How to create shared albums (and folders) from photos in a shared library?

I am new owner of a family shared library and was surprised and disappointed to learn that I can not create albums within the shared library itself. I thought sharing a library was going to solve a lot of problems but it seems that I am more confused than ever about the best way to share photos. Is there a reference that describes how to workaround the limitations of a shared library?


Advice as well as solutions are most welcomed. For example here are a few issues I have so far:


  1. Can I create a shared album (say "Sue's Wedding") in my personal library and fill it from photos in the shared library?
  2. Can I create and share a folder of albums (say "Family Weddings" which contains "Sue's Wedding" and others) in my personal library? Or just share each album individually?
  3. How can I convert an already created album in my personal library to a shared album within my Personal Library?


iPhone 12 Pro Max

Posted on Oct 9, 2023 6:32 AM

Reply
Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Oct 9, 2023 8:36 AM

You can select several photos at once, then open the Info with ⌘i, now type the keyword into the field where the keywords are entered, to tag all selected photos at once. Or, if you prefer the keyword browser with the Quick Group, you can add the keyword using the keyword shortcut shown in the quick group.


4 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Oct 9, 2023 8:36 AM in response to Geekseeker

You can select several photos at once, then open the Info with ⌘i, now type the keyword into the field where the keywords are entered, to tag all selected photos at once. Or, if you prefer the keyword browser with the Quick Group, you can add the keyword using the keyword shortcut shown in the quick group.


Oct 9, 2023 6:53 AM in response to Geekseeker

there is not yet any way to share the structure of a library with iCloud Shared Library. We can only share the images and videos, but not any albums or folders as a part of the shared iCloud Photos Library. All subscribers have to create their own albums and folders.

It helps to agree on a set of keywords to tag the photos. Then all subscribers could use smart albums to recreate the albums, for example, if you tag all photos of "Sue's Wedding" with a keyword "Sue_Wedding" all subscribers could create a smart album with the rule "Keyword id "Sue_Wedding" to find these photos in one place.


How to create shared albums (and folders) from photos in a shared library?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.