Managing photo libraries and editing photos using cloud-based services and computer-based software

Terence, I find myself in a similar situation. Just back from another vacation with another couple of thousand photos and video and no obvious workflow to deal with it. I'm an apple fan, so I've been trying to maximize use of the platform, including Photos and tend to create a new Photos library while I'm travelling. Obviously not connected to iCloud, I have one instance that is system library. I don't upload all my photos by default as I'd blow the Cloud limits (and transfer capacity). I'd prefer to have local storage for all with selection photos up to the Cloud. I'm not a professional, but obviously my photos are valuable to me. I'm looking for a non-destructive editing process. Any suggestions for dealing with this kind of scenario. It feels like a gap in Apple's approach to managing volumes? Ideally I'm thinking of a third party (low cost) tool that just does photo management, and allows me to push photos into Photos... but that might just be a dream :-)

The most simple thing is to buy a add-on for Photos called PowerPhotos.

https://www.fatcatsoftware.com/powerphotos/

This will allow you to merge Libraries, move shots from one Library to another and so on. So, one System Library that has your "picks" that you want uploaded. Another with everythign else. Make a new library on holiday? Merge it with that 'everything else' one when you get back.

So, non-destructive, local photo management with a subset in the iCloud Library.

This will allow you to merge Libraries, move shots from one Library to another and so on.

But PowerPhotos is not really non-destructive, or is it? You have to decide, if you want to move the edited versions or the originals, when you move albums between photos Libraries with Power Photos.

It is fine when returning from a vacation and we have added metadata to the photos, but have not yet done much editing. Then we can move the originals over.

I'm more than happy, honestly, to move away from external hard drives and gigantic unwieldy libraries of old photos, so I'd like to take advantage of one of the cloud-based storage options like Apple Photos or Google Photos. At this point I recognize that my primary purpose for taking photos is to share them, and I like the idea of working with a program that is more geared towards easy collection, organization and sharing than professional editing.

Cloud-Based storage is convenient to access your photos from wherever you are, but it will not suffice as the only storage. You will want to have local copies on local disks as well, and at least one backup of your local copies.

Without local copies you may find yourself without any access to your photos if no internet is available, or having to wait too long to download the photos you want, if the internet connection is poor.

I have not tried the other services for cloud storage. Since I am having several Macs and mobile devices I went for the solution that integrates best with the Apple ecosystem.

I am keeping my main Aperture libraries with the previous projects on my external drives, with backups on two additional drives. So the older photos are safe and can be easily accessed.

I migrated my main Aperture library to Apple's Photos for Mac application. This library contains a selection of my photos that I want accessible on all my Macs, my iPhone and my iPad. For this library I enabled iCloud photo library and it is syncing with all Macs. Time Machine is creating backups on Macs for this library, so I have backups in different locations.

New photos I import first to Photos, and then I add them to Aperture for archiving.

Photos for Mac does not have the powerful tools to organize the library as Aperture has, but I can still do most of my edits and tagging in Photos, and it helps a lot that the edits sync between the macs. I am using primarily the photo editing extensions, that are available in El Capitan. If you sereously consider to migrate a photo library to Photos, upgrade to El Capitan. Photos has been considerably improved in El Capitan.

See these user tips: Photo Editing Extensions for Photos for Mac

External Editors in Photos Are Here

Found this post searching for help on new workflows. Had just started with Aperture when Photos came on the scene. Photo ecosystem has changed so much with Apple I'm nervous to commit again 🙂

I'm curious as your post was a few months ago, is this still your workflow? Are there any other recommendations you have with regards to workflow with Photos, Aperture, and even Lightroom.

Thank you!

Firstly: If have not yet done so, copy your libraries onto another disk. I really like the Newertech cradles from Other World Computing. They are cheap, work well, and a disk stands in them like a toaster. Given the date, you've done this already, I hope. If you get two of these, then a second disk can be used for Aperture vaults.

Secondly: Aperture won't stop working, however, if you upgrade your camera, check that it is supported by aperture first. The JPEGs won't be a problem, but the raw files may be. RAW formats don't always change with every new model. Take your own card to the camera store, take a dozen raw shots with your card, and then go home and import with a card reader.

Thirdly: I've been on this search for some time now, and the workflow I'm looking at would be something like this:

* Photomechanic for import and initial keywording. If LR is set up with it's own folder (referenced folder), PM can be used to update keywords. LR may have to be told to rescan pix for keywords. PM is great for adding metadata. Great for browsing. Very limited search capability.

* Lightroom for photo management and preliminary adjustment.

* NIK for further processing. Once you use NIK, you have a PSD (photoshop) file. This may make versions tricky. I don't know what happens if you have a photoshop file and use successive NIK programs on it from LR.

This setup has flaws: If you move or rename files in Finder or on the command line LR loses track of them. This problem is shared if you use Aperture with referenced files.

What is it you want? A non-destructive workflow? How complex a DAM do want? Are you shooting Raw or Jpeg? What kind of volume per year? 1,000? 100,000? When you have the answer to these kinds of questons then you can decide on a workflow that meets you needs, not fit your needs to a workflow.

Photomechanic is excellent at what it does, but at $150 you might wonder if your volume is sufficient to justify it. I know mine wasn't.

Aperture is dead. Forget about it. Sooner or later it will stop working. It's time to move on.

Unfortunately, the NIK plug-ins were bought by Google, and while they're now a giveaway, they're end-of-life'd too. They won't be getting any updates.