Q: Backing up Photos other than on iCloud

1 - yes - the library is not a single item - it is a special folder called a Package and contains many folder  by default including each of your photos as a bit for bit copy of how you imported them

2 - yes

And note that  iCloud Photos Library is not a backup but a sync service to keep all connected libraries in sync

LN

1.  If I were to move the Photos Library.photoslibrary to, say, a thumb drive, thus having everything up to the date I moved the file, how would Photos respond?  (I'm hoping it would create a new, empty file to which I can resume adding material.)

2.  Right now I have about 14,000 photos "on" both my iPad and iPhone; those photos are taking up a lot of space.  Were I to do the move above, what would be the result during the next iTunes backup of both those devices?  (I think I know the answer, since iCloud is a syncing service, but I'd prefer to hear it from an expert at these things.)

Thanks. 

1 - that is fine as long as the Thumbdrive is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) as previously noted - and yes if you launch Photos and there is no Photos library it will create a new blank one (or you can hold down the option key while launching Photos adn use the resulting window to create a new library - If you do this you are creating problems since there is no way to merge the libraries so you will have multiple libraries and a nightmare  in trying to ever find a photo you want

2 - Yes if you are using iCloud Photo Library and you start a new blank library then all libraries will be blank - the normal way to handle space issues is to use optimized photos on all devices with limited space and only keep the originals on devices with large storage capability  - And iCLoud Photo Library and iTunes Sync are totally different things - you have not told use what you are doing or what iCloud services you are using

LN

Hmmm...I'm not sure what other iCloud services I could use vis-a-vis Photos. I'm not a manipulator of photos in any way other than the occasional cropping. I only use iCloud as a storage medium, such as with iTunes Match, in which I have the complete works of Beethoven and Mozart, for example, a shitload of music, amongst lots of other stuff.

Otherwise, I use iTunes for backups of my iPhone and iPad, alternating between backups sent to iCloud and full backups stored on my MacBook, which I use as my "main computer". I periodically discard old backups because they take up a lot of space buried deeply inside folders in OS X's Library.

I elected the Optimized photos option for both iOS devices, nevertheless, the accumulation of photos is too much even with that limiting factor.

Having multiple libraries is no problem for us; we're not much for sharing photos or publishing many to social media, just between myself and my spouse, mainly.  I did figure out one cumbersome way to make a larger library out of smaller ones: select all in an old, archived Photos Library album in the correct view of Photos (enabling dragging and dropping) and drag them into the OS X Pictures folder.  I can then import them into Photos from Pictures.

Nope

I did figure out one cumbersome way to make a larger library out of smaller ones: select all in an old, archived Photos Library album in the correct view of Photos (enabling dragging and dropping) and drag them into the OS X Pictures folder.  I can then import them into Photos from Pictures.

That is not at all merging libraries - that is importing a lower quality preview of some photos with limited metadata into another library (and for video you will have only a single frame JPEG preview

rather than the video - the way to do what you are doing is to select the photos in Photos and export exactly what you want (unmodified original or current version with the quality you want and the metadata) to a desktop folder and then importing those

LN

1 - Assuming that your backup is made by TimeMachine then you can not "view" things in teh backup - you use TM to restore the backup and then you can use it

Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac - Apple Support

http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html

2 - In Photos folders do not hole photos, albums do - folders hold albums or other folders - using iTunes sync you can sync specific photos or albums form Photos

Keep your photos safely stored and up to date on all your devices - Apple Support

Sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iTunes using Wi-Fi - Apple Support

LN

Careful - so far no cloud based backup has been successful with a Photos (or iPHoto) Library - not ony is it slow but the libraries come back corrupted and unusable due to not being on a correctly formatted drive

LN

LarryHN wrote:

 

Careful - so far no cloud based backup has been successful with a Photos (or iPHoto) Library - not ony is it slow but the libraries come back corrupted and unusable due to not being on a correctly formatted drive

 

 

LN

I have used Mozy online backup for several years and it works very well with both iPhoto and Photos Libraries. I have done restores of both in order verify that it does work. I've never had a restored library that was corrupted or unusable.

I use Time Machine and an external USB hard drive for my primary backup but for me, Mozy is a very convenient and viable offsite backup. My Photos library is not huge and with restore speed averaging about 2GB per hour that is definitely a consideration.

Good to hear - so far every other test I've seen has failed

LN