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Catalina Photos Problems

Since updating to macOS Catalina, I've had major problems with my Photos app. Up until now, when opening it, it automatically displays all the photos I've got stored in the Cloud (the same photos I can see on my iPhone). However, I got an error message saying it couldn't find the System Photo Library. I was then given an option to either select a Photo Library, find one or create a new one. As it couldn't find a library, I chose to create a new one. This opened Photos properly but on a blank page ready for you to import photos from anywhere. As I have thousands of other photos from through the years on a connected external hard-drive, I navigated to the Pictures folder on that and started importing the ones on there (which so far has been taking hours due to sheer number of photos!). However, I still can't seem to connect to my iCloud Photos.


I've tried going through the Preferences in the Photos app, but when you click on iCloud, you just get a message saying you can only do that with the System Photo Library. I've told it to use the new Photo Library as the main System Photo Library, but this still hasn't sorted it. I've even gone into the main Preferences for iCloud in MacOS (by clicking on the Apple icon), but while everything else is ticked on (mail, notes etc.), it won't let me click the Photos option on!


Please can someone help me?

MacBook Pro Retina

Posted on Oct 9, 2019 6:50 AM

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Posted on Oct 22, 2019 3:37 AM

Since getting Catalina, I have had problems importing photos from my SD card to Photos. Only one photo appears in Photos the others are just icons and are invisible. If I drag the photos from the card to the Desktop, there is a workaround but seems a bit primitive. Also, the way Photos are named seems to not work. Photo extensions are not valid on eBay even when I have renamed them as ".jpg".

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127 replies

Nov 12, 2019 4:38 AM in response to Old Toad

I do not want to revert to the old system now unless it is with a different computer. I updated the word system first. That works well enough and I installed a new Indesign, which recovered my cards. It is the external drive of my Lightroom that doesn't seem to be read by the Catalina system. The photos are there all 35,000. Just that I can't do anything with them! Thanks.

Nov 12, 2019 10:19 AM in response to Old Toad

It is formatted for Lightroom and connected and worked just fine before Catalina. Haven't changed anything else. Bought the external drive from Apple several years ago. I also have a separate external drive that did plug in to my aperture, which does not work with Catalina. But I knew that was going to happen and that is why I installed LR CC and transferred photos to that. T I have back up to Aperture system on one of my son's computers. So may take that and or LR external drive (he has that also) and try to switch everything to a PC. Mac doesn't offer much anymore. Thanks for your input.

Nov 12, 2019 3:12 PM in response to Old Toad

I recently took a online course from PCMag and used the Python 3 software, and it seems that when I am using the Python 3 ananconda, I run into problem of my printer setting (Canon laser printer LBP6030). I thought it was just the printer driver has a conflict with Catalina. As I troubleshoot, and eventually closed all Python 3 program and the printer worked normally again.


I suspect that the Python 3 has to do with my Mac Photos problem too that I discovered these few days. When I import videos or images into Photos, delete the original files and clean the trash bin, the Photos pop up a notice saying that it cannot find the original files. I thought it was a bug in the Photos, but I did the same again in closing all Python 3 program. I repeated the procedure in importing a video into Photos, delete and clean the trash bin of the original file, and this time the Photos does not give me an error when I open the video file in Photos.


Hope this will help some to identify some of the issues with the Photos, and Apple Software Engineer to look into the troubleshooting the issue.

Nov 12, 2019 4:02 PM in response to Qiquan

I did a test again of opening the same Photos Library in another account that has an issue with the importing of files, apparent the problem of not finding the original file appear again. So I deleted the older user account and setup a new user account. I opened the same Photos Library, and the issue did not appear now. I am not sure exactly what is the main problem now.


For those who might delete and clean the bin after import their photos and videos, just be aware that the issue can be popped up.

Nov 13, 2019 1:24 AM in response to BrightonChris

Further to what I have written above: I now find that if I wait long enough, my larger Photos library will open although it works more slowly than it did before I installed Catalina. However, what is happening now, is that when I upload new RAW files from my camera, a lot of them (maybe about a third) are 'greyed-out' and show no image. However, if I press 'Edit', they appear, I can edit them, but as soon as I close them again they return to being 'greyed-out' although if I press 'Edit' again, they reappear and have retained the any edits I have made. Further, if I wish to email directly out of Photos, images uploaded since installing Catalina, some of them come up with a message to tell me the files cannot be sent. Catalina has made my entire system unreliable just when I have a new client. This situation is intolerable!

Nov 13, 2019 12:06 PM in response to fhpetrone

Update: when clicking on the "people tab" it reads that the application has scanned X amount of pictures and that it will scan scanning the remainder Y amount while I'm not using the app. That X number is soooo verrrryyy slooooowly increasing. I will let it run as it is. So far it says that it has scanned 1/2 of my pictures. Will report back.

Nov 17, 2019 4:17 PM in response to Ewan Lamont

Hello Ewan and any others having trouble with importing,


Are you still having trouble importing photos? I have had great trouble importing from my SD card. Photos recognizes the card but no thumbnails appear. Same if I drag them from the card onto my desktop and I try to import that way. I'm super frustrated, so I'm hoping you found some success and can shed any light! My Photos is also still in the midst of "curating".


Thanks!



Nov 18, 2019 11:52 AM in response to mondodon

No, I am finding Photos working OK. I don't know how computers work and what is relevant but recent changes include deleting Java as recommended by Java Update and deleting Adobe Flash. I deleted out-of-date saved Passwords in Keychain. I ran Disk Utility on my photo cards and external mass storage Pluscom usb. I went through all my Apps opening them and checking their settings. I trashed all the aliases in the Dock and dragged new ones from my Apps. I went through System and Safari Preferences to make sure they were all current and what I want. I ran and installed all available updates for everything.

Out of all this, something seems to have made Photos work. It seems a lot of work but it is good "spring cleaning" anyway and does no harm.

Nov 28, 2019 11:03 AM in response to Poromies

Photo app doesn’t handle well RAW images. I had few in my library and they worked fine but new system changed all. Catalina and iOS 13 use compressed files for videos and photos. As example I had converted movie .mov 300Mb took 30min to convert to the new file system and now it takes only 150Mb. My Photo library contains few hundred movies over 300Mb. RAW images in CR2 or Tiff which I was able to process in old Aperture program. In my view Photo app is just an app and doesn’t have the power to handle library from the past. iPhone 4 and 5s pictures are not showing up after sync and some of iPhone 6s. iCloud on the other hand apparently to some users changed the files to .JPEG and problem solved.

Catalina Photos Problems

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