Importing photos from iPhone to Photos-App after editing them

Question

Level 1

22 points

Importing photos from iPhone to Photos-App after editing them

Hi everyone,

I searched without finding the same exact question, so here it is.

I am just now switching to use the Photos (German: "Fotos") App on the iMac. Until now I used Picasa to manage photos in the iMac, but it is not supported anymore from Google and anyhow it seems the right way to go to as "Fotos"-App is almost identical in the iPhone, iPad and iMac.

Now my problem is: I edit many fotos directly on the iPhone:

- with the Fotos App on the iPhone

- with Snapseed

in both cases, it is possible to save "in a reversible way", that is the picture can be reverted back to original if wished. In Snapseed of course it is also possible to save a copy, but it is a waste of space in my opinion (until now).

When I imported for the first time the fotos from the iPhone I noticed they are all "original". This is a pity... because the work done gets lost.

It should be possible to decide optionally to include editing. When I imported the Fotos "manually" with Digital Pictures (German: "Digitale Bilder") I have noticed there are small files containing the editing, with the same name as the corresponding photo. But I was not able to use them in Picasa. I hoped Fotos would be a progress in that direction.

I'll be grateful for any hint.

Best regards

Claudio

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013)

Posted on Jan 6, 2017 11:22 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

léonie

Level 10

197,309 points

Jan 6, 2017 11:44 AM in response to Claudio P.

Claudio,

When I imported for the first time the fotos from the iPhone I noticed they are all "original". This is a pity... because the work done gets lost.

how have you been importing from the iPhone?

If you imported the iPhone to USB and Imported to Photos or used Image Capture, you import the original image files as delivered by the Camera.app. The sidecar files with edits you have seen in Image Capture are only describing the filters applied by the camera.app, not the edits done in Photos.

when you import using My Photo Stream and transfer the photos wirelessly this way, also the original files will be transferred.

To transfer the edits from the iPhone, and your Favorites mark, use iCloud Photo Library. Then the library on your iPhone and the Ma will be kept in sync, and any edits will update across all devices.

Or you could duplicate the edited photo and save the edited version to the camera Roll. Then you can import the edited version using My Photo Stream or by downloading from USB.

Léonie

Reply

Answer 2

Claudio P. Author

Level 1

22 points

Jan 6, 2017 12:37 PM in response to léonie

Hi Léonie, this is how I imported.

It seemed to me the logical way. I do not like very much to use the cloud, although if necessary I will. Also, I am not willing to save ALL my fotos on the cloud, with time they would sure be too much and I would have to pay for the storage. My idea was to download them, save and backup on iMac and then delete on the iPhone. So I did until now with Picasa. For Picasa I was using though "Digitale Bilder" (Digital Pictures) to just copy the fotos in a specified directory. That was all I needed until now. I actually do not care to have perfectly synchronised photos libraries on every device (for me the iMac is the main storage device: I have about 45,000 photos saved on it, managed with Picasa until now).

I will try to explain my problem better with a practical example. Take the photo that I marked with a cyan rectangle. If looked in "Fotos", after having been imported, it looks like this:

Looked at with the iPhone (I sent it via "Air Drop" and then via right mouse click -"added to Photos") it looks like this:

The lightening, cropping and saturating I did with Snapseed on the iPhone. Like it or not what I did, that is not the problem. The problem is that the edited photo just will not be imported (better: one by one with the method used for this example could be done, but it is cumbersome).

I realise it may be strange not wanting to keep photos online, and not even forever on the iPhone, but that's how I would like to do. Isn't the "Import"-Function of "Photos" exactly for this need?

Thanks a lot (to both of you) for your time.

Regards

Claudio

Reply

Answer 3

Claudio P. Author

Level 1

22 points

Jan 6, 2017 1:51 PM in response to léonie

Sorry Lèonie, you are right. I was a little confused by your answer (and I was not familiar with "sidecars", that is, I didn't knew their name). Also, I had no idea what the "camera roll" is. I think you mean "Aufnahmen" in the German version of the Photos iPhone-App, don't you? ...

Well, ok, they are actually saved in the camera roll (see screenshot in iPhone). Just not duplicated, because I considered it a waste of space, as I wrote.

What you are telling, as I understand it, is the following: I have to duplicate the photo, instead of simply saving it. I don't like this, but that's the way it is, and I will have to accept it.

Best regards and thanks a lot again

Claudio

Reply

Answer 4

Claudio P. Author

Level 1

22 points

Jan 8, 2017 2:28 AM in response to Claudio P.

I just wish to confirm that the from Léonie suggested method works and to add an additional information concerning Snapseed. The current version of Snapseed offers three ways of saving:

a) save (reversible)

b) save copy (reversible)

c) export (not reversible)

The only one working with Photos in iMac is (c), "Export, not reversible". Probably it is naturally so, but I thought I would share with the community, to give back some help myself for the next one asking :-).

I also found another way to import the edited fotos (for Snapseed), actually better for me because it does not require duplication.

Go to the (automatically generated) Snapseed "Album" in iPhone. Select "share" (the arrow going out of the box) and send the fotos via AirDrop to iMac. They don't need to be duplicated or exported, they just have to be saved in Snapseed. The will land in Downloads-Directory on the iMac. Then select all of them and right mouse click to "Add to Photos". They will then be added (with editing and all).

Best regards anyone

Thanks a lot for the help

Claudio

Reply

Answer 5

LarryHN

Level 10

106,124 points

Jan 6, 2017 1:52 PM in response to Claudio P.

Léonie from Germany will come by and explain the sidecars - I do not use them but I believe that Photos will handle them correctly - if you serach for her posts on this subject she does explain it in same detail

However if you use iCloud Photo Library then all of the devices will have identical libraries - all changes (additions, deletions or edits) made on any device wil be made on all devices

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

LN

Reply

Answer 6

léonie

Level 10

197,309 points

Jan 6, 2017 1:52 PM in response to Claudio P.

Look again at the last paragraph of my reply.

The way you are importing by connecting the iPhone to USB will import all photos from the Camera Roll. So you have to save your Snapseed edited photo to the camera roll, before you import your photos. And that can be done by duplicating the edited version of your photo on the iPhone. that will write the edited version to the camera roll and you will see it in the Import panel in Photos on your Mac.

The sidecar files you can see in Image Capture will only describe the filters applied by the camera, but not the edits done in Photos.

Reply

Answer 7

léonie

Level 10

197,309 points

Jan 6, 2017 1:55 PM in response to Claudio P.

I have to duplicate the photo, instead of simply saving it. I don't like this, but that's the way it is, and I will have to accept it.

yes, as long as you are simply saving the phot, there is only one photo with different states of edit, and and the Import panel on your Mac will bestowing you the original. Duplicating the edited version will create a new original in the camera roll, and you will see it on your Mac.

Reply