Q: Photos and iCloud

That's the whole idea behind iCloud Photo Library. It's a syncing service, not a storage or a backup service. If that's what you want, then Google Photos will suite you well.

If you're interested, iMore has a very detailed, well illustrated article on iCloud Photo Library:

http://www.imore.com/how-use-icloud-photo-library-ultimate-guide

Yep. Not in its design. Is not an off-device storage solution and never claimed to be.

Be aware that uploading to Google gives them rights to use your photos for any purpose they see fit.

There is a cost to the free storage they provide.

The you are using the wrong iCLoud service

You can do that using iCloud Drive - none of the other services work that way - it is a bit like complaining that your ice melts wen you put in the the oven - you are not using the correct service

LN

  There's apparently no way to save photos to the cloud and delete them from your device.  Unbelievable.

Actually, there is.

You can use iCloud Photo Library with the "Optimize Mac Storage" option.

if you enable it, Photos will keep the full size original photos in iCloud and only store smaller thumbnails for browsing locally.  You can reduce the size of your Photos Library down to 10% of the original size this way.

iCloud Photo Library FAQ - Apple Support https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204264

Can I use iCloud Photo Library to save space on my device?

iCloud Photo Library automatically keeps all your photos and videos in the original, high-resolution version. Follow these steps to choose how you store your photos and videos on your device:

• On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap Settings > iCloud > Photos or Settings > Photos & Camera, then select a storage setting.
• On your Mac, click Photos > Preferences > iCloud, then select a storage setting.

If you turn on Optimize [device] Storage, iCloud Photo Library will automatically manage the size of your library on your device, so you can make the most of your device's storage and access more photos than ever. All of your original, full-resolution photos and videos are stored in iCloud while device-size versions are kept on your device. You can download the original photos and videos over Wi-Fi or cellular when you need them.

If you turn on Download Originals, iCloud Photo Library will keep your original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and on your device. Download Originals is the default setting for iOS devices with the free 5 GB storage plan and for all Mac devices.

You need an Internet connection to access an original photo or video that’s stored only in iCloud.

But keeping the originals in iCloud without local copies has severe drawbacks.  To be able to work with your photos you will need a fast internet connection, and even then it will be somewhat slow, if you want to make a slideshow or similar.  Editing photos is no fun this way.

You will have more joy, if you simply move the library to an external drive, if your primary concern is freeing storing on your system drive.

Just drag them into the iCloud Drive folder on your Mac from wherever they are now. On your Mac, the iCloud Drive is just a folder.

But that is *exactly* how iCloud Photo Library is designed. It is, as Rysz wrote, a syncing service. To sync, you need 2 elements. Storing them off your phone is not what iCloud Photo Library does. You have been offered 2 workarounds for this.

The concept of iCloud Photo Library is for a user to have immediate access to all of his/her content regardless of what device they have in front of them. For sharing and showing off. It's not archival storage.

It's OK to find this doesn't suit your needs.

There are two ways to use iCloud Drive from a Mac.

1. The Syncing Service way:  If you enable iCloud Drive on a Mac, you will see it as a drive in the Finder sidebar and can use it like drive. Copy document to it, drag documents there, click and open documents there.  Your mac will sync this drive with the the central storage in iCloud.  it will create a shadow copy of all iCloud Drive documents in a hidden folder in your user library. This way you can work with your important documents, even if you do not have internet access.
2. The web interface way: If you do not enable iCloud drive on your Mac, you can still upload documents or photos to it using the web interface at www.icloud.com.  There will be no shadow copies on your Mac, and no iCloud drive icon.  You need a web browser to upload and download. Very cumbersome.

"Gee, this car I bought doesn't fly. Not very useful"

What you want is another product. IMO, that does not diminish the value of the one Apple provides.

Again theny you are using the wrong service

iCloud drive is a service to store data in iCloud

iCloud Photo Library it NOT a service to store photos (like your oven is not to freeze ice) - ICPL is a service to sync photos between device sso all changes ade on and device (additions, deleting or edits) are made the same on all devices keeping all devices exactly the same and have them available on iCloud.com

MyPhotoStream is a service to move new photos between devices but not keep then in sync and not keep the on iCLoud at all

If you us ICPL then it does what it is designed to do - not something else you want it to do that is not part of its design

http://www.apple.com/icloud/

LN