Stop Apple Photos from Downrezing images?

[Algr]

Apple photos has a nasty habit of downsampling images if you use drag and drop. It doesn't warn you, it just does it. I can see how this would be a useful option for things like texting, but to do it when importing files to Pixelmator Pro is just unacceptable. You are supposed to use this export/open in option instead, but that is just so many more steps, and needlessly starts a new document when I want to add something to an existing one. It almost seems like sabotage to get people using the new "feature" that no one wants.

Is there any way to stop photos from doing this? Does it happen in other contexts that I should know about?

 

[Slartibart]

You are referring to the automatic conversion of RAW to JPG when dragging and dropping images from Apple Photos, I presume? Well, open it from Pixelmator.

The behaviour is otherwise well documented and explained, I suggest reading for example Apple’s support documents starting here… or maybe a search on MR or even (sic!) the web using your preferred search engine. 🤓

 

[Algr]

No, I don't take pics in raw. I'm talking about the photo being 4032 × 3024 in photos, but becoming 1024 x 768 if I drag the picture to Pixelmator. There is no reason to ruin drag-and-drop like this. Drag and drop is a single gesture. Finding the same file in the open dialog box can take dramatically longer, and as I said, this opens up the file in a new document, when usually I'll want to add it to an existing one.

 

[Ray2]

I don’t use Pixelmator. But I do find it odd that if I drag and drop to a folder, the full size copies. I do this often. One might wonder why Apple would use different logic in this situation but, candidly, I gave up looking for logic in Apple software ages ago. It seems driven solely by marketing and people who seem to have never used the functionality they’re designing.

 

[chown33]

Have you tried dragging the pic file to a different image editor than Pixelmator Pro? If so, which editor, and what were the results?

Maybe the downsizing is being done by Pixelmator, i.e. the recipient of the drag, rather than the originator.

Have you tried using any modifier keys with the drag-n-drop, like Option or Control?

Does the Photos app User Guide make any mention of this downsizing?

 

[Slartibart]

What happens when you drag&drop the image into a canvas in Pixelmator Pro? Which version of PP?

EDIT: sorry, I understood the origin of the problem wrong - please check:
In Photos, choosing File > Export > Export [x] Photo(s), the export option is collapsed by default. when you click the downward-pointing area to expand the Photos section of that dialog box, the Size menu isn’t set to Full Size. Change it there and try again.

 

[Algr]

I tried it with Affinity Designer, Pixelmator Pro, and Notepad. Same results for all - downsampled to 1024 x 768. I also tried Messages but that would not accept the drag at all. Dragging the image to the finder did not downrez the image, but of course that is an extra step and creates a superfluous extra copy of the file. That is probably the best option at this point.

File > Export > Export [x] Photo(s),

Thanks, but that export photos window only applies to a single selected file, and only saves results to the finder, not to another program. I might have reason to use that someday, but for now what I described above is the least-bad workaround.

 

[Algr]

Have you tried using any modifier keys with the drag-n-drop, like Option or Control?

OMG, Shift+Drag fixes it. Thanks! Still stupid design, but at least now I have a workaround. (Properly, normal drag should do the simplest, least destructive thing, while option+drag ought to give you more options, such as rescaling, cropping, rotating ect. Never remove data without telling the user!)

 

[katbel]

OMG, Shift+Drag fixes it. Thanks! Still stupid design, but at least now I have a workaround. (Properly, normal drag should do the simplest, least destructive thing, while option+drag ought to give you more options, such as rescaling, cropping, rotating ect. Never remove data without telling the user!)

Interesting but in Ventura MacOs it works differently

Shift+Drag = just like normal dragging, smaller size photo

Option+drag= photo full size with any adjustments you have done to your photo

Thanks anyway for bringing this up: at least I learned how to do it too 🙂

 

[arkitect]

OMG, Shift+Drag fixes it. Thanks! Still stupid design, but at least now I have a workaround. (Properly, normal drag should do the simplest, least destructive thing, while option+drag ought to give you more options, such as rescaling, cropping, rotating ect. Never remove data without telling the user!)

Interesting but in Ventura MacOs it works differently

Shift+Drag = just like normal dragging, smaller size photo

Option+drag= photo full size with any adjustments you have done to your photo

Thanks anyway for bringing this up: at least I learned how to do it too 🙂

Thanks to you both… I never knew this shortcut existed.

Always something new to learn!