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User profile for user: fromabilene
fromabilene Author
User level: Level 1
10 points

Migrating from iPhoto to Photos on Catalina

I have ~3000 pictures on iPhoto and find myself compelled to migrate to Photos on the the new OS.


1) How?


2) I have an iPhone and an iCloud account (and everything is on an external back-up if that helps). I use iCloud to manually transfer a few pictures at a time over to my laptop. However, I visited this issue a couple years ago and do NOT want to have my library hosted on iCloud, due to the cost of storage and having plenty of room on my HD.


I gather Photos is really a syncing device embedded in the OS, designed as a way to force the user to use iCloud with the attendant need to buy the needed storage.


3) Correct me if I'm wrong, and if possible let me know how to configure my hardware after the migration so as to avoid the storage issue.


Hope you can clarify and help.



Posted on Oct 8, 2019 1:00 PM

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User profile for user: Keith Barkley
Keith Barkley
User level: Level 6
19,814 points

Oct 8, 2019 1:05 PM in response to fromabilene

"I gather Photos is really a syncing device embedded in the OS, designed

as a way to force the user to use iCloud with the attendant need to buy

the needed storage. "


You gather incorrectly. I use Photos with absolutely no iCloud integration and it works just fine.


To start using Photos just hold down the option key when you start Photos and it pops up a dialog to allow you to select your iPhoto Library. It will then create a new Photos library with your iPhoto media, but leave the iPhoto library intact.

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User profile for user: fromabilene
fromabilene Author
User level: Level 1
10 points

Oct 8, 2019 1:30 PM in response to fromabilene

OK......just watching a bar slowly progress.....


With 3000 pictures it isn't going to be quick but it does promise to be painless.


Are there any other adjustments or caveats once the migration is done, which I gather is all automatic?


When I looked at this issue before it seemed like the Photos interface had about the same functionality as iPhoto and was pretty straightforward. I just have the one library and had nothing special set up in iPhoto.

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User profile for user: fromabilene
fromabilene Author
User level: Level 1
10 points

Oct 8, 2019 3:46 PM in response to Keith Barkley

I just posted a new thread.


After the apparent successful migration, I closed the app and when I went back none of my pictures were in photos.


There were "events" and within those events, icons, but no pictures.


As I said, I reposted this with more details in this same category, but I'm guessing maybe I needed to stand-by while the pictures were fully absorbed, organized & etc?

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Migrating from iPhoto to Photos on Catalina

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