iCloud Photo Library (beta) - how does it work?

Well I had the same doubts and to be clear I actually turned on the iCloud Photo Library (Beta) on my iPhone 5S (8.0.2). Basically there are 2 options -

1. Optimize iPhone Storage: When you select this, all your photos and videos are uploaded on the iCloud and are removed from your phone. However, the thumbnails of both photos and videos still remain in the Photo Album. When you click on a particular photo or a video, it basically streams the photo/video there and then from the cloud.In other words, it creates a photo stream automatically and deletes local copy.

2.Download and Keep Originals: When you select this, all photos and videos are backed up on the cloud. But local copy of them on the phone are not deleted.

One thing to note is that still the Photos App has not released on iCloud as yet. So if you want to see your original copies right now, you can't see it online. Either you use the iCloud Software on PC to download or probably selecting the option of "Download and Keep Originals" might download it again on your phone (this is just a guess - haven't verified it myself!)

Also, what is uploaded on the cloud counts from your storage space. Also, if you select this, all your photos synced with your computer will be deleted!!!

Hope that answers your query!!!

Interesting. I've been a hardcore Aperture user for a long time and have used it over Adobe Lightroom (I'd be remiss if I didn't say I am pretty nervous to lose Aperture). Many of us of have iPhone and DSLR photos all mixed together. I wonder if iCloud will allow us to truly keep all photos in the Cloud or will it just be Apple photos?

iCloud Photo Library (Beta)

Reply to S2S: Yes, you are right. With "Download and Keep Originals", it is simply using iCloud to back up every photo and video on your iPhone to the cloud. And your photos and videos on iPhone are left untouched. By the way, I tried changing "Optimize Phone Storage" to "Download and Keep Originals" and all the photos and videos from cloud were downloaded on my iPhone again.

About your question for photo/video back up from PC/Mac - you can right now also install an application from apple named "iCloud Control Panel" and check the photo stream. All the multimedia on your iCloud will immediately be downloaded on your computer and you can also put your computer multimedia into the cloud from the same application by simple drag and drop.But yes, if apple releases an app for Yosemite, it should do it more seamlessly.

And yes, I am heard the same - once you activate photo library, the photo sync option from iTunes disappears. But you can use the iCloud Control Panel to do the same thing!!! I have tried it and it works brilliantly!

Hope I was able to answer your questions.

Reply to Steve Wallis: iCloud will let you keep all the photos on iCloud. You can use the iCloud Control Panel for the same. I have myself tried it and it works seamlessly. Hope I was able to answer your questions.

I just hit the go button on all of the above and i am hoping that it will work well to free up space on my maxed out 16GB phone.

VERY DISSAPOINTED that it counts towards storage space in iCloud. its bad enough that i have bought several devices and i only have the standard 5GB allowance to back up all of them up. I think i'll end up having to switch it off just to keep my backups. this will probably be the deal breaker for me!

S2S: Yeah I think you are right! There is a possibility of duplication. But the good part is that iCloud stores and downloads at the original resolution. So may be you can back up your original photos on a back up external drive and delete from the Mac! Just keep the iCloud data!

Angus: Not sure if you are aware - Apple has reduced the rates of iCloud Storage to 0.99$ for 20 GB. That's quite decent and economical. I have subscribed to the same and am not facing any constraint of space now.

Aditya - making sure you know that's $.99 a MONTH now for 20GB. Still great at approx $12 a year instead of $40 a year like it used to be for 20GB!

I like the idea of this I just wish I could access the photo library via the iCloud site. You can access everything else. Google Drive can do it...One Drive can do it...everything but iCloud...I don't understand why they won't do this.

Heck, you can't even access the iCloud Photo Library on OS X at this time, let alone iCloud. However, you will be able to do both in the future. There are several parts to the new iCloud Photo Library and so far only the iOS portion has gone live, and only in Beta. There will be a brand new Photos app for OS X which supports iCloud Photo Library (and replaces iPhoto and Aperture) as well as a similar app for iCloud.com.

why on earth would you want this feature? After the celebrity leaks, just think about. All it takes is for someone to figure out your apple password and they are now in full control of your life.

As if my emails, contacts, usernames, passwords, daily schedule and bookmarks wasn't bad enough, now the hacker can browse all my pictures and videos?

i Say thanks, but no thanks!!!!

There are a lot of reasons to want the feature (easy accessibility to photos and videos on alternate devices, backup), but hey, if you're really worried some hacker will try to gain access to your photos, you can certainly keep it turned off. However, I would say if you use 2-factor authentication and a strong password, the odds of someone gaining access to your library are incredibly low. It would probably be easier for them to just come steal them off your computer or from your shoeboxes.

Oh, and if you're not using 2-factor authentication with your Apple ID, turn it on now!!!

2-factor authentication sounds good but what if in the cloud sends your photos to someone else's account?

yeah I know sounds like someone with no idea about how these things work, well please read on.

i posted this last night on tis same forum, and have not received any help on it so far:

subject: Major security issue! I can see 100's of other peoples photos, Help!

Oct 1, 2014 4:39 AM

Using iPad Mini / iPhone 4S

I have just recently enabled the iCloud Photo Library (Beta). I also use MS Onedrive and i have it setup to automatically backup all my photos and videos from both my iOS devices.

Today i opened Onedrive for no particular reason and clicked on the Photos tab, this shows the progress of photos being backed up, only this time i scrolled down to find that there was hundreds of photos from different families mixed in with mine dating back to 2002! Naturally the first thing i am thinking is who is looking at my photos/files. What is going on!!!!

Let me just assure anyone reading this, that the owner of these photographs would not appreciate anyone else having them, these are Kindergarten, public school and family photos of complete strangers. and all my photos are mixed in between them.

Is anyone else having this issue

iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular (MM), iOS 8, iOS 8.0.2