Importing Multiple Pictures

[dmkauffman]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I want to import multiple pictures from iPhoto into a Word document. On MS Word on my PC, I can highlight one picture, then hit shift/click on photo and grab all the photos in between A and B. On the Mac version, I have tried Shift and Command, but it will only let me highlight and grab one photo at a time. When transferring dozens of photos from one file, this takes forever. Any help?

 

[Jeff Chapman]

Hello,

I want to import multiple pictures from iPhoto into a Word document. On MS
Word on my PC, I can highlight one picture, then hit shift/click on photo and
grab all the photos in between A and B. On the Mac version, I have tried Shift
and Command, but it will only let me highlight and grab one photo at a time.
When transferring dozens of photos from one file, this takes forever. Any
help?

I was able to do this by creating an Automator workflow.

1. Go to Spotlight and type "Automator" and Return to launch.
2. In Automator, create a Custom workflow by selecting the Custom icon.
3. Drag the following steps from the action list (at left)
to the workflow step pane (at right) in order:
(1) Get selected Finder objects
(2) Copy Finder items (objects).
(Select a folder to save to here as well.)
(3) Insert contents into Word document/file
(Select "at the beginning of a new page in a document" or
something similar.)
4. Save the workflow to a location you desire.
5. In Finder, select several photos.
6. In Word, open a new blank document, and switch to Print Layout view.
7. In Automator, run your workflow.

Does this work? It worked for me.
However, it won't be pretty. You'll have to place the photos yourself
in the locations you desire. At least this will get the photos
into the document. I tried it on three images - haven't tried it
on a bunch of photos, but the principle should be the same.

Let us know how it worked!

Jeff

 

[Jeff Chapman]

Hello again - another thought...

I want to import multiple pictures from iPhoto into a Word document.

The other thing I neglected to mention was that the Automator
workflow will have to be modified a bit if your source
photos are in iPhoto. I don't use iPhoto myself, but
there is an action available in the action list,
"Get selected iPhoto items". However, whether you will be able
to copy that photo and pass it on to the Word document
is another matter.

Probably the best thing is to open up your iPhoto package
in Finder so that you can see you photo contents, select
the files you want to pass on to Word, and use the workflow
I mentioned in my last post. But please do try and experiment
with the Automator workflows - you might come up with a
smoother solution. (For instance, it might work if you
have step 1 to get the selected photos in iPhoto, and
then have step 2 insert the contents into Word, without the
need to copy anything in Finder. Try it out and see what works
best for you.)

Jeff

 

[John McGhie]

I was trying to find a way to do this the day before yesterday.

I was about to tell you this couldn't be done when I saw Jeff's Automator
Workflow for doing it

Jeff, that's very neat

So: Failing Jeff's suggestion, "No, you can't do it"

Cheers

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I want to import multiple pictures from iPhoto into a Word document. On MS
Word on my PC, I can highlight one picture, then hit shift/click on photo and
grab all the photos in between A and B. On the Mac version, I have tried Shift
and Command, but it will only let me highlight and grab one photo at a time.
When transferring dozens of photos from one file, this takes forever. Any
help?

--

This email is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Jeff Chapman]

Hi there, John,

I was trying to find a way to do this the day before yesterday.

I was about to tell you this couldn't be done when I saw Jeff's Automator
Workflow for doing it

Jeff, that's very neat

Yee-haw! I was very happy that this could be done.
I got it to work with iPhoto as a data source as well,
but step (2) has to be "Get Finder items",
since iPhoto doesn't include an action in the library to copy iPhoto
items to the clipboard. It's a tad quirky (sometimes you have to
actually close everything and then go and open a new Word document),
but it seems to fit the bill.

Isn't there also a way to "plug" those custom Automator workflows into
the Word script menu, so that you can call them at any time?

Jeff

 

[CyberTaz]

Sorry to be a wet blanket, guys but although I do join in the
celebration & appreciate the ingenuity I'd still have to question the wisdom
of doing so if the OP is being at all literal about:

<snip>

When transferring dozens of photos from one file, this takes forever.

<snip>

Even though the Window OS allows for selection/insertion of multiple images
doing so with "dozens" at a time makes for a real abomination in a document
which still has to be sifted through & restructured one image at a time. In
my experience the total time it takes for multiple images to be sequentially
imported combined with the amount of time it takes to rearrange them &
verify and/or correct structural changes imposed on the document actually
takes longer than inserting each image where it belongs in the first place.

Not to mention the questionable stability of a Word document containing
*dozens* of images being dragged/cut-pasted/repositioned in the first place.

Maybe I'm just an old fogey, but IMHO that is a very undesirable approach
for any project with that volume of images... And it's questionable whether
Word is appropriate for it in the first place.

Just my tuppence

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[dmkauffman]

Hi Jeff - Thank you for your creative solution. I also found out that if you open up iPhoto separately, rather than clicking on Insert Picture, you can then highlight as many photos as you want, and drag them over to the word document, and it was this function that I wanted. So no need to go through your process, but wow, pretty cool idea! I have other uses for that that might come in handy - so thanks!

Bob aka Old Fogey (grin) - yes, in fact this is exactly what I need to do and there are reasons why Word works best for me in this instance, but I won't go into it here. However, between the separate iPhoto window multi photo dragging and Jeff's work flow solution, all has been resolved, at least in as much as what I need it to do.

Thanks all for your swift (and creative) help!

~ Donna

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I want to import multiple pictures from iPhoto into a Word document. On MS Word on my PC, I can highlight one picture, then hit shift/click on photo and grab all the photos in between A and B. On the Mac version, I have tried Shift and Command, but it will only let me highlight and grab one photo at a time. When transferring dozens of photos from one file, this takes forever. Any help?

Hi,

There's a detailed step-by-step using Automator in our new Dummies book.
You can use Word instead of the PowerPoint as shown in the example.

To read the book on line:

1. Log into Amazon.com
2. Go to this URL
http://tinyurl.com/Office-2008-for-Dummies
3. About 1/3 the way down the page, look for the Inside This Book Learn
More section, and in the Search Inside this Book field type:
Automator
4. Click the Go button
5. When the book opens, click on page 559 in the left panel.
6. Read the heading Importing a Batch of Pictures

-Jim