The first time I tried PictureSync, I couldn't get it to upload anything at all. I just tried it again, and it informed me there was an update available, so I downloaded that and it _seems_ to be working. And, miracle of miracles, it seems to be able to locate and upload the iPhoto comments JUST FINE.
So once again, I have to ask: Why in the heck can't the SmugMug uploader also upload iPhoto comments? Must we really buy a separate program that does far more than we need, just to be able to upload iPhoto comments to SmugMug?
Someone mentioned that they weren't going to join SmugMug until the SmugMug uploader worked correctly. I actually chose the other option -- I put my money where my mouth was: I've been a paying customer for over a year (meaning I've already renewed for my second year) AND I continue to tell others what a great site and service it is. I only ask that in return, SmugMug consider fixing their broken iPhoto uploader.
I swear that the uploader used to allow me to drag in pictures from iPhoto (even if less convenient than simply selecting an existing album) and it would get the comments. In addition, the Caption Buddy script used to work (to write comments into the IPTC tags and then upload with the SmugMug uploader. However, I have failed at getting either of these methods to work while trying to simply upload some vacation pictures to share with friends and family before I get back home. Unfortunately, I've lost the better part of a few hours of my precious vacation time, dorking around trying to get my captions to upload along with my pictures.
After I finally gave up and waited for all of my pictures to upload captionless, I decided to try PictureSync one more time. Now that it seems to work I'm re-uploading my pictures with captions. I guess that means PictureSync is worth the money, but given that SmugMug's own uploader is what's broken here. Regardless of what iPhoto does and how it stores captions (about which I as a user honestly couldn't care less), the captions clearly ARE retrievable by both CaptionBuddy and PictureSync. So, as a paying SmugMug customer, I blame SmugMug's broken uploader, not iPhoto.
PLEASE just fix the Mac uploader, so other users (who likely bought a Mac because everything else "just works") who aren't fortunate enough to track down and figure out this PictureSync app will still have an option to upload captions from iPhoto!!
I'll keep saying this until I'm blue in the face:
#1: I think this still works. It's called the 'Title' field. I use iPhoto when I'm travelling, and I get this just fine. I don't think I'm using the latest & greatest iPhoto, though.
#2: If it doesn't work anymore, it used to work. They updated, and it broke us. It's their product, so I don't blame them, but it's not fair to blame us either (unless we weren't working on it, but see point #3).
#3: We have a new Mac uploader coming, it's been in open beta testing on the API & hacks forum, lots of people here have been using it. I believe it fixes this problem, and if not, you should test it and file a bug request with the author. Like everything else at smugmug, there is no release date other than "when it's done."
#4: If you really want things to work right, email Apple and tell them to use IPTC and EXIF data, like the rest of the world. Everyone else does and it works just great with every other photo application in the world, including smugmug.
Of course, if we fix it (see #3), as soon as Apple yet again changes iPhoto, it'll probably stop working again.
...and I'll keep complaining until a decent solution exists -- maybe until a SmugMug uploader plug-in is available for iPhoto since that's how it really should work (similar iPhoto plug-ins already exist for uploading directly to Flickr and Shutterfly and maybe other sites).
#1: I think this still works. It's called the 'Title' field. I use iPhoto when I'm travelling, and I get this just fine. I don't think I'm using the latest & greatest iPhoto, though.
Yeah, we've gone 'round and 'round on this one. Title is (generally) for the filename of the image or a very short title (since as others have pointed out, there's very little space to view/edit an image's Title). The Comments field is an expandable field that lets you say a lot more about the picture and is the only real place to put lengthy image captions.
#3: We have a new Mac uploader coming, it's been in open beta testing on the API & hacks forum, lots of people here have been using it. I believe it fixes this problem, and if not, you should test it and file a bug request with the author. Like everything else at smugmug, there is no release date other than "when it's done."
It's not at all clear to me which "beta" uploader you're referring to nor whether you're talking about something coming from SmugMug or the outside community. Could you post a link to it? I searched around, and (aside from discovering that the forum won't allow a search for "Mac" because the word is too short) the only two things I could find mention of were MattMattBoBatt's uploader, the latest posted beta version of which appears to have expired last April, and JT's Gallery Widget, which doesn't seem to be available yet (and it's not clear it has anything to do with uploading).
#4: If you really want things to work right, email Apple and tell them to use IPTC and EXIF data, like the rest of the world. Everyone else does and it works just great with every other photo application in the world, including smugmug.
If I were Apple, my response would be: 'Use .Mac - like everything else from Apple, "It Just Works".' In other words, Apple's own site works, and other photo sharing sites have iPhoto exporter plug-ins...
Comments
I'll keep saying this until I'm blue in the face:
#1: I think this still works. It's called the 'Title' field. I use iPhoto when I'm travelling, and I get this just fine. I don't think I'm using the latest & greatest iPhoto, though.
#2: If it doesn't work anymore, it used to work. They updated, and it broke us. It's their product, so I don't blame them, but it's not fair to blame us either (unless we weren't working on it, but see point #3).
#3: We have a new Mac uploader coming, it's been in open beta testing on the API & hacks forum, lots of people here have been using it. I believe it fixes this problem, and if not, you should test it and file a bug request with the author. Like everything else at smugmug, there is no release date other than "when it's done."
#4: If you really want things to work right, email Apple and tell them to use IPTC and EXIF data, like the rest of the world. Everyone else does and it works just great with every other photo application in the world, including smugmug.
Of course, if we fix it (see #3), as soon as Apple yet again changes iPhoto, it'll probably stop working again.
Don
Yeah, we've gone 'round and 'round on this one. Title is (generally) for the filename of the image or a very short title (since as others have pointed out, there's very little space to view/edit an image's Title). The Comments field is an expandable field that lets you say a lot more about the picture and is the only real place to put lengthy image captions.
It's not at all clear to me which "beta" uploader you're referring to nor whether you're talking about something coming from SmugMug or the outside community. Could you post a link to it? I searched around, and (aside from discovering that the forum won't allow a search for "Mac" because the word is too short) the only two things I could find mention of were MattMattBoBatt's uploader, the latest posted beta version of which appears to have expired last April, and JT's Gallery Widget, which doesn't seem to be available yet (and it's not clear it has anything to do with uploading).
If I were Apple, my response would be: 'Use .Mac - like everything else from Apple, "It Just Works".' In other words, Apple's own site works, and other photo sharing sites have iPhoto exporter plug-ins...