When you first connect a Samsung Android device to your Mac for photo import, you might be disappointed to see that Aperture and iPhoto are not recognizing the device as a camera. I encountered this problem while working with a Samsung GC110 Galaxy digital camera that uses Android Jellybean for its operating system.
You can easily fix the problem by switching its USB protocol from a Media Device (MTP) to a Camera (PTP). Here are the steps.
- Connect the Samsung Android device to a Mac via its USB cable.
- Power up the camera and go to its Home screen.
- Swipe downward on the screen from top to bottom to reveal the Notifications display.
- Under "Ongoing" it will probably read "Connected as a Media Device." Tap on that to reveal an options screen.
- In the following screen, check the box next to "Camera (PTP).
- Tap the Home button.
- Open Aperture or iPhoto, and the Samsung should appear as a camera in the import window.
If you don't see the "Ongoing" screen in Step 3 when you swipe downward, don't despair. I didn't see it either at first. I downloaded the Samsung Kies software, installed it, then connected my camera with the Kies software running. Then the "Ongoing" option appeared in the Notifications screen on the camera.
As a side note, the Kies software is handy for managing your Samsung device on either a Mac or Windows computer.
Aperture Tips and Techniques
To learn more about Aperture, check out my Aperture 3.3 Essential Training (2012) on lynda.com. Also, take a look at our Aperture 3 Learning Center. Tons of free content about how to get the most out of Aperture.
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