Reply To: Workflow for replacing an iCloud Photo Library

Forums Apple Ecosystem Workflow for replacing an iCloud Photo Library Reply To: Workflow for replacing an iCloud Photo Library

#9942
Cathi Nelson
Keymaster

    A. Henley
    4/3/2019 at 7:52:15 PM GMT
    Ack! I’m not getting updates to this thread even though I’m subscribed (and I’m the ‘thread starter) so I missed these.

    @ P Pulido – it was a little trick I learned on a weird website (it was a video so when I find it again, I’ll try to post back here). But basically when Photos App is completely closed, you drag the folder from Finder onto the Photos App icon only and Photos will open and ask if you want to import. You have to check in top right “Keep Folder Organization.”
    They import into Photos Library. The folders remain folders and any loose photos within those folders become Albums. Can’t believe I didn’t know this one!

    @M Macintyre – I used Themed folders for photos and videos we don’t need in the chronological structure – for example “How to Set Up the Pool” photos /instructions go into a Themed Folder Themes: Subfolder: AA- Client’s How-Tos Next Theme could be Design Ideas so we do BB-Design Ideas and some are Recipes CC-Recipes DD-Fave Book Quotes. EE-Insurance Photos Etc.

    In Mac Photos, we would just Create these themes in ALBUMS under a Themes FOLDER.

    A. Henley
    4/3/2019 at 7:54:46 PM GMT
    PS Thanks M. Macintyre…that is helpful and I think I have a game plan now!

    P. Einarsen
    4/4/2019 at 12:16:57 PM GMT
    Amanda – I think the cleanest way to do it is to import any recent photos into your organized collection, create a new Photos Library from the organized collection so you can verify everything, and then replace her old system library. You would first delete everything in the old system library which will delete everything on all devices. Once that’s complete you set up your new library as the system library and let it push out everywhere. Doing it in stages could be problematic and tedious. But just position it like doing a kitchen renovation. So the owner has to set up a microwave in the basement for a few days. The result is worth it. As long as you have a complete, ready to go Photos Library that you can show them before you do the purge, and you have backups of both the old and the new “just in case” then the rest is just time. You might want to keyword any photos in the themed groups so you can find them should anything shift. Also, when Photos imports nested folders it makes an extra layer of folders that you may want to delete.

    A. Henley
    4/4/2019 at 12:40:31 PM GMT
    Thanks so much Paul! She doesn’t have anywhere she can put originals other than iPad so I’m thinking I would have to upload from my system library on ehd to the cloud then down to her phone/Mac air of optimized storage and iPad. But I’m thinking that may take a really long time ?? Hours or days you think depending on upload/download speed of her internet ? Would love to do this remotely but don’t think that’s ideal. And could she still continue to take pics once I do? Or that’s on hold until …? So many tiny details !

    P. Einarsen
    4/4/2019 at 7:11:22 PM GMT
    If you set up a remote user and sync everything from there, she can still take pictures on her iphone and they will just add themselves to the iCloud Photo Library. There’s a chance, though, that her camera roll and the newly added photos from your edited library will mix for a short time until everything sorts out correctly. No matter how you cut it, the purge and replace syncing will take awhile and it’s all dependent on the connection speeds and content. It’s just very hard to predict the timing. And from what you describe, I recommend doing it remotely so that you can monitor the deletion and restore yourself. Sometimes the restore will hang up and if that happens at the client end, there’s no way for you to know and fix it. For what it’s worth, you can explain that had you known in the beginning she wanted to end up back in Photos, you would have worked remotely to start. It’s all fine, it just takes longer because of the extra steps. On the Mac Air, if she was an older Air with an SD card slot, she can add storage using a NiftyDrive or Transcend drive. I have one and it works great. Check on Amazon.