Mac Photos Why Can't I Drag?

[kathmat]

As usual I am probably in the wrong area - sigh... However, fortunately I am still able to use iPhoto, because Photos drives me bonkers. Why (or is it just me) is it not possible to just drag images into Photoshop or onto the desktop? It is so inconvenient having to either email them or message them to myself. I have spoken to three other people who also use Photos and apparently they find it just as frustrating. Is there a way to do this that we are missing? I can copy and paste the image, but sometimes I just want to drag it to my desktop. UGH.

 

[pine man]

I'm not sure what you are doing - sigh - but I just opened Photos, clicked on a photo and dragged and dropped it onto my desktop.

What exactly are you and the other three people actually doing?

 

[kathmat]

Exactly what you are saying. Trying to drag the image onto the desktop. I know they came up with a new version recently which I have not had the time to update. Currently using version 2.0 (Pause while I check ) Oh Lordy me... you know what - either you are a wizard and working magic from afar all the way from West Sussex to me and my darling iMac here in Miami, but I'll be darned if I did not go back into photos and try to drag the thing again and IT WORKED! Whaaaat!!!! Been doing that for the past two years and grinding my teeth at its non-compliance. It still won't drag into Photoshop directly, but at least I won't have to email it to myself, or message it or copy and paste. Ta ever so much for the magic pine man. May the force be with you.

 

[pine man]

It really is a very great pleasure.

 

[Slydude]

I don't know if this will be any faster for you but it should work> Works with Preview so it should work with Photoshop.

1. Launch Photos and click on the photo you want to work with.
2. Choose Copy from the Edit menu (Command+C)
3. Open a blank document in Photoshop and choose Paste (Command +V)

 

[Sawday]

Exactly what you are saying. Trying to drag the image onto the desktop. I know they came up with a new version recently which I have not had the time to update. Currently using version 2.0 (Pause while I check ) Oh Lordy me... you know what - either you are a wizard and working magic from afar all the way from West Sussex to me and my darling iMac here in Miami, but I'll be darned if I did not go back into photos and try to drag the thing again and IT WORKED! Whaaaat!!!! Been doing that for the past two years and grinding my teeth at its non-compliance. It still won't drag into Photoshop directly, but at least I won't have to email it to myself, or message it or copy and paste. Ta ever so much for the magic pine man. May the force be with you.

In iPhoto once set up you could right click on an image and select to open up in an external editor like Photoshop. In Photos Apple have removed this option and now you have to download the "Open In - External editor support for Photos.app" from the App store then in Photos edit select Extensions, then 'Open In' the select your editor from the list. No idea why Apple thought it was clever to get rid of the simple right click option to achieve the same thing.

 

[kathmat]

Thanks Slydude. I actually make my meagre living as a digital artist and 3D render artist for an Event Design and production company, and work almost exclusively with PS, SketchUp and Illustrator. Most of the time I am using stock images unless it is something I have had to create from scratch, so the copying into PS is mostly for private stuff. I am so used to just dragging images into PS though and usually on such tight deadlines, that having to go back and clean up my desktop with all those copied images is just another step that could be eliminated if I could just go straight from Photos to PS. Still - it is what it is. Attached a recent project using SketchUp and Photoshop. Love my job! But could strangle the indecisive clients sometimes - lol. Have a great weekend.

 

[Slydude]

That's some beautiful work there.

This Apple article explains how to see the external editors that are both on your system and capable of working as external editors with Photos. I can't test it since I no longer have Photoshop installed. If it doesn't work you may find this helpful. I haven't used it personally but it looks promising.

 

[kathmat]

Thank you. Remember those indecisive clients I was talking about? One of them breathing down my neck. No such thing as weekends in this business. I will absolutely read the article this afternoon over my cup of tea (originally a Brit) and always, always happy and eager to learn something new. Thanks Slydude! Check out the bosses website when you have the time. He does some amazing work. I might be biased though since he is my nephew. ;D www.designsbysean.com

 

[ferrarr]

Have you tried dragging the image onto the Photoshop icon in the dock?

 

[kathmat]

That's pretty much the way I import everything into Photoshop unless I am opening a file from within the application or directly from finder. Photos just isn't 100% perfect that's about all there is to it. I do have to update to High Sierra though and don't know if the "complaints" they have received from designers might have corrected any of the missing features.

I don't plan on doing that for a while though, as I and based on the complaints I saw online, thousands of people went through **** when Mac went to Mavericks. I was suicidal, as this is my busiest time of the year with renders and artwork all due for the upcoming holiday season. Clients and printers nipping at your heels, and I can't be messing around with a new OS that might still have bugs, so I usually wait a couple of months until the jury verdict is in. In the meantime... it's not a life or death situation that I can't drag my images into PS, I'll just continue with C+P as I have been doing when needs be.

 

[Slydude]

Wow. That is some amazing work indeed. Certainly worth more than my peanuts, pretzels and soda budget usually allows for celebratory events. lol.

I think your plan to wait a bit before installing High Sierra is a good one. I'm usually one of the first people to jump on a new OS but I'm not installing it on a mission critical production machine.

I've been running the various public betas but I can't make the switch yet because the new file system isn't supported yet on fusion drives. Too bad too. If my initial rudimentary speed tests are any indication file copy/transfer operations are significantly faster with the new file system (APFS) than with the existing one (HFS+).

 

[kathmat]

Well I am going to keep monitoring the various forums for feedback. I have not actually spoken with anyone who has been running the public beta, but my head has been so deep in the sand recently that I was not even aware to be honest that there was a new OS until I looked at the last Keynote Address. I have not had any problems with Sierra and none that I can remember with Yosemite, but those months of agony with Mavericks formed some major scar tissue that I can't ignore.

Re the website. LOL - Tell me about it. He does a lot of $M weddings where the budget for the decor alone - no food, no drink, no venue fee, has run as high as $200,000 and I kid you not. But you know what... I am happy in my cosy little house with my favourite TV shows and my Saturday night pizza. Love to do the artwork, but at the end of the day just give me my jammies and my TV - thanks.

 

[pm-r]

I can copy and paste the image, but sometimes I just want to drag it to my desktop. UGH.

So why not just do that and forget the drag and drop?

And no, I haven't read all the posts in case that was already mentioned.




- Patrick
======

 

[fbx89]

Well I am going to keep monitoring the various forums for feedback. I have not actually spoken with anyone who has been running the public beta, but my head has been so deep in the sand

Just tried this in Photos 3.0 and Photoshop CC and worked a charm.

1. Open picture in Photos
2. Right click on photo
3. Select EDIT WITH
4. Select OTHER (brings up yr Applications folder)
5. Select ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

At this point I have the photo in Photoshop ready for editing.

Hope it works for you, too.

 

[Slydude]

Thanks for confirming that for us. I think you are using the procedure outlined in the Apple article I linked to (see post #8). I wasn't able to test it because I no longer have Photoshop installed.