move_uploaded_file() working on localhost but on server - php

Question

The following code works perfect on my localhost but it shows the following errors on my live server
Warning: move_uploaded_file(.../uploads/76948893.jpeg): failed to open stream: No such file or directory
Warning: move_uploaded_file(): Unable to move '/tmp/phppxvRs8' to '.../uploads/76948893.jpeg'
What it does is simple, it takes the images on the array ["pictures"] which comes from a html form and save every image on the folder ".../uploads/" using a random numeric name as name of the file and keeping the original extension.
Any one knows how to make it work on my server?
//Image Uploader
$images=[];
$directory = '.../uploads/';
foreach ($_FILES["pictures"]["error"] as $key => $error) {
$new_file_name = rand (10000000,99999999);
if ($error == UPLOAD_ERR_OK) {
$tmp_name = $_FILES["pictures"]["tmp_name"][$key];
$name = $_FILES["pictures"]["name"][$key];
/* echo '<br>';
echo $directory.$new_file_name.".".substr($_FILES['pictures']['type'][$key],strpos($_FILES['pictures']['type'][$key], "/")+1);*/
if(move_uploaded_file($_FILES['pictures']['tmp_name'][$key],
$directory
.$new_file_name
.".".substr($_FILES['pictures']['type'][$key],strpos($_FILES['pictures']['type'][$key], "/")+1))) {
array_push($images,$new_file_name.".".substr($_FILES['pictures']['type'][$key],strpos($_FILES['pictures']['type'][$key], "/")+1));
$images_validator=true;
}else{
//Error
}
}
}

Answer 1

There could be many reason for this, Check the following
You need WRITE Permission for the uploads directory. I assume your local machine runs windows & your hosting environment is linux
Like #Darren suggests, use absolute path. change the $directory to $directory = getcwd() . 'uploads/';

Answer 2

If this runs on your local machine but not on server there are 2 easy answers I can think off right off the back. 1. The folder doesnt exist on the server, 2. as someone comment you dont have permission to write/read to that folder on the server....I would check the server configuration to make sure your app pool or users have read/write permissions to the folder