Tips
By AppleInsider Staff
Wednesday, January 31, 2018, 04:40 pm PT (07:40 pm ET)
Wednesday, January 31, 2018, 04:40 pm PT (07:40 pm ET)
Jan 05, 2020 If you want your Mac's photos to wirelessly sync to all your other iOS devices and computers, you want to set up iCloud Photo Library: Apple's photo sync service lets you back up your images on all your devices, as well as access them — online or offline — on said devices.If you're willing to pay for the extra iCloud storage space, you can store an incredible amount of photos and videos. Feb 28, 2019 If you are on a Mac, it will sync Google photos account and iCloud to transfer the required files. First activate iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone. Download all photos from your Google Photos account. Once it is done, you require unzipping the archive at your desired folder.
Storing an entire collection of photographs in Apple's Photos app on macOS can be a great way of keeping precious memories in order, but there are occasions when it needs to be stored on an external hard drive. AppleInsider explains how to shift the Photos Library to a new location while keeping all images safe and intact. There are multiple reasons to move the Photos Library away from its default location, with the primary reason being to free up a Mac's storage. Images and videos can quickly consume storage, especially for prolific photographers shooting RAW files, so moving the library to an external drive can be the best option for those with internal drives that are close to their capacity limit.
Putting the library onto external storage also provides the option of sharing the library with others directly, by disconnecting the drive from the host Mac and plugging it into another. This is also useful for those who wish to use the same library across multiple desktops, like an iMac and a MacBook Pro, if they need to regularly access and change the held files.
Pre-move Backup
Before attempting any file transfers, it is highly recommended to make backups of all images, as there is always the possibility of file corruption or another mishap, and keeping a backup is always a good idea for just these occasions. An up-to-date Time Machine backup is ideal, but it is best to make sure the external or remote drive used for the backup is different to the one you wish to use for the Photo Library storage itself.
It may also be worth using cloud storage services to hold the images, such as Apple's own iCloud Drive, Dropbox, and Google Drive. It might also be an idea to try out iCloud Photo Library, a service that automatically uploads your photographs to iCloud, which can be shared to iOS devices and other Mac desktops using the same Apple ID.
Finding the Folder
Before you can make the move, you need to find where the Photo Library is actually located. In most instances, it should appear in the Pictures
Transfer Mac Photo Library To Google Photos Online
folder of your Home directory, labelled as 'Photos Library,' potentially alongside other similar libraries for Photo Booth and iPhoto, the predecessor to Photos.In the event it isn't at the default location, you can find it by opening up the Photos app, clicking Photos in the Menu Bar, then selecting Preferences. At the top of the General section will be a line marked Library Location, which will show where it is located, as well as an option to Show in Finder, which will spawn a new Finder window at the right directory.
Importing from iPhone
First, connect your iPhone to your Mac with a Lightning to USB charging cable. A popup will ask if you want to trust your computer, tap 'Trust' and enter your passcode.
Now open Photos on your Mac, where your iPhone will appear under the Devices tab on the left side of the app. From here, you can browse through all of the photos or video in your iOS Camera Roll.
At the top of the page, click on Library, and you can choose to make a New Album for the import. If you wish to erase the photos off of your iPhone after importing, check the box below the Import button before clicking it.
If you chose that option, you will see your photos being deleted off of your iPhone in real-time after importing is completed. Your iPhone photos are now successfully backed up onto your Mac.
The Move
If it is still running, quit Photos by selecting Quit Photos under the Photos Menu Bar, or by pressing Cmd+Q.
Connect the external drive that you wish to use for storing the library, and once it appears on your desktop, drag the Photos Library away from its current location within the Finder and on top of the external drive icon. If you want to place the Photos Library in a specific place within the new drive, open the external drive in a second Finder window, navigate to the correct directory, and drag Photos Library to the right place.
The amount of time it will take for the Photos Library to transfer to the new location will vary on a number of factors, including the amount of images that need to be transferred, the speed of the external drive for transfers, and the transfer method itself. Generally, transfers to an external drive over Thunderbolt 3 will offer the fastest potential speeds when compared to Thunderbolt 2 and USB-based drives.
Accessing the Library
After the file transfer has completed, you will need to inform Photos of the new location. To do this, hold the Option key and click the Photos icon in the dock to launch the app.
This will bring up a new Choose Library window, with a list of libraries available for you to access. Click
Other Library and navigate to the location on the external drive that holds the now-transferred Photos Library, select the Library, and then click Open.
At this point, Photos will open and use the library located on the external drive.
While this process can be used to reconnect with the Photos Library, it can also be used to switch between multiple Photo Library archives. This is handy in some cases, such as if a friend or colleague provides their Photo Library on a portable drive for you to browse and use for work.
Note that in order to access your photographs, the external drive needs to be connected to the Mac before entering Photos. The Photos app will warn you if the Library is not accessible in this case, with the solution being to quit Photos and reconnect the drive before relaunching Photos.
Designating the System Photo Library
If you want to use the moved Photos Library - or one of a collection of the Libraries - with a number of Apple services and features, such as synchronization with iCloud Photo Library, iCloud Photo Sharing, and My Photo Stream, you will need to designate it as the System Photo Library. This also applies if you wish to have the photographs used by other apps, or to set an image as the desktop background.
Generally, the initially created Photo Library will be the System Photo Library by default, but actions such as moving it or designating another Library temporarily with the label can stop a Photos Library from being used in this way.
To re-enable it, hold down the Option key and open Photos, then select the Library you want to use as the System Photo Library. Once opened, select Photos in the Menu bar then Preferences.
Within the General tab of the Preferences window, you should see the current Library's path under Library Location, and two buttons: the previously discussed Show in Finder and Use as System Photos Library. Click the second option to set it as the System Photo Library.
Clearing Space
One of the main aims of this project is to free up space on your Mac's internal drive, and since the Photos Library resides elsewhere, it is likely to be in your interests to delete the locally-held version. Make sure that this Library is no longer required, and that the version on the external drive is complete and functional before considering deletion of the local copy.
Use Finder
to navigate to the directory where Photos Library was located, as discovered in the 'Finding the Folder' section above. Right click on the Photos Library and select Move to Trash.
To completely remove it from the Mac, open the Trash from the Dock or Finder window, and click the Empty button on the top right of the window, followed by selecting Empty Trash in the confirmation dialog.
Let's face it when using apps from different places they don't always communicate well with each other. For those of us who like using Lightroom for photo editing, the task of moving your photos after editing can be tedious. First, they need to be exported, and then after that, you still need to upload them into the Photos app if you want access to them across your devices.
There is an easier way, it just requires jumping through a few hoops at first. Using Automator you can create a workflow that will upload your photos for you, and we have the details for you here!
How Lightroom switchers can move to Photos for Mac
If you switched to Lightroom a while ago but now want to make the move to Photos, your best bet is to load your Lightroom folders and files directly into Photos. Just note down where they're stored on your hard drive, and then import away.
How to prepare for setting up Lightroom photos to sync
Before you can jump through the hoops required to set up an automated export of your Lightroom photos to your iCloud Photo Library, you'll need to prepare a few things. These steps will simply ensure that, once you've started, you'll be able to create the Automator rule without having to stop and set something up. You'll need to set up a folder in finder, create an export preset for Lightroom, and enable your iCloud Photo Library.
Create a folder in Finder
First things first, you'll want to create a new folder in Finder. This is the folder where all of the photos you want to sync from Lightroom will be exported to. If you've already got a folder for this, you can use the existing one.
- Open Finder on your Mac.
- Use Control + click to open the menu.
- Click new folder to create a folder for your Lightroom exports.
- Name your folder accordingly.
Create a Lightroom export preset
Next, you'll want to create a preset for exporting your Lightroom photos. This makes it easy to ensure that all of your files are exported to the correct location and in the correct format.
- Open Lightroom on your Mac.
- Select export from the File menu.
- Set the export location to the folder you created specifically for syncing from Lightroom.
- Set the format to .jpg.
- Click add.
Enable iCloud Photo Library in Photos on your Mac
- Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
- Click on the Photos app menu in the Menu bar in the upper left corner of the screen.
- Select Preferences from the drop down menu.
- Click on the iCloud tab.
- Tick the box to enable iCloud Photo Library.
How to use Automator to export Lightroom photos to Photos for Mac
- Launch Automator on your Mac. You can find it by typing Automator into the Search field on your Mac.
- Click on New Document in the bottom left corner of the Automator window.
- Select Folder Action.
- Click on Choose.
- Select the folder you have designated to send your Lightroom photos to into the workflow panel to create the first action in the workflow at the top of the screen.Access Hidden Library Menu Option On Mac. Left-click your mouse anywhere on the screen of your Mac. This will reveal the Go Option in the top menu bar of your Mac. Next, click on the Go option in the top menu-bar of your Mac. While you are still on the Go option, press and hold the Option. May 30, 2019 Get the Library folder – Way 1. Open Finder window. Click Go in a Menu Bar → select Go to Folder. Or use the Cmd+Shift+G key shortcut. Type /Library and click Go in a dialog window. The required Mac Library folder will be shown. Dec 20, 2018 So here’s how I got my user library in macOS to show-up permanently in my user folder. First, go to Finder and select Finder Preferences (or use Command+Comma). Choose Sidebar from the top list of tabs (General, Tabs, Sidebar, Advanced). Under Favorites, tick the checkbox next to your user. Access system library mac. Jan 12, 2020 How to Make the Library Visible Permanently. Launch Terminal, located in /Applications/Utilities. Enter the following command at the Terminal prompt: Press Return. Once the command executes, you can quit Terminal. The Library folder will now be visible in the Finder. Should you ever wish to set.
- Double-click on Get Specified Finder Items in the sub-menu bar second from the left.
- Click Add and choose the folder you created earlier.
- Click Add.
- Double-click on Get Folder Contents in the sub-menu bar to add it as the second action in the workflow.
- Click on Photos in the main sidebar on the far left.
- Double-click on Import Files into Photos to add it as the third action in the workflow.
You should now test the Automator rule to make sure it works correctly. Click on Run in the upper right corner of the Automator window. If the actions are listed correctly, you'll see a note in your log that the workflow is completed. If not, repeat the steps above, making sure to have three actions in your workflow. You'll probably get an arrow, but you'll also get the notification that a photo has been imported into Photos.
- Click on File in the Automator App menu in the Menu bar.
- click on Save in the drop-down menu. You could also hit the Command + S keyboard shortcut to save the rule.
- Select a folder to save the action in if you haven't already.
Questions?
Do you still have questions about syncing your Lightroom photos to your iCloud Photo Library? Have you used this method to make sure your edited photos are accessible on your other devices? Let us know about it in the comments!
Updated May 2019: Took into account macOS Mojave.
Photos for Mac
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