How does Photostream integrate with importing photos from phone?

[someone28624]

I am confused about how Photostream coincides with importing photos off of my camera/phone. I use Photostream on both my Macbook and my PC. I have an iPhone. My understanding is that Photostream will store pictures on my PC/Macbook indefinitely. However, I still need to import photos off of my phone, because that's the only way to get videos off of it. I expected it to only import the video clips not in Photostream. However, it imported all of the pictures. Does this mean they are now on my Macbook in two separate places- where the Photostream photos are stored and where the imported pictures are stored? Further, pictures that I upload from a camera go into Photostream too. It does not seem like the pictures I uploaded from my iPhone were pushed back to Photostream yet again, but I just wanted to check on that. So does importing and using Photostream result in duplicate copies of those pictures? Is there any way to just import videos? Do I need to actually log onto my Macbook and iPhoto to make my Photostream pictures stay on the Macbook permanently? What about the PC? Thanks in advance.

 

[aristobrat]

However, I still need to import photos off of my phone, because that's the only way to get videos off of it. I expected it to only import the video clips not in Photostream. However, it imported all of the pictures.

What program are you using? If Photo Stream is turned on in iPhoto/Aperture, they should act like you expected. However, if you're using Image Capture, it would act like your description above.

Does this mean they are now on my Macbook in two separate places- where the Photostream photos are stored and where the imported pictures are stored?

Maybe. Let us know which program you used to import them.

Further, pictures that I upload from a camera go into Photostream too.

FWIW, that's an option in iPhoto/Aperture that you can turn off if you want.

So does importing and using Photostream result in duplicate copies of those pictures? Is there any way to just import videos?

I use Aperture, and when I plug my iPhone in, Aperture hides any picture that's on my iPhone that Photo Stream has already copied to my computer. So usually all I see as options to import are only the videos I've taken.

Do I need to actually log onto my Macbook and iPhoto to make my Photostream pictures stay on the Macbook permanently? What about the PC? Thanks in advance.

I thought you had to open iPhoto or Aperture every now and then in order for it to sync down the new pictures, but I can't find anything that says you have to do that. Having said that, every time I open Aperture, that's the first thing it does, so it doesn't look like Photo Stream syncs when Aperture is NOT open.

If you haven't already seen this page, check out the second to last paragraph.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5653

 

[someone28624]

I use iPhoto on my Macbook for importing photos and for Photostream. On my PC I just use the camera wizard, but I typically import my photos on my Macbook.