Transfer photo caption iPhone to MacBook

iPadOS 17.3 Photos (I guess the latest iOS behaves the same) can edit date, caption, location metadata and/or pixel data. It depends on the workflow how that is transferred to macOS 14.3.1:

a) Image Capture.app via USB transfers original image and movie. If image pixel data has been edited, there is the original image IMG_0001.HEIC and the edited IMG_E0001.HEIC (both with original metadata), and image and movie IMG_0001.AAE adjustmentData sidecar files describing the edits.

b) AirDrop default (Options: include Location and Captions) transfers edited date, location and caption (edited movie date is in Keys:CreationDate but the original date is still in QuickTime:CreateDate).

c1) AirDrop "All Photos Data" option with "Save to Downloads" option selected in macOS transfers original image and movie. If image or movie pixel data has been edited, there is the original IMG_0001.* and the edited IMG_E0001.* (confusingly both with original metadata!), and image and movie IMG_0001.AAE sidecar files describing the edits.

c2) AirDrop "All Photos Data" option with "Open in Photos" selected in macOS edited date, transfers and displays location and caption in Photos.app, and it also transfers the originals to Photos.app library. All edits except date can be reverted in Photos.app.

Matti, when I download with a cable with Image Capture from my iPhone with iOS 17 (which syncing with iCloud Photos, but no optimize, I am only getting the originals, not the adjustments. The AAE files are only describing the Camera filters or Camera crops. Are you saying this is different in your case, without iCloud Photos on the iPhone? Then all adjustments are described in the AEE sidecar files? That would be good news indeed.

Neither the iPhone user guide nor the Photos for Mac user guide ind the manual page for Image Capture are describing details about the imported images.

I ran that test with iPadOS 17.3 on a newish iPad Air 5th gen 2022 because for many years I have used only vintage iPhones I inherit from my children... I buy new Phones for them, and then inherit them (luckily my four children do not want the latest and greatest so also they use rather old gear). So my previous iPhone 5 2012 was upgraded over a year ago to iPhone SE 1st gen 2017 running its latest supported iOS 15.8.1. I did not want to use such an old iOS for the test.

And Matti was describing iPadOS-- I wonder how that differs from IOS in these respects. I had figured they were essentially the same...

I'm pretty sure that transferring pictures with a cable is supposed to only transfer the unedited version, without caption. I haven't checked, but I've also read that some edited aspects transfer, but not the caption. I use iCloud (inspite of early reluctance) and it does a great job of keeping Photos on the Mac and on other devices in sync.

Airdrop is a transfer method that includes the caption. Have you tried that?

If you are not using iCloud Photos you can only transfer the unmodified originals as they are coming right from the camera to the Mac. In that case do not waste your time by adding captions on the iPhone, but do it on your Mac. Only the effect applied by the camera will retransferred, the filters you set or the aspect ratio, but not the captions or adjustments you are adding in Photos.

I you want to use your iPhone to work with your photos, as well as your Mac consider to switch to iCloud Photos. Then the Photos Library on your Mac and on your iPhone will always be identical and perfectly in sync. It will be much more convenient than the manual syncing.