I had a different twist on this problem. My web server would not let me create, via FTP, the wp-content/uploads folder. I kept getting permission denied. I tried so many other solutions, but finally I went into the web host’s file manager, and for some reason, I could create the folder there. The chmod needs to be 755 as several others have stated.
What I learned is that you cannot change the path to something other than wp-content/uploads. This was one way I tried to get around the problem, since I could create an uploads folder under other folders, just not wp-content. But this path is built into the program, so you just have to figure out how to get that exact path built on your server.
My web host is Startlogic.com and even with a support request, I don’t believe they ever even understood my problem. The solution ended up being pretty simple. I wish I had started with that file manager.
