Import multiple photos into iPhoto

[BillNace]

Greetings,

I'm trying to use hazel to watch a dropbox folder for images. It then imports the file into iPhoto.

However, if I have multiple photos in the dropbox folder, each one gets imported as a separate step. In other words, if I have photo1.png, photo2.png and photo3.png, hazel processes photo1.png, importing it into iPhoto, then processes photo2, then photo3. Pretty much like you would expect.

Unfortunately, this puts each photo into its own "event" in iPhoto. I then have to go through iPhoto, merging all the events.

Is there any way to get Hazel to batch the import as one step?

Thanks,
Bill

[sjk]

Does the same "one event per photo" behavior happen if you import the images manually from the same Dropbox folder Hazel would monitor but with Hazel disabled?

Which version of iPhoto are you running? There used to be a preference for simple control over how events were split but that was removed at some point [edit: "General / Autosplit info Events" is still there, d'oh!].

[BillNace]

Exactly the same behavior as if I were to manually import one image at a time from the Dropbox folder.

The preference in iPhoto is to "autosplit" imports, such that if you import a bunch of photos at a time, all images taken on the same day end up in their own event. Doesn't apply here, as only a single photo at a time is imported.

[sjk]

Now I see what you mean about iPhoto Events only being created for multiple image files if they're imported together. One way Hazel can do that is by importing folders containing images so iPhoto treats them as batches instead of individual files. For example, a minimal rule for the Dropbox folder you're monitoring would look something like this:

Code: Select all

If all of the following conditions are met for the file or folder being matched
  Kind is Folder
Do the following to the matched file or folder:
  iPhoto import to album: album_name

Adding any folder to the monitored Dropbox folder would trigger Hazel to iPhoto import it. Hazel might also be useful for managing the imported folders.

Thanks for removing my blinder to iPhoto's Autosplit info Events preference still being there.

[jfisher]

The simple rule you wrote for BillNace works fine but how do you have Hazel create an album in Photos using the name of the folder it is importing?