My Photos get "Optimized" every time?

[theilliniguy]

Why would that be? Very time consuming.

[jhollington]

What are you syncing your photos from? A folder or an application?

iTunes normally stores a folder called "iPod Photo Cache" which contains the optimized photos. If you're deleting this folder, or if iTunes can't write to it for some reason, then it will need to re-optimize the photos each time you sync. This also occurs if you change your photo sync folder location or switch from using a photos folder to using an application like iPhoto/Aperture (Mac) or Adobe Photoshop Elements/Album (Windows).

The folder itself is normally located right under the main photos folder you've selected for synchronization if you're using folders, inside your iPhoto or Aperture library if you're using these apps, or in a temporary location under your home profile's "Application Data" folder if you're using Adobe Photoshop Album or Elements on Windows.

Do a search to see if this folder exists, and if it contains anything, and ensure that it's not marked read-only or that you're not restricted from writing to it by file-system permissions.

If the folder does, exist, you can try deleting it, in which case iTunes should re-created it on the next sync (after another "Optimization" pass), but hopefully would only have to do this once.

Note that this folder is merely a cache. There is no data in it that does not get re-created by iTunes, so you don't need to worry about deleting that folder or anything in it.

[theilliniguy]

Thanks - I'll look into that.

[AndyT4097]

I have a photos folder sync'ed to iTunes. It optimizes my photos everytime I sync as well. I think this is normal.

[theilliniguy]

I have a photos folder sync'ed to iTunes. It optimizes my photos everytime I sync as well. I think this is normal.

I hope not. I have 2 other iPods that don't seem to do it.

[AndyT4097]

Are they Touch's?

[theilliniguy]

Are they Touch's?

No. Last gen nano and last gen classic.

[jhollington]

Unless you're changing your photo content on a regular basis, it shouldn't ever have to reoptimize your photos. In fact, the iPod Photo Cache folder is retained even if you DEselect and REselect photos for synchronization, so even a full reload (of the same photos) onto your iPod should not require the "optimization" phase to run again.

Note that the optimization is somewhat device-specific, since each device supports different photo resolutions. Therefore, just because you've synced photos to your iPod touch doesn't mean that they won't have to be optimized again if you decide to sync them to your iPod classic.

If it's redoing the "Optimizing Photos" phase each time you sync, then either the photo cache folder isn't being updated correctly, or something is "touching" the photos themselves to make iTunes think that they've changed (and therefore need to be reoptimized).

[theilliniguy]

Unless you're changing your photo content on a regular basis, it shouldn't ever have to reoptimize your photos. In fact, the iPod Photo Cache folder is retained even if you DEselect and REselect photos for synchronization, so even a full reload (of the same photos) onto your iPod should not require the "optimization" phase to run again.

Note that the optimization is somewhat device-specific, since each device supports different photo resolutions. Therefore, just because you've synced photos to your iPod touch doesn't mean that they won't have to be optimized again if you decide to sync them to your iPod classic.

If it's redoing the "Optimizing Photos" phase each time you sync, then either the photo cache folder isn't being updated correctly, or something is "touching" the photos themselves to make iTunes think that they've changed (and therefore need to be reoptimized).

Ya think syncing photos with 3 different ipods causing this?

[jhollington]

No, it shouldn't. The photos may be optimized once for each model of iPod, but once that's been done the optimized versions should remain in the cache folder.

Of course, any new photos you add will have to be optimized, but that also only occurs once per photo per iPod model, as you choose new photos to sync to your iPod -- either by adding new photos directly into the folders, or selecting additional folders for transfer.

[theilliniguy]

Resolved. I had to deleted the ipod photo cache folder and now all 3 sync with no "refreshing" at all. Thanks!