You can decide which items you don't want to synchronize and simply not include them by first deselecting them one by one in your iTunes library. (If you have a large iTunes library, this may take some time — you may find it easier to synchronize by playlists, artists, and genres, as I show in the next section.)

By default, all content items are selected — a check mark appears in the check box next to the item. To deselect an item in your iTunes library, click the check box next to the item so that the check mark disappears. To reselect an item, just click the check box again.

Tip

You can quickly select (or deselect) an entire album by showing the Browser (choose View

After you deselect the items you don't want to transfer, connect your iPod or iPhone to your computer and select its name when it appears in the Devices section of the Source pane (refer to Figure 9-1). Then select the Sync Only Checked Songs and Videos check box. The Sync button changes to Apply — click the Apply button.

iTunes restarts synchronization and deletes from the iPod or iPhone any items in the library that are deselected, to save space, before adding back in the items in the iTunes library that are selected. That means the items you deselected are now gone from your iPod or iPhone — replaced by whatever items were selected. Of course, the items are still in your iTunes library. Wait for the synchronization to finish and then click the Eject button next to the iPod or iPhone name in the Source pane.

You can include just the items that are defined in playlists, including Genius playlists, and/or just specific artists. Syncing by playlists, artists, and genres is a great way of syncing vast amounts of music without syncing the entire library. (To find out how to create playlists, see Chapter 14.)

For example, you can create four playlists that contain all essential rock, folk, blues, and jazz albums, and then select all four, or just one, two, or three of these playlists to sync with your iPod or iPhone, along with everything by specific artists (such as Frank Zappa, who doesn't fit into these categories). You can even include audio books in your playlists, or create a playlist of just audio books, to sync with your iPod or iPhone.

After connecting your iPod or iPhone to your computer, select its name when it appears in the Devices section of the Source pane (refer to Figure 9-1). Then click the Music tab of the sync options. The Music sync options page appears, as shown in Figure 9-2.

Figure 9-2. Synchronize only the selected playlists, artists, and genres.

By default, the Entire Music Library option is checked, unless you are manually managing music as I describe later in this chapter. To change your sync options, select the Sync Music check box.

If you were manually managing music, a message appears asking if you are sure that you want to sync music — all content already on your iPod or iPhone will be replaced. Click the Sync Music button (or Cancel to cancel) to return to the Music sync options page.

To choose playlists, artists, and genres to sync with the iPod or iPhone, click the Selected Playlists, Artists, and Genres option at the top of the Music sync options page (refer to Figure 9-2). You can then select each playlist from the Playlists list, each artist from the Artists list, and (if you scroll the Music sync options page) each genre from the Genres list. You can choose any number of playlists, artists, and genres. (In Figure 9-2, I selected the Music Videos and Recently Added smart playlists along with a few artists.)

Finally, click the Apply button to apply changes and click the Sync button if synchronization hasn't already started automatically.

iTunes copies only what you've selected in the Playlists, Artists, and Genres sections of the Music sync options page. If you also select the Include Music Videos check box (as I do in Figure 9-2), iTunes includes music videos listed in the playlists (except, of course, for an iPod shuffle, which doesn't play video). For an iPod touch or iPhone, you can also select the Include Voice Memos check box to sync your voice memos from the Voice Memo app with iTunes. (See Chapter 21 for details on using Voice Memo.)

You can get picky about which podcast episodes should be copied during synchronization. Clicking the Podcasts tab of the sync pages presents options for choosing podcast episodes to include. (You can include audio podcasts to sync with an iPod shuffle, but not video podcasts.)

Connect your iPod or iPhone to your computer, and select its name when it appears in the Devices section of the Source pane (refer to Figure 9-1). Then click the Podcasts tab. The Podcasts sync options page appears, as shown in Figure 9-3. Click the Sync Podcasts option at the top.

The Podcast sync options let you choose unplayed or recently added episodes (as shown in Figure 9-3). Select the Automatically Include ____ Episodes Of ____ check box; choose a modifier from the first pop-up menu, such as All Unplayed or 10 Most Recent; and then choose All Podcasts or Selected Podcasts from the second pop-up menu. If you chose Selected Podcasts, you can select a podcast in the Podcasts column below these options, and then select specific episodes in the Episodes column (which may already be selected depending on your choices in the pop-up menus).

For example, in Figure 9-3, I'm synchronizing the 10 most recent episodes of selected podcasts — I've already selected The Flying Other Brothers-Music Podcast (2 new episodes out of 3), and I'm selecting the Social Folk Roots of California Rock episode of the Rockument podcast.

Finally, click the Apply button to apply changes, and click the Sync button if synchronization hasn't already started automatically.

Figure 9-3. Synchronize the 10 most recent episodes of selected podcasts.

Movies and TV shows take up a lot of space, so if you limit the movies and TV episodes you synchronize with your iPod or iPhone, you gain extra space for more music, audio books, podcasts, and photos. (This section doesn't apply to the iPod shuffle, which doesn't play movies or TV shows.)

To get choosy about movies, connect your iPod or iPhone to your computer, and select its name when it appears in the Devices section of the Source pane (refer to Figure 9-1). Then click the Movies tab of the sync options. The Movies sync options page appears as shown in Figure 9-4.

Select the Sync Movies check box (as shown in Figure 9-4). Select the Automatically Include ____ Movies check box; choose a modifier from the pop-up menu, such as All, All Unwatched, or 10 Most Recent Unwatched. If you choose any option other than All, you can then select specific movies from the list below the option. For example, in Figure 9-4 I'm automatically including 1 Most Recent movie along with the selected movie Jacob's Ladder.

Figure 9-4. Synchronize the selected movies only (iPod).

To pick only the TV episodes you want, click the TV Shows tab of the sync options. The TV Shows sync options page appears, as shown in Figure 9-5.

Select the Automatically Include ____ Episodes Of ____ check box; choose a modifier from the first pop-up menu, such as All, All Unwatched, or 5 Most Recent; and then choose All Shows or Selected Shows from the second pop-up menu. If you chose Selected Shows, you can select a show in the Shows column below these options, and then select specific episodes in the Episodes column (which may already be selected depending on your choices in the pop-up menus).

For example, in Figure 9-5, I'm synchronizing all episodes of selected shows whether I've watched them or not — but I'm also selecting only two episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series and deselecting the other episodes, in order to get only the episodes I want.

Finally, click the Apply button to apply changes and click the Sync button if synchronization hasn't already started automatically.

Figure 9-5. Synchronize only selected TV show episodes.

After setting your iPod or iPhone to manually manage music and videos, you can select and drag music and videos — songs, albums, audio books, music videos, movies, and TV shows — to your iPod or iPhone name in the Source pane. (Similarly, after setting an iPod shuffle to manually manage music, you can select and drag music, audio books, and audio podcasts to the iPod shuffle.)

You can drag the media from its section in the iTunes library or from an existing playlist, or drag an entire playlist. To do so, follow these steps:

Figure 9-6. Drag an album from the Artwork Column in the iTunes library to an iPod or iPhone to copy the entire album. (My iPod touch is called Mojo iTouch.)

When you manually manage music and videos on an iPod or iPhone (or manage music on an iPod shuffle), you can also delete content from the iPod or iPhone. Set the option to manually manage music and videos (if it isn't set that way already) and then follow these steps:

You can also automatically fill your iPod or iPhone while managing music and videos manually. Autofill randomly picks songs from your entire iTunes library or from a playlist you select in the iTunes Source pane.

Autofill is especially useful for copying random songs to an iPod shuffle every time you connect it to your computer. Eventually, you can shuffle through everything in your library if you so wish by randomly autofilling your iPod shuffle every time you sync.

Set the option to manually manage music on the iPod shuffle or to manage music and videos on the iPod or iPhone (if it isn't set that way already). Then follow these steps:

Tip

You can click the Autofill button repeatedly to create different random playlists. When you get one you like, select all its contents and choose File