Photos in Folders on El Capitan

[Ben1980]

Hi all,

I have just purchased my first Mac and spent the last day or so downloading the 16000+ photos from One Drive.

These are all sorted neatly in to separate folders and sub folders.

Please can anyone advise how I can add or import these to the Photos app and keep the folder structure.

I have tried a few times and all I get is a long list of photos will no gaps.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Dave Braine]

Please can anyone advise how I can add or import these to the Photos app and keep the folder structure.

Unfortunately, you can't:
https://photoapps.expert/tips/2015/5/15/folder-hierarchy-not-retained-photos-when-importing-folders

Another case of Apple "improving" an application.

I think your best bet is to import a folder at a time and then create a Folder/Album for that import. Yes, I appreciate that will take some time for 16000+ photos. Note, in Photos you can have Folders and Albums inside another Folder, but you can't have Albums inside Albums.

 

[Ben1980]

Unfortunately, you can't:
https://photoapps.expert/tips/2015/5/15/folder-hierarchy-not-retained-photos-when-importing-folders

Another case of Apple "improving" an application.

I think your best bet is to import a folder at a time and then create a Folder/Album for that import. Yes, I appreciate that will take some time for 16000+ photos. Note, in Photos you can have Folders and Albums inside another Folder, but you can't have Albums inside Albums.

Thanks for the reply. One more question, is there a way to get the Photos app to monitor a folder and pull photos through rather than importing each time?

 

[Fishrrman]

The answer you were given in reply #2 is WRONG!

What you want to do is EXACTLY what I did.

That is -- I keep all my photos -separated- from Photos' library, and maintained within my own hierarchy of folders/subfolders/files, etc.
Actually, my personal photo library is on an entirely different volume.

You need to go into Photos' preferences, and tell it NOT to import into its own library. Make this change and it Photos will NEVER "directly import" your masters into the Photos library.

Instead, it will create a "referenced" library (similar to Aperture's), leaving the master photos untouched within your own file structure. Photos will then create its own library, but only creating preview images and also maintaining the necessary data to display the editing that you do within the Photos app.

Something else I do:
When I want to bring images into Photos, I first create a "new, empty" album.
Then I give the album the name I desire.
Then I import the pics into Photos (not in new library yet).
Finally, I select from the imported pics, and "drag n drop" them into the new library.

Perhaps this is more than necessary, but it works for me...

 

[aristobrat]

IMO, the OP is asking how to import his 16,000+ photos that are neatly divided into folders/subfolders, and have Photos organize the pictures based on which Finder folder the picture was originally in.

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Thanks for the reply. One more question, is there a way to get the Photos app to monitor a folder and pull photos through rather than importing each time?

Maybe?

Automator is a cool part of OS X that can automate things. One thing I know it can do is watch a certain folder and then perform actions anytime files are dropped in that folder.

It looks like it supports many functions within the Photos app (like "Add to Album"), but I don't have any first-hand experience to say this will definitely work (or doesn't have any caveats).

If you like dinking around, sounds like a fun project to try out.

I'm also surprised that nobody has written an Automator action that will do what you wanted in your OP -- loop through a Finder folder structure of photos, and create that that same structure within Photos, importing photos as it goes.

 

[Dave Braine]

The answer you were given in reply #2 is WRONG!

No it's not. Read the question again.

 

[Fishrrman]

I don't believe that Photos can import "folders within folders" and establish some kind of hierarchal relationship "within itself".

It looks like Photos' albums exist on a "flat level" (i.e., just one level and no nesting of an album within another album).

Kind of like the original Mac finder back in the earliest days.

Maybe one needs Lightroom or Aperture to do that.

As I mentioned above, I create an empty album in Photos for each "folder" of images that I want to import.

Takes time, but it works.

 

[Dave Braine]

As I mentioned above, I create an empty album in Photos for each "folder" of images that I want to import.

Yep, that's what I said:

I think your best bet is to import a folder at a time and then create a Folder/Album for that import.