Exported pictures from photo app/preview on OSX

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Level 1

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Exported pictures from photo app/preview on OSX

So I just exported pictures from my iPhone to my network NAS using the preview/photo app on my Mac.

I noticed the HIEF files, but there were a couple of files in addition to the actual HIEF file. I believe an EXE? file and a mov file. I believe these files are somehow utilized together when viewing on apple hardware that’s natively stored in an apple environment because when I view the photos from the NAS box app, tweaks such as portrait effects are gone.

is there anyway to restore the features? Do I have to export them into iCloud? If so, is it simple as export all the separated files and apple does its magic to merge the files? Would it take up more iCloud space because the file has been split up?

Posted on May 6, 2019 10:07 PM

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Answer 1

léonie

Level 10

202,657 points

May 7, 2019 12:52 AM in response to 100492

Have the photos you exported been Live Photos?

A Live Photo is a pair of two items, a high resolution still image and a video clip with the animation. On a Mac you need to use the Photos.app to see the animation. Import the two photos together to Phots for the Live Photo to become animated. If you export Live Photos from Photos for Mac or import them from an iPhone with Image Capture or Preview you may get three or four files for a Live Photocalled IMG_0910.

IMG_0910.HEIC: the HEIC file contains the still frame.
IMG_0910.mov: the video component with the animation
IMG_0910.XMP: a sidecar file. if this file is present, it will contain metadata - titles, locations, keywords
IMG_0910.AAE: This file will contain adjustments, if it is present

Which version of Photos is installed on your Mac? To be able to view Live Photos in Photos or to edit them you should use Photos 3.0 on High Sierra or Photos 4.0 on Mojave.

Edit a Live Photo in Photos on Mac - Apple Support

Otherwise play the video component in QuickTime Player.

Does the system you have installed support the space saving HEIC format ? You need macOS 10.13 or newer to be able to open the HEIC and HEVC files.

See this link on how to download the files in a more compatible format: Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices - Apple Support

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Answer 2

léonie

Level 10

202,657 points

May 7, 2019 10:14 AM in response to 100492

I cannot help you with the NAS.app since I am not using it.

All I can say is that I can import a pair of IMG_0910.HEIC and IMG_0910.MOV into Photos on my Mac and the Live Photo will be animated and come to live in Photos for Mac and sync back with iCloud Photos to my iPhone as a real Live Photo. The additional sidecar files will take care of the metadata and adjustments. when you try to import a Live Photos as HEIC/MOV pair, you have to be sure that the previous version has been completely deleted from the Photos Library. If you already imported a still frame or the previous version has not been imported completely, the duplicate detection will prevent the pair of files from being imported correctly and you will only get a still frame and a video in Photos, but not the Live Photo.

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Answer 3

léonie

Level 10

202,657 points

May 7, 2019 7:29 AM in response to 100492

Yes, the same files you are seeing when you are downloading the files from your iPhone are also present in the Photos.app and necessary to save the animation and the adjustments.

Where are you planning to use the files? Not all systems can read HEIF and HEVC files.

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Answer 4

100492 Author

Level 1

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May 7, 2019 6:47 AM in response to léonie

Thanks for the reply! So the files associated with the photo are there whether it’s on apple environment or not?

its not creating additional data going from apple environment to non-apple and vice versa? Meaning a 3mb total file size stays 3mb with all the other “additional” files whether it’s in apple or non-apple environment?

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Answer 5

léonie

Level 10

202,657 points

May 7, 2019 10:16 AM in response to 100492

.

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Answer 6

100492 Author

Level 1

4 points

May 7, 2019 9:45 AM in response to léonie

I'm running out of room on my iPhone and don't want to spend $$$ on icloud. so i basically export the full picture to my Synology NAS on my network (which breaks up the photo file).

When I do go back on my NAS via my iphone through the Synology App, it does see the HEIF files and able to open them,

but the portrait features and such don't show up.

I just want to make sure at some point, if i do put the pictures from my NAS back on my MAC/Iphone/icloud, that I do get back the added features of the picture without adding anymore data via moving between apple ->NAS->apple.

I hope i make sense. I just don't want to be unnecessarily creating more data by "breaking" up the photo when exporting to my NAS box and then re-uploading to MAC/iphone/icloud.

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Exported pictures from photo app/preview on OSX

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