Apple has screwed me with Photos/iPhoto

[c2cali]

Ok I made all the stupid switches Mac fans have been pushing on me for years, slowly but fully. First it was iPod, then phones and iPads, and now I have an 11 month old Mac. I am so over it though... especially because it tries to make things so simple sometimes its complicated. I am a 28 year old power technology user, and I can't for the life of me make photos work. First there was iPhoto, it seemed ok until it somehow supposedly lost all my photos and I couldn't find them or get them back. Low and behold, upgrade to Yosemite and the new photos app finds them ALL and they are back, yay!!

Except, not yay. I take a lot of trips and take tons of photos, like 10 of every single thing, and then delete the 9 that aren't as good as the 10th one. But literally I am not even sure if I am actually deleting the 9, as am I deleting them from the album, or the computer, and don't even get me started on my cloud (which is full). And it takes like 10 seconds to delete each one, so many steps and... lord.

If I were on windows I could just open up finder/explorer and look at the file names, preview the image, and delete delete delete delete quick and easy.

Am I the only one finding this situation so hard? Why does apple need to protect them all in some crazy stupid package I can't get into??

Thanks for any assistance, sorry for the apple bashing but I am just currently frustrated and actually hoping I am stupid and there's an easier way. Maybe a basic 3rd party app (which hopefully doesnt try and duplicate all the photos as my laptop is FULL!) or something?

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

I find iPhoto and Photos extremely easy to use. Heck, my no-techie girlfriend does the same, so yeah, I would say it is just you.

I guess you don't "get" how Photos is structured?

 

[hanser]

If I were on windows I could just open up finder/explorer and look at the file names, preview the image, and delete delete delete delete quick and easy.

Instead on Mac you just open Photos, look under the header "photos" and delete. Whats the problem?

 

[Fuchal]

Or just put your photos into a folder like on Windows and do what you describe. Nothing requires you to use iPhoto or Photos.

 

[firedept]

My suggestion is not to use Photos. I have never used iPhoto or Photos and would never consider it. I have built my own file system and use Adobe Bridge plus my own colour coded,named file structure that works far better for me than anything Apple software could do for me.

Yes iPhoto & Photos works for many people and they love it. I am not bashing it in any way, as it does work for many people so it can not be that bad a piece of software. Just not for my liking, so I decided to do it another way. Look around at some of the other options available to you since Photos may just not be for you.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Let me explain how I accomplish what you're trying to do.

First:
I -NEVER- upload photos directly from my camera to ANY photo application (Apple or otherwise).

When I move photos from camera to Mac, I do it this way:
- Take card out of camera
- Put card into USB card reader
- Connect reader to Mac
- Create a new folder on the desktop (appropriately named for that photo session)
- Copy desired photos directly from SD card to the new folder
- Disconnect card reader and put card back into camera.

The photos now "exist" in the folder on my desktop.

Next, I use a "photo browser" to view the new photos. Those I wish to keep, I keep. Those that don't make the cut, get deleted.

I've found something called "Lyn" that does this pretty well.
I'll also use the free "Phocus" app by Hasselblad.
Try Phocus first. It's freely downloadable from Hasselblad's site:
http://www.hasselblad.com/support/manuals/software-current

The key to both of these apps is that (on the left) it presents a complete list of folders on all your mounted volumes, through which you can browse freely.
Both also give you the option to move a photo to the trash with a right-click (the REAL trash in the finder).

If you try Phocus, set it up so you have thumbnails beneath the larger image.
Now, right-click on the thumbnail, and you should get a "move to trash" option.
Also, try "command-clicking" on more than one photo at a time, and it -might- also move all the selected files to the trash at once.

This makes it easy to cull the bad from the good.

Final step:
Once my original "culling" is done, I move the folder I've been working on onto a separate volume I maintain solely for photos (and a few other media items).

I keep the folders in a standard Macintosh "hierarchy", with identifiable names and dates for each folder.
These original images -NEVER- are imported into -ANY- photo editing app.
They exist independently of them.

Final step:
I set up my photo editing apps to use "referenced" libraries -- that is to say, when importing photos, I -DO NOT- import the originals. iPhoto, Aperture and Photos can all work this way.

I realize this seems like "too many steps to take", but it works just fine for me.
Most importantly, it gives me a chance to "sift out" the bad pics and keep only the good BEFORE any of the Apple apps get involved with my photos.

Give this a try and let us know if it's closer to "the process" that you're aiming for...

 

[c2cali]

Or just put your photos into a folder like on Windows and do what you describe. Nothing requires you to use iPhoto or Photos.

How?? It SHOULD be that simple but theyre bundled up into some mystery library of sorts

 

[c2cali]

OP:

Let me explain how I accomplish what you're trying to do.

First:
I -NEVER- upload photos directly from my camera to ANY photo application (Apple or otherwise).

When I move photos from camera to Mac, I do it this way:
- Take card out of camera
- Put card into USB card reader
- Connect reader to Mac
- Create a new folder on the desktop (appropriately named for that photo session)
- Copy desired photos directly from SD card to the new folder
- Disconnect card reader and put card back into camera.

The photos now "exist" in the folder on my desktop.

Next, I use a "photo browser" to view the new photos. Those I wish to keep, I keep. Those that don't make the cut, get deleted.

I've found something called "Lyn" that does this pretty well.
I'll also use the free "Phocus" app by Hasselblad.
Try Phocus first. It's freely downloadable from Hasselblad's site:
http://www.hasselblad.com/support/manuals/software-current

The key to both of these apps is that (on the left) it presents a complete list of folders on all your mounted volumes, through which you can browse freely.
Both also give you the option to move a photo to the trash with a right-click (the REAL trash in the finder).

If you try Phocus, set it up so you have thumbnails beneath the larger image.
Now, right-click on the thumbnail, and you should get a "move to trash" option.
Also, try "command-clicking" on more than one photo at a time, and it -might- also move all the selected files to the trash at once.

This makes it easy to cull the bad from the good.

Final step:
Once my original "culling" is done, I move the folder I've been working on onto a separate volume I maintain solely for photos (and a few other media items).

I keep the folders in a standard Macintosh "hierarchy", with identifiable names and dates for each folder.
These original images -NEVER- are imported into -ANY- photo editing app.
They exist independently of them.

Final step:
I set up my photo editing apps to use "referenced" libraries -- that is to say, when importing photos, I -DO NOT- import the originals. iPhoto, Aperture and Photos can all work this way.

I realize this seems like "too many steps to take", but it works just fine for me.
Most importantly, it gives me a chance to "sift out" the bad pics and keep only the good BEFORE any of the Apple apps get involved with my photos.

Give this a try and let us know if it's closer to "the process" that you're aiming for...

Thank you!! This seems to make sense! One big question... is it too late to get my existing photos "out" of the stupid photos app etc? That I've already imported??

 

[Bending Pixels]

Thank you!! This seems to make sense! One big question... is it too late to get my existing photos "out" of the stupid photos app etc? That I've already imported??

You can export them.

FYI, there are books and video courses on how to get the most out of Photos. Don't blame Apple because you don't know how to use a program.

 

[monokakata]

There are plenty of people who are content with "the Apple way," but there's no reason you have to follow them. Some of them can be quite rude, as we're seeing here.

Apple doesn't think you're a big enough boy to handle your own files. FCP X is the same way. You can find out where the app has put them, but they really try hard to keep you from touching them except through the app. That's their philosophy.

I get the point of that. It works, it's simple, and lots of people don't mind. But you do. As do I.

Go ahead and export your images, and then do something along the lines of what Fisherrman says. I've done things that way -- more or less -- for years and it's never let me down. I always know where my images are, it's trivially easy to copy them, back them up, etc.

Preview is OK for inspecting images, but I much prefer the inexpensive app Xee3. For my own real photo work I always use Adobe Lightroom. People complain about LR's UI, but I don't mind it. I always know where my image files are.

Anyway, welcome to The Apple Way. You don't have to follow it.

 

[maflynn]

First:
I -NEVER- upload photos directly from my camera to ANY photo application (Apple or otherwise).

That seems unnecessarily convoluted.

I've use Lightroom and pull the images straight into the app from the SD card - never had a problem. I never erase the pictures just to be safe. In LR you can also choose to copy the images to a secondary location though I never do that.

upgrade to Yosemite and the new photos app

I think your problem is that you're using photos, definitely a step back in many ways then its older iPhoto (and definitely a step down from Aperture). Apple does things the Apple way which can inhibit people's work flow.

As mentioned I use LightRoom a better more robust product all around, though that may not be what you're looking for. I'm just saying its a product that fits my needs

 

[bluespark]

How?? It SHOULD be that simple but theyre bundled up into some mystery library of sorts

This is not any more complicated on a Mac than it is on Windows. In Photos, if that's what you choose to use, just delete photos under the "Photos" tab and they will disappear. The real difference between that and Windows Explorer is that Photos gives you additional options if you want them. But if you don't like Photos, don't use it -- many "Mac fans" don't. Apple also gives you a nice little image capture application called "Image Capture." It's in your Applications folder right now. It will put your photos in any folder you want and you can set it to start up whenever you attach a camera, insert a card, etc. Once on your hard drive, you can preview any image simply by pressing the space bar.

 

[bluespark]

There are plenty of people who are content with "the Apple way," but there's no reason you have to follow them. Some of them can be quite rude, as we're seeing here.

Apple doesn't think you're a big enough boy to handle your own files.

That's just silly. Apple gives you a method -- always available -- to put photos on your hard drive, including automatically importing them to a folder if that's what you want. Just because Apple also provides a different default option doesn't mean it's "the Apple way" to make you use it.

 

[Sedulous]

I am really not understanding the problem.

 

[monokakata]

That's just silly. Apple gives you a method -- always available -- to put photos on your hard drive, including automatically importing them to a folder if that's what you want. Just because Apple also provides a different default option doesn't mean it's "the Apple way" to make you use it.

Well, let's not argue very much on somebody else's thread. Yes, Image Capture. And how many novices (which is what the OP says he is) know where it is? No, they use Photos or iPhoto in its day. I'm not sure what "different default option" means, but I'm talking about the plain old default option, Photos, which works in the way that the OP doesn't like.

I can't count the number of MacRumor threads I've read having to do with "where are my pictures?" "iPhoto hid my files," and the like. It's not a rare complaint.

 

[bluespark]

Well, let's not argue very much on somebody else's thread. Yes, Image Capture. And how many novices (which is what the OP says he is) know where it is? No, they use Photos or iPhoto in its day. I'm not sure what "different default option" means, but I'm talking about the plain old default option, Photos, which works in the way that the OP doesn't like.

I can't count the number of MacRumor threads I've read having to do with "where are my pictures?" "iPhoto hid my files," and the like. It's not a rare complaint.

I was referring to the fact that the default option is Photos, not Image Capture. To be clear, my post is not an attack on the OP, who asked a legitimate question. Rather, I was responding to the individual whose view was that Apple doesn't trust users to manage their own files. That simply isn't the case: Image Capture is included with Macs for that very purpose. Could it be easier to find? Well, it's on the top level of the Applications folder, but sure, I suppose. Nevertheless, its very existence undercuts the point (which, again, was not the OP's point) that there is an "Apple way" that boils down to distrust of the user. Apple is far from perfect, but it has given us good options here.

 

[Sedulous]

I actually am glad photos are organized inside a photo library file. Instead of a mess. I guess I have not had issues so am less wary of photos.app. For those who didn't know, you can right click the library and show contents to see all the files inside the photo library.

 

[GerritV]

I'm with the OP on iPhoto (and iTunes for that matter), because I like to see and touch my image files in the Finder - like real files if you know what I mean.
I remember when I would change a photo in iPhoto, I could never figure out whether I was changing the original or a duplicate or an alias or...
Definitely not my favorite approach.

Up until today, my iPhoto and iTunes Libraries are totally empty, zero content.

 

[theluggage]

How?? It SHOULD be that simple but theyre bundled up into some mystery library of sorts

The "mystery library of sorts" is an "application bundle" - a standard OS X device for grouping together a bunch of files that users shouldn't directly edit/delete/rename unless they know what they are doing. It is just like a regular directory except it requires an extra step to see the contents:

1. Locate the library on your disc using Finder
2. RIGHT-click or option-click on the library icon to get a popup menu
3. Choose 'Show Package Contents' to open the library in Finder
4. Look in the 'Masters' folder - all your original files are there as plain old JPGs

Now you can easily copy your photos as plain files somewhere else. Of course, if you move, delete or rename the files within the library, Photos will lose track of them - hence the extra step to stop little fingers getting inside. If you want to give up on Photos, organise your files manually and use something like Photoshop LE or Affinity Photo for edits, that doesn't matter.

The whole point of photos/iPhoto is to organise your photo collection for you, let you search by album, roll, geolocation etc., keep a database of faces, keep them in sync with your iDevices and cloud, and let you revert back from edited versions to originals. To do this, It needs the files to be kept arranged just so without having to (at best) continually rebuild all the metadata because some bright spark has manually moved or re-named a file. Hence the extra hurdle of using an application bundle which is far better than storing all the photos in a single, proprietary-format file.

 

[phrehdd]

I'll cut to the quick. You can set up your RAW and jpg files so that no app automatically opens them.

Items like iPhoto and Photos serve users well for things like photos taken on their i-devices. They like the ease, and look up and go through the program(s) to do everything. Itunes allows through preferences to either have iTunes set up a directory system for you or you can import music without changing the location (I do the latter as my media is not normally stored on my Mac but on a storage device).

If you are inclined, consider Lightroom or a similar app. You have much more control and flexibility plus 3rd party plugins.
I admit an intense dislike for Photos as it is neither iPhotos or Aperture in terms of the best of each.

My tools of choice (for my specific needs) are Capture One Pro for images I have taken and Photoshop CS6 for further work and also scanned images (I do digital photo restoration of old photos etc.). I think in your case, learning Lightroom or an app of that sort makes more sense and learning how to set up directories the way you prefer.

 

[m4v3r1ck]

When I copy-paste photos from the desktop to my Photos app on my Mac Pro 5.1 - OS X 10.10.4 - the newly imported files don't show up in Photos for iOS 9.0.1?

Help or directions are greatly appriveated!

Cheers