders and name them and import photos from my Photo section to the folder as I choose? Maybe I am missing something here......

 

[twerppoet]

To do this with the Photo app itself (and keep them off of the camera roll) you need to organize them on the computer and then use iTunes to sync those folders. It does not have a lot of options, but if you only need very basic album organization and don't mind that you can not do the organizing on the iPad itself, it's adequate.

iPhone, iPad and iPod touch: Syncing photos via iTunes

Otherwise you need a third party app. Among the more popular choices are Photo Manager Pro, Photo-Sort, and Photo Shack Pro. Read up on them in the App Store and by searching for them in the forum go get the details and peoples opinions.

 

[Panama]

Thank you for your advice. I think I found something I can use. I find it a little CS that they did not include something as basic as a photo folder organizer within the original setup. You have helped me with a couple of issues that I have had and I appreciate it.

 

[twerppoet]

No problem.

 

[jtip]

When you buy a 3rd party app how can you import photos or folders into it. I tunes defalts to the Ipad ap and does not let you choose anything else, or at least I cannot find how to do it.

 

[twerppoet]

Third party apps have their own methods of loading. It rarely involves iTunes, varies from app to app, usually involving the web browser on your computer or a cloud service. It also possible to email apps to yourself. If you have one of the third party apps install it should show up as an option when you use Open In to copy it.

Most of them also have the ability to copy photos that are in the Photo app to their own file space; so you can use iTunes as an intermediate step.

 

[jtip]

Thank you so much, I will try it. I bought this 90% so I would have a way to carry around my images. I can't believe most photograhers rave about Apple and the IPad's photo capability is horrible. I wish I had never bought it. The worst part is all the people on these forums having so much difficulty and apparantly nothing has been done to correct it.

 

[twerppoet]

The iPad is a decent platform for organizing and displaying photos. The idea that Apple should supply every variation and ability for this task is a bit crazy. They supply some basics, something a casual user can use to show photos to family, friends, and random strangers trapped at convention meetings.

Apple's success often means people expect them to turn out excellent full featured apps for everything they do. Not even Apple is that good, despite the press.

As with any device or computer, the power of the platform depends on third party developers. There are dozens of good photo apps of every kind for the iPad. The only real weakness in this category that I can see is for the professional photographer who needs to deal with RAW files. That and the inherent limitations of this kind of hardware.

The other problem is that the way the iPad handles files between apps is counter to how people have been trained to work with files for the last decade. It requires a change of mindset to manage files on an iPad. I'm not saying that iOS file handling are as flexible as the traditional methods, only that it's not as difficult as it seems when first learning the iPad. Something that tends to be true whenever we tackle any new technology not already in our bag of tricks.

 

[walteradamson]

Aha, this is what I was looking for because I was having trouble understanding which way sync worked for albums on the iPad and folders on my PC.

I organized albums on the iPad, and then synced to my PC into a new photo folder, I was expecting the albums to appear as folders within this new folder. But none appeared, just an "iPod photo cache".

So you mean it will not "sync" from the iPad albums to the PC folder? You have to transfer the camera roll by using the iPad as a camera and downloading the photos, and then organize them into folders, and then "sync" back to the iPad?

What I really wanted to know is what is the best way to move the contents of an album to a PC and how to keep it synced i.e. when adding new photos to the iPad album how to sync with the saved folder on the PC?

Walter

 

[twerppoet]

I use an iMac with iPhoto, and sync though iTunes.. I consider this about the easiest method, though not the most powerful; control wise. Obviously if you don't have a Mac this is not an option.

The PC variation of this is pretty much what you outlined. You have to copy the files off the iPad. The USB/camera port method that you mentioned is easy and fast; though there are other options. You create a folder structure just for syncing with the iPad, on layer deep only. A master folder you sync with, and one level of subfolders that become your album. Then you use iTunes to sync those folders. Whenever you make changes to those folder, you just sync again. Turning off syncing or removing the folders is that same as telling iTunes to remove the pictures, which it will do on the next sync.

If you use one of the third party photo apps like Photo Manager Pro, or Photo-Sort, you can copy files directly from the Photo app to them. This duplicates the picture in the third party app, so that it is safe to delete it on the Photo app after. Hold in mind I don't recommend doing 'just' this. You should also save those pictures somewhere else for safe keeping, like on your computer or online.

Keeping important stuff in only one place (especially a mobile device) is a good way to lose your content.

I don't think there is a best way. Only the way that works for you, and only you can decide that. Sometimes that means trying a few different things before you know for sure.

I only keep pictures on the iPad for two reasons. One is a kind of digital wallet, so I can share/inflict them on family and friends. The other is as a media repository for other apps to use; like iWorks or art apps. Photo is pretty much the only app you can do this with, since it is the only app that can share it's photo database with other apps.). I have never explored what the other apps can do, so every thing I say about them is hearsay, gathered for the most part from this forum.