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 you later in this 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 touch to your computer and select its name when it appears in the Devices section of the Source pane (refer to Figure 5-1). Then select the Sync Only Checked Songs and Videos option. Click Apply and continue with Steps 3–5 in the earlier section, "Syncing with Your iTunes Store Account."

iTunes restarts synchronization and deletes from the iPod touch 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 touch — replaced by whatever items were selected. Of course, the items are still in your iTunes library.

You can include just the items that are defined in playlists, including Genius playlists, and/or just specific artists. Syncing by playlist is a great way of syncing vast amounts of music without syncing the entire library.

For example, you can include all rock, folk, blues, and/or jazz albums (selecting by genre) and select some playlists you've created in advance, along with everything by specific artists (such as Frank Zappa, who doesn't fit into these genres).

After connecting your iPod touch to your computer, select its name when it appears in the Devices section of the Source pane (refer to Figure 5-1). Then click the Music tab of the sync options. (You may have to click Apply first to apply the changes you made to other sync options pages.) The Music sync options page appears, as shown in Figure 5-2.

By default, the Entire Music Library option is selected, unless you're 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're sure that you want to sync music — all content already on your iPod touch will be replaced. Click the Sync Music button to continue making selections on the Music sync options page (or Cancel to cancel).

To choose playlists, artists, and genres to sync, click the Selected Playlists, Artists, and Genres option at the top of the Music sync options page (shown in Figure 5-2. You can then select each playlist from the Playlists list, each artist from the Artists list, and (if you scroll down) each genre from the Genres list. You can choose any number of playlists, artists, and genres. (In Figure 5-2, I selected the Music Videos and Recently Added 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.

You can also automatically fill up the rest of your iPod touch free space with random songs (after syncing your selected playlists, artists, and genres) by selecting the Automatically Fill Free Space with Songs option. iTunes randomly chooses the music, as I describe in "Copying Everything" in this chapter.

Note

Figure 5.2. Synchronize your iPod with only selected playlists, artists, and genres (scroll down to see genres).

You can get picky about which podcast episodes should be copied over during synchronization. The Podcasts tab of the sync pages for the iPod touch gives you options for choosing podcast episodes to include.

Connect your iPod touch to your computer, and select its name when it appears in the Devices section of the Source pane (refer to Figure 5-1). Then click the Podcasts tab. The Podcasts sync options page appears, as shown in Figure 5-3 Click the Sync Podcasts option at the top.

The Podcast sync options let you choose unplayed or recently added episodes (as shown in Figure 5-3). 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).

When you're set, click the Apply button to apply changes and click the Sync button if synchronization hasn't already started automatically.

Movies and TV shows take up a lot of space, so if you limit the movies and TV episodes you synchronize with your iPod touch, you gain extra space for more music, audio books, podcasts, and photos.

To get choosy about movies, connect your iPod touch to your computer and select its name when it appears in the Devices section of the Source pane (refer to Figure 5-1). Then click the Movies tab of the sync options. The Movies sync options page appears, as shown in Figure 5-4.

Select the Sync Movies check box (as shown in Figure 5-4 Select the Automatically Include ____ Movies check box and then 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.

To pick only the TV episodes you want, click the TV Shows tab of the sync options. (You may have to click the Apply button first, to apply the changes you made to other sync options pages.) The TV Shows sync options page appears, as shown in Figure 5-5.

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).

When you're set, click the Apply button to apply changes, and click the Sync button if synchronization hasn't already started automatically.

Figure 5.3. Synchronize your iPod touch with the ten most recent episodes of selected podcasts.

Figure 5.4. Synchronize your iPod with the selected movies only.

Figure 5.5. Synchronize your iPod touch with selected TV show episodes.

After turning on the option to manually manage music and videos, you can select and drag music and video to your iPod touch name in the Source pane. 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:

When you manually manage music and videos, you can also delete content from the iPod touch. 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 touch 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.

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

Tip

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