julia123

Q: Where are my photo's app pictures located?

I would like to back up my latest photos to an external hard drive as jpeg files.  The only pictures file I see just has a bunch of old pictures on it. I updated to OS 10.11 about a month ago from 10.6.   I just want to pick the photos I want, and drag them.    Thanks!

 

 

Also, I used export and selected a folder where they were supposed to go.  They never arrived.  I'm not sure where they went.  

 

Thanks for any help.

Posted on Apr 19, 2016 10:43 AM

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Q: Where are my photo's app pictures located?

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  • by léonie,Apple recommended

    léonie léonie Apr 19, 2016 10:50 AM in response to julia123
    Level 10 (107,827 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 19, 2016 10:50 AM in response to julia123

    Your photos are in your Photos Library.  This library is by default in your Pictures folder.

     

    To access the photos in the library and to export them launch Photos, select the images in Photos and use File > Export.

     

    If you want a backup, use File > Export. > Export unmodified ....  to save the high resolution originals.  Dragging from the window would just export the low resolution  previews of the photos.

     

    Also, I used export and selected a folder where they were supposed to go.  They never arrived.  I'm not sure where they went. 

    You should see a notification in the Notification center, when an export is complete. Click the banner with the notification and it will open the window with the exported photos.

  • by julia123,

    julia123 julia123 Apr 19, 2016 11:32 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 19, 2016 11:32 AM in response to léonie

    Thanks so much.  I just searched and the main pictures folder I assume, (with the little design on it), does not include any of my recent photos that I am seeing in the Photos app.   I  vaguely recall maybe messing with it back before I ever updated.  Is it possible the newly imported pictures are located somewhere else and  if so, how would I locate it?  I can't see file numbers to do a search.  I double checked my preferences for Photos and it says going to the Pictures folder!  This computer was migrated from an old computer so it may be a little off in it's organization as well.   

  • by Keith Barkley,

    Keith Barkley Keith Barkley Apr 19, 2016 11:47 AM in response to julia123
    Level 5 (6,407 points)
    Apr 19, 2016 11:47 AM in response to julia123

    The images are not easily visible in the Finder, They are stored in the file called Photos Library that should be in your Pictures folder? Do you see it there? Just drag that "file" to your backup and all your pictures and other information in Photos will go with it.

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Apr 19, 2016 12:03 PM in response to julia123
    Level 10 (107,827 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 19, 2016 12:03 PM in response to julia123

    Julia, in your Pictures folder you should be seeing an item with this icon:

    Screen Shot 2016-04-19 at 21.00.43GMT.jpg

    The Photos Library is a package of image files, folders, and internal databases, tat looks like a single file, as Keith Barkley described. This is what you need to back up and copy to your external drive.

  • by julia123,

    julia123 julia123 Apr 19, 2016 1:47 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 19, 2016 1:47 PM in response to léonie

    Thank you so much!  I didn't realize that was a folder.   It has a very large number of photos in it.  If I go ahead and copy that, will I ever be able to access individual photo's?  Also, when I go to back up new photo's in the future, will it try to save them all  every time?

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Apr 19, 2016 1:56 PM in response to julia123
    Level 10 (85,032 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Apr 19, 2016 1:56 PM in response to julia123

    It is not a folder - it is a package - and you do not access individual photos in it and updating it takes special software like Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper

     

    If you do not want to backup your library you can simply export the photos from Photos to a folder on the EHD - then you can easily update and access

     

    LN

  • by julia123,

    julia123 julia123 Apr 19, 2016 3:54 PM in response to LarryHN
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 19, 2016 3:54 PM in response to LarryHN

    Thanks.  For some reason I can now get it to export individual photo's to my desk top, but not the external.  Thanks for the heads up on 'package'!!

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Apr 19, 2016 11:39 PM in response to julia123
    Level 10 (107,827 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 19, 2016 11:39 PM in response to julia123
    Thanks.  For some reason I can now get it to export individual photo's to my desk top, but not the external.

    Is your external drive directly connected or a network volume?

    is the external drive formatted MacOs Extended (Journaled) or does it have a different file system?

     

    If it is a different file system, create a folder on the external drive and export into that folder, not to the top level of the drive.

  • by julia123,

    julia123 julia123 Apr 21, 2016 7:39 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 21, 2016 7:39 AM in response to léonie

    Thank you!

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Apr 21, 2016 7:49 AM in response to julia123
    Level 10 (107,827 points)
    iCloud
    Apr 21, 2016 7:49 AM in response to julia123

    You're welcome