I have used Photos for a few years and somehow have just discovered that I had an album 2. I clicked on it to see what was in it - much the same but with some useful photos missing. I cannot work out how to get back to album 1 and continue as usual. Any ideas?
iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.15
By album do you mean "library". To change libraries launch Photos with the Option key held down and in the Open window select the library you'd like.
If you want to merge the older library into your newer one you can use the paid versions of PowerPhotos to do the merging and you'll get the original and the edited versions along with the metadata, albums, faces, etc. The only item you won't get are projects. This Help page from the developer describes how: Merging libraries
By album do you mean "library". To change libraries launch Photos with the Option key held down and in the Open window select the library you'd like.
If you want to merge the older library into your newer one you can use the paid versions of PowerPhotos to do the merging and you'll get the original and the edited versions along with the metadata, albums, faces, etc. The only item you won't get are projects. This Help page from the developer describes how: Merging libraries
Don't be confused by the images in Old Toad's post, which displays on one page a number steps.
Your Pictures folder should be in the left sidebar of a Finder window like this:
Click on that so it is highlighted as in the image and the contents of that folder will be shown in the main area of the window on the right. From your earlier posts, I would expect that folder to contain your Library 2 and probably nothing else. (Old Toad's contains many Libraries.)
Stephen
OK, it's possible that your sidebar is not showing. To show it, go to a Finder window, click the menu item 'View' then 'Show Sidebar' about halfway down the menu.
If that doesn't work, take a screen image of your Finder window: press Shift+Cmd+5 at the same time and you'll get a display that allows you to select an area of the screen or a window (see the options buttons at the bottom of that screen) then press 'Capture' or just click in the window if you choose 'Capture Selected Window'. That will save the screen image to the desktop, then insert it in your comment using the "mountain" icon in the tool bar below the text area. This will help us to see what's going on.
Stephen
Thanks, OT. I had no idea I could do this. But did as instructed and was met with just one 'Library' (thanks for correcting me, must get our terminology correct.) When I opened the window it simply showed one library, library 2!
Somehow I think I've lost my original library and don't know how. I was browsing the Photos library when it showed 'library 2,') and don't recall making one so I selected it and got a message (I paraphrase,) 'This is the first time you have gone to this library are you sure you want to do it?' So I thought, why not? It would be simple to click back to library 1 but I was wrong.
Thanks OT. (Wind In The Willows fan?) I tried your system and had trouble finding the Pictures file but when I did find it there was no resemblance to what you have provided. I clicked on 'Photos 2 as that's the only Library I can find now, but nothing came up with a choice of selections. I have tried this many times in spite of various and lengthy interruptions (who said retired life was going to be easy,) and have just come to the conclusion that I will live with what I have. There are 17 blank spaces around 2019 but for the remainder all the photos look to be in place. The blanks may have been items that I have scanned from a book - who knows? I've learned a lesson now - don't press buttons if you don't know what they mean! With photos of Yosemite I gather you are in the US. I'm in Australia. Very kind of you to offer help to someone who is not very computer aware. Cheers!
I cannot find anything like your illustration on my Finder window. Below if after clicking is (in descending order,) Apple, Disney, EPSN, Yahoo, untitled folder, apple (again,) Google maps, Wikipedia, YouTube. Have no idea what EPSN is, never bother with Disney or any of the others for that matter.
I've come across Pictures when looking for a place to put stacked images in (astro photography,) but when looked in the folder there were very few pictures from the library.
I do have a separate hard drive for Time Machine and also another one that I use by USB mainly to keep my photos safe - another step. I plug that in every 10 days or so when prompted.
Bert
Sorry about the delay but I got called away after finding Pictures in part of drop down folder that had another drop down folder but now I can't remember where I saw it and have been too long looking for it. Now have it using your instructions but the Library 1 is not showing so I cannot access Time Machine. The last I can see of the old library are 2017 and 2018. I have a lot of work to do on a PC laptop that I have been loaned full of astrophotography software to learn to use and I think I will spend my time, patience and stress working on that. The second library is working OK and I will stay with that for the future
All I can say is that I am truly grateful for your support but its now time for me to concentrate on other things that are pressing
Thank you very much. Bert.
Do you have a backup strategy in place, like Time Machine? If so go to where you kept the original library, enter Time Machine, go back in time to the most recent backup of the library (1) you're missing and restore it.
This is a schmatic of how it's done:
found I had a second photo album and clicked to see it but some photos are missing from album 1 but I cannot work out how to get out of album 2 and return to album 1
