Why even have film rolls?

Question

Does anyone else think that they are a bad idea? I don't see any advantage to them. They just seem to make more work and over complicate things... very un-apple-ish.
You HAVE to import all the pictures on your camera into one roll. Then, you have to make separate rolls.
Or if you want to put some of your new pictures in an old roll, you have to click and drag, which doesn't seem to work well at all. If you have a large library and you want to get to an early roll it scrolls impossibly fast, and you can never get to the roll you want. Also, it doesn't always scroll (at least for me).
Then you'll probably want to make albums out of your pictures, which is a whole separate step.
Why not just do it like (dare I say it?) the Windows wizard? Select the photos you want to import, give them a name and a folder (or album) to store them in, and be done with it. If you want to have the same photo in different folder/album, just copy and paste.
Is it just me, or does that seem to make a lot more sense?
15" MacBook Pro 2.33GHz   Mac OS X (10.4.8)  

Answer 1

Hi.
Sure, Windows Wizard makes much more sense and is easier to use. Perhaps what you want is a file browser. There are many available. They let you simply store the photos on your hard drive, in your folders, how you want them. Easy.
With the film rolls, you only have to organize them once. Then place your new imports in the roll of your choice once, and be done with it.
You HAVE to import all the pictures on your camera into one roll. Then, you have to make separate rolls.
Not exactly. There are a few workflow options, and you may find one that works better for you. If you camera mounts as a drive on your desktop, you can bypass the iPhoto Import screen. Do File> Import to Library and you can navigate your camera's files, select only the ones you want, and import. If your camera doesn't mount on the desktop, use a card reader. Each import creates a separate film roll, so you could import in whatever arrangement you like. After the import, you can rename your roll to something descriptive that will help you locate your pictures later.
Or, use Image Capture (in your Applications folder) to upload the photos from your camera. [Image Capture's preferences determine which app opens when you connect your camera, so you can reset it if you like.] You can upload all, or choose some. Upload to a folder on your desktop, then use Finder to group into folders (for your rolls) and even rename the files if you like. Once uploaded, you can drag those folders (no subfolders, though) into the iPhoto window and they will be imported into separate rolls with those folder names. Or drag into the Source Pane, and albums will also be created with the folder names. Once copied into your iPhoto Library you can delete the original folders and files.
Then you'll probably want to make albums out of your pictures, which is a whole separate step.
That last part takes care of this.
Perhaps you are taking the term "film roll" too literally and creating extra work for yourself. With actual film, you may have had only 12 or 24 photos on one roll. With digital cameras, you might keep all photos from a 1GB card together on one roll. You can use the film roll comments to list the contents of the roll. Comments are visible when the rolls are closed in Film Roll view. I keep all my rolls closed to maximize iPhoto's launch speed. I only open the rolls I need to access.
Scrolling problems - YES, this seems to be a common experience. There are some ways to minimize them and work around them. Keeping rolls closed helps with this. More rolls fit on the screen, so it's more likely the roll you want is visible with the roll you are moving. If the target roll is still off-screen and you just can't get it selected, there is another technique. Select the photos you want to move and Command-click to select the roll you want them moved to (be sure this roll is open). Do File > Create New Roll and the photos will be combined. You'll have to redo the title, if you had renamed your roll before.
Why go through this, as opposed to the Wizard simplicity? Because iPhoto offers much more complex features than any file browser. iPhoto is not a file browser. It is a database application with non-destructive editing. You import a photo. iPhoto creates a thumbnail version, linked to your original, for efficient presentation of your library on screen. You edit, and it creates a full-sized copy, which you then modify. It keeps track of the edited version, linked to your original. Your thumbnail is also located and updated to match the edited version. If you ever wish to go back, you can always Revert to Original. The edited version will be deleted, and your thumbnail will again reflect the change. All before you can blink your eyes.
Then consider the Albums and Folders in your Source Pane. With a file browser, you'd have to duplicate your files to display them in more than one album (because album = folder). Copy and paste and be done with it, sure. But how many copies do you need on your hard drive? And how do you keep track of which ones have multiple copies and which ones don't? Things can get messy pretty fast, not to mention how much hard drive space is wasted on duplicates. With iPhoto's database, albums never create duplication; they are virtual arrangements which have no presence in your folder structure. The benefit - you can have a photo in 100 albums, with very little increase to the size of your library. Albums are an extra step, if you choose to use them. If this is inconvenient, you don't have to use them at all. But if you like the ability to create multiple groupings of the photos in your library, the ability is there.
Play with other search features, and iPhoto becomes very powerful indeed. Smart Albums can be created to compile photos based on many criteria, and they stay current with your library. With the calendar tool you can pull up photos from any year, month, and/or date with just a few clicks. Keywords can be used to include or eliminate (Option-click a keyword) groups of photos until you have just the grouping you want. [Ex: I can find all photos of my daughter, with my in laws, at a festival, NOT at Christmas, with animals....]
No one ever said iPhoto was intuitive. But if you like its features, learning the iPhoto way of doing things is a small price to pay.