Leo Euler
Level 1 (1 points)

Q: Can I use the Photos app to show my pictures on my personal desktop?

When I used iPhoto, I had the ability to take imported photos and using the System Preferences for the Desktop and Screen Saver, choose photos from the iPhoto events and have them decorate my desktop. I have played with the Photos app and tried to do just that with no success. I have my photos stored on an external drive. I opened Photos and tried to use the import menu item to choose photos from my external drive and bring them into Photos. That seemed to be successful. I then created an album and chose all of these recently imported photos to be placed into the album. That seemed successful. I then went to the System Preferences  > Desktop and Screen Saver. I found the Album listed in the left column on the window and when I clicked on it, no photos appear. Although it seemed to work the first and second times that I tried it, after the computer went to sleep and I awakened it, the desktop photos were not longer there. The several times that I tried to complete the task since then have resulted in no photos showing in the System preferences Desktop album choice. I found the iPhoto app still on my computer and ran it as I had done in the past and then imported my particular photos as before. They show up in the iPhoto views of the Events (photos that I have imported), but they also do not show up in the System Preferences > Desktop and Screen Saver choices in the left column. I can select other photos that are listed in the System Preferences > Desktop list and they show up perfectly well as my desktop display, but not this most recent import. What must I do to to see my photos on my Desktop?

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5), 3TB External LaCie Drive,

Posted on Aug 17, 2015 1:53 PM

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Leo Euler

Q: Can I use the Photos app to show my pictures on my personal desktop?

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  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Aug 17, 2015 4:08 PM in response to Leo Euler
    Level 10 (109,052 points)
    iCloud
    Aug 17, 2015 4:08 PM in response to Leo Euler

    The Desktop and Screensaver can only show photos that are in the Media Browser.

     

    Have you enabled your current Photos Library as the System Photos Library in the Photos >  Preferences > General > use as System Photo Library setting?  The option needs to be dimmed to be enabled.

     

    If you are using iCloud Photo Library check this support document: 

            If Media Browser doesn't show your entire Photos library - Apple Support

  • by Leo Euler,

    Leo Euler Leo Euler Aug 17, 2015 5:34 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Aug 17, 2015 5:34 PM in response to léonie

    The "Use as System Photo Library" is dimmed. I also started the Photos app by holding down the option key and when it showed the available Libraries, one was the iPhoto Library and the other was the Photos Library. The Photos Library had the term System Photos Library in Italics beside it and was the chosen Library. When I open Photos, it shows all the photos from my old iPhoto Library as well as the recent photo album that I want to use as my desktop. When I look at the Desktop and Screen Saver pane, it shows 3 main folders, the Apple folder, the iPhoto folder, and the Photos folder. in the iPhoto folder I can see the photos of London that I want to use for my desktop, since, after having no success with Photos, I turned on the iPhotos app and imported the photos that I wanted to use there. When I look at the Photos folder, there is an Albums listing in which there is an iPhoto Events folder listed along with the London listing that should also have my London photos, but shows empty when I click on it. If I click on the London name in the Main iPhoto folder first and then go to the Photos folder and click on the London listing there it shows the London pictures, but as soon as I click on any other photo list, and then back to the London listing in the Photos folder, the listing is blank again. Is this making any sense?