Does iCloud backup the contents of the Pictures folder to iCloud Photos?
From what I can tell I have to import them into the Photo App for them to be uploaded to iCloud. Is that correct?
It would be nice if the contentment a of the Pictures folder would also get backed up.
This is really bad design. MacOS provides, right there in the User folder, a subfolder entitled "Pictures." At the same time, Apple is going out of its way to promote iCloud at every turn. To not make the 'Pictures' folder a watched (or 'hot') folder (as Google does) belies Apple's whole ease of use philosophy.
Apple should provide a remedy for this gap. Currently, if a user has iCloud -- and has images inside 'Pictures' -- I would put forth that many users will incorrectly believe that their images are being automatically backed up to the cloud.
-- Jeff
Tekfranz,
Thank you for the thorough response. I guess I would just say that, to qualify, I am about the geekiest Apple person I know. And I know a LOT of graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, copywriters and just plain Apple Mac users. And for 25+ years, they all come to me when they don't understand something. 🙂
My point is, that if I don't understand this 'gap' in the User Pictures folder versus iCloud images app, I think a whole lot of folks are going to be in for a rude awakening someday when they lose pictures that they otherwise would logically think are being backed up into the cloud.
At the very least, at the very least, the user should have a chance to choose how the Pictures folder functions -- manually or auto-sync.
This is nuts - and it's why Google is eating Apple's lunch. As a designer, I'm constantly dragging images into my iMac's 'Pictures' folder. I was shocked to find out (on Sierra) that this is not an iCloud-monitored folder, and that none of my images have been uploaded to iCloud Photo Library.
Is the system really this bad?
-- Jeff
At the very least, at the very least, the user should have a chance to choose how the Pictures folder functions -- manually or auto-sync.
That has never been a native feature of the Pictures folder in OSX.
This is really bad design.
Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/
macOS has no native hot or watched folders. Why would you jump to the conclusion the pictures folder becomes one at any point?
If you enable iCloud Drive in macOS Sierra, you enable 3 hot folders that sync with iCloud. Desktop, Documents and the iCloud Drive folder itself. They do not however, sync with the iCloud Photo Library.
and has images inside 'Pictures' -- I would put forth that many users will incorrectly believe that their images are being automatically backed up to the cloud.
Actually, you're the first I've seen here make that assumption.
The icloud photo library does not use a hot folder in any way.
If configured, your local photos library can be a drag and drop link to syncing photos to your photos and then to your icloud storage space.
Drag your photos on to the photos icon. They will be imported in to your local library and synced from there to your icloud photo library.
I have been trying to learn this system and it is not all that bad, actually rather unique in many ways.
Apple's approach is centered on using the Local Computer Apps for each task and then iCloud being an extension of that. iCloud keeps a copy on iCloud.com for web access and also syncs to your other machines.
So in some ways it is more of a sync client.
Google's approach is to do all your work in the cloud with no great need for local apps.
So as far as pictures I would make sure to learn the intricacies of the Photos App as best you can.
To have a 360 degree upload to iCloud you need to...
-Add all your Photos to the Photos App.
-Add all your Music to iTunes and Subscribe to Apple Music.
-Keep all your documents in the Desktop or Documents Folder or the main iCloud Folder or have opened them with Pages Keynote or Numbers.
-Enable iCloud storage for all these services.
It took me a little to get on to all this as I was used to dumping all my files in a big cloud folder on my computer somewhere and it all being uploaded to the cloud by a sync client.
The optimize storage feature in Sierra is a new way to keep you Desktop and Documents in sync.
And you still have the main iCloud Folder to create your own cloud file system in.
As for photos your photos are stored in a database and can be exported as original quantity whenever you want. The same is true for iTunes.
Maybe the Photos App should automatically import the contents of the Photos Folder.
Only photos stored within the Photos app are synced with iCloud.
Import the contents of your Pictures folder in to your library and the stop using the Pictures folder.
Well, I can dream...
Does the regular Pictures folder on my Mac backup to iCloud?
