Removing iCloud Photos from iPhone while keeping them on Mac

evieloveday wrote: …I just would like [the pictures] stored on my iCloud on my computer. is that possible?

iCloud Photos isn't a separate storage device like an extra hard drive. iCloud Photos is a synchronization service. When you engage iCloud Photos on a device, then the Library on that device is kept exactly the same as the iCloud Photos Library, and vice versa. So, for instance, if you take a picture with your iPhone, it is added to the iPhone's Photos Library, copied to iCloud Photos Library, and then copied to the Photos Library on each of the other devices that you have connected. If you delete a picture on your Mac, then that picture is deleted at iCloud and on all the other devices. And, if you delete a picture on iCloud, it will be deleted everywhere else. That's what "synchronization" means.

If you don't want synchronization with a device, then you should turn off iCloud on that device. Of course, if you turn off iCloud on your phone, that will mean that new pictures you take with your iPhone will no longer be copied to iCloud or to your Mac.

You can use "Optimize Storage" on your phone, which saves space by keeping only smaller versions on the phone and relying on iCloud to keep the originals for when you need them. Photos may take up as little as 10% of the storage it uses for full size originals.

Another way to save space is to have two Libraries on your Mac, with only one of them connected to iCloud. I have several Libraries, but I have only my "favorites" in the Library that is connected to iCloud. I can see and share all my favorite pictures on my iPhone and iPad, but I don't have to keep pictures on my phone that I don't need to share.

Macs can have multiple Photos Libraries, but phones and iPads can't. So, since you have a Mac, multiple libraries may be a great way to go. If you need advice on doing this, just ask.

Sorry, not sure I understood your question 100%.

Here's what I do, though:

1. Save important photos (from phone) to my Mac's hard drive.
2. Delete photos from phone (once they've been saved to Mac's hard drive).
3. Continue syncing all devices in iCloud.

evieloveday:… wrote: i would like some advice on how to do the whole “two libraries thing”

On your Mac, in the Pictures Folder, select your Photos Library (probably named "Photos Library.photoslibrary) and duplicate it with ⌘-D, and rename it--maybe AllPictures.photoslibrary, or something.

Then rename the original Library, your System Library, something new, like Favorites.photoslibrary, maybe.

On the Mac in Photos>Settings>General, verify that Favorites your System Library. 

In this picture "Use as your System Library" is grayed out, because it already is the system library. Only the System Library can connect to iCloud.

Also go to Settings>iCloud and verify that Favorites is still connected to iCloud.

Set "Download Originals," if you have the storage space available on your Mac. If not, you can check "Optimize."

"Download" lets you make backups. "Optimize" keeps only small sized images, so backups are worthless.

Then wait until iCloud and Photos are satisfied with the new arrangement. Really, from iCloud's point of view, the only thing that changed was the name, soI don't think it will take long. When all is happy, at the bottom of the Favorites Library you should see:

You can switch between Libraries by just double clicking on the one you want to work in.

Now-- you've got all the pictures in AllPictures, and you can start deleting pictures in Favorites to clear space at iCloud and on your phone. Pictures you take on the phone will copy to iCloud and Favorites, and you can copy them over to AllPictures and delete the ones you don't like from favorites.

Those of us who deal with multiple Libraries use the trusted 3rd party app PowerPhotos ($30) to help copy pictures and albums between Libraries, and to quickly switch between libraries. For instance, all the pictures I take with my Nikon go to my Nikon library where I edit, crop, curate them, and put the best ones in an album. Then I use PowerPhotos to transfer the album to Favorites. Using Photos to transfer pictures can mess up albums, but PowerPhotos maintains album structure in copies. It's handy for a number of things.

Let me know if I need to clarify stuff…