In the last few months, pictures transferred to “Photos” on my iMac OS15.7.3 from my camera and my iPhone have displayed perfectly clear thumbnails. When viewed individually, however, some appear as shot and some are randomly blurred. If I wait or come back to them they may clear up. This never used to happen. Anyone know what’s up?
iMac 21.5″, macOS 15.7
I didn't ask before-- are you using iCloud Photos? Do you use Optimize Storage with Photos?
The space key, or double clicking on a picture, brings up the Preview image, one that fits the screen but isn't the full sized version. These are generated the first time you look, and then they are usually saved to make for quick browsing. So the first view may be slower, gradually clearing, though it's usually not obvious.
In Mac Photos, Edit Mode can be entered with the Menu item Image>Show Edit Tools, though usually we just hit the Return key. This loads the full sized image which is several times larger than the preview image, and occasionally it may take longer to load. If it's loading, a little circle appears in the lower right of the Edit window, and the circle gradually fills as the image data loads. While making a Preview version is usually a one-time affair for each picture, loading the full version is new each time, so how fast it goes depends on what the computer is trying to do at that moment.
If things slow down, I will restart Photos. That's quick. If things seem a little crazy, I'll restart the Mac. If that doesn't help, I'll restart in Safe Mod.
Safe Mode is pretty straightforward, but I admit I have pushed the buttons in the wrong order and gotten confused. You might print or write down the relevant instructions, since you can't refer to them online while you're starting the Mac.
I didn't ask before-- are you using iCloud Photos? Do you use Optimize Storage with Photos?
The space key, or double clicking on a picture, brings up the Preview image, one that fits the screen but isn't the full sized version. These are generated the first time you look, and then they are usually saved to make for quick browsing. So the first view may be slower, gradually clearing, though it's usually not obvious.
In Mac Photos, Edit Mode can be entered with the Menu item Image>Show Edit Tools, though usually we just hit the Return key. This loads the full sized image which is several times larger than the preview image, and occasionally it may take longer to load. If it's loading, a little circle appears in the lower right of the Edit window, and the circle gradually fills as the image data loads. While making a Preview version is usually a one-time affair for each picture, loading the full version is new each time, so how fast it goes depends on what the computer is trying to do at that moment.
If things slow down, I will restart Photos. That's quick. If things seem a little crazy, I'll restart the Mac. If that doesn't help, I'll restart in Safe Mod.
Safe Mode is pretty straightforward, but I admit I have pushed the buttons in the wrong order and gotten confused. You might print or write down the relevant instructions, since you can't refer to them online while you're starting the Mac.
Did these pictures arrive at the Mac from iCloud Photos, by cable transfer, by AirDrop, or what?
By thumbnails, do you mean little pictures like this?
I ask, because I've seen full screen images gradually clear, but I haven't seen blurry thumbnails.
Thumbnails and preview versions have to be generated -- that's usually fast, but it does seem to slow down sometimes. Do you see a little circle filling in the lower right when you enter Edit mode?
How much storage do you have on the Mac? Apple recommends at least 10% of your storage be kept free, like 100GB out of 1 TB, or you may experience slow downs or worse. I've seen crazy things with less than 150GB free out of 1 TB.
If you have more than 10% free, then try re-starting Photos and/or re-starting the Mac.If that doesn't work, try re-starting is Safe Mode. This bypasses certain potentially disruptive processes, and it often helps. Safe Mode is different for different computers, so see this:
Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support
Let us know what happens…
The photos are transferred by cable from both my SLR and my iPhone. Thumbnails are always clear. Usually, the first few full screen images are clear, and then the rest will be blurry. Storage on Mac is 700.47 GB of 1.03 TB used/327.21 GB open. I never have entered Edit mode. Not even sure what it’s for. I have restarted Photos and Mac.
It looks like waiting for them to clear up may be working right now. If it reverts, I’ll try Safe Mode restart (if I must), and may need more help. Thanks for your attention to this matter!
Photos on iMac randomly blur after transfer
