DCIM Helper HELP & FAQ

A small foreword

First and foremost, it should be noted that the app has to run before connecting the smartphone to iPhoto. It works in the background while you take pictures, so when the time comes, iPhoto will find everything already in the right place.

Initial setup

[Dialog: auto-detect] On most devices, the app will auto-configure itself the first time you open it. It will detect the "DCIM Directory" and add the default "Camera" directory to the list of watched directories. Once you see the successful messages on your screen, you can turn on the app and forget about it. If the auto-detection fails, follow this procedure.

Moving existing (old) pictures

[Menu: long press on a directory]DCIM Helper will work on every picture you take after you install and turn it on. If you have old pictures you wish to import in iPhoto, just long-press on the directory name in the watched directories list and a popup will appear. Select your preferred option ("Copy to DCIM..." or "Move to DCIM...") and all existing pictures will be copied (or moved) in the right palce.

Connecting to the Mac and iPhoto

In order for iPhoto to recognize your pictures and videos, the smartphone must be connected through the USB cable with the "USB Mass Storage", "PTP" or "MTP" options (PTP is better than MTP).
[USB icon on the Desktop] You will notice an external USB disk icon appearing on your Desktop.

You cannot use apps like Android File Transfer for Macintosh because it works in a different way and opens a special Finder window that iPhoto will not recognize (another Google failure).

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What can I do if auto-detection fails?

In the rare event that auto-detection doesn't recognize your DCIM folder, you can do a manual configuration. It requires some steps which will be detailed here. Some of them are not strictly required, their purpuse is to be sure of the configuration.

  1. Connect the Android device to your Mac through USB.
  2. Enable USB storage or "Connect to PC" (either MTP or PTP is fine).
  3. A "disk" icon will appear on the Desktop. Open it by double clicking and check if a "DCIM" folder exists. If it doesn't, create it.
  4. Inside the "DCIM" folder, create a new folder called "This is the root folder as seen by the Mac". This will not be used by the app and you can delete it later, at the end of the procedure.
  5. Eject the disk, disable USB Storage and disconnect the device from the Mac.
  6. Open DCIM Helper app and touch the folder icon next to "DCIM Directory".
  7. Browse through the SD card searching for a "DCIM" folder containing the "This is the root folder as seen by the Mac" folder you created earlier at step 4.
  8. Go back one level and double tap on the "DCIM" folder to select it.

Now you can add the folder which contains your pictures in the list of "Watched directories". Turn ON the app, take some pictures and connect back the smartphone to iPhoto. It will now show your pictures!

If you had to use this procedure, please send me an email with the full text that appears under "DCIM directory" so that I may update the auto-detection for new users with your same device.

A special note for Jelly Bean (4.1+)

Starting with Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean", Google changed the behavior of the stock Camera app in a way that breaks DCIM Helper and any other app that uses pictures from the Camera as soon as they are taken.

If you are running Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" (or above) on a Google-branded device (e.g.: Samsung Nexus S, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, LG Nexus 4, …) or an aftermarket ROM based on AOSP (e.g.: CyanogenMod, AOKP, …) or if you know you're using the Android Camera app, then enable the "JellyBean+ Camera hack" in the options. This option is hidden on devices running Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" or below.

Can I contact you if I still have doubts?

Sure you can! You can either contact me through the app's own G+ page, my own G+ profile or the forum page on the famous XDA-Developers forum. You are welcome to post a comment and rating on the Play Store, but since it is not yet possible to reply to such comments, I won't be able to reply you there.