Photos: Can't Drag & Drop to Browser

Also iPhoto had a zero to five ★ rating capability. In Photos all I can find is Favorites. This can making sorting difficult. Am I missing something?

Yes, that is one of the features I am really missing. Photos has only the favorite heart. I am simulating the star ratings by keywords - as describe d in the User Tip Larry linked to (- How to Simulate Star Ratings in Photos). Keywords can be used in searches and smart albums just like the old star ratings. But unfortunately we can to see the simulated ratings as badge overlays in the Browser like we can in Aperture or iPhoto. Only the favorite heart is available and we cannot use it so sort similar shots by rating. I find it now much more difficult to weed out mediocre shots than before.

Power Photos can help. It is a versatile companion to Photos. In PowerPhotos we can browse the Photos Library with metadata displayed along with the photos, either in list view or thumbnails view with the metadata below the thumbnails, for example:

List view

Grid view:

Yes Photos i s a new program and like all new programs has new and different workflows - give LightRoom a try for real work flow changes

as to start rating here is one work around from a user - How to Simulate Star Ratings in Photos

LN

I like to stay within the Apple environment, but Photos is so weak that the workflow becomes crazy making. Has Apple completely ceded the enthusiast/pro market to others? iPhoto was a dream compared to Photos.

The 'Apple environment' is the OS on the hardware. Yes, Apple has ceded the enthusiast/pro market to others. That said, the editing tools in Photos are more comprehensive, and while there are difference, the organisational tools are broadly similar. What problem(s) do you have with Photos?

Terence, My main, perhaps only signifiant, problem with Photos is disruption of the workflow when using PS. I like the editing tools in Photos. I use them frequently, and I wouldn't expect them to approach the sophistication of PS. I like simplicity in my filing. I like the seamless interaction of Photos and iCloud. But I frequently use PS, and it would be nice for Apple to admit that many photographers do, by necessity, use this program and provide us with a smoother interface. I am trying Lightroom but encountering numbers imports issues.

But I frequently use PS, and it would be nice for Apple to admit that many photographers do, by necessity, use this program and provide us with a smoother interface. I am trying Lightroom but encountering numbers imports issues.

Using an external editor is easier in Photos than it has been in iPhoto. If you install the "External Editors" photo editing extension (available for 99cents at the App Store) you can call many external editors from the Edit panel in Photos. You do not need to change the preferences in Photos like you had to do in iPhoto to switch between editors.

That's a good point. The advantage of Photos is that you are able use multiple external editors once the extension is added. If you are just using PS: iPhoto, left click ➔ external editor (set once in prefs) ➔ PS ➔ save PS directly to iPhoto. Photos, click photo edit ➔ extensions ➔ to external editors ➔ to PS ➔ save PS ➔ back to Photos external editors ➔ save changes ➔ done ➔ back to Photos. Also iPhoto had a zero to five ★ rating capability. In Photos all I can find is Favorites. This can making sorting difficult. Am I missing something?

I am trying Lightroom but encountering numbers imports issues.

Adobe have a forum for Lightroom users. I use it now as it was the best fit for my needs. It has its own Cloud option too, tho not a particular interest of mine. That said, merging libraries in LR is complete and everything is merged. But then it's a Pro level app and Photos is a giveaway, so you get what you pay for.

Use the Media Browser, that's how it's supposed to work. This article was written for iPhoto but it's equally true of the new app. The first option is the one you want:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4491

I think you'll find that with simple organising, using the search facility and as the caching improves, that it's actually faster. Or not. Whatever. You're welcome.

You're welcome.

It is a major issue for anyone using web email tools, blogging platforms like wordpress or anything similar. No workaround needed, this must be a simple code to fix. My work process is much slower this way, because i have to copy files to the desk and then drag and drop from there to the browser. Not acceptable from Apple. 😟

Thanks.

Terence, I appreciate your expertise, but there are several use cases where your solution does not work. For example, I am using an older version of Adobe Photoshop and I can't access the files in Photos through the Open dialog in PS, I can't drag and drop from Photos to PS and I can't use Adobe Bridge to open from Photos. The "best" solution at this point is to copy from Photos into a folder on the Desktop and open from there, creating duplicate files. This adds two steps to my workflow... very un-Apple like.

The absence of drag and drop functionality between applications is a fundamental flaw in Photos and should be resolved ASAP. I've submitted product feedback already and encourage others who find this thread to do the same at https://www.apple.com/feedback/photos.html