How do I proceed organizing photos I've saved over the years?

[oxband]

#1
I keep backing up photo over the years and I want to try and organize them. A few questions:

1 - If I keep a non-bootable hard drive for media, can I keep my Photos library on there?
2 - If a photo is brought into my Photos library, does it get moved into it? Is it then saved twice on my computer?
3- On the meta level, what's the best way to try and organize everything? Move it all into the Photos library?Another app or service?

 

[IWT]

@oxband

Let Photos app do the work!

Import your pictures into Photos either by opening Photos > File > Import; or by dragging the pictures from their source and dropping them on the Photos icon in the Dock.

As regards your other questions:

To avoid duplication on your Mac; once you have confirmed that your pictures have been imported, you can either delete the originals or move them on to an EHD as a BU. This also answers Q1. Yes you can keep a BU of photos on any EHD.

As regards "metadata", Photos will arrange your pictures according to date, place, faces and so on - and create Albums of Events, Memories etc. You can add extra info very easily for any particular picture if you so wish - by clicking on the picture and the using Command + I (I as in Information). Then add what you want.

Post back if you need more help.

Ian

 

[oxband]

Does Photos know if you're putting in duplicates?

Also, can I keep a separate Photos library on an external hard drive? How does one do that?

 

[IWT]

Hello again, oxband.

Does Photos know if you're putting in duplicates?

Yes and no. Yes; if you have previously imported any of these exactly same photos into Photos, it should recognise the metadata and inform you. But I've found that this doesn't always work. So you may end up with duplicates.

However, I may have misunderstood your first post, but are you not importing to Photos for the first time? In which case, everything goes into Photos.

If, on the other hand, you are saying that - No, I've not imported these into Photos before but there are duplicates in my collection dotted around the Mac - then all your pictures will go into Photos first time, duplicates as well.

Regarding more than one Photos Library - yes you can create additional libraries (in just the same way as with iTunes that I mentioned in your other thread).

Here is a Link on how to do this: http://osxdaily.com/2015/04/13/make-new-photo-library-photos-mac-os-x/

Ian