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Understanding how to delete photos

So, Apple released this wonderful Photos app for OS X. The application works a charm. HOWEVER, I am really really confused about how the synching works especially in relation to deleting photos that have already synched.


My phone is nearing zero storage left due to all the photos and videos I have on there. These have now synched to my Mac and appear in the Photos app.


If I attempt to delete the Photos on my iPhone, it says the photo will be deleted from all devices. I don't want the images synched to my Mac to be deleted as these are my backups.


I used Aperture before and used to open it now and again to have it automatically import the latest photos from photostream. Once I knew they were imported, then I would delete and free up space on my phone because I knew the deletion would not affect the images in Aperture.


With the new Photos app for OS X, I am very confused...


Can someone please try and explain how this works now?


Thanks


K

iMac (27-inch, Late 2013), OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on Apr 26, 2015 2:31 PM

Reply
1 reply

Apr 26, 2015 2:39 PM in response to KR.london

If you have iCloud Photo Library turned on in your phone and your Mac, all of your photos will be in 3 places: the phone, the Mac, and iCloud. If you delete from one place they will be deleted from all 3 places. You can reduce storage requirements on you phone as described in the quote below from iCloud Photo Library FAQ - Apple Support

Can I use iCloud Photo Library to save space on my device?

iCloud Photo Library automatically keeps all your photos and videos in the original, high-resolution version. Follow these steps to choose how you store your photos and videos on your device:

  • In iOS, tap Settings > iCloud > Photos or Settings > Photos & Camera, then select a storage setting.
  • In OS X, click Photos > Preferences > iCloud, then select a storage setting.

If you turn on Optimize [device] Storage, iCloud Photo Library will automatically manage the size of your library on your device, so you can make the most of your device's storage and access more photos than ever. All of your original, full-resolution photos and videos are stored in iCloud while device-size versions are kept on your device. You can download the original photos and videos over Wi-Fi or cellular when you need them.

If you turn on Download Originals, iCloud Photo Library will keep your original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and on your device. Download Originals is the default setting for iOS devices with the free 5 GB storage plan and for all Mac devices.

Understanding how to delete photos

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