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I use Photos app and would like to use the option to import photos from an external hard drive without copying the files to the library, hence use referenced files. I have therefore unticked the correct box in the options menu. Despite this Photos continues to copy the files to the hard disk on the computer. Are the any more settings to use? Solutions to this problem? Any restrictions I fail to comply to?
MacBook Pro with Retina display, iOS 10.1.1
Your post is not clear but in any case using a referenced library is a very bad idea and you probably will be sorry if you do - there are much better alternatives including having the librry on an external drive and iCloud Photo Library with optimized photos
Disadvantages of a Referenced Library in Photos
LN
Despite this Photos continues to copy the files to the hard disk on the computer.
Photos needs to create thumbnails and previews of the imported files, even they are referenced. Only the original images will stay in their original location. Where are you seeing the copies on the local drive? Do the photos you are trying to import turn up in a smart album with the rule "Photo is Referenced", or are you saying, that Photos is not importing them as referenced at all?
As a rule of thumb, depending on the pixel size of the originals, a referenced library will need roughly a quarter of the size of the original image files. So, If you are importing 100GB of photos as referenced, you will need at least 25GB for the working copies on your internal drive.
Thanks for your swift reply!
Yes, I understand that som space has two be occupied - I worked with the Photoshop Elements organiser with external drive earlier and was looking for a similar solution in Photos.
No, the photos I import look precisely like they did when the option was to import them to the library. Should there be an album with the rule you mention to verify that the solution has worked? The library grows with more than the size of the original files, as opposed to what you describe. I thought there might be a special icon on referenced photos and that the thumbnail be of a significantly lower resolution when I disconnect the drive, but no such thing occurs. So my interpretation is that they have been imported instead.
I was looking for a way to work with some images at a time from an external hard drive without using up the relatively limited space on my computer but it just seems that there is no solution to that now!
Ok!
iCloud photo library is not an option because of the large amount of images reaching 1 TB soon.
But having the library on an external drive - why is that better? In my mind it seems like an unnecessary increase of drive space usage - in my example 1 TB of images plus a library of the same size put on an external disk. The advantage I can see versus referenced files is that it is possible to back up such a library, is that a correct interpretation? More advantages?
make a new smart album (file menu ==> new smart album) for -- photo - is - referenced
This will shows all referenced photos - any photo that is imported with the Photos referenced to copy the imported items ot the Photos library unchecked would be referenced not copied
and again this is not a good idea but you can do it if you want
and again the better alternatives are to have your library on an external drive or to use ICPL with optimized photos
LN
Referenced files in Photos
