Hey Mike,
If it were me, I’d just import to your Pictures folder (using Image Capture) or use iPhoto to import. Then use Elements for retouching/editing. You can’t really import images into Elements like you can with iPhoto. PSE is an image editing program not a cataloging app. You can use PSE’s Browser once you have your images imported onto your Mac. Just open the Browser from the File menu and navigate to your Pictures folder (if that’s where you imported to). Once you click on the folder containing your images the Browser will display thumbnails of your photos.
This is how I deal with my photos:
1. Import my photo’s into my Pictures folder with OS X’s Image Capture. These are my originals and never get touched (I edit/retouch copy’s only).
2. I then import into iPhoto. I use iPhoto for Red Eye removal and organizing/cataloging my many thousands of images.
2. I have iPhoto set to automatically open any image I double click in PS Elements for editing. This is done in iPhoto’s Preferences.
I didn’t really answer your question Mike as it’s the middle of the night (02:45), I’m at work (on a XP PC-ugh), and I don’t remember exactly how to access your camera directly from PSE. Sorry.
😉
Joe
Mike,
Quite a few folks here in the forum would also encourage you to get a card reader. Definitely my preference.
Juergen
Amen to Juergen’s suggestion! While the risk is pretty small overall, direct downloads between the camera and the computer could result in loss of images or damage to the equipment if the planets aren’t lined up correctly. Better safe than sorry.
In article , Mike Cachia
wrote:
I am currently using a "Try Me" version of Adobe Photoshop Elements – giving it a go before I buy it. I’m using a PowerMac G4 running System 10.2.6.
When I plug in my Sony DSC-F717 and attempt to import the digital photos, the camera does not show up in the import menu. I realize Elements Help talks about installing drivers and the camera’s image software, however, OS 10.2.6 has the Sony Camera’s drivers built in. There are no problems importing digital photos from this camera into iPhoto. The camera’s image software only works in System 9.
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!
Does the camera show up as a drive on your desktop? If it does just open the drive (works just like any other drive) and drag the picture files out of it into a folder on your main drive. You can then do with them whatever you want.
I always operate this way since I don’t want to go through all the hassle of firing up iPhoto and so on. I usually preview the images in Graphic Converter instead of PE2 since it has, in my opinion, better image browsing facilities. While I’m doing this I discard any images I don’t want to keep and can then work on what’s left with PE2.
I really can’t see the point of PE2’s import functions quite honestly.
Ok, not that anyone asked but I’m going to play devils advocate on the whole card reader issue. Last fall I taught a community ed course on getting started with digital photography. I’m by no means a professional photographer (I’m not even a rank amateur 😉 but as the Mac guy in my town I somehow became the expert on this subject (Ha!). Anyway, much of the introductory content of the class had to do with what you need and how to go about getting into digital photography, but the last couple of sessions were geared more toward what you do after you take pictures. Consequently I had a significant number of students who were already into digital photography.
Of those who already had camera’s and were fully into digital photography, three out of a class of 25, had problems related to the use of card readers. Two had damaged the CF card eject mechanism in their camera’s and one had damaged a 128mb CF card while inserting it into his card reader,rendering it useless.
As some of you know, I also have a part-time Mac repair/tech support gig on the side. I don’t deal with digital camera’s at all, other than to help people get them working with their Mac’s, but I still get calls regarding broken camera’s. In the last 6 months, I’ve fielded 2 calls for help with digital camera’s and card readers. One was a damaged eject mechanism and the other was another damaged CF Card.
I don’t want anyone to get the impression that I’m trying to dissuade Mike from going the card reader route. Many people use and like them. Just that in my experience, I’ve seen more problems because of them (the repeated ejecting and inserting of CF card’s into readers and camera’s) then just plugging a USB cord directly into the camera.
This might just be a CF card thing. I’ve never had any negative experience with SD cards or memory sticks.
Anyway, just thought I’d through that out there. Food for thought and all. 🙂
Joe
In article , Beth Haney
wrote:
Amen to Juergen’s suggestion! While the risk is pretty small overall, direct downloads between the camera and the computer could result in loss of images or damage to the equipment if the planets aren’t lined up correctly. Better safe than sorry.
I’ve often seen this mentioned as a problem but wonder how real the risk really is. I download directly from my camera (Olympus C3020Z) and have had the batteries fail on more than one occasion with no problem whatsoever. The only thing which happens is that the Mac throws up a message telling me not to disconnect the device without first dismounting it. Replacing the camera batteries and reconnecting to the Mac has never resulted in any problem. The images are still there, the card and camera still work and the computer is undamaged.
Does anyone have any instances of actual problems being caused or is it another myth?
—
Pete
====
*** Email is pete -at- dawnsun -dot- net
Pete, it is very rare, but I myself have known two people who now consider that when they decided not to use a card reader, they made a $500 mistake.
Pete, it is very rare, but I myself have known two people who now consider that when they decided not to use a card reader, they made a $500 mistake.
Hi Barb,
What happened that cost them $500?
Joe
Yep, that was my take, too. $500 = cost of new camera. Personally, I just wouldn’t want to subject my camera to the dangers lurking in my den! 🙂
Yes, that was it. They managed to fry the camera somehow when a direct camera>computer download went bad.
Joe, To my way of thinking, if my chances of damaging a CF card reader were higher than frying the camera I’d go with using the CF reader. I can surely recover from the disappointment of a dead CF easier than I can from ruining a $500+ camera. The owner of a camera repair store was quick to recommend the card reader so I guess it’s based on his experience with repairing cameras.
Beth,
My astrologer friend calls that mercury in retrograde. 🙂
Well I have to admit that I’ve never heard of a camera getting fried while attached to a computer with it’s USB cord. Weird! No doubt Mark that I’d choose a damaged CF card over a ruined camera as well. The three instances that I noted where the eject mechanism were damaged were, from what I was told, very costly as well: $200+ if I remember correctly. Still cheaper than a new camera though.
I’m definitely going to research this more. I’m planning on retiring my Kodak DC290 soon and I don’t want to risk my new camera. Plus, I just bought a $700 Sony Camcorder that has both a USB and Firewire interface. I’d really be bummed if something happened to that! Unfortunately there probably isn’t much I can do about it. Firewire is the only way of getting video into my Mac. I could use a reader for the memory stick instead of USB I suppose.
Joe
Well, Joe, if you’re playing devil’s advocate, I’ll take the other side. <grin> I have two digital cameras, a Nikon and an Olympus. Both use CF cards, but the Oly also has an SM slot. I have taken thousands of pictures with both cameras over the last three or four years, and I always use a USB card reader. I have two, one for each type. I have never had a problem with ejecting or inserting cards into either camera or into the card readers. I can’t imagine what you would have to do to damage a CF card. A hammer and chisel, maybe. SM cards require a little more care, as the card-edge contacts are exposed. Just have to keep your greasy fingers off.
I think the risk of damage to either a card or a camera when connecting or disconnecting to/from the USB bus is minimal.
I started out connecting the camera to the computer and uploaded directly. I found it to be a pain to do all the hookups…didn’t want to drain batteries during the long upload process…oh, I should explain that my Nikon is an old CP 950 which does not have USB…just an RS-232 serial channel, and it was incredibly slow uploading pix. When I got back from an Alaska trip, I had about 200 pix in the camera. It took five hours to upload them! That’s when I bought my first card reader. Of course, nowadays, most cameras have USB, so uploading from the camera is probably just as fast as from a card reader.
I guess it just seems to me that popping the card into a reader and plugging it into the USB connector on the front of my computer is so quick and simple. My oldest CF card has been in and out of the camera a hundred times, at least. Still works perfectly.
bert
Well, Joe, if you’re playing devil’s advocate, I’ll take the other side. <grin>
Bert, there are already too many devil’s on that side 😉
The really funny thing about this whole deal is that my new camera is going to be a Kodak DX6490 <
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml ;jsessionid=SUHMH1N2YTXGNQHIO3JHWGY?pq-path=1336&Submit. x=26&Submit.y=11&pq-locale=en_US&_requestid=1020 78# > which comes with an EasyShare dock. I won’t have to worry about regular USB connections or frying my camera (I hope).
Still a little bothered about my Camcorder though. Still researching.
I can’t imagine what you would have to do to damage a CF card. A hammer and chisel, maybe.
Well that was my thought as well, but as I never actually saw the cards I just accepted what they said happened at face value. Who knows?
Joe
If there is going to be any damage, it will most likely occur with the connectors pins in the card readers.
Dave
My guess is the cards were damaged through improper use of the reader. There are all kinds of warnings on those things that tell you to always make sure the card is unmounted before taking it out. That’s really easy to verify on my Macs, but I’ve noticed when I’m working on the the Win XP machine I just have to trust (not easy) that it dismounted correctly when I hit Eject.
Somebody on the forum removed their card improperly a while back and had to send it to a data recovery place to salvage the images. So, yes, using cards has its pitfalls, too, but the combined cost of the lost card and price of image recovery was a heck of a lot less than what it would have been to replace a camera. Let’s face it – there’s no foolproof way to deal with this, so you go with what gets you off the cheapest if you screw up! 🙂
Sitting on both sides of the fence.
I have three CF cards on the go, so I find using a card reader a definite "plus". (I love having 10 rolls of film equivalent in my pocket!)
On the flip side, my sister’s Canon S200 had the little latch on the CF card door break off when she was switching cards, which would be a "minus". And she downloads from the camera via USB.
So I’d say that the robustness of the camera’s CF socket (all aspects) and desired ease of use are points for consideration.
Kyle
I find that problems usually occur when people aren’t careful with their equipment. They jam things in and out etc…they just don’t have respect for the things they own. I ‘BABY’ everything I have that’s especially digital to the point of ‘ridiculous’ to the not so careful people but my stuff still holds strong.
I find that problems usually occur when people aren’t careful with their equipment
I agree, Jodi. Lack of care, or ignorance, forcing a card in upside down, for instance. The way the CF cards are made, that would be pretty hard to do. I mean it would take a LOT of force! Even then, I’m not sure you could actually damage the card.
As for the ejection mechanism in the camera, it could probably be damaged by a hamhanded user. Breaking off the door on the card compartment seems like another example of the same thing. I dunno, some people just have a knack of breaking things.
Like you, I’m always super-careful with this stuff, but in the case of the cards, I have lost my fear. They seem pretty bulletproof to me.
Bert
Joe,
Those docking facilities look like a pretty slick idea. Is it portable so you could take it with you on a trip? Of course, you’d have to take a laptop too.
My problem is, I travel a lot and take a LOT of pictures. With the Nikon, I can get about 250 pictures on a 256MB card, enough for all but the longest trips. But with the Oly E20, highest quality JPEGs are almost 4 MB each. I have 6 128MB SM cards (33 pix each) and a 1GB IBM microdrive, which fits in the CF slot. When I’m on the road with the Oly, I fill up SM cards all day and then transfer the images to the MD every night (I can do that in the camera) and reformat the cards. Gives me a combined capacity of over 400 pix, plus I can use the CF cards in it if I need more.
EDIT: I don’t leave the Microdrive in the camera. I worry about damaging it if I should knock the camera against something, and it eats batteries. So I just put it in to do the transfers.
I guess eventually, I’ll replace the whole mess with 1GB (or larger) CF cards, but right now they’re pretty pricey…
Bert,
Yeah the dock is only portable if you bring your laptop. Otherwise it serves no purpose other than to charge the camera’s battery. I don’t travel all that much so a couple of 256mb SD cards will have to do.
That Microdrive is a good idea. I wonder if somebody makes one that can connect to a SD (Secure Digital) slot?
Joe
That Microdrive is a good idea. I wonder if somebody makes one that can connect to a SD (Secure Digital) slot?
I don’t think so, Joe. IBM has been making them for a few years, but only to fit a Type II CF slot. When they came out, they filled a gaping hole in the portable NV memory market, but now you can buy CF and SD cards that are almost as big, and cheaper. I think a 1GB MD still costs around $300. They use more power than a NV RAM card, and are rumored to be more vulnerable to shock and vibration. I treat mine with kid gloves. I think solid state memory will drive them off the market in a couple years, but I could be wrong.
Bert
If you’ve been following the prices on CF cards lately, they have come down about 40-50% in the lsst six months…at least that’s true here on the west coast. SD are a little pricier still, and SM cards are on their way out…they’re limited to 128MB. Sometimes our local stores will run a fire sale on SM cards…they had 128MB cards for $25 last week. I was tempted, but I have six, and that’s all I need, really.
Nobody is designing new cameras with SM slots, so when I get rid of the Olympus, the cards have to go with it. I’m worried that CF cards will be the next ones to go. Seems like the camera manufacturers are in cahoots with the memory makers…gotta keep creating a new market.
I don’t really like the SD cards…they’re too small, I’m afraid I’ll lose them. The CF is a nice size, not too big, not too small…but they keep making the cameras smaller, and I guess they want smaller cards.
Bert
I don’t think CF cards will go soon. Many professional cameras use these cards and probably these cards will be continued mainly for professional use. Being a pro myself I don’t like these small cards; I might loose them too soon.
Morover, professionals don’t care so much about small cameras, most of us want "something in their hands", so there is no need to build them a smaller size.
Leen
A thought on this subject;
Having an inexpensive Argus 1.3mp camera that I use sometimes (and because I believe the card slot and eject mechanism of the camera were not engineered or manufactured for long term use), I have a USB connection cable always connected to the computer (actually to a powered USB Hub) with the camera connection sitting right here beside the keyboard.
The risk evaluation is a little different than when using a $500-$1500 camera. While card readers are inexpensive (Office Max again has one this week that is FREE after rebates) with a camera that is less than $200 I think the camera download is the way to go.
JMO 🙂
PeteD
Pete,
Sounds right with that camera…especially if the download is quick so you don’t eat your batteries up doing it.
Bert
I had another reason for switching to a CF reader from direct download: the Canon-supplied software for camera direct downloading is atrocious, and getting worse with each new camera I buy. I must have loaded the TWAIN driver for my G2 at least 10 different times – it would work right after download, but be disabled by the next time I tried to use it. I figured a card reader would be cheaper than blood pressure medicine….and I was right! I don’t believe I could even find the cables now…..they might be in a drawer somewhere…
🙂
Chuck
Chuck, can you email me off-list, please? Thanks.
Barbara
Barb,
You oughta doctor up that Email address before you post it in the open. You may get a load of Spam if it gets harvested. Just stick an obvious garbage string in the middle of it somewhere. You could probably ask Dirck to do it for you.
Bert
Hi, Bert. Yes, I normally do that, but that address is a "public" one anyway, so not a big deal that I forgot to this time. Thanks.
Bert, I think there must be something Adobe does to keep the harvesters from having much luck on this site. I’ve posted my e-mail several different times, and I’ve yet to pick up a load of spam. I DID get a bunch once when I made the mistake of following a link to a Yahoo site with some Richard Lynch info on it. Never again will I go near that one. 🙂
Beth,
Okay, thanks. I didn’t know that. I’m just always careful about publishing my Email address, but it hasn’t helped much. I still get a load of Spam.
Bert
You’ve just gotta quit surfin’ so much, Bert! 🙂
You’ve just gotta quit surfin’ so much, Bert!
Beth, you’re probably right./ I should spend more time Photoshoppin’ and less time goofing around. 🙂
I am having problems importing pictures from my Olympus C-740 camera into Photoshop Elements. The camera does not show up in the import menu. Can anyone help me with this issue?
Fred
I have been using both ways to download my cameras, the card-reader is easy, put the card in and bingo. But the USB way is OK too, but make sure to use the power cable so the batteries don’t drain during the process. (Mine are Nikon) Do be careful of the delicate stuff, don’t push or force anything.
Either way is easy and OK, but I always download my pictures into a descriptive folder on the desktop of my Mac so that I can decide later how to view them unscathed. I usually view them immediatly in Graphic Converter’s slide show, take quick notes, mark the better ones to look at right after. Then make copies(or copy the whole folder of originals onto my external HD)and start to play with them, with what ever program I want. PSE is the one of choice of course. Then only after you are sure that every one is there on the computer and copied to ext HD or CD, then reformat or empty the card.
This is my way of doing things and have always had good luck. I am self taught, so I am rather carefull with my pictures, human error used to be my downfall. I did learn the hard way a few times, but never lost a great picture, thank goodness.
Hope this helps the people who are new to this, and to bypass some of the troubles. Jane
Fred,
Please comment on your level of satisfaction with the Olympus c-740. I have been looking at the c-750 as well as Fuji s-5000. Always good to get input from a consumer. Ken
