How to replicate nested folders of photos from Mac to iOS?

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How to replicate nested folders of photos from Mac to iOS?

I use Lightroom on my Mac to export photos (from a variety of sources); these are exported into a logical, nested format, e.g.

Holidays

---Holidays 2010-2019

-----2010 Florida 2010

-----2011 Washington DC

---Holidays 2020-2029

etc

I am struggling to see how I can then get this structure (and photos) into Photos on the Mac and then copied to the iPhone. I can add folders into Photos simply by dragging and dropping, which DOES retain the folder structure under "My Albums"

However when I then use Finder to Sync to my phone (using Photos as the sync target) it does not retain the structure and the albums are copied to the phone in a single flat container (under "From My Mac" in iOS Photos). Whilst this does copy all the albums selected, the resulting structure is not ideal as I have scores and scores of nested folders. This will make browsing a bit of a chore!

Anyone have any suggestions, am I missing something obvious as to how to do this? I feel it is a fairly simple request of the Photos ecosystem, but maybe I'm wrong!

Thanks in advance! Gareth

iPhone 12 Pro Max

Posted on Jul 24, 2023 7:18 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Old Toad

Level 10

210,847 points

Jul 24, 2023 10:16 AM in response to Cowboymickey

A folder structure can be maintained during import like this:

However, folder organization is not available in iOS Photos. Tell Apple what new features you'd like to see via Apple via Feedback - iPhone - Apple

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Answer 2

Ralf-F

Level 4

2,717 points

Jul 24, 2023 8:39 AM in response to Cowboymickey

Hi Gareth,

I would recommend that you switch to iCloud, then your structure will be identical on all your devices.

I work with Lightroom Classic and export my photos as JPEG, also have a structure with folders and albums on all my devices (MacBook, iPad & iPhone).

Regards Ralf

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Answer 3

Cowboymickey Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 25, 2023 8:50 AM in response to Ralf-F

Thanks Ralf; currently only have 50Gb but willing to upgrade if I can get this working! Yep, I also use Lightroom Classic and export my "fave" photos as jpgs into a logical parent/child folder structure which I am hoping to replicate on the iPhone.

Can you please bullet point the steps as to how I would do this in terms of transferring my folder structure & photos to iCloud? So that I don't have to use the useless Finder Sync option :-)

Thanks very much,

Gareth

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Answer 4

Cowboymickey Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 25, 2023 8:53 AM in response to Old Toad

Thanks for the cool video! I have indeed been able to do this no problems in Photos on the Mac, which is mirrored in My Albums.

As you point out tho, this structure is lost when syncing to the phone. Will definitely follow up with Apple.

Generally I use Plex for viewing my photos as it maintains whatever folder structure I have created, however the Plex server can be a bit iffy sometimes so looking to use a better, more reliable and solution.

Thanks!

Gareth

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Answer 5

Yer_Man

Level 10

164,016 points

Jul 25, 2023 11:08 AM in response to Cowboymickey

With Lightroom CC you can create unlimited shared albums that folks can access and download from. These are accessible in any web browser. You can also create and host entire websites... There is no lock into the Adobe ecosystem. It's just less complicated...

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Answer 6

Yer_Man

Level 10

164,016 points

Jul 24, 2023 11:06 AM in response to Cowboymickey

Add Lightroom CC to your Adobe subscription. Every device sees the same library.

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Answer 7

Cowboymickey Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 25, 2023 8:54 AM in response to Yer_Man

Thanks Yer_man! I hd looked at that but was hoping for a mechanism which could more generally be viewed outside the Adobe ecosystem, such as friends and family.

Cheers!

Gareth

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How to replicate nested folders of photos from Mac to iOS?

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