Export same as copy in Photos?

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Level 1

26 points

Export same as copy in Photos?

Hi everyone. This is probably a stupid question but when I export, is that the same as just copying and pasting the image to a new location? As in, when I export, does that move the original photo from the original location in the Masters folder to say desktop? I want to store photos on an external hard drive from Photos but am not too sure if exporting will remove them from my Photos library. Also will the date and original full resolution be preserved if I export? I use to just right click on a photo and click "show original" and copy that, but that function is gone now! Thanks for your help!

MacBook Pro with Retina display, Mac OS X (10.0.x)

Posted on Sep 30, 2015 2:32 PM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

216,458 points

Sep 30, 2015 2:41 PM in response to hng049

No. Export gives you two options, one to get the unedited original and the other to get the edited version. You also have options to resize the image and file, rename the file, and more. Copying the thumbnail and pasting gives you the Preview version of the file which may is not the same size/resolution of an edited export.

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Answer 2

léonie

Level 10

200,759 points

Sep 30, 2015 2:39 PM in response to hng049

As in, when I export, does that move the original photo from the original location in the Masters folder to say desktop?

Exporting does not remove the original from your Photos Library. It will create a new file. And it has more options than copy and paste.

File > Export has two modes:

Export unmodified original: This will save a copy of the original file to the selected destination, and optionally add a sidecar file with the meta data.
Export ... photos: This wiill render the edited version with all adjustments applied. You can select the the pixel size and the amount of compression.

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