Help!!! I need an easy to use photo organization and editing solution!

[mcasan]

Just remember that Photos is designed to be a managed library app where all the master images, edits, and other info are inside a database package/folder. Compare that to a referenced library app where the master images are in standard file system folders that can be on one or more drives/volumes. Know the differences before you commit to either approach. Especially for a managed library sitting on your internal boot drive, what will you do if the managed library has grown to no longer fit on the boot drive?

 

[DynaSport]

There are quite a few good video tutorials out there too... When I started with Aperture (about a month before Apple canned it) I purchased a course from Joseph (PhotoJoseph). It was pretty well laid out. He has a laid back approach but covers everything.

When I was looking at whether to go with Photos or LR or... I looked to him (among others) again and bought his Photos for OSX course and again found it very easy to follow. He does updates when new versions come out and through his membership you have access to other products he reviews like Affinity Photo, the MacPhun set, Aurora HDR etc. There is a reasonably active User Forum with threads set up for 15-20 different programs including Photos for OSX. Not sure if you can access the forums outside of Membership but here is a link to try out. (Disclosure: I have nothing to do with not nothing to gain from any of these recommendations to PhotoAppsExpert etc... just sayin!)

Here is a link to Joseph's Photos for OSX offering. From there you can explore the rest of his site to see if its something you'd like to get involved with. He has some Live Training offerings that are free and that would give you an idea of his presentation style.

There are a number of users here at mu-43.com that use Apple Photos so if you have questions just ask away!

Thanks!

 

[DynaSport]

Just remember that Photos is designed to be a managed library app where all the master images, edits, and other info are inside a database package/folder. Compare that to a referenced library app where the master images are in standard file system folders that can be on one or more drives/volumes. Know the differences before you commit to either approach. Especially for a managed library sitting on your internal boot drive, what will you do if the managed library has grown to no longer fit on the boot drive?

I have already passed that point. I have the library on a dedicated external drive and I back it up to another external drive. The backups are the only thing that saved me in this process.

 

[Aristophanes]

I have already passed that point. I have the library on a dedicated external drive and I back it up to another external drive. The backups are the only thing that saved me in this process.

I had a sub-Library using Apple Photos doing the same, and this Library was backed unto iCloud.

Also had my "main" library in Aperture (I was a beta tester for Aperture).

Story is, my Photos library failed due to a massive hard drive failure. 22,000 images and videos using a LOT of space.

Before I tried a recovery using the backup hard drive, I had an Apple Engineer monitor me trying to do a full recovery using the iCloud sync.

3 days later, it worked perfectly. It just worked.

As well, I could check the integrity of the iCloud total Library from a web browser.

So I highly recommend an online, offsite backup.

 

[mcasan]

Someone might like to try a beta of ACDSee's Photo Studio for Mac ACD Systems - Photo Editing Management Software

 

[PakkyT]

Just remember that Photos is designed to be a managed library app where all the master images, edits, and other info are inside a database package/folder. Compare that to a referenced library app where the master images are in standard file system folders that can be on one or more drives/volumes.

Which is no different that iPhoto.

 

[mcasan]

Which is no different that iPhoto.

or Aperture default. When it comes to managed vs referenced....know before you go.

 

[coast2coaster]

If you were happy with iPhoto and PSE then there is an App called 'Open-In' which is an extension to Photos that allows you to open a photo in your chosen external editor such as PSE, edit it then save it directly back into your Photos library. When Apple first launched Photos this could only be done by exporting the file, opening in PSE, saving then re-importing which was a real pain.

 

[pondball]

For anyone unfamiliar with Photos Extensions, MacWorld UK ran a decent article this summer that explains how to set them up. They also had a review of what they feel are some of the best Photos Extensions available... many of which have been spoken of here already.

As you can see below I've populated my own Photos app with some of these very extensions. I am using LR more and more and am only really using Photos now if shooting jpgs (rarely) but moreso as a repository for some of the edited photos I want to share with family and friends.

To get to the extensions you simply click on the circle with the 3 dots ... inside. It will bring up whatever extensions you have available and that you have allowed to be accessed by Photos itself. Really quite easy and it takes Photos well beyond a toy editor. RAW Power btw is written by Gentlemen Coders and it is headed up by the same guy who had a lot to do with the success of Aperture... before Apple pulled the plug.

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[DynaSport]

I have decided to give Photos a try, since I already have it and have now successfully ported my iPhoto library to Photos. To help learn the program I bought this book. If I find I just don't like it, I'll revisit this decision again.

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[pondball]

Keep in mind @DynaSport that no one program will do everything you will want it to do. Thus the plethora of extensions and plugins available for all the other options... like LR, ON1 etc... As long as you are consistent with the file method you use with the program you choose you will be able to modify your files as you like. All of these options have modifiers (ie Photos Extensions) that make them more powerful than they appear to be at first glance.

I probably mentioned this before but my brother-in-law was a huge Aperture user/fan... and was disappointed when it was abandoned. He immediately switched to Photos when it came out (much to my surprise) but since the advent of the Extensions feature he is equally as comfortable with Photos as he was with Aperture. It simply does everything he needs it to do with respect to file management. I might add he also edits a lot of his photos using Affinity Photo both as a stand alone and as a Photos Extension... to great effect and with relative ease!

 

[CiaranCReilly]

I'm thinking of switching from Lightroom to Photos on the basis of the new features, although I haven't yet upgraded to High Sierra as I'm generally a slow upgrader as I use my Mac for work and fear issues during upgrades. How are people getting on with the new Photos app in High Sierra, is it as big an improvement as promised?

 

[Aristophanes]

The new Photos has much better editing features. The main missing ingredients are still organizational, like more varied ratings and easier keywording.

 

[DynaSport]

I have ported over my photos to Photos and am giving it a try. It’s not perfect, but I don’t tend to do a lot of editing to my photos anyway. It’s working ok for me so far and I love how seamlessly my devices work together. I can download the photos to my laptop and they show up on my phone. Not a new thing I know, but it is working much better for me under photos than it was under my old iPhoto. I am also, as time permits, archiving my photos onto another hard drive. So, I have them in the Photos database, on iCloud, and on a second hard drive. It’s working for me so far. I am paying $10 a month for iCloud storage though, because I have so much stored there. But I am ok with that.

 

[CiaranCReilly]

I'm doing a lot less editing of photos than I used to years ago, therefore I think Photos may be enough for me now. I'm excited to try out syncing between devices, as I've never done that before.

I am paying $10 a month for iCloud storage though, because I have so much stored there. But I am ok with that.

It's certainly competitive with Adobe's Lightroom CC offering, and I'd be happier giving my money to Apple than Adobe.