Photos.app Importing to referenced library?

[mattspace]

Just wanted to check if anyone has done this and can confirm the workflow - Can Photos.app import from an iPhone / Camera card to a referenced library location, creating subfolders for year / month / day etc? Or, do you have to copy it to the referenced location first with Image Capture or simiar, and then import the reference link to iPhoto?

I know Photos prefers managed libraries, but that's not an option, neither is iCloud.

 

[hg.wells]

Here are the instructions for using references files:

Change where your files are stored in Photos on Mac

In Photos on your Mac, store photos in a photo library or outside of it. Copy external files into a Photos library.

support.apple.com

You would have to use Image capture and create your own structure, when using references files.

 

[mattspace]

Here are the instructions for using references files:

Change where your files are stored in Photos on Mac

In Photos on your Mac, store photos in a photo library or outside of it. Copy external files into a Photos library.

support.apple.com

You would have to use Image capture and create your own structure, when using references files.

Yes, I've read that, but it doesn't show the file importing dialog.

Aperture / iPhoto for example had an import system that let you choose to import to the app's library (managed) or to a specific location, with specified directory structure (referenced).

What I'm trying to figure out is if that part of the workflow was something that was lost in the Photos transition, or if every import to Photos has to be two imports, once to disk, and then a second time to get into the app's catalogue.

 

[Slartibart]

Get RAW Power which will allow you to work with Photos' library and multiple Finder folders, et cetera and it comes with an extension for Apple's Photos. There is a trial. It’s developer is the former Aperture team lead.

 

[mattspace]

Get RAW Power which will allow you to work with Photos' library and multiple Finder folders, et cetera and it comes with an extension for Apple's Photos. There is a trial. It’s developer is the former Aperture team lead.

Thanks, I know about it, and have corresponded with the developer a while back. The issue is I'm not looking for an editing solution, I need a photo ingestion solution (and smart-folder-supporting management) to take images from device, iOS or camera card, put them into an existing file structure, and add them to a management catalogue.

Editing I do in Capture One, but it can't import from iPhone.

 

[Ray2]

Change to reference and see what it does. Libraries can be a combination of both. I haven’t used Photos for years. When I did, set to reference and it did what the support doc says, leave them where you placed them and “reference” them. I don’t recall any choice in the import dialog. I do recall even though the app is set to referenced, in certain situations it will import to the managed side. So you get a bit of managed mixed in with your referenced. Forget what caused that to happen and don't know if it still does. One can use filters to identify any “masters” in the library.

For strictly cataloging, referenced libraries work well.

 

[mattspace]

Change to reference and see what it does. Libraries can be a combination of both. I haven’t used Photos for years. When I did, set to reference and it did what the support doc says, leave them where you placed them and “reference” them. I don’t recall any choice in the import dialog. I do recall even though the app is set to referenced, in certain situations it will import to the managed side. So you get a bit of managed mixed in with your referenced. Forget what caused that to happen and don't know if it still does. One can use filters to identify any “masters” in the library.

For strictly cataloging, referenced libraries work well.

I did some tests, and Photos can only import from device to its internal managed structure. So it has to be a 2 stage process, import from device to disk with Image Capture, then from disk to Photos, which can be done with drag & drop.

Just another thing that's been lost which used to be a standard capability of predecessor apps.

 

[Ray2]

Yes, that’s how it works. It’s not like Lightroom, or perhaps Aperture (forget), where the importer can both move files to a new location and reference them. It’s a basic application where Apple begrudgingly accommodates referenced files. It’s intended purpose was/is to provide an automated garbage can for the throws of iPhone users who expected the Genius Bar to find their 300 pics of their dog they took that morning.

For the most part its useful for those who are unwilling to spend a little time figuring out how anything works.

 

[mattspace]

Yes, that’s how it works. It’s not like Lightroom, or perhaps Aperture (forget), where the importer can both move files to a new location and reference them. It’s a basic application where Apple begrudgingly accommodates referenced files. It’s intended purpose was/is to provide an automated garbage can for the throws of iPhone users who expected the Genius Bar to find their 300 pics of their dog they took that morning.

For the most part its useful for those who are unwilling to spend a little time figuring out how anything works.

I half suspect what I'll do instead is just import to disk with Image Capture, and set up Folder actions / Hazel workflows to save out scaled-down versions to another folder and sync that folder back.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

I'm thinking that insofar as "referenced libraries" are concerned, Photos can "import FROM" them.

However, BECAUSE it is an "externally-referenced" library (and not a library that Photos itself creates with its own masters), Photos cannot "import TO" an external library.

For all practical purposes, that external "library" is really just a user-created "folder-file" hierarchy.
I've done that myself, so that all my pics are in a "library" (again, just a folder/file setup) that I created and manage.

So, if you want a similar user-created/managed library, I'll guess that you must "manually import" your pics into it FIRST, and then import those additions into Photos, again "manually".

That's what works for me.
I don't care for "application-created" libraries in which the actual masters are nearly impossible to locate "in the finder".

 

[mattspace]

OP:

I'm thinking that insofar as "referenced libraries" are concerned, Photos can "import FROM" them.

However, BECAUSE it is an "externally-referenced" library (and not a library that Photos itself creates with its own masters), Photos cannot "import TO" an external library.

For all practical purposes, that external "library" is really just a user-created "folder-file" hierarchy.
I've done that myself, so that all my pics are in a "library" (again, just a folder/file setup) that I created and manage.

So, if you want a similar user-created/managed library, I'll guess that you must "manually import" your pics into it FIRST, and then import those additions into Photos, again "manually".

That's what works for me.
I don't care for "application-created" libraries in which the actual masters are nearly impossible to locate "in the finder".

Yup that's about the size of it, which is a shame, because that was a thing Aperture handled magnificently - you import to referenced library location, AND aperture added referenced entries to its catalogue at the same time.

I'm looking at CMYE's Peakto as a solution going forward, because it can interrogate and work with almost every DAM solution as a meta-manager.

 

[Ray2]

Another option is $10/month for Lightroom. It does what you’re looking for, it’s far better than my former Aperture, it’s cheap when you look at how they use the allotted 20 gb and all the apps that come along with the package. It’s cross-device support, reliable sharing and cloud based DAM simplicity (all poorly marketed, as if Adobe still doesn’t understand its market) make it a good choice for those who need that functionality. For solely an import feature I’d understand taking a pass.