How do you Automatically Copy Images From Camera?

Question

I would like to create an AppleScript that will run when I plug in my digital camera. Here is what I cannot figure out.
How to make it run when the camera is plugged in.
How tow to copy images from camera to a designated folder.
Thanks!

Answer 1

You can do all you requested - without 'AppleScript'.
01. Connect your camera launch 'Image Capture' ('/Applications/' folder - if it does not automatically launch.
02. Select the 'Image Capture, Preferences...' menu item.
03. Click on the 'General' tab.
04. From the 'Camera:' 'When a camera is connected, open:' pop up menu - select the 'Image Capture.app' menu item.
05. From the 'Devices' menu select your camera from the menu items list. A window will appear with the title of your camera.
06. From the 'Download To:' pop up menu select where to save the camera's photographs. You can select any folder anywhere on your hard disk drive(s).
07. Click the 'Options...' button, and from the drop down sheet click on the 'Connection Options' 'Automatically download all items' check box - to add a check mark. There are other options you may have be interested in.
08. Click on the 'OK' button.
09. If you want to download the photographs now - click on the window's 'Download All' button. Or, to test the above setting changes - quit 'Image Capture' and disconnect your camera. Then reconnect the camera - and watch the above setting changes take effect.
Note:
The above automatic action can also happen if the storage device of the camera were inserted into a USB digital camera card reader. So long as apply the Steps above, and you select the USB digital camera card reader from the 'Devices' menu's menu item list in Step 05 above.
'Image Capture' is not scriptable; but, may be control-able via 'tell application "System Events" to tell process "Image Capture" ....
When a camera is connect to the Mac, the storage card of the camera is mounted onto the 'Desktop' and also listed, as an alias, in the (invisible) '/Volumes/' folder.
Now that you know the name of the storage card ... you can create a 'Folder Action Script' (an example is presented below) and save it into the '/Library/Script/Folder Action Scripts/' folder,
Open the '/Volumes./' folder (in 'Finder' via 'Go, Go to Folder' - enter '/Volumes/').
Perform a right button click ('<control> - click, for single button users) on the 'Volumes' folder's window, and select 'Enable Folder Actions' (if not already).
Rpeat the right button click (<control> click) and select 'Attach a Folder Action...' - selecting your script ('Volumes_FAS.scpt' as shown below).
Below is a 'Folder Action Script' example - where you will have to substitute 'NO NAME' with the name of your digital camera's storage card's name.
-- --- Save code as a script with the name 'Volumes_FAS.scpt' --- --
on adding folder items to this_folder after receiving added_items
set myStorageCard to "NO NAME" -- The name of my 1 GB stroage card. The name of your card may differ.
repeat with i in added_items
tell application "Finder" to set tName to (name of i) as string -- Obtain name of mounted storage card.
if (tName is equal to myStorageCard) then my handle_card(i) -- If my storage card, continue processing.
end repeat
end adding folder items to
on handlecard(localVolume)
set folder_Path to ((path to desktop folder from user domain) as string) -- Path to 'Desktop' folder.
set download_Folder to "NO_NAME Photographs" -- Name of folder to store storage card's items (files and folders).
-- create download_Folder, if it does not exists.
tell application "Finder" to if (not (exists folder (folder_Path & download_Folder))) then make new folder at (folder_Path as alias) with properties {name:download_Folder}
-- Duplicate all the items (files and folders) of the storage device to the '~/Desktop/NO_NAME Photographs' folder.
tell application "Finder" to duplicate items of local_Volume to (folder_Path & download_Folder) as alias
end handle_card
-- --- End of code --- --
Review 'Finder's dictionary (in 'Script Editor') for the various ways to incorporate 'duplicate ...'.
  Mac OS X (10.4.4)