Photos on iMac question on number of photos which display in different place

LynnQ wrote: …I wish to have a back-up of every item in the library in its original format, not the edited format. If I eventually don't have an Apple device I need to be able to have every item available to view.

Also called a backup, and that's perfectly reasonable.

don't use Smart Albums (at least I don't see any).

Smart albums are incredibly useful! I use them for simple searches, but since you can match "all" or "any" conditions, you can do lots of things. I use a couple to help me rate the pictures, so I know which ones I'll show people. I use keywords to identify my wife's family and mine. All sorts of things.

Therefore is it safe to assume that the photos in the "Library" shows the correct number of actual photos/videos.

The Library is the collection of all of the pictures. It doesn't show pictures that you have designated as "Hidden," or the ones you've deleted, of course.

Albums are lists of pictures that show together; they don't contain actual picture files. So one picture from the Library can be in many albums, but then it's just on many lists, and they don't take up space.

The Hidden album holds pictures marked as Hidden, and you have to use your password to see them.

Recently Deleted hold pictures marked to be fully removed in 30 days. It's a safety device, since so many of us change our minds!

My thought of having a back-up is just in case I accidentally delete something.

I backup the pictures by copying the entire Library once a month or so. Time Machine is an automatic backup that is truly amazing-- you keep a TM drive plugged in, and it backs up the changes every hour. Since it's just changes, it's very fast, and it doesn't take lots of room.

Finally you indicate that the Photos Library has way more information than an exported picture. Can you clarify on that for me?

Photos is a non-destructive editor. If you crop a picture, cutting off the sides, the original file is never touched. Instead, the database records what you did. It's the same for every edit, keyword, comment that you do-- the picture is not altered, but the information is stored in the database. So the picture you see on the screen never existed as a file-- it is constructed on the fly from the original plus the information in the database. The edited picture doesn't become a file until you "Export nn Photos." Even then, what you get depends on the parameters you indicate-- always a fraction of all the information that's in the database. From the database you can export a huge variety of versions of that edited picture, but you can't use one version to get all the information back. The Photos Library also has thumbnail versions of the pictures and preview versions to make scanning through them faster. So there's lots there.

I am assuming that by using Unmodified Originals that the exported items show all the data pertaining to each and every item chosen?

The Unmodified Original is unmodified-- it is exactly the same as it was loaded into Photos. If it had metadata then, it still has the same metadata. But no more.

I hope this helps make some sense of it all…

Your signature says macOS 15.5, but you say Ventura, which is macOS 13. The way the months things work is rather different-- which is right?

I'm not sure that the "Months" thing is supposed to show all the pictures in the month-- it's more like the Memories for the month. I think-- I never look at it, really.

If you want all the pictures made in June 2025, use a Smart Album like this:

Keep in mind that the Photos Library has way more information than an exported picture. And you have to decide if you want Original files or if you want pictures with their edits and comments. If you want both, it will take twice as much space. What is it you really want in exporting these pictures?

LynnQ wrote: … you mention having several Photos libraries. This might be a path I follow. This is something to ponder as I decide what is kept where, i.e., not everything in the cloud. In the meantime there are photos that I need to sort out, a major endeavour. Some are blurry, some are documents which could be stored elsewhere on iCloud.

For instance, I have a Nikon Library. All my Nikon pictures go there first. I edit and crop the ones I think will be favorites (often with Lightroom Classic) and compare them to decide. Here's how I do that, if you need a system:

Choosing Favorites using Keywords in Mac … - Apple Community

(I wrote this because some folks are familiar with keywords, keyword shortcuts, and Smart Albums.)

I copy the final favorites into a Favorites Library, and Favorites is my System Library that's connected to iCloud. So those are copied to iCloud and to all my devices. Then I can see and show the favorites to friends and family. My Favorites Library is way smaller than the other Libraries!

Pictures I taken with my phone also go into Favorites, since that's the Library on my phone. When they're copied to my Mac, I choose the best, and the others I transfer to an iPictures Library. I also have a Library for my Wife's old family pictures, and one for my own old family pictures. I had to separate the old family pictures into two Libraries, because I couldn't remember if Great Aunt Ethel belonged to her or to me.

I am still curious as to where iCloud Photos are stored,

Your Photos are stored on you Mac.

are they in server farms close to the user's location, or are they spread across various locations? For example are all iCloud items stored in a particular country or does it depend on which country the owner resides?

From Google's AI summarizer:

Apple's servers are located in multiple data centers globally, with a significant presence in the United States. Key locations include Maiden, North Carolina;Mesa, Arizona; Prineville, Oregon; Reno, Nevada; and Newark, California.They also have data centers in Denmark and China. In addition to their owned facilities, Apple utilizes third-party cloud services like Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services to store user data. 

The data are encrypted, so even Apple doesn't know where my pictures of Queen Elizabeth are-- and they are certainly in many places, perhaps in pieces.

I have come across one item I use that I use freely where I live but if I travel to a different country then it isn't available as the service for a premium account isn't offered there.

Unfortunately, some countries restrict data access. Of course, Apple has no control over that, even if some data are stored there. For instance, you can see that Apple apparently has data stored in China, but its use is severely restricted inside the country.

By the way, the newer ruling where users of Apple devices in the UK no longer have the Advanced Data Protection available. If that is enabled (turned on) in a country outside of the UK and the person then travels to the UK then is the turned on ADP still available on the device? Sorry this question was off-topic.

Sorry-- I don't know. If I wanted know, I'd google it!

… By the way I assume you can have only one photos library stored on an iCloud account?

Each account can have only one Photos Library, just like an iPhone or an iPad.

All the best! Lynn

It's good to think about this stuff!

Does the same then apply to Smart Albums, i.e., they are a reference rather than a separate storage area?

Yes. This applies to any form of album.

However, a problem arose because the file sizes for a specific photo were different and they had to be checked individually.

This can happen when you import a library rather than sync one. As the files are different sizes then they do not appear as duplicates to the computer.

Is there a way to work around this so that two versions of a photo are not saved and to keep only the modified version?

No. Thins pretty much the point of Photos. It treats the original file the way a film photographer treated the film negative. It is protected and you have always got the option to revert to it if you so choose. If you do not wan this then you need to use a different application to manage and edit your images.

Sometimes only iPhoto Original displays, other times only Photo Stream appears. Are you familiar with these old iPhoto terms? The problem is that photos with either of these designation on them may be the same as one without either. Which is the best version to keep?

The largest file size is the one to keep no matter what.

LynnQ wrote: … When I was using iCloud to store my photos and the library was shared between my iPad, iPhone and iMac there were many times where duplicates would appear

This is one of the many problems that using iCloud Photos really helps with. Then all pictures go through iCloud to be shared, and multiple copies no longer occur like they do when just sending files around.

Another issue was that if I edited a photo in the iCloud shared library on my iPad then it would add an "E" into the photo's file name

Well, not really. Photos is a non-destructive editor. If you edit or crop a picture, maybe cutting off the sides, the original file is never touched. Instead, your edits are stored in the Photos Database. It's the same for every kind of edit, keyword, comment that you do-- the picture is not altered, but the information is stored in the Database. So the picture you see on the screen never existed as a file-- it is constructed on the fly from the original plus the information in the database. The edited picture doesn't become  a file until you decide to send it somewhere, and then it still doesn't exist as a file inside of Photos. If you export the original and the edited version at the same time, then Photos adds an "E" to show the difference. If you import an edited picture that you've exported, then it is a different picture entirely. The thing is, the Photos database has way more information than just the picture file. Exporting and re-importing creates a file that has lost much of that information.

The way around this is to never re-import an edited picture. Again, iCloud takes care of this, because pictures shared through iCloud keep Photos' protocols, keeping an original file and edits in the Database.

I could keep only optimized sizes on my iPhone or iPad.

I'm a bit confused by that. "Optimize" is a word we associate with using iCloud to keep smaller sized "preview" style images on a device while keeping connected to full sized files at iCloud.com. Do you mean that you have created smaller resolution images for the phone? That's the same idea as iCloud's "Optimize," but without the ability to zoom in or edit.

I just want to keep the originals on my iMac.

That's what I do. I use iCloud, and I have "Download Originals" on my Mac, and I have "Optimize Storage" on my phone. I always see exactly the same pictures on both devices, and when I edit a picture on my Mac, the change immediately (more or less) shows up on the phone. For my use, then, the Master copies are kept on my Mac, mirrored to iCloud.com, and all other devices have virtual copies. Duplicates rarely happen.

While I think of it, perhaps you can help with this other problem. … The problem is that photos with either of these designation on them may be the same as one without either. Which is the best version to keep?

While I agree with Yer_Man that the size of the file is a good indicator, it can be misleading. It may be better to say the Picture size matters, where the size is measured in pixels, like 7230 × 4067 is better than 3615 x 2034 even if the sizes are the same. Picture files are compressed, sort of squishing out empty spaces, so it's possible for a better picture to be smaller. But that's relatively rare. I look at both the file size and the picture size (often called resolution, though it's not quite the same.)

At present I have the master library on my computer which is not shared.

I have several Photos Libraries on my Mac. Only the "Favorites" library is connected to iCloud.

Lastly. Where are iCloud shared photos actually stored? Are they centred in one location or spread across various locations?

With iCloud, everything you see is LOCAL. When I look at a picture on my Mac, I'm seeing a picture generated from the Original file and the Database, both of which are on my Mac (because I don't Optimize the Mac.) When I look at a picture on my Optimized iPhone, the picture is a preview size stored locally on the phone. If I want to zoom in, edit, or print the picture, the full sized file is retrieved from iCloud so that it is now local a the phone.

The Original files are at iCloud.com and on any device with "Download Originals" chosen. Some Originals are also local to some optimized devices.

How are you doing?

LynnQ wrote:

...

While I think of it, perhaps you can help with this other problem. As many of my photos pre-date the modern Photos and were uploaded into iPhoto (where they still reside in Photos) I see old photos with the designation of iPhoto Original and also Photo Stream on one version of a photo. Sometimes only iPhoto Original displays, other times only Photo Stream appears. Are you familiar with these old iPhoto terms? The problem is that photos with either of these designation on them may be the same as one without either. Which is the best version to keep?

Syncing with My Photo Stream has been like herding cats. There have been two big problems - not all photos and may have been synced, because there has been only a small buffer with 1000 photos for 30 days only, and there may have been a loss of resolution.

• My Photo stream has presented all new items in cache in iCloud for up to 30 days, but at most thousand items. If we took more than 1000 photos or did not connect our devices, while the new photos have been in My Photo steam, not all items may have become synced.
• The more severe problem - loss of resolution. Photo stream has been unsymmetrical when downloading to devices. It has uploaded all photos in the original resolution, but downloaded them on the mobile devices in a reduced resolution. The photos downloaded to your iPhone or iPad might have been reduced to 2048 pixels at the longest edge. When we then use the iPad to edit the downloaded, downsized photos. My photo stream would sync the edited versions back to the Mac, tagged with the keyword "Photo Stream" and at the smaller resolution. When you find duplicates, one tagged with "Photo Stream" and on tagged with "iPhoto Original", compare the resolution of the photos. The Photo Stream version may be a version synced back from a mobile device with a lesser resolution in width and height. In that case keep the iPhoto original, if it has a better resolution. I am still coming across duplicates of a laser resolution, that Photo Stream synced back to the Mac from my iPad, tagged with the keyword "Photo Stream".

Plus,My Photo stream did not sync the videos at all, only the photos. So we had to remember to sync all videos manually between our devices.

LynnQ wrote: … The only issue I see is that if I have a separate family photos album and those are not stored in the system library then I cannot show them to family members that I visit unless I had them stored somewhere else like on a portable drive/USB stick in a separate photos library. That is an option.

Of course I have the best of both family's pictures in my Favorites Library. It has 18000 pictures. You can also move sets of pictures, albums, into the "Favorites" Library for temporary use. I did that so that I could ask family members, "who is this guy?" Then just pick the favorites and move the others out. Those of us who have multiple Libraries use the trusted 3rd party app PowerPhotos ($35) to more conveniently move albums in and out and between Libraries. PowerPhotos is handy for lots of things.

And, by the way, I do carry a small, 1 ounce 4TB SSD with my MacBook so I have access to all that stuff, and so I can do Time Machine backups.

You say that iCloud also utilizes third party storage servers like Amazon and Google?

Well, I read it on Google. It makes sense, though.

…that a person with an iCloud account in, say, UK, would have their data spread possibly all over the globe?

Thankfully, yes. Imagine if the people in San Antonio had all their data stored in servers located in nearby Kerr County, and the floods last month washed all the storage down the Guadalupe River. Or what would the people in San Francisco do if that earthquake last week had really generated a tsunami that wiped out servers in Northern California? Do we really want all our stuff stored in one place? The data are stored in multiple places for security.

Next is back to my library to start sorting some items out. You have included a few ideas that I will likely pursue as well. Many thanks once again!

Lynn

I'm going through pictures of a Horse show from last weekend, trying to figure out which to keep. Happy Trails…