I have a rather large collection. 114,782 photos, 2,330 videos. Total space is 824.61 Gb. I have a 2TB SSD drive on my 2019 iMac. It was taking up too much space. So I went and bought a 2TB SSD External drive and moved it there. It's lived there since.
How is that working? I purchased a 5tb external HDD just for photos. (have some ssd's but I understand they can just fail without notice - so even though HDD will be a bit slower it will give me more peace of mind. I imagine I will have about the size library you have when I recombine all the different libraries I have created since 2008 while attempting to simplify and organize!!! HA! (before I moved to mac I had a wonderful file system) My internet is molasses slow so I don't like iCloud. I want to move everything to one library then organize then back up. Before I do all the work again, I am checking out youtube experts to see if anyone can weigh in on my plan before I proceed. (2015 Macbook Pro ... getting ready up upgrade to a newer mac) I have used about 1/2 of 1tb of its storage, but like giving it alot of extra space for ssd health.
Nothing has greater more visceral rage than, robbed me of more joy , and made me verbally curse Apple than my dysfunction and incompetence I guess at the simple act of taking the photos that I love and captured from my camera to my Mac and then to reasonably have a smooth post process management style, but it’s anything but that there days when maybe it works OK and then there are days that I will spend eight effing hours and not even able to process it I guess what I do wrong which probably is why I paid for 6 TB of storage on Apple. It just gets constantly jammed and I’m completely at a loss at how even when I delete things I’ll sit here for hours exactly what they’re telling me has the memory hold up and then usually incompetently deleting photos. I never even got to look at which make me it makes me sick to my stomach given the unique perspective or Surfer and I know in the back of my mind I nailed the shot, but I’ll never receive it again because of how stupid I am and I guess I’m gonna try the hard drive portable hard drive I had before and it seems to work better because with all the storage I get paradoxical issues and then I just don’t understand. It makes me sick to my stomach so that it can show me one thing I can delete that thing and then clear clear the trashcan and then I go on for tips and I just get the most obvious and redundant and, the things that are elementary that anything that there’s zero discussion on the Internet about it or just get some arrogant person on the forms that you go on here and they offer no solution other than to knows
I think what I need to do is not ask any questions or philosophies over it. I need to just take what I’m reading in this brief message. You shared here and simply do that now I’ll probably screw that up too, but at least I can have a template of some kind of process because when I read your comments, sir, I couldn’t be more in line with you know the sizable amount of photos and like I said I’ve I Initially had 12 TB because they only offer that which is insane that they would give you two options one being like I think 2 TB the other will be 12 but they recently allow 6 TB which I have in four out of the 6 TB for already but no matter what I do to try to free up space so I can just simply edit one stinking photo this computer. It’s it almost seems intentional. It’s almost the way it happens. It seems like Either. I’m possessed by demon or this computer is because it’s like I’m specific about making it produce so much anger and frustration.
Don’t use any HDD for your photo library. It is too slow and the photo app will timeout or very slow response and the library will damage. I have a photo library which almost 4TB Large. I’m using OWC Mercury Elite pro Dual with 2TB SSD with RAID0 configuration. I’m looking for the way to expand the library again however SSD is too expensive. Would anyone please give me some idea for storage solution.
My main computer is a 512 GB Mac Mini with a permanently-attached external USB-C combined SSD and multi-port hub, this drive is also of 512 GB capacity. The Photos System Library of 30.52 GB is stored on the Mac's Pictures folder. Other computers regularly used have smaller internal drives, such as my M1 MacBook Air. Since its storage is more limited, I have chosen the Optimise Mac Storage option. This means the Photos Library, while it contains the same number of files as the Systems Photo Library, occupies just 6.64 GB. My iPhone (128 GB) and iPad Mini (64 GB) also have Optimise Storage set whereas the iPad Air 5 of 256 GB, can store full-sized photos, so its Photos are also 30.52 GB.
Great video! I'm a PC power user, and still couldn't figure out Photos App. Watching your video cleared up everything for me. Thanks! For me, I like putting the photos library on an external, as I don't need my photos with me 24/7 on my MacBook. Different strokes for different folks!
apple this library isn't searchable in spotlight due to its location? 8:49 I’m having an issue here with just adding photos from iphone to my MacBook. I don’t use iCloud.
These are useful tools. I will definitely be using them to move different files around to favored locations. I agree with you Mac SSDs are blazing fast. The problem is the size. It doesn't take long to fill even 512GB up. 😮
If you configure MacOS to optimize the Photos storage for you... it does NOT automatically download any of the photos immediately right? (Only when you click on them?) So then I think when you try to quickly skim through them will it feel pretty slow with each full resolution photo downloading as you go? Does this feel annoying to you, or is it really so fast with a good internet connection?
For the most part. But it does try to keep recently taken and viewed photos on hand. It depends on how much space you have. As for flipping through photos, it depends on whether you are in the view mode where you see one at a time, or the library mode where you see a list. The latter won't need to download the photos as it has the smaller thumbnails. On my main Mac I have optimize turned off as I have a large enough drive. So I keep that in mind as opposed to my MacBook Air where I have this off.
@@macmost I have an 8 TB MacBook Pro so tons of space... but I just like to see how much free space I have (which guides me to when I need to do some house-keeping and delete stuff)... sooooo if I put optimize photos storage option on MacBook.... it could theoretically download my entire iPhone photos collection (~180 GB).... but I would rather that it did not! :D Because then I will artificially think I'm running lower on MacBook SSD space... so I was kinda hoping it wouldn't download a ton of stuff unless (as you said) it was more recent... or I had accessed it recently. I'm hoping it won't just download the whole thing because "well you have enough space!" :D
@@JasonParkerMagic Sorry, I don't understand what you are trying to do. If you have 8 TB and 180 GB of photos, you should definitely have Photos "Optimize" OFF. You don't need it. I don't understand what you mean by "artificially think I'm running lower on MacBook SSD space." Just turn if off and enjoy the fact that you don't need this feature which is designed for people with very little hard drive space.
Hi Gary, I have been a fan for years! You are amazing. Your attending to all the questions is impressive. I am trying to read all the posts and catch up before asking lots of redundant questions. Just wanted to to feel the gratitude!
I've run out of space on my 2018 Mackbook Air 250GB drive and was not sure if should move all photos to a external HD or just go with Icloud. Seems that the Icould optimization might be the best solution. I use my 2015 IMac as my everyday computer.
Very helpful. Photography is one of my hobbies and I do use the Mac Photos App along with Adobe Photoshop. It's helpful to understand just how the storage works and the available options. Thanks
I did the same as showed in the video and my system library is now stored in my 2T SSD but the space that the downloads are occupying is still on my Mac ( iCloud and every option are on) how it is possibile ? The files are stored in the old library and not in the new one (that is selected as system library!) please help me! @macmostvideo
@@macmost Thank you for the answer! Luckily today I called apple support and they solved this issue after more than one hour call. In fact my Mac wasn't doing his work well as confirmed by support, (the Mac created another library itself that was 0kb) the problem was solved with this passages: I Copied the Mac library in the ssd for backup< deleted all libraries on Mac
Great video, thank you. So what happens in iCloud when you change the system library to a different one? Do the photos that were in the original system library on iCloud remain on iCloud? Or are they deleted/replaced on iCloud by the photos in the new system library? Thanks!
Well copying the system library to an external SSD with this mentioned method took me forever to synchronize. Even though I had my library (1 TB) downloaded before syncing back, it took more than a week to finish the task. There must be some other way to move the system library because this was ridiculously slow.
3:21 - So, are you saying that it might be possible to store the image files in folders in the Finder rather than in Photos itself? And, at the same time be able to use all the Photos features and capabilities? Would I then need to import photos from my iPhone through a physical connection since they would not be shared through iCloud?
Excellent explanations, as usual. Is it true that iCloud cannot backup from external drives, nor can time machine do that, therefore a photos database on external drive would require periodic manual backup for security. Thank you.
@@artmaltman iCloud isn't a backup service, so I'm not quite sure what you mean. Time Machine is a backup and it certainly can backup external drives as well as your internal one.
Great video. Question. Could you / someone better explain what is System Photo Library mean or control? Is that just where iCloud library would connect too? Does that just mean primary library? Can you help me understand that?
The Photos "System Library" is the one used by iCloud, yes. You can have other libraries, but only the name designated as the System Library would be synced to iCloud.
My Thunderbolt4 NMVE drive is definitely a bit faster than the base 256GB drive. Thanks for showing how to create multiple PhotosLibrary folders. I'd tried tome mine previously, but Photos didn't like it. This linking method is much better
Great video thanks! Have you done on of migrating pictures from Lightroom to Photos.
9 місяців тому
of solutions - was about to pull out all originals and import them into a new library - when read on this post about duplicating the library file > did that (not copy... duplicate) > opened up just fine (photo app updated the file and then opened it up).
Gary, Thanks for the Video. If you move your Photos Library to an external drive, will it still sync properly to your iCloud Photos? Im just looking to free up some space on my internal hard drive, but still want to be able to take advantage of the syncing option
If you have the library set as your System Library and iCloud Photos turned on, it will sync just the save whether it is on the internal or external. Of course if you have a MacBook, then you have the problem of sometimes you may not have the drive connected.
What I really wanted to do was import photos to Premier Pro , but Premier doesn't recognize " Photos " app. At all .. And after exporting to external , the stills And unplayable videos are not available for import to Premier... what gives ? I can import anything else from my external drive all day long...
Thanks Gary, as always, great video. I have an old photos library on an external SSD that I haven't used for years. I'm trying to merge all my iphone photos with the old library, but when I try to sync it says "iCloud Photos is only available on macOS Standard, macOS Extended and APFS formatted volumes". I'm assuming it's because my SSD is ExFAT. Do you know how I can solve this problem?
Perfect! But complicated - but Im starting to understand. Q: The system library is synced, correct? How can I delete bulk photos from iCloud but keep them on my home library? I have original size photos on my home library. Im afraid the sync system will delete my pics in both places? ALSO: When I attempt to drag a pic or video from the home library to the Desktop or wherever, I get an error message. Apple wont allow apparently. HOWEVER, I can download (about 900 items at a time) to my computer. They come as a Zip file. But its slow!! and if you got 100k items it can take constant work and forever. Plus often with 900 to 1000 the zip file wont even open and you have to start again.
The entire library is synced. If you really want something not in iCloud (why?) then you'd need to export it (unmodified original), store it somewhere else safely, then delete the one in the library. You should be able to drag (or export) to the Desktop no problem. Not sure why you are getting an error message.
@@macmostThank you. Your info is spot on. The drag and drop resolved itself- maybe a glitch on my computer. I found another one of your videos that helped me a great deal: 5 Ways to Download All of Your iCloud Photos.
@@macmost I have another issue that has bugged me for years. When I export, the files loose their time/date stamp. In Info it shows Created on the day of export. I know the original data is there still in the deep. It’s as if Apple has gone outta their way to hide the metadata. Do you have a video on solutions? Can I run a bulk action to easily have the date and time recovered?
@@AlohaMichaelDaly Two different things: the FILE date and the PHOTO date. One is a property of the file, the other is a property of the photo inside the file. Open the photo in Preview, go to View, Show Inspector, then look for the EXIF info. That will show you the photo date. See ua-cam.com/video/b33ir6FZMlY/v-deo.html for more.
Legit question: At one point I copied all of my photos and deleted them from the iCloud Library. I didn’t want to pay for additional iCloud storage at the time. Now, after a few years, I want to get this pictures back to my library. I have them copied with all metadata on my external drive. How do I synch them with my existing library so the iPhoto will recognize them with the metadata and merge it into one library with my existing photos?
Do you mean you exported them as files from Photos, or you split your Photos library? For the former, just drag them back into Photos. For the latter, it gets complex but you can switch to that second library and make it your System Library, let everything sync to merge them.
2 questions my good man 1- does the .photoslibrary file contain my albums as well as the photos? 2- can I send specific photos from my iPhone to an empty or new .photoslibrary
Great video Gary! How would I create a new library and then transfer photos from my current library to the new one. I recently sold a company that required several progressive pictures. I would like to keep them but I’ll likely never need them gain.
If your current library has the pictures you want, then what is the purpose of starting a new one and transferring the same photos to it? Just keep the current one.
@@macmost its more for archiving purposes. there is somewhere to the tune of 5 thousand pictures there that I will never look up that I do not want mixed with my personal photos
@@cdoggsawesomevids2784 Oh, I see. I would just export them to files in a folder. But another option is to duplicate the library and then in the duplicate delete everything but those 5000, and in the original library delete those 5000.
I have too many photos and videos to keep on my local MacBook Pro. How are you able to keep a system photos folder on your local drive? Is it gigantic?
My iMac photos has custom albums and I’ve switched to iCloud Photos. Everything has uploaded and synced fine so iMac and iCloud look the same. What happens when I enable iCloud Photos on my iPad and iPhone which have their own custom albums? Will each device retain custom albums but merge device photos into iCloud Photo Library? Note, I have download originals enabled on iMac so I ca use Time Machine backup, but plan to use Optimize storage on the IOS devices. Just a little nervous to pull trigger on IOS devices until I know what will happen before I do. :) Thank you!
Streams? Not sure what you mean by that. But if you switched to a new library and made that your system library then it should merge everything in iCloud with the new library.
This is a very helpful and clear video, thank you for the information! I do have a question though - I have my current MacBook with the photos that I have added since I have had the current computer, which sync with iCloud Photo Library. I also have an external hard drive with photos from my Mac prior to the cloud storage options. Before moving to my current computer, I transferred all photos from the previous computer to an external hard drive. The current "main" library on my current Mac sync's with iCloud storage going forward - but not sure how to add the other hard drive library of photos to the same iCloud storage. Is this possible? To combine libraries? I worry about external hard drive's failing and would like to have all backed up in the cloud. Thanks in advance for your time.
Are they in a library on the other drive? Or just as files? If in a library, do you care about things like albums, captions and adjustments? If not, then just open that library, export unmodified originals to files, switch to your iCloud Library and then import those files.
@@macmost Thank you for the info. They are in a library on the other drive. I went to do as you suggested - but I guess I need you to explain it to me like I am a toddler - I select all of the photos in the library and go to export unmodified originals to files - but I get stuck because it has a check box for "Export Original" that says Export IPTC as XMP - do I click that box? I am confusing myself when trying to look up the answer and don't trust that I am getting good information anywhere else than with you, LOL!
I have question I didn’t see yet covered: What happens if you switch your system library? Will all iCloud Photos be removed from synchronized devices? Will it be merged into one gigantic library? Should be downloaded all photos to local HD before or it will be safely stored in iCloud? In my use case: I have reached my HD limits so I have multiple libraries. Higher iCloud plan is already expensive. There are apps like Photomator, which can access your photos library if you allow it, but it is only system library… Follow up question: I understand that Optimize is helping with space, but what about all metadata after switching system library? Will it still be possible to access it? Considering that iCloud plan to store all files exceeds current financial possibilities. Thanks in advance for any help in this topic.
So, my optimized cloud storage photos have still filled up my iPhone. If I understand correctly, I should export a bunch of photos (hopefully album by album??) to my finder where they can live but not be uploaded into my cloud storage? I don’t need all of them accessible from my iPhone or iPad anyway…
If they have filled up your iPhone it just means you have plenty of space available to do that. Don't try to micromanage it. It will clear out space if it gets too full.
@@macmost that sounds good to me. Will you elaborate on how to do that? I would love to have photos not in apple photo library. Have 10's of thousands of photos and find photo app (with its' many changes over the years) confusing and way too much work!
@@ny6901 I assume you mean videos, not photos. Export the videos (originals) as files. Store them with good names and folder organization as you like. But I would never do it with photos as they work better in the Photos app. Take the time to learn it, it is pretty simple. You don't need to use all the features. See ua-cam.com/video/pTe3TSAgQgE/v-deo.html
@@macmost I think iPhoto then photos of old gave me a bad experience. After watching many of your tutorials last night, I have much more hope. You are making it feasible! Thanks for clarifying and answering AMAZING!!! Thanks for the new link.
Hi, Gary. Nice video as usual. I have two libraries on my mac: a Photos Library and a Iphoto library. I don't remember creating either one. Why do I have two? Should I merge them together? Will that mess up my albums on the Photos App? I also intend to copy both libraries and pate them on a Windows Laptop computer. This means that I will copy the original files and paste them onto a new computer system, correct? Then I will have to use whatever App windows has equivalente to Photos, to view and edit them, correct? Thank in advance Gary.
A guess would be that you had an iPhoto library from back in the iPhoto days. Then when Photos came out it prompted you to update that library to a Photos library. You did. But then you never deleted the old iPhoto library. If you really don't know then you have no choice but to open that iPhoto library in Photos and let it update and then see what is in there. If you are moving these photos to Windows, then you'd need to export all of the photos from one or both and use File, Export, Unmodified Originals to get files. Then bring those files to your new computer.
@@macmost Gary, you were right. When I tried to open the iPhoto library, it told me that those were already migrated to Photos. When I do the same to my Photos library, I can view the whole 281 albums of pictures that I have. So, if I delete the iPhoto library, it won't affect my albums, correct? So, I guess I have to export my 281 albums of photos one by one, correct? Thank you very much for your time, Gary. Cheers!
@@paulo1901 Yes, if it is your old one you don't need it. You would just go to All Photos and export all your photos. You'll lose your albums. To save those groupings you'd need to decide what you are using on the new system first. For instance, Apple has a way to transfer everything to Google Photos: support.apple.com/en-us/118257
@@macmost Thanks, Gary. I'm planning on getting the new Mac Mini M3. I'll have to transfer everything from my old Mac. I know I can use Migrate or from TimeMachine. I still use Aperture for some projects on my old Mac. Since It's no longer supported by Apple, will it transfer normally? Thanks again, Gary. Cheers!
Well, I suppose. But I think it would be a very bad experience putting your Photos library on a network drive. It is important to be able to flip through your photos in the app, and over a network I'd imagine it would be painfully slow.
For us who have lots of photos and videos on our iPhones, what’s the best way to back those up without having to pay for lots of iCloud space? I have even external drives, but I don’t know the best method of how to back those up what are your suggestions for a possible solution that doesn’t involve paying for more iCloud storage? I’m even willing to buy adapters or anything else to store those photos if needed.
Thanks for this. It almost answers my questions. I want to use Photos to manage a huge catalogue/library of photos in an external SSD (speed is not a concern) and also to be able to access that library from my MacBook when in the road. As well as having the library itself on the SSD and turning iCloud off (not interested in having parts here and parts there and all the syncing and bandwidth issues), how can I ensure everything shows up in the Library but nothing is actually moved. Hope that makes sense! Thanks again.
Not sure what you mean. If you put your photos in the library then they are in the library. Maybe you are leaving out details here because I can't figure out your setup from this.
@@macmost Thanks a lot for responding. Apologies if I didn’t explain clearly. I want to share a large ‘folder-tree’ of photos on an external SSD between a Mac and a MacBook (on the move), but don’t want to use iCloud. Can I use the same Library (presumably on the SSD) with both computers, and are there any obstacles/dangers to doing so? Thanks again.
@@PoetryFilms Depends on how you do it. I assume you want to change the setting in Photos so it doesn't import the file, correct? So then the file remains on the external drive even though you see it in your Photos library? Try it with one or a few photos. See how it works in all situations (that computer, that computer without the drive, another computer). If that's OK for you, then you know you can do it for the rest. I haven't done it like that myself because I would always want all my photos available.
Thanks for this response, and apologies for the delayed reply. With the library and all the associated photos on an external SSD, it works great with my Mac. But when I connect to Macbook, and open the library from there, I get only low-resolution representations of the photos and can't edit etc. This, even though the actual original photos are on the external drive and therefore in the same place, relative to the library file, as when connected to the Mac. aybe Apple have made this 'library on the road' impossible. But thanks again in any case for your advice. @@macmost
Suggestion: - Please make a video on iCloud Photos back up plan because 1. Time Machine doesn’t restore individual item. 2. iCloud storage fills up fast, even 2 TB. What are others back up options than Time Machine?
So your Photos library is approaching 2TB? Maybe consider breaking it up. Myself, I like to store large videos as files separately (with good names and folders) which brings my Photos library way down in size.
Thanks Gary. Very helpful with very clear explanations and examples. When using references photos (say on an external drive), are they searchable through the iPhoto search function - text of people?
You can search any photo for text, but it has to be in the Photos app to do it in the Photos app. Otherwise, do a Finder search and it should find text in photos you have stored as plain files outside of the Photos app.
After moving my 65GB library to an external drive, I still have more than 78GB of system data left on my Mac. This library was originally on my Mac. I’ve watched various tutorials on UA-cam, but I couldn’t find any folder/file that large. Could you please advise me on how to free up this space again? I moved the library to the external drive to save space. Thank you.
As Andreas said, they go to the Recently Deleted folder and if you delete them they are gone forever, but also keep in mind, the automatically disappear from Recently Deleted after 30 days of you don’t delete them yourself. Plus, they are deleted from all your devices that are signed into the same iCloud account when you delete them.
Question: When I make a setting like "Save these photos locally" is this setting ONLY effecting this location (say my iMac) - or is it telling ALL apple devices I own (iPhone , iPad) to also save their images in their images library. Or ... is there only ONE image library and all other devices (iPhone, iPad) are just access the photo library images that are copied to the cloud. I'm confused about the "Voodoo" behind this whole system.
Gary, I've been watching your videos for a while now, they are easy to follow and clear thinking. I'm trying to emulate the work flow that I used when I had Adobe Bridge, but using Mac Photos. Adobe pissed me off when they started with the predatory pricing of Photoshop and requirements for logging in to use Bridge. On a weekend I'd typically upload and quickly review a few thousand photos, rate (1-5*) and then delete about 90%, anything less than four stars. I haven't yet found a way to do that in the Mac Photos software. Do you have a workflow algorithm that might fit?
Keywords. You can use keyword tags like "1 Star" or "5 Stars" or get more nuanced if you like. Then use Smart Albums to quickly view things you have keyworded that you want to delete. ua-cam.com/video/h-a739LKnro/v-deo.html
If I move my photos library to an external drive (and make it my system library), will it still be backed up in iCloud? Will Time Machine still include it in backups?
As long as you make sure that external drive is included in your Time Machine backup, yes. Just check the Time Machine settings to make sure it isn't excluded in Privacy.
What happens if I import a large library (over 450gb located on external ssd) to my iCloud system library, on a MacBook with 256gb of storage? Will it start uploading directly to iCloud, or is more local storage needed? Thanks for all your helpful guides and walkthroughs!
@@macmost Thanks for the reply. I suspected as such, but haven’t actually tried. I guess I will need to import smaller batches, like photos by year or something.
I'm on Monterey. I have run out of disk space on my 2017 MBP and was thinking of buying iCloud storage 2TB. My question is will the folders and albums sync on iCloud exactly as I have them on my MBP Photos app? So if I delete all the contents of Photos on my MBP will I then find everything organized in the same exact way on iCloud?
You will see the albums in iCloud, yes. But DO NOT delete anything. Deleting means deleting, so I'm not sure why you are suggesting that as an option. Why would you delete them?
@@macmost ?? I have no storage space left on my Mac I can't use it the bloody thing doesn't work I need free disk space. I bought 2 TB of iCloud space so I can get my photos off my Mac, free the space, and have my Mac work again
@@nounix After you turn on iCloud Photos, you DO NOT delete anything unless you want it gone forever. Instead, simply turn on the Optimize Mac Storage option in Photos, Settings, iCloud. Saving local drive space is exactly what that option is for.
@@macmost I really don't understand what you're talking about. I move my photos on my Mac then they exist on my cloud account but not on my actual Mac so if I want to access these photos I will not look at my Mac I will look at my iCloud. What am I not understanding?
No. I would say that the "proper" thing to do would be to NOT delete the photo. You don't want an app reaching out to your files and making changes like that.
@@harrycampbell2668 Make sure you provide enough overlap between the clips. Select the transition and choose Window, Show Precision Editor and it is easier to see.
Hi, I have a question: I am looking for a workflow to save icloud storage space. I have tons of photos and videos on my mac (external drive) outside of my icloud library. Is there any way which would enable me to synchronise only a few pics of the the last pictures taken from my Mac library to a different iCloud library so that I could have all the pics in all the devices? I should be able to do vice versa , i.e. save the latest pictures taken from my iCloud library to the mac library.
Great video. I have an internal drive on my iMac with about 180gb unused. Seems like moving photo library to an external would free up a lot of space. Is this a smart move?
I tried this (I have a similar situation) and it didn’t free up any space. I guess I still had plenty of space so it decided to leave the files in place. I wish there was an option to force the optimisation and free up all that space - perhaps we need to try filling up the drive with junk files to trigger the optimisation.
So you moved your library to your external drive and it didn't free up space? Even after your next Time Machine backup? Maybe you left the old library on the drive?
@@macmost No my library is on the Air’s internal SSD. Haven’t done a Time Machine backup yet. I guess my point is that turning on "optimise" does not necessarily reduce the size of your photo library immediately.
@@abulka Oh, so you just turned on Optimize. Yes, then it will take some time. If you have plenty of space you won't see a difference 180GB free is fine. It is only when you start to run low that it will get smaller as needed.
Hello Sir, I have question for you if you could help, my Photos library says I have 112GB (1500 photos, 150 vids), to save space I dragd and dropped the entire library into a finder folder to sort by file size, but to my surprise they only total about 30GB (4GB photos, 26GG vids), and iHave triple verified that all of them are there. they are all mostly HEIC in photos app, and in finder they are Jpegs and .MOV QuickTime movies files. I have no idea why this is the case, what should I investigate and could be the issue?
When you drag and drop out, it exports everything and compresses it. You aren't getting the originals at full resolution. If you want to get some things out of your library to reduce its size, just focus on the videos. The longer videos will be many times the size of any photo. Personally, I don't keep many videos in my Photos library and just store them as well-named files in folders.
I have a MacBook, Mac, iPad, and iPhone. I’m logged into my Apple ID on all 4. I see the same photo on all 4 devices. Are all 4 devices sharing the same photo library? I want to back up the library to an external drive so I have my own backup in addition to iCloud. So if I backup the photo library from my MacBook that would back up photos from all 4 devices, correct ? Thanks !
It sounds like you are using iCloud Photos so you will see the same photos everywhere, yes. If you have the Optimize option OFF on your Mac, and you backup your Photos Library, then you will have a complete backup, yes.
Over the years I’ve ended up with 2 library’s. My older pictures show in my current library as thumbnails but when I try to edit one of those it can’t find the file. It’s in the other library which I can open and edit. What is the best way to bring those old photos into the new library, knowing that the new library has thumbnails of all of my pictures?
First, you need to figure out what the deal is with those thumbnails without photos. Any idea how that happened? I suppose you can delete them if you know for 100% that they were created in error and you 100% have them in the other library. Then I would export all of your photos from the other library (Unmodified Originals!) and import those into your current library. Make sure you have your import settings correct and it isn't set to not copy the items into the library or something.
Thanks for the video. I dislike using iCloud for photos because I only shoot RAW and I’m not sure if it saves RAW. But, I often take 1,000-2000 photos in a single day of shooting. I don’t want to upload that many photos to iCloud automatically especially when I may not have time to edit them anytime soon. I prefer backing them up to an external drive. I use a MacBook Pro, no desktop. My problem is when I backup a folder with 95 GB of photos and then delete the folder from my MacBook because I only had 3 GB storage remaining. I’m expecting to have 98 GB available on my MacBook yet end up with only about 75 GB? I don’t get it. This happens all the time. Can you please explain what’s happening? Thanks
Yes, iCloud Photo Library does RAW, FYI. Hard to say with the space, but it could be waiting for your next Time Machine backup before releasing those files (saving them in a Local Snapshot until then). Just a guess.
I may have an answer for you....Have you tried clearing the "recently deleted" folder inside photos? That folder keeps everything you have deleted for 30 to 40 days. Hope that solves it. Also I used to use Clean My Mac and it, if I recall, would find residual trash and leftovers.
Thank you for video. I'm still having a problem. My I cloud is taking up a bunch of space. It seems like even though I have photos is I cloud they are still taking up space on my hard drive. Any idea why?
It will still use some space, yes. Recently-viewed photos will be cached locally. When you need more space then Photos and iCloud Drive will offload these to make room. (Provided you have the Optimize option checked).
@@macmost it seems to only use the system library “Photos” because I have a different library open and when I use iMovie it points to the System Library one. Thanks.
Is there a way to have the library saved on a nas storage or network drive? I do not need access to it to view photos so the app being slow in scrolling photos is no issue. I just do not want my macbook drive to get full with photos. Thanks
Sure, you can do that. Just put the library there. It would need to be a Mac-formatted drive though, I think. But I'm not sure why you need a Photos library but "do not need access to it to view photos." That doesn't make any sense.
@@macmost Gary, do you use Lightroom? Or does Photos accomplish most of your photo editing needs? I've used Lightroom for years and I'm wondering if Photos can get the job done for me. Thanks for your excellent videos!
Now how the heck can you see the actual date you took or photos or videos once you have transferred your photos/videos to an external storage device? Every time I transfer any photos/videos from my iphone or mac to an external storage it only shows the date they were transferred not taken. Its so frustrating, so how the are we supposed to remember what day they were all taken if we delete them from our iphone or mac after the transfer???? HELP!!!!!!
Are they just normal files now, not in a Photos library anymore? If so, you need to open them in an app that can show you the metadata. One is Preview. Open it in Preview, then Tools, Show Inspector. Go to the "i" tab and look at the Exif data.
Just recently, I am no longer able to add photos on either Facebook or eBay when I click on their respective "add photos" link where it opens up my finder view. Previously when this opened I was able to scroll down the left column to the bottom and click on "Photos" and it would show the pictures in my photo library. Now when I select the photos library to add pictures to either Facebook or eBay, clicking on that Photos link opens a window with no photos displayed inside, just a blank window. If I open my Photos app and click on library, all my photos are actually there, however. Until I figure out what is wrong, my current workaround is either to "export" photos from the photo app to a new folder, or drag and drop photos from my Photo app to the Desktop. I am then able to select those photos from both Facebook and eBay and upload them into their "Add photos" window. Any idea why I can't see the photos when trying to click on photos from the "Add Photos" window on either Facebook or eBay? Thank you for any advice to solve this.
@@macmost I found a work-around. Added a Folder named "eBay Photos" to the desktop and from the Photo app I select the photos I want to upload to eBay and drop them in this folder. I am now able to drag and drop the folder into the eBay +Add Pics box and they all up load just fine. Just don't know what changed to prevent doing this from the Photos side bar location. Would changing my MacBook Air's name do that maybe? I did make that change.
great one, however you forgot to talk about iCloud Library On an External Drive. You talked about only Photo Library On an External Drive in the last part.
iCloud Library? There's nothing called that. Do you mean iCloud Drive? Or iCloud Photos Library? If iCloud Photos Library you can do that, you just need to select a library on your external drive as your system library. And of course always have that drive connected.
Hey, I keep getting error code #3111 when trying to select my photos library on my external ssd. I’ve given my drive permission and still get the error. Any suggestions?
It’s definitely formatted for Mac. But I agree I don’t think I needed to give it permission, I had read a different article wrong regarding “ignoring ownership”. Anyway, are you familiar with that error at all?
Hi Gary! Please guide me on this. I have 200GB subscription and want to downgrade to 50GB plan. I guess my photos will be deleted, how to protect my photos from being deleted and how can I keep them in local drive on Mac and not in iCloud.
Just switch photos preferences from "optimise" to "download originals" then when all the original files are back on your Mac, export the photos you don’t want in iCloud out to to a folder and then delete them from photos. Then switch back to optimise. You are now using less iCloud. If you want your extra photos back in Photos, drag them in to Photos again as externally referenced files and they won’t be synced to iCloud.
First, they won't be deleted. You'd just have to get under 50GB before you could store anything new in iCloud again. But you don't even want to go there. Instead, first get your storage needs under 50GB and then switch plans. So you need to take photos and videos out of your iCloud system library (and files out of iCloud Drive if that is using a lot of space) before doing this.
@@ny6901 If you use File, Export, Unmodified Originals you get the original photo as it came from your camera. This is what you want. A regular export or a drag-and-drop gets you a compressed one with any changes you made (light adjustments, etc).
I have a question on the “iCloud library on external drive option”. I am looking in roughly 1 TB Photos and Videos on my NAS which I want to mass / bulk upload to iCloud (4 TB Plan) on my M3 MacBook (512 GB Storage). Can I create Photos library on an external USB hard drive. Switch on iCloud for this library and then copying all my 1 TB photos into it for getting them uploaded to iCloud. Once finished the idea is to disconnect iCloud with this external hard drive photos library. And set a new one up locally on my Mac again and connect it with iCloud photos and “optimize Mac storage “ switched on. I’m hoping that iCloud is only downloading mostly thumbnail to my Mac then and keep the main storage in the cloud. Does this all work or do you see any problems in my plan / idea?
That could work, yes. But why not just create the library on your internal drive, set to Optimize. Then import the photos. The result may be the same. But you may need to import them in smaller groups to let it upload them first, then optimize (offload them). You could also set it up on your internal, set to Optimize, then import the photos over the web with iCloud.com.
Seems like placing the library outside the MacOS drive is not something we can do in MacOS 14.4, I am getting and error and it says the library needs to be on the MacOS drive :(
Not sure what you mean. Your Library folder needs to be in your home folder on your Mac, yes. But that's a different thing than your Photos Library (considering this video is about Photos).
My _window server is the only thing under cpu in activity monitor preventing my Mac to go to sleep but it won’t fix it when I close it, how do I make it so my Mac goes to sleep
Having switched to Mac from pc I dearly wished I hadn’t. Windows explorer is light years ahead of finder for photos. You can’t even view in name order on finder. It does what it wants. And as for iptc tags, don’t get me started. Advice for people on windows who want to swap is test thoroughly before you swap. I think the premise with Mac is that it treats you like your lacking in tech knowledge so if you have renamed photos properly and thoroughly tagged photos you are penalised somewhat. 😊
Not sure what you mean here. You can certainly view your photos by filename order in the Finder. You can choose between a variety of views including the photo-centric Gallery view. Sounds like maybe you just need to learn a few things to get what you want out of it if you decide to just keep your photos in the Finder as files instead of using the superior Photos app for this.
@@macmost windows explorer does it all simply. The photos app seems to pick its own order. I also have a 2023 keyword and there is no way to specify to search just for a keyword. If I search or spotlight search it finds the 2023 keyword but also any photo that was modified in 2023. In explorer you type ‘tags: 2023 animals’ for example and it can search for multiple tags and just the tags. It’s a new Mac mini and I didn’t realise that Apple have lesser versions of os with less functions. A terrible oversight of mine and probably the reason my new Mac doesn’t do what I want and why I’m returning it.
@@JonBushell In the Photos app the order in All Photos, or Years/Months/Days is chronological. If you search for something that is both a date and a keyword, like "2023," then in the results page you can see several sets of results and one of which is "Keywords" and it would only contain the items with 2023 as a keyword. Also not sure of the utility of tagging something as "2023" when that information is already part of the metadata for the photo. Also keep in mind you are comparing two different things here: the Windows file browser and the Mac Photos app. The equivalent to Windows Explorer on the Mac is the Finder, not the Photos app. You've got a ton of functionality in both though. It just may take some time to learn how to do things in the Finder and the Mac Photos app if you have been used to the Windows versions of these things.
I have lost hundreds if not thousands ph photos from my collection. Apple cannot explain why. I can go back and look for a specific photo and complete months of pics are gone. Any ideas why? thanks
I found changing system libraries a dicey thing. I lost years worth of photos! However, things may have changed with iCloud to make it safer now and I clearly didn't understand how anything worked within photos and between photos and iCloud. Still learning. I like the hard drive local back up idea after studying for years! All the constant changes make things too hard to keep up with. Have you done a search by holding down your option key to find all your photo libraries?
Thanks for responding ! I did get them to play . However, can I UNDO the transfer ? Because after I moved photos , now ALL of my editing assets saved on external for Premier Pro are somehow corrupt.... hundreds of hours of editing are somehow " Missing media " I'm very sorry I moved photos from photos to my external Because it messed something up big time .... yes the transfer worked , and yes I have available space on my external , but now my Premier MP4 assets are not working
@@darrellp1437 You can try moving some back to see if that fixes your Premier problem. Or, there may be a simple way to link them to the new files in Premier. I don't use it so I can't help there.
I have a rather large collection. 114,782 photos, 2,330 videos. Total space is 824.61 Gb. I have a 2TB SSD drive on my 2019 iMac. It was taking up too much space. So I went and bought a 2TB SSD External drive and moved it there. It's lived there since.
How is that working? I purchased a 5tb external HDD just for photos. (have some ssd's but I understand they can just fail without notice - so even though HDD will be a bit slower it will give me more peace of mind. I imagine I will have about the size library you have when I recombine all the different libraries I have created since 2008 while attempting to simplify and organize!!! HA! (before I moved to mac I had a wonderful file system)
My internet is molasses slow so I don't like iCloud. I want to move everything to one library then organize then back up. Before I do all the work again, I am checking out youtube experts to see if anyone can weigh in on my plan before I proceed.
(2015 Macbook Pro ... getting ready up upgrade to a newer mac) I have used about 1/2 of 1tb of its storage, but like giving it alot of extra space for ssd health.
Speaking my language
Nothing has greater more visceral rage than, robbed me of more joy , and made me verbally curse Apple than my dysfunction and incompetence I guess at the simple act of taking the photos that I love and captured from my camera to my Mac and then to reasonably have a smooth post process management style, but it’s anything but that there days when maybe it works OK and then there are days that I will spend eight effing hours and not even able to process it I guess what I do wrong which probably is why I paid for 6 TB of storage on Apple. It just gets constantly jammed and I’m completely at a loss at how even when I delete things I’ll sit here for hours exactly what they’re telling me has the memory hold up and then usually incompetently deleting photos. I never even got to look at which make me it makes me sick to my stomach given the unique perspective or Surfer and I know in the back of my mind I nailed the shot, but I’ll never receive it again because of how stupid I am and I guess I’m gonna try the hard drive portable hard drive I had before and it seems to work better because with all the storage I get paradoxical issues and then I just don’t understand. It makes me sick to my stomach so that it can show me one thing I can delete that thing and then clear clear the trashcan and then I go on for tips and I just get the most obvious and redundant and, the things that are elementary that anything that there’s zero discussion on the Internet about it or just get some arrogant person on the forms that you go on here and they offer no solution other than to knows
I think what I need to do is not ask any questions or philosophies over it. I need to just take what I’m reading in this brief message. You shared here and simply do that now I’ll probably screw that up too, but at least I can have a template of some kind of process because when I read your comments, sir, I couldn’t be more in line with you know the sizable amount of photos and like I said I’ve I Initially had 12 TB because they only offer that which is insane that they would give you two options one being like I think 2 TB the other will be 12 but they recently allow 6 TB which I have in four out of the 6 TB for already but no matter what I do to try to free up space so I can just simply edit one stinking photo this computer. It’s it almost seems intentional. It’s almost the way it happens. It seems like Either. I’m possessed by demon or this computer is because it’s like I’m specific about making it produce so much anger and frustration.
Don’t use any HDD for your photo library. It is too slow and the photo app will timeout or very slow response and the library will damage.
I have a photo library which almost 4TB Large. I’m using OWC Mercury Elite pro Dual with 2TB SSD with RAID0 configuration.
I’m looking for the way to expand the library again however SSD is too expensive. Would anyone please give me some idea for storage solution.
My main computer is a 512 GB Mac Mini with a permanently-attached external USB-C combined SSD and multi-port hub, this drive is also of 512 GB capacity. The Photos System Library of 30.52 GB is stored on the Mac's Pictures folder.
Other computers regularly used have smaller internal drives, such as my M1 MacBook Air. Since its storage is more limited, I have chosen the Optimise Mac Storage option. This means the Photos Library, while it contains the same number of files as the Systems Photo Library, occupies just 6.64 GB.
My iPhone (128 GB) and iPad Mini (64 GB) also have Optimise Storage set whereas the iPad Air 5 of 256 GB, can store full-sized photos, so its Photos are also 30.52 GB.
Great video! I'm a PC power user, and still couldn't figure out Photos App. Watching your video cleared up everything for me. Thanks! For me, I like putting the photos library on an external, as I don't need my photos with me 24/7 on my MacBook. Different strokes for different folks!
This makes me feel a little better
apple this library isn't searchable in spotlight due to its location? 8:49
I’m having an issue here with just adding photos from iphone to my MacBook. I don’t use iCloud.
These are useful tools.
I will definitely be using them to move different files around to favored locations.
I agree with you Mac SSDs are blazing fast. The problem is the size. It doesn't take long to fill even 512GB up. 😮
If you configure MacOS to optimize the Photos storage for you... it does NOT automatically download any of the photos immediately right? (Only when you click on them?) So then I think when you try to quickly skim through them will it feel pretty slow with each full resolution photo downloading as you go? Does this feel annoying to you, or is it really so fast with a good internet connection?
For the most part. But it does try to keep recently taken and viewed photos on hand. It depends on how much space you have.
As for flipping through photos, it depends on whether you are in the view mode where you see one at a time, or the library mode where you see a list. The latter won't need to download the photos as it has the smaller thumbnails.
On my main Mac I have optimize turned off as I have a large enough drive. So I keep that in mind as opposed to my MacBook Air where I have this off.
@@macmost I have an 8 TB MacBook Pro so tons of space... but I just like to see how much free space I have (which guides me to when I need to do some house-keeping and delete stuff)... sooooo if I put optimize photos storage option on MacBook.... it could theoretically download my entire iPhone photos collection (~180 GB).... but I would rather that it did not! :D Because then I will artificially think I'm running lower on MacBook SSD space... so I was kinda hoping it wouldn't download a ton of stuff unless (as you said) it was more recent... or I had accessed it recently. I'm hoping it won't just download the whole thing because "well you have enough space!" :D
@@JasonParkerMagic Sorry, I don't understand what you are trying to do. If you have 8 TB and 180 GB of photos, you should definitely have Photos "Optimize" OFF. You don't need it. I don't understand what you mean by "artificially think I'm running lower on MacBook SSD space." Just turn if off and enjoy the fact that you don't need this feature which is designed for people with very little hard drive space.
Your timing is amazing. I was about to search out this issue this weekend. Thanks!
Hi Gary, I have been a fan for years! You are amazing. Your attending to all the questions is impressive. I am trying to read all the posts and catch up before asking lots of redundant questions. Just wanted to to feel the gratitude!
I've run out of space on my 2018 Mackbook Air 250GB drive and was not sure if should move all photos to a external HD or just go with Icloud. Seems that the Icould optimization might be the best solution. I use my 2015 IMac as my everyday computer.
Very helpful. Photography is one of my hobbies and I do use the Mac Photos App along with Adobe Photoshop. It's helpful to understand just how the storage works and the available options. Thanks
Thanks for the info. Stay Calm and Snap On
I did the same as showed in the video and my system library is now stored in my 2T SSD but the space that the downloads are occupying is still on my Mac ( iCloud and every option are on) how it is possibile ? The files are stored in the old library and not in the new one (that is selected as system library!) please help me! @macmostvideo
If your system Photos library is on your SSD, then what makes you think that they are taking up space on your internal drive as well?
@@macmost Thank you for the answer! Luckily today I called apple support and they solved this issue after more than one hour call. In fact my Mac wasn't doing his work well as confirmed by support, (the Mac created another library itself that was 0kb) the problem was solved with this passages: I Copied the Mac library in the ssd for backup< deleted all libraries on Mac
Great video, thank you. So what happens in iCloud when you change the system library to a different one? Do the photos that were in the original system library on iCloud remain on iCloud? Or are they deleted/replaced on iCloud by the photos in the new system library? Thanks!
Merged.
@@macmost thanks!
What happens to your photos when icloud is hacked.
Well copying the system library to an external SSD with this mentioned method took me forever to synchronize. Even though I had my library (1 TB) downloaded before syncing back, it took more than a week to finish the task. There must be some other way to move the system library because this was ridiculously slow.
This just solved a couple issues for me; bookmarked. Thanks, Gary!
3:21 - So, are you saying that it might be possible to store the image files in folders in the Finder rather than in Photos itself? And, at the same time be able to use all the Photos features and capabilities? Would I then need to import photos from my iPhone through a physical connection since they would not be shared through iCloud?
Yes, but as you can see it isn't ideal. I certainly don't do it that way. But it is an option. Big drawbacks though.
Excellent explanations, as usual. Is it true that iCloud cannot backup from external drives, nor can time machine do that, therefore a photos database on external drive would require periodic manual backup for security. Thank you.
@@artmaltman iCloud isn't a backup service, so I'm not quite sure what you mean. Time Machine is a backup and it certainly can backup external drives as well as your internal one.
Great video. Question. Could you / someone better explain what is System Photo Library mean or control? Is that just where iCloud library would connect too? Does that just mean primary library? Can you help me understand that?
The Photos "System Library" is the one used by iCloud, yes. You can have other libraries, but only the name designated as the System Library would be synced to iCloud.
@@macmost why can't we sort our own photos on mac in Photos by newest?
@@Meekseek All views are already sorted by chronological order.
My Thunderbolt4 NMVE drive is definitely a bit faster than the base 256GB drive.
Thanks for showing how to create multiple PhotosLibrary folders. I'd tried tome mine previously, but Photos didn't like it. This linking method is much better
Great video thanks! Have you done on of migrating pictures from Lightroom to Photos.
of solutions - was about to pull out all originals and import them into a new library - when read on this post about duplicating the library file > did that (not copy... duplicate) > opened up just fine (photo app updated the file and then opened it up).
Nicely done. Think I'll just stick with the library that Photos defaults to, but useful information here for sure.
Gary, Thanks for the Video. If you move your Photos Library to an external drive, will it still sync properly to your iCloud Photos? Im just looking to free up some space on my internal hard drive, but still want to be able to take advantage of the syncing option
If you have the library set as your System Library and iCloud Photos turned on, it will sync just the save whether it is on the internal or external. Of course if you have a MacBook, then you have the problem of sometimes you may not have the drive connected.
Excellent video. Thanks a lot for the comprehensive guide. Is there a way to merge 2 photos libraries without any application?
the only way would be to export from on library (unmodified originals) and the import those files into the other.
What I really wanted to do was import photos to Premier Pro , but Premier doesn't recognize " Photos " app. At all ..
And after exporting to external , the stills And unplayable videos are not available for import to Premier... what gives ?
I can import anything else from my external drive all day long...
Gary is it true that Apple intelligence (on a M processor machine) won't work with a Photos library stored on an external drive?
I haven't heard that. I don't have mine set up like that so I can't test.
Thanks Gary, as always, great video. I have an old photos library on an external SSD that I haven't used for years. I'm trying to merge all my iphone photos with the old library, but when I try to sync it says "iCloud Photos is only available on macOS Standard, macOS Extended and APFS formatted volumes". I'm assuming it's because my SSD is ExFAT. Do you know how I can solve this problem?
Just bring the old library onto your current drive, perhaps?
Is it possible to install the latest version of macos on MacBook Pro 2016 ?
No. See macmost.com/macos-system-requirements-list.html
Demystified! Can't thank you enough.
Perfect! But complicated - but Im starting to understand.
Q: The system library is synced, correct? How can I delete bulk photos from iCloud but keep them on my home library? I have original size photos on my home library. Im afraid the sync system will delete my pics in both places?
ALSO: When I attempt to drag a pic or video from the home library to the Desktop or wherever, I get an error message. Apple wont allow apparently. HOWEVER, I can download (about 900 items at a time) to my computer. They come as a Zip file. But its slow!! and if you got 100k items it can take constant work and forever. Plus often with 900 to 1000 the zip file wont even open and you have to start again.
The entire library is synced. If you really want something not in iCloud (why?) then you'd need to export it (unmodified original), store it somewhere else safely, then delete the one in the library. You should be able to drag (or export) to the Desktop no problem. Not sure why you are getting an error message.
@@macmostThank you. Your info is spot on. The drag and drop resolved itself- maybe a glitch on my computer.
I found another one of your videos that helped me a great deal: 5 Ways to Download All of Your iCloud Photos.
@@macmost
I have another issue that has bugged me for years. When I export, the files loose their time/date stamp. In Info it shows Created on the day of export. I know the original data is there still in the deep.
It’s as if Apple has gone outta their way to hide the metadata.
Do you have a video on solutions? Can I run a bulk action to easily have the date and time recovered?
@@AlohaMichaelDaly Two different things: the FILE date and the PHOTO date. One is a property of the file, the other is a property of the photo inside the file. Open the photo in Preview, go to View, Show Inspector, then look for the EXIF info. That will show you the photo date. See ua-cam.com/video/b33ir6FZMlY/v-deo.html for more.
You've answered my question comprehensively without me having to ask first😀. Thanks for the video.
Yes! Always so clear and easy to understand. Thanks, Gary. 🙏🏻
Legit question:
At one point I copied all of my photos and deleted them from the iCloud Library. I didn’t want to pay for additional iCloud storage at the time.
Now, after a few years, I want to get this pictures back to my library. I have them copied with all metadata on my external drive. How do I synch them with my existing library so the iPhoto will recognize them with the metadata and merge it into one library with my existing photos?
Do you mean you exported them as files from Photos, or you split your Photos library? For the former, just drag them back into Photos. For the latter, it gets complex but you can switch to that second library and make it your System Library, let everything sync to merge them.
2 questions my good man
1- does the .photoslibrary file contain my albums as well as the photos?
2- can I send specific photos from my iPhone to an empty or new .photoslibrary
Yes. No.
Great video Gary! How would I create a new library and then transfer photos from my current library to the new one. I recently sold a company that required several progressive pictures. I would like to keep them but I’ll likely never need them gain.
If your current library has the pictures you want, then what is the purpose of starting a new one and transferring the same photos to it? Just keep the current one.
@@macmost its more for archiving purposes. there is somewhere to the tune of 5 thousand pictures there that I will never look up that I do not want mixed with my personal photos
@@cdoggsawesomevids2784 Oh, I see. I would just export them to files in a folder. But another option is to duplicate the library and then in the duplicate delete everything but those 5000, and in the original library delete those 5000.
Pardon my tardiness today! Excellent video tutorial today! I’m saving this. Very useful and always very informative. Thank you, Gary! 👏🏻❤️
I have too many photos and videos to keep on my local MacBook Pro. How are you able to keep a system photos folder on your local drive? Is it gigantic?
Use the "Optimize" option in Photos, Settings, iCloud. This is exactly what it is for.
My iMac photos has custom albums and I’ve switched to iCloud Photos. Everything has uploaded and synced fine so iMac and iCloud look the same. What happens when I enable iCloud Photos on my iPad and iPhone which have their own custom albums? Will each device retain custom albums but merge device photos into iCloud Photo Library? Note, I have download originals enabled on iMac so I ca use Time Machine backup, but plan to use Optimize storage on the IOS devices. Just a little nervous to pull trigger on IOS devices until I know what will happen before I do. :) Thank you!
the retouch tool in photos on macbook pro dose not work!
Try a restart and then try again? Try it on another photo? If you still can't get it to work, call Apple Support.
@@macmost Thank you!
Thank you! Very helpful as usual. : )
Question please:
If I change my system library, will I lose access to iCloud streams that were shared with me?
Streams? Not sure what you mean by that. But if you switched to a new library and made that your system library then it should merge everything in iCloud with the new library.
@@macmost sorry, “shared albums” not streams. Thanks Gary.
that is a great question. All the unintended consequences!
This is a very helpful and clear video, thank you for the information! I do have a question though - I have my current MacBook with the photos that I have added since I have had the current computer, which sync with iCloud Photo Library. I also have an external hard drive with photos from my Mac prior to the cloud storage options. Before moving to my current computer, I transferred all photos from the previous computer to an external hard drive. The current "main" library on my current Mac sync's with iCloud storage going forward - but not sure how to add the other hard drive library of photos to the same iCloud storage. Is this possible? To combine libraries? I worry about external hard drive's failing and would like to have all backed up in the cloud. Thanks in advance for your time.
Are they in a library on the other drive? Or just as files? If in a library, do you care about things like albums, captions and adjustments? If not, then just open that library, export unmodified originals to files, switch to your iCloud Library and then import those files.
@@macmost Thank you for the info. They are in a library on the other drive. I went to do as you suggested - but I guess I need you to explain it to me like I am a toddler - I select all of the photos in the library and go to export unmodified originals to files - but I get stuck because it has a check box for "Export Original" that says Export IPTC as XMP - do I click that box? I am confusing myself when trying to look up the answer and don't trust that I am getting good information anywhere else than with you, LOL!
@@brendateter82 No, you don't need the IPTC for this use. That's for pro archivists. Nothing you need to worry about. You just want your photos.
I have question I didn’t see yet covered: What happens if you switch your system library?
Will all iCloud Photos be removed from synchronized devices? Will it be merged into one gigantic library? Should be downloaded all photos to local HD before or it will be safely stored in iCloud?
In my use case: I have reached my HD limits so I have multiple libraries. Higher iCloud plan is already expensive. There are apps like Photomator, which can access your photos library if you allow it, but it is only system library…
Follow up question: I understand that Optimize is helping with space, but what about all metadata after switching system library? Will it still be possible to access it? Considering that iCloud plan to store all files exceeds current financial possibilities.
Thanks in advance for any help in this topic.
If you choose a different system library it should then merge everything from iCloud Photos to that new system library.
@@macmost Thank you for prompt answer :)
So, my optimized cloud storage photos have still filled up my iPhone. If I understand correctly, I should export a bunch of photos (hopefully album by album??) to my finder where they can live but not be uploaded into my cloud storage? I don’t need all of them accessible from my iPhone or iPad anyway…
If they have filled up your iPhone it just means you have plenty of space available to do that. Don't try to micromanage it. It will clear out space if it gets too full.
Excellent video. So could you create a separate library and keep all videos in that?
You could. But I just put them as files, named well, in folders.
@@macmost that sounds good to me. Will you elaborate on how to do that? I would love to have photos not in apple photo library. Have 10's of thousands of photos and find photo app (with its' many changes over the years) confusing and way too much work!
@@ny6901 I assume you mean videos, not photos. Export the videos (originals) as files. Store them with good names and folder organization as you like. But I would never do it with photos as they work better in the Photos app. Take the time to learn it, it is pretty simple. You don't need to use all the features. See ua-cam.com/video/pTe3TSAgQgE/v-deo.html
@@macmost I think iPhoto then photos of old gave me a bad experience. After watching many of your tutorials last night, I have much more hope. You are making it feasible! Thanks for clarifying and answering AMAZING!!! Thanks for the new link.
Great job. Many thanks.
Awesome video! So glad you shared this info.
What is the fastest and easiest way to transfer some photos / videos from the library back to my Iphone?
Simply use iCloud Photos on both devices.
Hi, Gary. Nice video as usual. I have two libraries on my mac: a Photos Library and a Iphoto library. I don't remember creating either one. Why do I have two? Should I merge them together? Will that mess up my albums on the Photos App? I also intend to copy both libraries and pate them on a Windows Laptop computer. This means that I will copy the original files and paste them onto a new computer system, correct? Then I will have to use whatever App windows has equivalente to Photos, to view and edit them, correct? Thank in advance Gary.
A guess would be that you had an iPhoto library from back in the iPhoto days. Then when Photos came out it prompted you to update that library to a Photos library. You did. But then you never deleted the old iPhoto library. If you really don't know then you have no choice but to open that iPhoto library in Photos and let it update and then see what is in there.
If you are moving these photos to Windows, then you'd need to export all of the photos from one or both and use File, Export, Unmodified Originals to get files. Then bring those files to your new computer.
@@macmost Gary, you were right. When I tried to open the iPhoto library, it told me that those were already migrated to Photos. When I do the same to my Photos library, I can view the whole 281 albums of pictures that I have. So, if I delete the iPhoto library, it won't affect my albums, correct? So, I guess I have to export my 281 albums of photos one by one, correct? Thank you very much for your time, Gary. Cheers!
@@paulo1901 Yes, if it is your old one you don't need it. You would just go to All Photos and export all your photos. You'll lose your albums. To save those groupings you'd need to decide what you are using on the new system first. For instance, Apple has a way to transfer everything to Google Photos: support.apple.com/en-us/118257
@@macmost Thanks, Gary. I'm planning on getting the new Mac Mini M3. I'll have to transfer everything from my old Mac. I know I can use Migrate or from TimeMachine. I still use Aperture for some projects on my old Mac. Since It's no longer supported by Apple, will it transfer normally? Thanks again, Gary. Cheers!
@@paulo1901 You can't run Aperture on your new Mac, so I would transfer your library to Photos now, before moving to a new Mac.
Gary, would this (the last option) be the best option for moving to a Synology NAS?
Well, I suppose. But I think it would be a very bad experience putting your Photos library on a network drive. It is important to be able to flip through your photos in the app, and over a network I'd imagine it would be painfully slow.
For us who have lots of photos and videos on our iPhones, what’s the best way to back those up without having to pay for lots of iCloud space? I have even external drives, but I don’t know the best method of how to back those up what are your suggestions for a possible solution that doesn’t involve paying for more iCloud storage? I’m even willing to buy adapters or anything else to store those photos if needed.
Sync to your Mac (second copy) and then backup your Mac as normal with Time Machine (third copy).
Thanks for this. It almost answers my questions. I want to use Photos to manage a huge catalogue/library of photos in an external SSD (speed is not a concern) and also to be able to access that library from my MacBook when in the road. As well as having the library itself on the SSD and turning iCloud off (not interested in having parts here and parts there and all the syncing and bandwidth issues), how can I ensure everything shows up in the Library but nothing is actually moved. Hope that makes sense! Thanks again.
Not sure what you mean. If you put your photos in the library then they are in the library. Maybe you are leaving out details here because I can't figure out your setup from this.
@@macmost Thanks a lot for responding. Apologies if I didn’t explain clearly. I want to share a large ‘folder-tree’ of photos on an external SSD between a Mac and a MacBook (on the move), but don’t want to use iCloud. Can I use the same Library (presumably on the SSD) with both computers, and are there any obstacles/dangers to doing so? Thanks again.
@@PoetryFilms Depends on how you do it. I assume you want to change the setting in Photos so it doesn't import the file, correct? So then the file remains on the external drive even though you see it in your Photos library? Try it with one or a few photos. See how it works in all situations (that computer, that computer without the drive, another computer). If that's OK for you, then you know you can do it for the rest. I haven't done it like that myself because I would always want all my photos available.
Thanks for this response, and apologies for the delayed reply. With the library and all the associated photos on an external SSD, it works great with my Mac. But when I connect to Macbook, and open the library from there, I get only low-resolution representations of the photos and can't edit etc. This, even though the actual original photos are on the external drive and therefore in the same place, relative to the library file, as when connected to the Mac. aybe Apple have made this 'library on the road' impossible. But thanks again in any case for your advice. @@macmost
Hard to tell what could be going on without knowing all the details. It should work but maybe your library isn’t set up correctly. @@PoetryFilms
Suggestion: - Please make a video on iCloud Photos back up plan because 1. Time Machine doesn’t restore individual item. 2. iCloud storage fills up fast, even 2 TB. What are others back up options than Time Machine?
So your Photos library is approaching 2TB? Maybe consider breaking it up. Myself, I like to store large videos as files separately (with good names and folders) which brings my Photos library way down in size.
Thanks for this one. It will help me manage my photos as I have too many for my icloud account
Thanks for the infos! Very useful!
Thanks Gary. Very helpful with very clear explanations and examples.
When using references photos (say on an external drive), are they searchable through the iPhoto search function - text of people?
You can search any photo for text, but it has to be in the Photos app to do it in the Photos app. Otherwise, do a Finder search and it should find text in photos you have stored as plain files outside of the Photos app.
After moving my 65GB library to an external drive, I still have more than 78GB of system data left on my Mac. This library was originally on my Mac. I’ve watched various tutorials on UA-cam, but I couldn’t find any folder/file that large. Could you please advise me on how to free up this space again? I moved the library to the external drive to save space. Thank you.
See ua-cam.com/video/U5YktBFM3cw/v-deo.html
Can you delete photos from iCloud or are they there permanently?
You can delete them, and they'll be in a separate folder for "recently deleted" files. If you delete them from there as well, they're gone for good.
As Andreas said, they go to the Recently Deleted folder and if you delete them they are gone forever, but also keep in mind, the automatically disappear from Recently Deleted after 30 days of you don’t delete them yourself. Plus, they are deleted from all your devices that are signed into the same iCloud account when you delete them.
Question: When I make a setting like "Save these photos locally" is this setting ONLY effecting this location (say my iMac) - or is it telling ALL apple devices I own (iPhone , iPad) to also save their images in their images library. Or ... is there only ONE image library and all other devices (iPhone, iPad) are just access the photo library images that are copied to the cloud. I'm confused about the "Voodoo" behind this whole system.
I don't know what setting "Save these photos locally" is referring to. What's the exact setting and where is it located?
Gary, I've been watching your videos for a while now, they are easy to follow and clear thinking. I'm trying to emulate the work flow that I used when I had Adobe Bridge, but using Mac Photos. Adobe pissed me off when they started with the predatory pricing of Photoshop and requirements for logging in to use Bridge. On a weekend I'd typically upload and quickly review a few thousand photos, rate (1-5*) and then delete about 90%, anything less than four stars. I haven't yet found a way to do that in the Mac Photos software. Do you have a workflow algorithm that might fit?
Keywords. You can use keyword tags like "1 Star" or "5 Stars" or get more nuanced if you like. Then use Smart Albums to quickly view things you have keyworded that you want to delete. ua-cam.com/video/h-a739LKnro/v-deo.html
Is their a program to find double pictures? and did you do a video on? I found it thank you
ua-cam.com/video/RVw-nVWQwKU/v-deo.html
If I move my photos library to an external drive (and make it my system library), will it still be backed up in iCloud? Will Time Machine still include it in backups?
As long as you make sure that external drive is included in your Time Machine backup, yes. Just check the Time Machine settings to make sure it isn't excluded in Privacy.
What happens if I import a large library (over 450gb located on external ssd) to my iCloud system library, on a MacBook with 256gb of storage? Will it start uploading directly to iCloud, or is more local storage needed?
Thanks for all your helpful guides and walkthroughs!
Probably won't let you do it. You'd need to import in smaller pieces. With such a small internal drive, everything will be harder.
@@macmost Thanks for the reply. I suspected as such, but haven’t actually tried. I guess I will need to import smaller batches, like photos by year or something.
I'm on Monterey. I have run out of disk space on my 2017 MBP and was thinking of buying iCloud storage 2TB. My question is will the folders and albums sync on iCloud exactly as I have them on my MBP Photos app? So if I delete all the contents of Photos on my MBP will I then find everything organized in the same exact way on iCloud?
You will see the albums in iCloud, yes. But DO NOT delete anything. Deleting means deleting, so I'm not sure why you are suggesting that as an option. Why would you delete them?
@@macmost ?? I have no storage space left on my Mac I can't use it the bloody thing doesn't work I need free disk space. I bought 2 TB of iCloud space so I can get my photos off my Mac, free the space, and have my Mac work again
@@nounix After you turn on iCloud Photos, you DO NOT delete anything unless you want it gone forever. Instead, simply turn on the Optimize Mac Storage option in Photos, Settings, iCloud. Saving local drive space is exactly what that option is for.
@@macmost I really don't understand what you're talking about. I move my photos on my Mac then they exist on my cloud account but not on my actual Mac so if I want to access these photos I will not look at my Mac I will look at my iCloud. What am I not understanding?
@@nounix See support.apple.com/en-us/108782
Question: If I use the referenced library option and delete a photo will Photos properly delete the file out of the finder folder?
No. I would say that the "proper" thing to do would be to NOT delete the photo. You don't want an app reaching out to your files and making changes like that.
Do you have a movie on copying originals to external drive
Do you mean export them? You can export in the File menu, just choose "Unmodified Originals." Then you can save those files anywhere you want.
Thank you, On I movie transitions open circle sits at 1 second and won’t let me increase
@@harrycampbell2668 Make sure you provide enough overlap between the clips. Select the transition and choose Window, Show Precision Editor and it is easier to see.
Hi, I have a question: I am looking for a workflow to save icloud storage space. I have tons of photos and videos on my mac (external drive) outside of my icloud library. Is there any way which would enable me to synchronise only a few pics of the the last pictures taken from my Mac library to a different iCloud library so that I could have all the pics in all the devices? I should be able to do vice versa , i.e. save the latest pictures taken from my iCloud library to the mac library.
No easy way to do that. Why not have them all in iCloud?
@@macmost I have 2 TB of photos and videos. I don’t need everything everywhere. Cost of iCloud being the main reason
@@Quixorion Maybe consider storing videos as files elsewhere? That's what I do, at least for any video of more than a few seconds.
Videos are not the only Problem but RAW files
Great video. I have an internal drive on my iMac with about 180gb unused. Seems like moving photo library to an external would free up a lot of space. Is this a smart move?
I tried this (I have a similar situation) and it didn’t free up any space. I guess I still had plenty of space so it decided to leave the files in place. I wish there was an option to force the optimisation and free up all that space - perhaps we need to try filling up the drive with junk files to trigger the optimisation.
I prefer to keep mine on an internal (super fast) if at all possible.
So you moved your library to your external drive and it didn't free up space? Even after your next Time Machine backup? Maybe you left the old library on the drive?
@@macmost No my library is on the Air’s internal SSD. Haven’t done a Time Machine backup yet. I guess my point is that turning on "optimise" does not necessarily reduce the size of your photo library immediately.
@@abulka Oh, so you just turned on Optimize. Yes, then it will take some time. If you have plenty of space you won't see a difference 180GB free is fine. It is only when you start to run low that it will get smaller as needed.
Perfect video! Gary's information is priceless and WAY faster than calling Apple Support
Hello Sir, I have question for you if you could help, my Photos library says I have 112GB (1500 photos, 150 vids), to save space I dragd and dropped the entire library into a finder folder to sort by file size, but to my surprise they only total about 30GB (4GB photos, 26GG vids), and iHave triple verified that all of them are there. they are all mostly HEIC in photos app, and in finder they are Jpegs and .MOV QuickTime movies files. I have no idea why this is the case, what should I investigate and could be the issue?
When you drag and drop out, it exports everything and compresses it. You aren't getting the originals at full resolution.
If you want to get some things out of your library to reduce its size, just focus on the videos. The longer videos will be many times the size of any photo. Personally, I don't keep many videos in my Photos library and just store them as well-named files in folders.
I have a MacBook, Mac, iPad, and iPhone. I’m logged into my Apple ID on all 4. I see the same photo on all 4 devices.
Are all 4 devices sharing the same photo library?
I want to back up the library to an external drive so I have my own backup in addition to iCloud.
So if I backup the photo library from my MacBook that would back up photos from all 4 devices, correct ? Thanks !
It sounds like you are using iCloud Photos so you will see the same photos everywhere, yes. If you have the Optimize option OFF on your Mac, and you backup your Photos Library, then you will have a complete backup, yes.
@@macmost Thanks so much. Between your videos and explanation, I'm finally getting it! ;)
I attempted the same method, however all the photos on the External Drive are all low resolution now.
Make sure you have Optimize switched off while using that library so it downloads the full resolution versions.
Over the years I’ve ended up with 2 library’s. My older pictures show in my current library as thumbnails but when I try to edit one of those it can’t find the file. It’s in the other library which I can open and edit. What is the best way to bring those old photos into the new library, knowing that the new library has thumbnails of all of my pictures?
First, you need to figure out what the deal is with those thumbnails without photos. Any idea how that happened? I suppose you can delete them if you know for 100% that they were created in error and you 100% have them in the other library. Then I would export all of your photos from the other library (Unmodified Originals!) and import those into your current library. Make sure you have your import settings correct and it isn't set to not copy the items into the library or something.
Thanks for the video. I dislike using iCloud for photos because I only shoot RAW and I’m not sure if it saves RAW. But, I often take 1,000-2000 photos in a single day of shooting. I don’t want to upload that many photos to iCloud automatically especially when I may not have time to edit them anytime soon. I prefer backing them up to an external drive.
I use a MacBook Pro, no desktop. My problem is when I backup a folder with 95 GB of photos and then delete the folder from my MacBook because I only had 3 GB storage remaining. I’m expecting to have 98 GB available on my MacBook yet end up with only about 75 GB? I don’t get it. This happens all the time. Can you please explain what’s happening? Thanks
Yes, iCloud Photo Library does RAW, FYI. Hard to say with the space, but it could be waiting for your next Time Machine backup before releasing those files (saving them in a Local Snapshot until then). Just a guess.
@@macmost Thanks, much appreciated. I don’t use Time Machine. But, I wish I clearly knew what happened to my space. Hopefully it’s a solvable mystery.
I may have an answer for you....Have you tried clearing the "recently deleted" folder inside photos? That folder keeps everything you have deleted for 30 to 40 days. Hope that solves it. Also I used to use Clean My Mac and it, if I recall, would find residual trash and leftovers.
@@ny6901 Much appreciated. I’m aware of it and always delete all from the folder right away. I’ve yet to try the cleaner app.
@@jcowboy53
In my experience it could be cached files in system. After restarting Mac it is usually freed space.
Thank you for video. I'm still having a problem. My I cloud is taking up a bunch of space. It seems like even though I have photos is I cloud they are still taking up space on my hard drive. Any idea why?
It will still use some space, yes. Recently-viewed photos will be cached locally. When you need more space then Photos and iCloud Drive will offload these to make room. (Provided you have the Optimize option checked).
Can you change the photos library iMovie points to or is it only the system library it will reference?
Only the one currently being used by Photos, which may or may not be the System Library.
@@macmost it seems to only use the system library “Photos” because I have a different library open and when I use iMovie it points to the System Library one. Thanks.
Very helpful, thanks!
Is there a way to have the library saved on a nas storage or network drive? I do not need access to it to view photos so the app being slow in scrolling photos is no issue. I just do not want my macbook drive to get full with photos. Thanks
Sure, you can do that. Just put the library there. It would need to be a Mac-formatted drive though, I think. But I'm not sure why you need a Photos library but "do not need access to it to view photos." That doesn't make any sense.
@@macmost thanks for that. I mostly print the photos that i want and just keep the rest saved/backed up.
Nothing has given me greater rage than my ineptitude in photo file nangmt
I have a 2013 iMac running Catalina and it doesn't have a Pictures folder showing in Finder.
It should be in your Home folder unless you intentionally deleted it at some point.
I do wish Apple would bring back Aperture - I hate having to pay the Adobe subscription for Lightroom!
What feature did you have in Aperture that is missing from Photos in 2023?
@@macmost Gary, do you use Lightroom? Or does Photos accomplish most of your photo editing needs? I've used Lightroom for years and I'm wondering if Photos can get the job done for me. Thanks for your excellent videos!
@@mrktm65sx I use Photos. It has tons of features plus iCloud.
@@macmost Fair point but the Photos App seems geared towards iPhone users. How about a Photos vid for the more serious photographer?
@@peterc2248 I have a lot of videos on Photos. It works well with photos from all sources, not just the iPhone. RAW photos, etc.
Great video- again…
Can I export only all my raw files from Photos to external drive ?
Sure. Why not? Just search for "Raw" and you can easily view and select all of your RAW photos, export originals, etc.
Thanks ! 🙏🏼
In the settings there should be the option for the shared albums , but on my mac this option is not on the setting screen.
How could that happen?
Do you have iCloud disabled for Photos? But it should still be there I think even if that is off.
Now how the heck can you see the actual date you took or photos or videos once you have transferred your photos/videos to an external storage device?
Every time I transfer any photos/videos from my iphone or mac to an external storage it only shows the date they were transferred not taken. Its so frustrating, so how the are we supposed to remember what day they were all taken if we delete them from our iphone or mac after the transfer????
HELP!!!!!!
Are they just normal files now, not in a Photos library anymore? If so, you need to open them in an app that can show you the metadata. One is Preview. Open it in Preview, then Tools, Show Inspector. Go to the "i" tab and look at the Exif data.
Thanks bunches
Just recently, I am no longer able to add photos on either Facebook or eBay when I click on their respective "add photos" link where it opens up my finder view. Previously when this opened I was able to scroll down the left column to the bottom and click on "Photos" and it would show the pictures in my photo library.
Now when I select the photos library to add pictures to either Facebook or eBay, clicking on that Photos link opens a window with no photos displayed inside, just a blank window. If I open my Photos app and click on library, all my photos are actually there, however.
Until I figure out what is wrong, my current workaround is either to "export" photos from the photo app to a new folder, or drag and drop photos from my Photo app to the Desktop. I am then able to select those photos from both Facebook and eBay and upload them into their "Add photos" window.
Any idea why I can't see the photos when trying to click on photos from the "Add Photos" window on either Facebook or eBay? Thank you for any advice to solve this.
Sorry, I don't know what could be wrong there for you. Try a restart, maybe?
@@macmost I found a work-around. Added a Folder named "eBay Photos" to the desktop and from the Photo app I select the photos I want to upload to eBay and drop them in this folder. I am now able to drag and drop the folder into the eBay +Add Pics box and they all up load just fine. Just don't know what changed to prevent doing this from the Photos side bar location. Would changing my MacBook Air's name do that maybe? I did make that change.
@@PleiadesPower Depends what name you mean, exactly. So a restart didn't fix it? I'm not sure what the problem could be then.
Veteran Mac user. I have 0 idea where the kcuf "Photos" is located. And Im a pro photographer.
great one, however you forgot to talk about iCloud Library On an External Drive. You talked about only Photo Library On an External Drive in the last part.
iCloud Library? There's nothing called that. Do you mean iCloud Drive? Or iCloud Photos Library? If iCloud Photos Library you can do that, you just need to select a library on your external drive as your system library. And of course always have that drive connected.
Yay, Randers Denmark😀
Hey, I keep getting error code #3111 when trying to select my photos library on my external ssd. I’ve given my drive permission and still get the error. Any suggestions?
Maybe the drive permission are incorrect (you shouldn't have needed to manually change them). Maybe the drive format is not for Mac?
It’s definitely formatted for Mac. But I agree I don’t think I needed to give it permission, I had read a different article wrong regarding “ignoring ownership”. Anyway, are you familiar with that error at all?
@@SpencerHamilton.Channel Sorry, I've never seen that error before.
Hi Gary! Please guide me on this. I have 200GB subscription and want to downgrade to 50GB plan. I guess my photos will be deleted, how to protect my photos from being deleted and how can I keep them in local drive on Mac and not in iCloud.
Just switch photos preferences from "optimise" to "download originals" then when all the original files are back on your Mac, export the photos you don’t want in iCloud out to to a folder and then delete them from photos. Then switch back to optimise. You are now using less iCloud. If you want your extra photos back in Photos, drag them in to Photos again as externally referenced files and they won’t be synced to iCloud.
First, they won't be deleted. You'd just have to get under 50GB before you could store anything new in iCloud again. But you don't even want to go there. Instead, first get your storage needs under 50GB and then switch plans. So you need to take photos and videos out of your iCloud system library (and files out of iCloud Drive if that is using a lot of space) before doing this.
@@abulka will you explain the difference between exporting or copying or drag and drop to the folder?
they give you 30 days to download your photos if I remember correctly.
@@ny6901 If you use File, Export, Unmodified Originals you get the original photo as it came from your camera. This is what you want. A regular export or a drag-and-drop gets you a compressed one with any changes you made (light adjustments, etc).
Hi, I need more advice on this topics. Can you give a contact for a possible short training. Thanks. Nena
Sorry, I don't know of any trainers. I'm sure you can find some near you if you ask around.
I have a question on the “iCloud library on external drive option”. I am looking in roughly 1 TB Photos and Videos on my NAS which I want to mass / bulk upload to iCloud (4 TB Plan) on my M3 MacBook (512 GB Storage).
Can I create Photos library on an external USB hard drive. Switch on iCloud for this library and then copying all my 1 TB photos into it for getting them uploaded to iCloud.
Once finished the idea is to disconnect iCloud with this external hard drive photos library. And set a new one up locally on my Mac again and connect it with iCloud photos and “optimize Mac storage “ switched on.
I’m hoping that iCloud is only downloading mostly thumbnail to my Mac then and keep the main storage in the cloud.
Does this all work or do you see any problems in my plan / idea?
That could work, yes. But why not just create the library on your internal drive, set to Optimize. Then import the photos. The result may be the same. But you may need to import them in smaller groups to let it upload them first, then optimize (offload them).
You could also set it up on your internal, set to Optimize, then import the photos over the web with iCloud.com.
@@macmost thank you very much for the fast answer. And thank you for the video and your support. Highly appreciate it!
Seems like placing the library outside the MacOS drive is not something we can do in MacOS 14.4, I am getting and error and it says the library needs to be on the MacOS drive :(
Not sure what you mean. Your Library folder needs to be in your home folder on your Mac, yes. But that's a different thing than your Photos Library (considering this video is about Photos).
Fantastic video. You answered all of my questions. Thank you thank you thank you 🙏
Thanks a lot
good video thx
My _window server is the only thing under cpu in activity monitor preventing my Mac to go to sleep but it won’t fix it when I close it, how do I make it so my Mac goes to sleep
Hard to help with so little information. Call Apple Support and walk through the problem with them.
@@macmost my Mac OS Ventura isn’t going to sleep even when I press sleep, I don’t know what’s preventing it from sleeping how can I troubleshoot this?
@@Digitalcataloghub I can't begin to guess what the problem is. Call Apple Support. You need to walk through the problem with someone.
@@macmost i updated to Ventura on an outdated iMac so I’m going back to Monterey
ssd's like to think! If it is still working it might be bad to put it to sleep. Especially if you have an external connected.
Having switched to Mac from pc I dearly wished I hadn’t. Windows explorer is light years ahead of finder for photos. You can’t even view in name order on finder. It does what it wants. And as for iptc tags, don’t get me started.
Advice for people on windows who want to swap is test thoroughly before you swap. I think the premise with Mac is that it treats you like your lacking in tech knowledge so if you have renamed photos properly and thoroughly tagged photos you are penalised somewhat. 😊
Not sure what you mean here. You can certainly view your photos by filename order in the Finder. You can choose between a variety of views including the photo-centric Gallery view. Sounds like maybe you just need to learn a few things to get what you want out of it if you decide to just keep your photos in the Finder as files instead of using the superior Photos app for this.
@@macmost windows explorer does it all simply. The photos app seems to pick its own order. I also have a 2023 keyword and there is no way to specify to search just for a keyword. If I search or spotlight search it finds the 2023 keyword but also any photo that was modified in 2023. In explorer you type ‘tags: 2023 animals’ for example and it can search for multiple tags and just the tags. It’s a new Mac mini and I didn’t realise that Apple have lesser versions of os with less functions. A terrible oversight of mine and probably the reason my new Mac doesn’t do what I want and why I’m returning it.
@@JonBushell In the Photos app the order in All Photos, or Years/Months/Days is chronological. If you search for something that is both a date and a keyword, like "2023," then in the results page you can see several sets of results and one of which is "Keywords" and it would only contain the items with 2023 as a keyword.
Also not sure of the utility of tagging something as "2023" when that information is already part of the metadata for the photo.
Also keep in mind you are comparing two different things here: the Windows file browser and the Mac Photos app. The equivalent to Windows Explorer on the Mac is the Finder, not the Photos app. You've got a ton of functionality in both though. It just may take some time to learn how to do things in the Finder and the Mac Photos app if you have been used to the Windows versions of these things.
I have lost hundreds if not thousands ph photos from my collection. Apple cannot explain why. I can go back and look for a specific photo and complete months of pics are gone. Any ideas why? thanks
Impossible for me to guess. Maybe you switched libraries at some point? Or deleted them by accident? I can only make wild guesses.
@@macmost I now backup everything on to Amazon photos
I found changing system libraries a dicey thing. I lost years worth of photos! However, things may have changed with iCloud to make it safer now and I clearly didn't understand how anything worked within photos and between photos and iCloud. Still learning.
I like the hard drive local back up idea after studying for years! All the constant changes make things too hard to keep up with.
Have you done a search by holding down your option key to find all your photo libraries?
I moved my pics AND videos to my external.
Now the videos don't play
The thumb nails are here , but they don't play
WHY ?
How did you move them? How are you trying to play them?
Thanks for responding !
I did get them to play .
However, can I UNDO the transfer ? Because after I moved photos , now ALL of my editing assets saved on external for Premier Pro are somehow corrupt.... hundreds of hours of editing are somehow " Missing media "
I'm very sorry I moved photos from photos to my external Because it messed something up big time .... yes the transfer worked , and yes I have available space on my external , but now my Premier MP4 assets are not working
@@darrellp1437 You can try moving some back to see if that fixes your Premier problem. Or, there may be a simple way to link them to the new files in Premier. I don't use it so I can't help there.