Emailing photos from PM

[davidgordon]

That old trouble has come back... A client demands I send pictures via email. I've been using Photo Mechanic to send with PowerMail and that has worked well. But PowerMail is 32 bit only and isn't going to be updated. So I've tried using Apple's Mail again but it sends attachments 'in-line' and my clients corporate system can't cope with that.

The PM options for emailing are;

Entourage - long since dead?
Eudora - recently died
Mail - doesn't work for me
Mailsmith - no longer under development
PowerMail - will be dead later this year
Outlook -

As far as I know these are all Very Old apps with only Mail current. But what about Outlook? Does the current version of Outlook work with PM? I assume the version included with Microsoft 365. Being as its a Microsoft product I'm hoping it will play nicely with my PC using client.

Anyone using PM and Outlook on a Mac to send pictures?

Thanks!

[Rguzmanphoto]

Been using Outlook ver 16.16.7 now for several years for the same reason you have with Mac Mail have had no issues.[/img]

[davidgordon]

Thanks for that, good to know.

[Mick O (Camera Bits)]

I was just talking to someone (in person so I don't have anything to paste)   who told me that he found success by configuring his email client as an external editor in Photo Mechanic -- he would select his photos and choose "Edit selected photos with..."  and the email client would open up with the images as proper attachments. (This bypasses the Email photos dialogs completely)

I don't know exactly what client he was using but it seems like this might be something you could try with any external email client.   Might be worth a go?

-Mick

[davidgordon]

found success by configuring his email client as an external editor in Photo Mechanic -- he would select his photos and choose "Edit selected photos with..."  and the email client would open up with the images as proper attachments.

Thanks Mick, that's interesting. I haven't been able to test this fully but it does - somehow - appear to make Mail.app send a file as a proper attachment. I'll reserve judgment until I can see the results on a Windows PC connected to an Exchange server.

On the other hand, after a bit more testing....

A file sent from PM via "Edit in..." Mail will send a proper attachment.
Adding any text - including a signature - will make the attachment "in-line" even if the email is composed as plain text.

The problem really is Apple.

But if only Camerabits could recode some of those out-of-date mail apps away and add modern ones which we know send proper attachments - Airmail https://airmailapp.com and Postbox https://www.postbox-inc.com are two which appear correct - then life would be wonderful again!

Thanks

[Soizic]

Fine with Mail on my Mac (Mojave)

[davidgordon]

Fine with Mail on my Mac (Mojave)

Fine until you send to someone using Outlook on an Exchange server. They can't detach the pictures because Mail sends them 'in-line'. That's my trouble!

[Kirk Baker]

Fine with Mail on my Mac (Mojave)

Fine until you send to someone using Outlook on an Exchange server. They can't detach the pictures because Mail sends them 'in-line'. That's my trouble!

Right-clicking on the photo doesn't allow them to save it?  How about drag and drop to Windows Explorer?

-Kirk

[davidgordon]

Right-clicking on the photo doesn't allow them to save it?  How about drag and drop to Windows Explorer?

I don't have access to my friend's PC right now but here's what I remember.

I can't recall if right-clicking brings up the 'save attachment' option, but certainly when you click the icon in the ribbon bar to do so you end up with an empty list. Quite simply there are no attachments to save.

I'm not convinced that a drag and drop saves the original image with metadata intact. One thing I do know, however, is that my client isn't going to do that for each of the twenty odd pictures attached.

As far as she's concerned this is my problem, everyone else send attachments of all types in a format she can save easily. As far as I'm concerned its Apple's usual arrogant 'we know what's best for you' attitude. Its an issue that's been ongoing for years, both the Microsoft and Apple support forums are full of people like me tearing their hair out over this. There used to be a Mail plugin which solved the problem but every time Apple updated the OS it broke. The developer eventually gave up. There is currently another plugin which works fine for Mail under macOS 10.13, but guess what happens with 10.14.4.

I have been using PowerMail but that's 32 bit and won't be updated. My perfect solution would be for PM to work with a modern compliant email app such as Airmail. Please!

Thanks

David

[Hayo Baan]

Here's a solution that might work for you: https://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/os-x-turning-off-inline-mail-attachments (by the way, the “view as icon” method that is mentioned there didn't work for me).

[Kirk Baker]

David,

I have been using PowerMail but that's 32 bit and won't be updated. My perfect solution would be for PM to work with a modern compliant email app such as Airmail.

How about instead using a different delivery option?  There are dozens of services out there that make it easy for you to upload files and then share them with people with a link via email.  They get one package (zip) that they download, containing all of the files that you want to share.  Completely avoids issues like these.  Dropbox is one example and it is free to use on up to three devices linked to the account (you can share with as many people as you like, no limitation there.)

I won't have time to add additional email clients for quite a while.

-Kirk

[davidgordon]

Here's a solution that might work for you: https://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/os-x-turning-off-inline-mail-attachments (by the way, the “view as icon” method that is mentioned there didn't work for me).

Yes, no! I did try that before but its one of those solutions which seems to have been a victim of a MacOS update... But thanks.

[davidgordon]

How about instead using a different delivery option? 

Kirk

You're preaching to the converted! I do have my own server and many clients use it to download sets of pictures. But one or two demand email delivery because, well who knows but there's no persuading them. Dropbox, by the way, isn't an option for reasons I presume are of National Security. (Its offshore from where I am, the client part of the government.)

Meanwhile I'm using Outlook, which is mostly horrible. But it fits into my PM workflow. So as soon as you've done the DAM... 

Best

David

[syncrasy]

Just curious, do either of the attachment options in Apple Mail (e.g., "Always Send Windows-Friendly Attachments" or "Always Insert Attachments at End of Message") have any effect on Mail -> Outlook compatibility?

(If I recall from my research many years ago, they don't help, but I don't have Outlook to test.)

[davidgordon]

Just curious, do either of the attachment options in Apple Mail (e.g., "Always Send Windows-Friendly Attachments" or "Always Insert Attachments at End of Message") have any effect on Mail -> Outlook compatibility?

(If I recall from my research many years ago, they don't help, but I don't have Outlook to test.)

No, you remember correctly. I'm pretty sure I've bee through all of the combinations. You never know what's going on underneath with Mail. For example, think you're sending plain text...

I should stop now in case folk think I'm obsessed! I'm learning to love Outlook. (A fib.)

David