Photos - iPhone - iCloud

[Chaver4u]

When I wanted to forward pics from Photos, I got attached several times 'Missing File - Find original'. Not all the time. Well, I don't know where to look or find them. I would have though if you load pics to Photos, they will be in Photos and its database. But apparently not. Most are, many are not.

I checked the internet for advice and asked in a local Mac forum.
The advice was to have all photos uploaded to iCloud and set it in settings of Photos
Yes, now all pics appear in iCloud too, but I still cannot forward pics (find original), so no change.
What did change is that all my pics in iCloud and Photos now appear on my iPhone too, all 12,000 + of them, taking up 75% of my iPhone memory.

I thought to delete these from my iPhone....I don't need to carry these around, and what is the use of iCloud otherwise anyway? I thought to be able to access uploaded pics whenever and wherever I want. But no, they stuff my iPhone too.
I thought about deleting them on my iPhone (it is my phone, not my photo album), which you can't do in one go: you have to delete them one by one.
Fortunately, before I started doing that, I read the warning NOT to do this, because that would result in having ALL my pics deleted everywhere: in iCloud and in Photos on my Mac.

I wonder if there is any solution.
Maybe download all my pictures on an external SDD, disconnect, and delete my pics on iCloud and NEVER AGAIN upload my pics to iCloud and overload my iPhone?
Advisable?

Thanks
Robert

 

[IWT]

Just as a starter; in Photos app > Preferences > General you should have the box against "Importing" - Copy items to the Photos library - Ticked.

Next up: would you mind telling us the settings you have on your iPhone - Settings > Photos

For example - if appropriate -

Mention iCloud Photos On/Off

My Photo stream On/Off

Under Transfer to Mac - Automatic or Keep Originals

As you'll appreciate, it's a bit difficult to advise on specifics without knowing the details of your setup on the iPhone and the Mac.

Sorry to be a nuisance.

Ian

 

[Chaver4u]

Hi Ian,

Not a nuisance at all. I appreciate your fast reaction.

I don't understand where to find what you ask. In Photos I assume? Attached the settings in Photos.

I also attached the settings on my iPhone.

I couldn't find any settings in iCloud Photos

This helps?

Robert

 

[IWT]

Slowly, I'm beginning to understand.

On your iPhone you have "iCloud Photos" turned ON - which, as you've found out, means that ALL the pictures on your Mac will appear on your iPhone.

It also means - add a picture to iPhone or Mac and that picture will appear on both. Same with Deletion; delete a pic on one and it's deleted on both. AND it does take up a lot of space on your iPhone.

However, I note that you have "Optimise iPhone Storage" checked which will help in a way because as you take up more & more space on the iPhone, full resolution pics will be replaced on the iPhone be smaller resolution ones.

While we are on this subject, have you paid Apple for extra storage space above the scanty free 5GB that Apple offers? I ask because you must be near or beyond the 5GB limit.

Whilst all that I've said is relevant/important, it does not address your principal problem - how to send pics from the Photos app - I presume you mean from the Mac - or did you mean from the iPhone or both?

The Mac is the easier way. I imagine that this is what you do:

Open Photos app. Click on the pic or pics you want to send. Now, look at the menu bar and you will see a square box with an arrow sticking out of it. Click on it:



This gives you a number of choices. I expect that email would be your choice?? But you could choose any of the others. Whichever you click on, it will open up the appropriate app with the pic(s) you chose embedded therein.

Supposing I stop here and ask you to chip in with your thoughts, comments, plans etc?

Ian

 

[Chaver4u]

Thanks again Ian,

I have two issues which are not resolved with your suggestion or other suggestions in forums.

1. I want to forward (or drag to my desktop) pics from Photos. That doesn't work all the time because it cannot find the original. I know how that works. I have been doing that for years, but that 'cannot find original' issue started to encounter only a few months ago.

2. I don't want any pictures on my iPhone except the 1-2 dozen most recent of my grandkids. They are now somewhere amongst the 12,000 on my iPhone which I do not want at all, whether small or large. It;' impossible to scroll through them all to find what I want.

So my suggestion to download them all to an external SDD and then discontinue syncing between my iPhone and Mac via iCloud and delete all pics on my iPhone and Mac. I can then go to my pics on my external SDD. Will that do the trick?

I have enough storage on iCloud. That's not an issue. I want those thousands of pics off my iPhone.

Robert

 

[IWT]

So my suggestion to download them all to an external SDD and then discontinue syncing between my iPhone and Mac via iCloud and delete all pics on my iPhone and Mac. I can then go to my pics on my external SDD. Will that do the trick?

Yes, it should settle things. Just make certain that all your pics are on the External; then close the setting on your iPhone - Settings > Photos > Turn Off "iCloud Photos".

BTW, I found a good way of getting rid of the pics on your iPhone. In the past, I had to scroll through all the pics which takes ages & ages.

Here's a shortcut: Attach your iPhone to your Mac by USB cable. Then, on your Mac, open Image Capture (found in Applications). Your iPhone will show up on the left side & your photos on the right. Click on ONE pic to highlight it. Then use Command + A to include every pic.

Now RIGHT Click on any pic, and from the dropdown, choose "Delete All" - or it might say "Delete 12,000 items".

It takes time but, by jove, it's better than doing this manually!!

Need any further help? Let us know. I'll do my best.

Ian

 

[pm-r]

Here's a shortcut: Attach your iPhone to your Mac by USB cable.

@ian
What a great time-saving shortcut you discovered Ian. I'm sure others who can use it will certainly appreciate it.



- Patrick
=======

 

[Chaver4u]

Yes, it should settle things. Just make certain that all your pics are on the External; then close the setting on your iPhone - Settings > Photos > Turn Off "iCloud Photos".

BTW, I found a good way of getting rid of the pics on your iPhone. In the past, I had to scroll through all the pics which takes ages & ages.

Here's a shortcut: Attach your iPhone to your Mac by USB cable. Then, on your Mac, open Image Capture (found in Applications). Your iPhone will show up on the left side & your photos on the right. Click on ONE pic to highlight it. Then use Command + A to include every pic.

Now RIGHT Click on any pic, and from the dropdown, choose "Delete All" - or it might say "Delete 12,000 items".

It takes time but, by jove, it's better than doing this manually!!

Need any further help? Let us know. I'll do my best.

Ian

Hi Ian,
I downloaded Photos Library New2.photoslibrary to my external SDD.
I switched off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on both my iPhone and Mac.
I unchecked iCloud Photos.
I noticed now the attached on my iPhone, so I assume I don't have to remove the pics on my iPhone using Image Capture.
I am ready to remove the pics from my iPhone.....but I am waiting in case you have something else or new.
I assume nothing can go wrong.
Thanks for your help
Robert

 

[IWT]

Hi Robert.

Well that looks pretty clear to me. I think that because you were using Optimise Phone storage as well - or maybe not - you are being given the opportunity to download a copy of your library to the iPhone; which you don't want (I presume!!) OR - "Remove from iPhone".

So choose the Remove option. You said:

I assume nothing can go wrong.

Ah brother............... but really, the Remove option is invited and seems very straightforward. Go for it.

What does occur to me, however, is that you will almost certainly have to switch On WiFi and Bluetooth on the iPhone in order for the process of removal to be undertaken. How else could the process occur?

You may also find that not all the pics/videos will be removed as it says "Photos & videos that have been optimised to save space will be removed from this iPhone".

So select "Remove" - see if they all go. If ALL. That's it. If some are left (probably not but can't be sure), then you may need to delete them yourself via Image Capture as above.

Do post back, please. Your scenario is bound to happen to somebody else in time and your response will help them.

Ian

 

[Chaver4u]

Hi Robert.

Well that looks pretty clear to me. I think that because you were using Optimise Phone storage as well - or maybe not - you are being given the opportunity to download a copy of your library to the iPhone; which you don't want (I presume!!) OR - "Remove from iPhone".

So choose the Remove option. You said:


Ah brother............... but really, the Remove option is invited and seems very straightforward. Go for it.

What does occur to me, however, is that you will almost certainly have to switch On WiFi and Bluetooth on the iPhone in order for the process of removal to be undertaken. How else could the process occur?

You may also find that not all the pics/videos will be removed as it says "Photos & videos that have been optimised to save space will be removed from this iPhone".

So select "Remove" - see if they all go. If ALL. That's it. If some are left (probably not but can't be sure), then you may need to delete them yourself via Image Capture as above.

Do post back, please. Your scenario is bound to happen to somebody else in time and your response will help them.

Ian

Hi Ian,
I didn't get to it yet because of travels, but I will soon.
Robert