How to prepare the Photo Libraries before upgrading to Catalina

by: léonie

Last modified: Feb 2, 2020 12:07 PM

6 1359 Last modified Feb 2, 2020 12:07 PM

Before you upgrade to Catalina, check your photo libraries, if they are ready for Catalina.

There are a few precautions you should take.

iPhoto and Aperture users:

Neither iPhoto nor Aperture will run on Catalina, because both applications are using some dynamic libraries with 32bit code. Once you upgrade to Catalina you need to use another DAM for your photos. You should pick the successor application while you are still running a system version that supports Aperture and iPhoto. The migration to another application will be much easier, while you still can view the original libraries in iPhoto or Aperture and compare them to the new Photos Library or Lightroom catalogue, or whatever you are picking as a replacement for iPhoto and Aperture. Once you have upgraded to Catalina, you can use Photos for Mac to access your photos, but this will only work for Aperture Libraries and iPhoto Libraries from iPhoto 8.x.x. or 9.x.x. Older iPhoto Libraries need to be prepared with the iPhoto Library Upgrader tool, and this is a 32-bit application and not compatible with Catalina. It is essential to prepare the iPhoto 7.1.2 or older libraries with this tool before the upgrade, or you there will be no lossless migration to Photos for Mac.

It is tempting to rely on patches (GitHub - cormiertyshawn895/Retroactive: Run Aperture, iPhoto, or iTunes on macOS Catalina.) for Aperture or iPhoto to be able to run them on Catalina, but this will give you only a faint ghost of the previous full applications, to be used in an emergency. The patched versions will not be fully functional. DO not rely on such tools.

For Photos users and if you are upgrading to Photos 5.0:

Check the media in your photo library for compatibility. Photos 5.0 does not support all video formats, that could be used with Aperture and iPhoto, and in older versions of Photos. Legacy media (image files, videos) need to be converted before the migration to Catalina, or you will not be able to play the videos or use the image file. Also, remove all audio files from your photo libraries and save them elsewhere. Use QuickTime Player to convert videos, while you are still running Mojave or an older system version. See these documents:
Make backup copies of the original image files: Photos 5.0 is breaking with a long tradition. All previous Photo Libraries (iPhoto, aperture, Photos 1 to Photos 4, have been storing original image files in the photo library package exactly as we imported them. We could open the package and recover the originals from the folders Masters or Originals, if the library got corrupted and could not be repaired. This is different with Photos 5.0 on Catalina. The original image files are still inside the package, but it is nearly impossible to recover specific files, because Photos is renaming them. Only Photos for Mac is now able to find image files by the filename. If our Photos Library gets damaged, we are now no longer able to recover the originals from the library package. Make a backup copy of all original image files, before you upgrade to Catalina and open the Photos Library in Photos 5.0 and keep them safe.
Check the location of your Photos Library for compatibility with Catalina: Photos 5.0 may not be able to upgrade your library to Photos 5.0, if the library is on a volume, that has been used for Time Machine backups or is remotely mounted, or has an incompatible file system format. Any external volume should be prepared as described here: Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support

If you previously used your photos library on a NAS, or a network share, or it has been connected to a Time Capsule, plug the volume directly into your Mac, while you upgrade the library to Photos 5.0.

After the Migration: Find your pictures or albums after you migrate a library to Photos – Apple Support