How can I add photos to an album?

[wmckenna1]

After I upload photos from my iphone they are found in the camera upload file in my drop box.  How do I move them from the camera upload folder into one of my photo albums.  When I do that, do I delete them from the camera upload folder or will that delete them from the album as well.

[Vivian]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to us!

Any photos located in the Camera or Screenshots folders of your device´s photo app will upload to your Dropbox. Once they´re uploaded you will find them in your Photos tab. From here, you have the option to add them to an Album of your choice. To do so, please follow below steps:

1. Sign in to your dropbox.com.
2. Click on Photos tab on the left.
3. Select the photo.
4. Right click and choose ´Add to album´.

Please note, if you delete the photo from the Photos tab the image will be deleted in your Album. If however, you remove it from the Album it will not delete in the Photos tab.

Hope this clarifies! Let us know if you need anything else. 🙂

Thanks,

Vivian

[wmckenna1]

OK thanks.  So my last question,(probably not), is this.  I see the photos are in the camera upload file folder, under the files tab.  The same photos are then in the photos folder.  If I then add one of those same photos to an album, is that one photo using three times the storage space? (camera upload, photos, then specific album) Do I need to delete all the photos in the camera upload file folder or does deleting them there also delete them from the photo folder.

[Mark · Accepted solution]

Its only using the storage once 🙂

The Photos tab and Albums tabs are just web pages created from your files.

[Terry P.]

"Once they´re uploaded you will find them in your Photos tab."

I don't understand that reply from Dropbox.

on my iPhone and iPad they are uploaded to \Camera Uploads not \Photos.

Terry, UK

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[wmckenna1]

Terry,

You are correct. On a mobile device the camera uploads is where the pics can be found at. However on a PC at www.dropbox.com there are other options. For example, uploaded pics are still found in the camera uploads file on the PC but in addition to the camera uploads folder, they automatically go to another folder called photos. Under the photos folder you can then make customized albums. That is sort of why my questions were what they were. Since the pics are technically in three places (camera uploads, photos album, then a specific named album) I wanted to make sure I wasn't using three times the storage space for the same pic that is technically in three different locations. For whatever reason I guess on our mobile devices we don't see the photos album or the other albums that we create, but on the PC you do. Hope this make sense.

[Terry P.]

What's up with this site? For the second time since last night my reply has either not appeared or somehow been subsequently deleted. I wrote to say thanks, understood, and added that I'll probably drop my subscription to Dropbox. Partly because of the hassle it's causing over duplicated uploads from my camera roll, partly because of the announced dropping of the Public folder, but mainly because of the dismal support and communication.

Terry, East Grinstead, UK 

[wmckenna1]

Hi Terry,

I have only only been using Dropbox for a week now. I think it will work for me better than the iCloud for my pics.  Was having a horrible time recovering photos from iCloud and thought I would give Dropbox a try.  So far I accidentally figured out that there is a setting on my iPhone that each time I take a pic, it immediately uploads it to drop box for me which is nice.  Now I can take pics on my iPhone, they immediately upload to Dropbox, and then I can delete them from my phone WITHOUT having them deleted from dropbox.  Only thing so far I don't like is the inability to see my specific photo albums on a mobile device, unlike the website I use on a laptop/PC.  I realize I could just as well visit the website on my phone but that sort of defeats the purpose of having an App.  Unless I am missing something I don't see a way on the App to view the photos albums I created when logged in on my laptop.  It looks like the only way to see photos on the App is to view them in the files icon/tab which sorts them by file name(ugh), or date, OR you can click on the photos tab which at least sorts the pics by date taken.  Hope all is well in the U.K.  

[wmckenna1]

Try looking for a button on your iPhone or tablet that says "photos" When you click on "files" that gives you the camera uploads tab where I think you are seeing your pics. There should also be a photos button as well, which at least sorts your pics by date and is a little more user friendly.

[Terry P.]

Thanks, that prompted me to take another close look at what's going on. I think that some of my confusion has been caused because I had not realised no action on my part was needed before photos taken were copied to Camera Uploads. So I was opening Dropbox, opening CU, and clicking +. I'd then select the latest folder, typically headed 'Today', click 'Next', and finally click Upload. That seems to add the prefix 'Photo' to the duplicate files. Or 'Video'.

I wish I could help you with your Albums problem but I haven't yet fully grasped how they work. To be frank, I'm confused by all the various views that arise, either in Camera Roll or Dropbox. I like to wait to organise my photos until I'm back in the familiar, logical and powerful environment of my PC!

Is there really no definitive, up to date documentation from Dropbox on exactly how to use these functions, with step by step instructions? And disclosure of any buggy areas, perhaps with some work-around advice?

Terry, East Grinstead, UK