We have an iMac (see attached image for details) and editing in the Photos programme has become very slow. This particularly applies to retouching. Although the system software is registered as up-to-date, the operating Photo version is 8—so could this be the problem?
Is there any way to upgrade the Photo programme without buying a new Mac??
Any advice would be appreciated.
[Edited by Moderator]
The Photos.app is installed as a part of the system, so you would need to upgrade the system to install a more recent version of Photos.
What kind of photos are you trying to adjust and retouch? Are they huge RAW files, or moderately sized JPEGs?
If the image files are large, there may be a problem with the memory with only 8GB. You may want to close all other apps, when working with Photos to free memory. You may also want to look at the Activity Viewer, when Photos is getting slow and check if there is any problem with the Memory or CPU usage. You will find the Activity Viewer in the folder Programs > Utilities.
The Photos.app is installed as a part of the system, so you would need to upgrade the system to install a more recent version of Photos.
What kind of photos are you trying to adjust and retouch? Are they huge RAW files, or moderately sized JPEGs?
If the image files are large, there may be a problem with the memory with only 8GB. You may want to close all other apps, when working with Photos to free memory. You may also want to look at the Activity Viewer, when Photos is getting slow and check if there is any problem with the Memory or CPU usage. You will find the Activity Viewer in the folder Programs > Utilities.
How much free storage do you have? Apple recommends 10% free, and less causes all sorts of problems. I saw really crazy things with 130 GB free on a 1 TB MacAir, and they cleared up when I transferred a bunch of stuff to an external drive. So, in my experience, even less than 15% free is problematic.
If your storage is OK, then try these things:
Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support
Rebuild your Photos Library--close Photos and re-launch by option-command-clicking the app icon. If you're using iCloud Photos, this could cause Photos to start an hours-long re-sync with iCloud.
The idea is to find out if the problem is maybe with the Library, with your account, or with caches and login items, and stuff like that. One of these steps may fix the problem, but their failure to work also helps figure out what's happening. But, frankly, if the free storage is low, then nothing much will help.
Let us know what happens…
Thanks for your response. The photos are JPEGs and not too huge; maybe 4 to 8MB. Yesterday, we had a lot of problems when editing , which is why I posted the question .... But this morning, when we tested it, Photos was working pretty well. So, we'll have to watch and see whether the slowing down recurs. If it does, we'll take your advice and check the Activity Viewer.
Thanks for your response. The photos are JPEGs and not too huge; maybe 4 to 8MB. Yesterday, we had a lot of problems when editing , which is why I posted the question .... But this morning, when we tested it, Photos was working pretty well. So, we'll have to watch and see whether the slowing down recurs. If it does, we'll take your advice and check the Activity Viewer.
Thanks for your response. The photos are JPEGs and not too huge; maybe 4 to 8MB. Yesterday, we had a lot of problems when editing , which is why I posted the question .... But this morning, when we tested it, Photos was working pretty well. So, we'll have to watch and see whether the slowing down recurs. If it does, we'll take your advice and check the Activity Viewer. Storage doesn't seem to be an issue: overall space - 1TB, used 133.25GB.
MinnieMinno wrote:We have re-started in Safe Mode and will see if the problem returns. If it does, we'll set up a new user account.
Be sure to go back to normal mode-- Safe mode if good for testing and "being safe," but it also prevents some processes that we may want, so we use it temporarily.
Have you installed and run any "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus or VPN apps on your Mac?
Thanks for your advice. We have re-started in Safe Mode and will see if the problem returns. If it does, we'll set up a new user account.
No 'cleaning' or other dubious programmes on the Mac, and no VPN. Thanks for replying.
You're welcome, Minnie. Good Luck.
Sometimes Photos is just slow after a system upgrade, when it has to scan the library again.
Photos Programme Editing and Retouching Running Very Slowly
