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Cannot export an edited photo or video.

Both on the phone and on an iMac, if you edit an image or video (let’s say you straighten or crop the image), then you export by dragging, exporting, copy & paste, or by selecting the image from Tapatalk (or similar) the original, un-cropped, image is exported not the modified version.


there have been several posts on this here, but no useful answers. The one comment that suggested using a different hoot editing suite misses the point that something has changed in the recent OS shift, as edited images or movies used to export in the same manner without difficulty. It’s not even possible to drag a video from Photos to IMovie without losing the edits or changes — and it should be possible to Luce edited content from one Apple program to another.


my current work around is to screenshot photos and save the screenshot, but this doesn’t work for video and loses the resolution.

iPhone 13 Pro

Posted on Jan 12, 2023 11:54 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 14, 2023 10:53 AM

Are you running a "referenced" or "managed" library?



Try the following in order as necessary:


1 - as a test launch Photos with the Option key held down and create a new, test library.  Import some photos and test to see if the same problem persists. Does it? This tells us if the problem is limited to your current library or is more wide spread.


Then close the test library, reopen your original library and test again.


2 - boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and test to see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and test again.


NOTE 1: Safe Mode boot can take up to 3 - 5 minutes as it's doing the following; 

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party kernel/extensions from loading)

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts 

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files


NOTE 2: if you have a wireless keyboard with rechargeable batteries connect it with its charging cable before booting into Safe Mode. This makes it act as a wired keyboard as will insure a successful boot into Safe Mode.




8 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 14, 2023 10:53 AM in response to shedlock2000

Are you running a "referenced" or "managed" library?



Try the following in order as necessary:


1 - as a test launch Photos with the Option key held down and create a new, test library.  Import some photos and test to see if the same problem persists. Does it? This tells us if the problem is limited to your current library or is more wide spread.


Then close the test library, reopen your original library and test again.


2 - boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and test to see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and test again.


NOTE 1: Safe Mode boot can take up to 3 - 5 minutes as it's doing the following; 

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party kernel/extensions from loading)

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts 

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files


NOTE 2: if you have a wireless keyboard with rechargeable batteries connect it with its charging cable before booting into Safe Mode. This makes it act as a wired keyboard as will insure a successful boot into Safe Mode.




Jan 13, 2023 8:57 AM in response to léonie

Since léonie is not having the same problem on mac OS13, and I don't see it on mac OS12, it doesn't seem like the problem could be the mac OS. It seems to me the first thing you should try is to make a new Library (close Photos, option-click on the Photos icon, choose Create New). and don't connect to iCloud. Then import some images and videos, edit them a bit, and then see if the same thing happens. That would let us know if this problem is system wide or just your current library.


You can even try starting in Safe Mode (different for different computers, so see the link.) This bypasses certain potentially disruptive processes, and will let us know if they might be the cause of the problem.

           Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support 


Let us know what happens...

Jan 13, 2023 12:20 AM in response to shedlock2000

Which system version is running on your Mac?

I just tested on macOS 13 Ventura and exported a video with "File > Export > Export 1 video": All adjustments and crops are applied to the exported version. I used a filter, the automatic enhancement, and straightened the video, corrected the vertical perspective. All exporting an edited image with "File > Export > Export 1 photo" is saving the edited version.


Can you upgrade your Mac to the most recent version of Ventura? But even on Ventura the Media Browser may be still be showing the original, unadjusted version in other applications. But exporting the adjusted versions with "file > export" should produce an adjusted copy of the video or the image.



Jan 13, 2023 12:30 AM in response to léonie

The OS is Ventura 3.1 and the iOS is 16.2 — both the most recent updates.


Neither exporting, importing, drag and drop, nor copy and paste permit the edits to copy over — they’re loss and the image reverts to the original. On the phone, it’s impossible to ‘choose a file[photo]’ and maintain the edits. Nor do the edits remain if air dropped from the phone to either the iPad or the iMac.

Jan 13, 2023 12:35 PM in response to Richard.Taylor

No, I didn’t have it on 12.1 either — this is sort of the point of the post.


im reluctant to try creating a different library, as I’ve over 2TB of content and I have lost files when I’ve done that before in the past.


That I have the same issue on all my devices suggests that it is not a Device-specific issue, though.


That the issue has been raised several times last on here last year (without resolution) implies that the issue is not with my app or iCloud, but related to some other issue.

Jan 13, 2023 12:40 PM in response to léonie

I do have cloud iCloud Photos, but I have not tried to export or upload the same photo on different devices — I’ve selected random videos and photos and the result is always the same: whatever file I try to move out of the photos app, the original file (before edits) is always moved rather than the edited version. The same happens on my iPad. It’s as though the edits haven’t been saved, though they remain when the file is viewed in photos app.


The modified version of a photo or video is synced across all devices, the issue happens only when I try to pull the file out of the photos app for some reason. That is, the edited image appears and is available on all devices, but when exporting or uploading the image to a different app/desktop/location/program/internet browser, it is always the un-edited version that is moved (or, perhaps, that the edits don’t move with the image).



Jan 14, 2023 10:10 AM in response to shedlock2000

This is surely crazy behavior! Starting in Safe Mode can let us know something about the source of the problem.


You can create a new Library without in any way disturbing your main Library. Just don't set it to your System Library (though that shouldn't matter) and don't turn on iCloud in this new Library.


If you like, you can turn off WiFi (so you disappear from the cloud's view) while you experiment.



Cannot export an edited photo or video.

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