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I just transitioned from iPhoto to Photos on my new iMac.
I have many albums in my new transitioned Photos Library.
I have been working on a separate album in a newly created Photos Library2.
I would like to merge the two libraries but it is apparently not possible yet according to Apple Support.
Had anyone else tried to do this successfully?
iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)
You can only merge Photos Libraries by syncing them with iCloud Photo Library.
It would have been easier to merge the Libraries while still using iPhoto. The full version of iPhoto Library Manager can merge libraries, or if you have Aperture, you can merge iPhoto libraries with Aperture, but in Photos it is not supported.
To merge in iCloud Photo Library: If both libraries are small enough to be stored in iCloud given your iCloud data plan, you can enable one of your libraries as iCloud Photo Library, let all photos upload, then switch to your second Photos library and enable this library as your System Photo Library and enable iCloud Photo Library.
Now the photos from the second library will upload to iCloud and you will have a merge library in iCloud. Your second library will now have all your albums and edits, and the keywords, captions, titles. However, the faces from your first library will not sync back from iCloud.
See: Use Photos and iCloud Photo Library on multiple Mac computers - Apple Support
You can only merge Photos Libraries by syncing them with iCloud Photo Library.
It would have been easier to merge the Libraries while still using iPhoto. The full version of iPhoto Library Manager can merge libraries, or if you have Aperture, you can merge iPhoto libraries with Aperture, but in Photos it is not supported.
To merge in iCloud Photo Library: If both libraries are small enough to be stored in iCloud given your iCloud data plan, you can enable one of your libraries as iCloud Photo Library, let all photos upload, then switch to your second Photos library and enable this library as your System Photo Library and enable iCloud Photo Library.
Now the photos from the second library will upload to iCloud and you will have a merge library in iCloud. Your second library will now have all your albums and edits, and the keywords, captions, titles. However, the faces from your first library will not sync back from iCloud.
See: Use Photos and iCloud Photo Library on multiple Mac computers - Apple Support
Thanks for the input, Leonie,
My only problem is that I switched to Photos too soon and added names (lots of them) before I realized I couldn't merge libraries.
Seems to me that Apple engineers could do this in Photos.
My premise is that whatever can be done in iPhoto should be able to be done in Photos; and then Photos should enhance the features further, not backwards.
Just going to take time, I guess.
My only problem is that I switched to Photos too soon and added names (lots of them) before I realized I couldn't merge libraries.
You could ensure that all faces you added to your photos will be available as keywords by by adding name keywords to all photos in a Faces album.
When you export the photos the keywords will be assigned to the exported photos and if you reimport the photos into the second library you can quickly recreate the names by searching for the keywords.
I am sure you are correct that Apple engineers could provide a library merge
However Apple engineering have not yet supplied a merge library capability for iPhoto - it is only available with third party software so it does not seem like a high priority project to me
and you can merge libraries using iCloud Photo Library on all devices as Léonie suggests so since there is a standard solution that probably makes it less likely to supply it for the disk based libraries
I would not count on it coming form Apple
you can certainly suggest it to them - https://www.apple.com/feedback/photos.html
LN
Leonie,
Thanks for the fast response again.
I assume the keyword names would be in iPhoto only, correct?
I have put so much into this, I need a fix, and maybe this could be it if it also works for Photos.
Jack
No
Photos supports KeyWords too
Of course the iphoto and Photos libraries are totally separate so nothing you do in one is reflected in the other
LN
Dear LarryHN,
Thank you for your help.
I have been bugging Apple Support fairly regularly as I have a support contract with Apple.
They are very helpful, but this one eludes solution from Photos so far.
Your suggestion to go to iCloud works for everything but the names, and that's my problem.
Gratefully,
Jack
KewWords is the workaround that Léonie suggested - I concur
LN
Dear LarryHN,
You can be assured that I've sent in the request to Apple Design Engineers as soon as I found the problem like 2 weeks ago.
Thanks for your interest.
Jack
Does anyone know how to merge two Photos libraries in iMac especially including Metadata with image names intact?
