Find Mac Photos Library

1. Find Mac Photos Library File
2. Mac Photos Library Location
3. Find Duplicates In Mac Os Photos Library

Ensure that the Apple Photos Library you want to migrate is set as the Systems Photos Library. To set your library as the Systems Photos Library, follow these steps:

Open Apple Photos and select Preferences in the menu bar.

Click the General tab and select Use as System Photo Library under Library Location.

Select Use as System Photo Library. If it is grayed out, then it is already set as the System Photos Library.

Note:

• If Use as System Photo Library is grayed out, then the library is already set as System Photos Library.
• If you want to migrate the assets synced to your iCloud Library, click the iCloud tab and select iCloud Photo Library.
• Ensure that Download Originals to this Mac is selected, as the Photos migrator can only migrate photos for which originals are stored locally. Wait for all your originals to be downloaded before you begin migration.

Select 'iCloud Photo Library' to migrate assets that are synced to iCloud Library. Select 'Download Originals to this Mac' to allow migration of originals.

The first page in the Google Photos app is called the library and is always sorted on date, recent-up. But you can change the view under the 3 dots right-up. In a normal browser it is and then you should log-in with your Google-account also to see the same pictures, but much larger. All your photos on all your devices. ICloud Photos gives you access to your entire Mac photo and video library from all your devices. If you shoot a snapshot, slo-mo, or selfie on your iPhone, it’s automatically added to iCloud Photos — so it appears on your Mac, iOS.

A Photos Library can be migrated to Lightroom only once. You can, however, migrate additional libraries. Also consider the following before you begin migration to Lightroom:

The migration of Apple Photos Library to Lightroom is supported in the following operating systems:

• macOS 10.14 (Mojave)
• macOS 10.15 (Catalina)
• macOS 11.0 (Big Sur)
  

• Folders and Albums
  • The hierarchy of folders and albums in Apple Photos Library is migrated to Lightroom. Shared albums and corresponding assets can also be migrated to Lightroom. Ensure that you select iCloud Photo Sharing to receive Shared albums data in your Photos Library.
• Bursts
  • Currently only the keyframe is migrated.
  • If you want all the Burst photos to be migrated, unstack them in Apple Photos first and then migrate them. To unstack and select Burst photos for migration, see View photo bursts and select shots to work with in this Apple document. After you've done this, the desired Burst photos will appear in your Photos Library which you can then migrate.

• Live Photos
  • The rendition of the still keyframe is migrated
  • The video is migrated

• Raw
  • Only the untouched original is migrated
• Portrait/Depth Effect
  • The untouched original is migrated
• People
  • Tagged people are migrated to Lightroom

Note:

• For Live Photos, since both the video and image components are migrated, the photo count in Lightroom is higher than what is shown in Apple Photos.

• The edits made to images are not migrated
• The following assets are not migrated to Lightroom:
  • Shared Albums
  • Assets in Hidden Album
  • Assets in the Recently Deleted Folder
  • Assets in iCloud but not stored locally
• Portrait/Depth Effect
  • The depth effect image is not migrated
• People
  • Face data for images that are cropped or rotated are not migrated. However, the unmodified original is migrated.
• Animated Live Photo Effects
  • Loop, Bounce, and Long Exposure effects are not migrated.

If you are using macOS 10.12 (Sierra) and have HEIC assets in your library, the HEIC assets are not migrated to Lightroom. This is because macOS 10.12 does not support HEIC files.

If you are using macOS 10.13 and higher and your library has HEIC assets, Apple Photos runs a background task to process these photos for migration. After the processing is complete, all the HEIC assets are ready for migration.

• In case the migration is executed before the processing of all assets is complete, few assets are not migrated to Lightroom.
• If all assets are not ready for migration, you can view a dialog box that states that all the assets are not migration-ready.

See Start migration to learn how to migrate your HEIC assets.

Note:

• In Lightroom, ensure that Local Storage > Originals Are Currently Stored In A Custom Location preference points to the desired location to store the migrated Apple Photos Library. To know more, see Local storage preferences.
• An Apple Photos Library can be migrated only once. You can however migrate additional libraries.

Open Lightroom and select File in the menu bar. In the File menu, select Migrate Apple Photos Library and click Continue.

You can then view and read the Before You Begin dialog box. Keep the following considerations in mind and click Continue.

• You can migrate an Apple Photos Library only once.
• Photos with originals only on iCloud and Hidden Photos are not migrated.
• Ensure that the Apple Photos Library you want to migrate is set as System Photos Library.

Read the details before you begin migration of Apple Photos Library to Lightroom CC.

Lightroom scans the catalog, launches the migrator, and displays a progress bar of the migration. This step can take a while to complete.

(Occasional) Review any exceptions that the migrator reports. For example, the migrator can report an exception if it is unable to locate some photos included in your source catalog. In such a case, you can click Canceland begin the process afresh after resolving the issues in Apple Photos Library. If you want to ignore the exceptions and continue migrating, click Start Migration.

Review the information in the Catalog Ready for Migration dialog. If necessary, click Open Log File to inspect details. When ready, click Start Migration.

Lightroom begins the migration process and displays a progress bar. Depending on the catalog size and the resources on your computer, this step can take a while to complete.

Click Open Log File to view the log file. Click Start Migration to begin migration.

When the migration is complete, a dialog box displays the status. If there are exceptions, click Open Log Fileto review the details.

Click Open Log File to view the errors in migration. Click Done to complete the migration.

/PowerMyMac /Where Are Photos Stored on Mac - Quickly Locate!

If you are using a Mac, the Photos app is responsible for managing all images inside the application such as photos transferred from your iPhone or memory card as well as those that were imported. For the curious ones, you might be wondering where are photos stored on Mac.

Remember that this is specific to the Photos app. In case you do not use the app to manage your photos on your Mac, the photos are not stored inside the applications package library but you can easily find them using Finder in the generic Pictures folder or somewhere else in the Mac system.

Where Are Photos Stored on Mac?

The photo files are stored in this location on Mac: ~/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/Masters/.

It is important to note that the ~ tilde indicates the users home directory, if you are going to utilize the “Go To Folder” command to move through that directory, do not skip the ~ prefix.

Article GuidePart 1. A Close Look on Photos on MacPart 2. Where Are the Photos Stored on Mac OS?Part 3. Bonus: How to Use the Photos AppLet's Wrap It up

Part 1. A Close Look on Photos on Mac

The Photos app is a convenient tool that stores all your photos and videos. All photos taken are stored in it and even organized. When you open the app, you can find all your photos and reminisce on all the memories that you have collected.

Are Photos and iPhoto the Same?

Photos have been considered as the ideal tool in photo management for Mac users. Before Photos took the stage, Apple created 2 applications for managing photos and videos. iPhoto, specifically, is ideally for those who have less experience in photography while Aperture was the preferred choice for those who want to indulge in editing.

With the availability of the Photos app, it blurs the line between these two apps where it combines the best of the two along with the addition of new features such as iCloud Photo Library and the iCloud Photo Sharing.

For those who have used iPhoto before, it will be a breeze to use the Photos app. All photos, albums, and collections are found in the main window with a navigation sidebar on the left side and you can choose different viewing options at the top part of the interface.

The main difference between iPhoto and the Photos app is its performance. If you have big libraries, iPhoto tends to choke up or lag and it had arbitrary limitations that would restrain the sizes on the albums and collections.

It is a different case with the Photos app since these limitations are gone and capable of handling larger libraries. Although the general interface of the Photos apps might be the same, it is relatively faster and a powerful tool that its predecessor.

How to Store Photos on Mac?

Your photos can be stored on your Mac or on iCloud. The initial step to make is to ensure that your photos are on your Mac. Generally, photos can take up disk space, especially if you have a lot.

Simply open the Photos app and click on “Preferences” and choose the iCloud tab. If you want to store your photos in iCloud, you must select the option to “Download Originals to this Mac”. This will ensure that all your photos are on the disk and the next task for you is to find them.

Part 2. Where Are the Photos Stored on Mac OS?

Where are pictures stored on Mac? The photo files are stored in this location in the Mac OS:

~/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/Masters/

It is important to note that the ~ tilde indicates the users home directory, if you are going to utilize the “Go To Folder” command to move through that directory, do not skip the ~ prefix.

This essentially focuses on the local image files and not anything stored inside iCloud. For files on iCloud, you can access them through iCloud Photo Library or the Photos app.

How to Access the Location Where Photos Files Are Stored?

In case you decide to manually navigate to the file location of Photos using the Finder to find where are photos stored on Mac, there are steps that you should follow:

1. Open Finder and proceed to the home directory
2. Open the “Pictures” folder
3. Search for the file labeled as “Photos Library photoslibrary”
4. Right-click or Control+Click on the “Photos Library photoslibrary” and tap on the “Show Package Contents” option
5. Access the folder labeled “Masters” to find the image files included within the Photos app

Generally, the “Masters” folder includes directories of photos that are categorized based on the date in day, month or year subfolders. In every folder, you will find the image files from each specific date.

Remember that if you delete a photo from the “Masters” directory, you can no longer access it in the Photos app. It is recommended to copy a file from the directory if you want to edit one. Furthermore, this package folder is not aimed to be easily accessed which is the reason why it is concealed. However, you can browse directly through your files if you want.

Another option if you want to find the original file from Photos apps is to utilize the “Show Referenced” option. This will access a Finder window that holds a file that was selected from Photos. Some Mac users will notice that the images in the Photos app are designated in the same package style containment as with other common Mac apps and in the same parent directory where you will find the iPhoto images and the Photo Booth files.

Quick Suggestion

In case you only require the “Master” files to copy a few photos, simply move them out of Photos directly to the desktop. This action will create duplicates of your photos and will not move or delete the original files.

Do not forget to find and delete all the copies that you acquired later to prevent the files from taking up disk space on your Mac. In such cases, you might need an effective tool such as the Similar Photo tool in PowerMyMac to clean up unnecessary files after locating.

Part 3. Bonus: How to Use the Photos App

If this is your first time to use the Photos app, it will provide you with an overview of how your library looks like with all your photos and videos imported. You will get a quick introduction to some of the features and tools as well as learn how to create concrete memories with the help of printable objects such as photo books, calendars and more.

After finishing the tour of the app and you have gone through the initial configuration, you are ready to import your photos and videos.

Importing Photos to Mac

You can utilize several ways to import your media content to the Photos app which is based on where you have been storing the files. Follow the ways below and you will also know where are imported photos stored on Mac more clearly.

1. From an iPhone or digital camera

1. Link your iPhone or camera to your Mac using a USB cable. There is a need to unlock your iPhone using your password and then click on “Trust” when asked to “Trust This Computer”.
2. In case the Photo app does not automatically open, access the app on your Mac.
3. Once the Photos app launches, it will provide you with the “Import” screen that has all the photos and videos on your iPhone or camera. In case you cannot see the “Import” screen, simply tap on your iPhone or camera in the Photos sidebar beneath the “Devices”.
4. At this point, you can choose either to “Import All New Items” or choose a batch and click on “Import Selected”.

Find Mac Photos Library File

2. From a folder or external hard drive in Finder

Mac Photos Library Location

If these are the sources, you have several options to choose from. In case your photos and videos are stored in an external hard drive, you must make sure that it is linked first. You can proceed with one of the following:

1. Move the files from the drive into the Photos window
2. Drag files from the drive onto the Photos icon that you can find in the Dock
3. In the Photos app, proceed to File > Import from the menu bar. Select the photos or videos that you want to import and tap on “Review” for Import

Remember that the Photos app copies the photos and videos into the Photos Library. The original file is left either on your device or in its folder.

Quick Tip

If you have been wondering where are photos stored on Mac – you now have the answer.

The next task is to ensure that you do not have any duplicates since they can take up space. Since the Photos app will not remove the original photos after the importing process, you might end up with duplicate photos that can eat up precious disk space on your Mac. Those who have taken several photos of the same subject from slightly different angles will end up with more space being used up.

But how to find photo files on Mac if no pictures folder on Mac? The ideal way to keep your photo collection in check is to scan your Mac for duplicates every now and then. By using the Similar Image Finder tool in iMyMac PowerMyMac, you can scan your device for any similar photos that you can effortlessly remove to free up space.

iMyMac PowerMyMac is an all-around tool with a variety of functions to optimize your Mac. If you want to ensure that there are no duplicate photos that can eat up disk space, you need to use the Similar Image Finder tool in the Toolkit module of PowerMyMac. This tool is an ideal photo manager that can help find and remove duplicate photos on your Mac. It functions in the same manner as the Duplicate Finder tool, but it specializes in finding similar photos.

Let us take a close look at the steps.

1. Tap on the Toolkit module in PowerMyMac and select the Similar Image Finder tool.
2. Tap on the “Scan” button on the interface. This will start to recognize and detect similar photos on your device.
3. Once the scanning is complete, you are provided with a preview of all kinds of similar photos on the left side. On the right, you can view the details.
4. Select similar photos to remove.
5. Tap on the “Clean” button on the bottom right corner to get rid of the similar photos. The cleaning time is based on the size of similar photos.

Aside from that, PowerMyMac has other functions you can use to clean up your Mac, such as Uninstaller that can help you completely delete apps, Privacy that can clear out your browsers to protect your personal information...

Let's Wrap It up

With the options stated above, you can easily locate your photos on your Mac. Just make sure that once you locate your photos, you do not have any duplicates. Remember that these duplicates or similar photos can take up precious disk space on your Mac.

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Sherri Zuckerman2021-01-16 16:35:20

I can not figure this out. Every article says something different and none of them work for me. First of all, I'm using Big Sur and there is no 'masters' folder in my package contents, there's only 'originals'. When I go into that folder I only have images up to 2015. it's very confusing and I'm so tired of how mac has done this from the start with their photos programs.

Владимир2020-08-23 19:37:41

Доброго вам всем.... перенёс данные с MacBook Air 2015 на MacBook 2017. Делал это с помощью утилиты миграция данных. После этого на air обновил систему до Catalina. После пытался открыть приложение фото, но сразу не получилось, а когда открыл, то фотографий там небыло. Не на этом не на другом маке нет фотографий в программе фото. Куда они могли деться? Почему это произошло? Есть вариант их вернуть, если резервной копии небыло ?Спасибо за дельные советы

Find Duplicates In Mac Os Photos Library

iMyMac2020-08-24 19:59:23

Здравствуйте, я предлагаю вам связаться с продавцом используемой вами утилиты переноса данных.

Alyssa2020-04-03 09:49:50

Buongiorno, ho da anni un problema con Foto, in pratica ho due 'album' differenti di Foto con differenti fotografie al interno. Se vado sotto informazioni di sistema per gestire lo spazio sul mac, trovo; l'app di Foto, ma se poi vado su documenti - Browser file - iCloud (archivio) - scrivania, trovo l'app di foto concentro altre fotografie. Posso aprire entrambi gli 'album' di foto e trasferire le fotografie del telefono o su uno o sul altro. Come faccio ad avere una cola cartella Foto con dentro tutte le fotografie? Grazie mille per la disponibilità è da un po' ce cerco la soluzione ma non so come fare

Pieciana2019-12-17 15:14:11

I put the songs in a folder on the desktop and iTunes always creates a copy in its own media library folder. How can I remove iTunes Backup?

iMyMac2019-12-17 16:02:03

We have created an article before and it can solve your problem, please check this article link (https://www.imymac.com/powermymac/how-to-remove-duplicate-songs-in-itunes.html) to read the details. Thanks for your support!

Davy2019-12-10 16:05:07

Lucky to see your tips, I want to back up all my favorite photos but can't find them on my Mac. Now I have done the backup, so happy!

iMyMac2019-12-10 17:04:07

Thanks for your support!

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