Get Organized with Photos Part 2: Folders, Albums and Smart Albums

[@donbiagio1]

Thank you again my friend. 👕👍😎 This video was GREAT. A LOT to unpack but I can hardly wait to put the tips and tricks to work. I got a lot of photos to go through and “CLEAN UP”. But you as always make it easy to follow and implement. Thank you again awesome part 2 and look forward again to the next ones. Stay safe 😎👕❤️👌 Biagio Bisignano

[@TheMacWhisperer]

Super excited about this series, so thanks for the suggestion. Next up we will talk about how to share Photos, and how to Edit them. Also working on a video of my favorite 3rd Party Mac Apps

[@60beats44]

So extremely useful Dylan. Thank you very much for this fantastic series.

[@TheMacWhisperer]

My pleasure! More to come! We will dive into the titling and editing questions in Part 4 - Next up the sharing tools!

[@Room1009-r2b]

Soooo good! The To Sort idea is genius. Thanks so much for the first two parts and I look forward to Part 3.

[@TheMacWhisperer]

You are so welcome! Working on part 3 now.

[@jennyanswerth5048]

Excellent advice! Can’t wait to get started organised my neglected photos!

[@TheMacWhisperer]

Glad it was helpful!

[@anngiuli]

So much valuable information in a single video. I have watched a few times to be sure not to miss any of these great tips. In addition to all of this important information, I really like the very creative style of your videos. Look forward to the third in series. Thank you for all your work.

[@TheMacWhisperer]

Glad it was helpful! I'll be doing a new series on the Photos app in the next month… Because the new operating systems (iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and MacOS 15: Sequoia) will all be released shortly, and the Photos app got a major redesign. Hope you enjoyed part three. Please let me know if there are other topics you'd like to see me cover!

[@tyroneglass]

Thank you for this. I have a goal of getting my photos organized before the holidays. Quick question-if I create folders and albums for my 20 thousand photos, will they automatically disappear from the all photos section? I hope so because I would love not to see them once filed properly.

[@TheMacWhisperer]

That’s just not the way the Photos app is designed. The library is everything, all of your photos regardless of which album they’re in. When you put a photo into an album it does not technically move it, create a reference to that file in the library. Because of this you can have the same photo and multiple albums without having duplicates of that picture. It’s a very efficient and effective way of organizing stuff… But people think that when they put it away it’s going to disappear from the library. It won’t. However my recommendation is to create a smart album Called unsorted… And the rule for that album is that the picture is not in ANY album. That way you can always see what pictures have not been filed anywhere yet through the unsorted album… But you leave the library, albums and folders where they’re supposed to be rather than mocking around there. Let me know if you have questions.

[@davep6603]

What a great video. I use Lightroom to organize my photos taken with my dedicated camera, but my iPhone photos library is a mess! Not for long, after seeing this video. Thank you!

[@TheMacWhisperer]

So glad you got value out of it!!! Thank you!

[@astronaute]

Amazing video, you deserve to be a LOT more popular. I like your style

[@TheMacWhisperer]

Thank you so much 😀. The channel is growing thanks to people like you! Keep watching, there's lots more on the way!!!

[@anngiuli]

Thank you again, so look forward to lesson 3.

[@TheMacWhisperer]

You are welcome! ;)

[@mountainhealing]

Thank you Dylan! Great information.

[@TheMacWhisperer]

You are very welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@thel-js7716]

Great video thanks for the tips. I currently used a folder per year and then populated that with albums of all the different events that year. I love the idea of breaking it down into Holiday & Events etc. My 1 question is con I have the same album in 2 folders for example I can have an album of a wedding in my current year folder but also in my new weddings subfolder in my new holidays & Events folder?

[@TheMacWhisperer]

Absolutely. Any picture can be in multiple albums, and any album can be duplicated. Personally, I don't see the need to create folders by year (most people don't remember what year a certain photo was taken, although EVERYONE believes they do). Plus, the Photos app already sorts by year, so it has always felt like an arduous and unnecessary task to sort by year manually when it is already done for you. Of course, you should do what you feel comfortable with, but having events sorted based on topic rather than solely by year makes it much easier to find that picture you were sure was taken in a specific year (but wasn't). I only share that suggestion because, over 20 years of doing this, I have watched people spend an endless amount of time doing mental gymnastics trying to find a picture (it was from that trip we took in my old red truck, which I bought in 2012, but it was after the transmission went out in 2015, oh wait... maybe it was in the other red truck from 2017... etc...) As opposed to "That was from our trip to Napa... let's go to the travel, Napa folder... oh there it is. My mistake it was 2019...."

[@thel-js7716]

Good point. Thanks again for the tips.

[@DD-mz4lr]

Genus. Pure genius!

[@TheMacWhisperer]

I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching! Any particular takeaway you would like to share from the video?

[@gertleroy]

well explained. i come from a life of pc use and i find it extremely confusing organizing pics and videos in the ios eco system. to be honest, i don4t think it's intuitive, and not better than PC. The fact that pictures or stored in a separate app (Photos) than other file types is just not practical to work with for me. Some applications when you need to upload e.g. a profile pic they give you access to the Photos app, but if your profiel pic is stored on your mac outside of the Photos app, things become complicated..

[@DD-mz4lr]

Ditto for me. Lifelong PC user and struggling with MAC photo library and organizing/editing. Don't like I can't edit photo unless it's in the Apple photo library. Huge advantage though is viewing same pics both on iPhone and MAC via iCloud. Can organize pics taken on my phone from my MAC. This video was a big help. Tremendous organization tools I might like better if I can master!

[@TheMacWhisperer]

I know there are some elements that take getting used to, but as a lifelong Mac user, I prefer letting the app do the work as opposed to doing everything from files and folders. It's certainly easier than using than google photos (which makes zero sense)... Feel free to ask any specifics that you need help with, I have taught thousands of people how to use their photos app on all their devices and really get organized with it and learn how to use it. Even many lifelong PC users. In the long run I think it is a better system.

[@TheMacWhisperer]

You can edit into photoshop or other apps doreclty from the photos app by right clicking and going to "edit with". It will open the image into whatever app you like, and then when you save it, it will update the picture in Photos automatically. So you don't have to "only edit" in the photos app. For me ALL my pics are in the photos app, so I can't even imagaine where else I would have tthem organized? A bunch of loose folders. That's annoying, inconvenient and would make me crazy. The Photos app is mafe to managae all your pics, and once you get the hang of the automatic sorting, the folders and albums, it's super easy.

[@GeeWhizbang]

Love Love Love this series Dylan, pls keep on trucking! OK I have a sorting challenge that your bonus tip may serve to solve but wanted to get your thoughts. Last year I accidentally restored all imported items which added back every pix I took basically into my master library and created tons of duplicates that are unfiled & created clutter/taking up space. What's the best, most efficient way to delete all those unfiled photos (I've already tried the "duplicate" feature to rid some of them but still have many more to resolve). Thoughts??

[@TheMacWhisperer]

You could create a smart album with a rule based on when they were imported in, or something about the quality of the resolution of those images… Then it would pull all of them together in one place and you could delete or address them in one fell swoop. Another option is using the app PowerPhotos (which is a paid app) that can automatically find duplicates and clear them up in a better way than Apple built-in systems.

[@GeeWhizbang]

@@TheMacWhisperer BTW you're my go to Mac expert to send to my Pops who's a viral Senior, keep it up sir!

[@mandibee]

Thanks this is great. So when I move them into albums do I need to delete them from my photos or recents?

[@TheMacWhisperer]

Great question, Mandibee! 😊 When you move photos into albums, they still remain in your main Photos and Recents-albums are like "pointers" to the original photo. No need to delete them from your library! If you want more tips on organizing your photos, join us for our weekly live broadcasts or check out themacwhisperer.com for personalized guidance. 🎉

[@JuhlMedia]

Hi Dylan, I am still a bit confused about Album v. Folder. To organize images in Photo App on my Mac, #1 to create an album. #2 to create a folder. #3 to drag images to the folder. #4 to set subfolder and drag related images to the folder. Am I right? By the way, I have 16,000 photos and 12,000 videos on my Photo. Thank you! Ching

[@TheMacWhisperer]

So this is a question I get all the time. There are three separate pieces: Photos, Albums, and Folders. Photos get put into albums to sort them. Albums get put into folders to sort them. For example, you could put all of the pictures from this year's Halloween into one album, all of pictures from prior Halloweens into their own albums, then you can take all of those Halloween albums and add them into a Halloween folder. You can't drag a photo into a folder, you have to drag it into an album for it to work. Remember albums organize the PHOTOS, but folders and subfolders organize the ALBUMS. This can allow you to keep multiple albums tucked inside of one folder so that it's not overwhelming to find all of your Halloween pictures or birthday pictures. I like to create a handful of basic categories for my folders: "Family", "Travel", "Personal", "Events", etc... Then I put the albums into those separate folders, and if I have enough albums of a specific time (like birthdays or weddings), I create a subfolder to keep them organized within that master folder. Hopefully that helps explain it! And FYI, I have over 70,000 pics sorted this way, and I can pull up any picture at will within moments.

[@luclevesquephd]

Another excellent video. Thank you for making these. I agree with the post below, you should have millions of followers. I'm planning to transition to iOS within the next 6 weeks. One of the things that I would need to know at some point. I have at least 20 years of photos filed in folders on windows, structured by Year then event. However, I am unsure that all my photos are appropriately date and times stamped. I would need to check all these photos and batch update timestamps. How do we do this?

[@TheMacWhisperer]

The nice thing about the way Photos imports, is that it will make albums out of each of your folders preserving (for the most part) your current (even if inaccurate) chronological sorting system. Once it's done, you can batch re-date the albums, and then in the long run you can change the forced "I must put it in a folder based on year" system that ALL windows users use... BTW, when you change to iOS, I would wait until September when the new phones are released. With the upcoming addition of Apple's AI (Apple Intelligence) newer phones will be the ones to get the best functionality, so don't skimp (at least this first time), so you can enjoy ALL the latest features. Also, I do group classes, private lessons, and have a full course on how to master the iPhone when you are ready. let me know if you would like links for any of these services. Thanks for watching.

[@luclevesquephd]

@@TheMacWhisperer Thank you. I will try to wait until September, however, I am on a phone rental system with my phone provider, forcing me to upgrade in the next 6 weeks or so. I'll try to push it back. I got tired of Windows computer slowing down, and migrated to Linux desktop. While stable and fast, far too many limitations with this environment. I'm making the leap in the iOS world, I know that it will be a shock, but I learn fast. I will watch your videos, and turn to you for help. Thank you for creating this channel.

[@TheMacWhisperer]

Are you going to keep your Linux desktop? Or are you ready to go full Apple and get yourself a proper MacBook? I love the iPad, but in my world it's just not a replacement for a computer. Too limiting. To really make the most out of your technology, getting everything inside the Apple ecosystem is a huge benefit. Let me know how I can help.

[@joeglennaz]

Hello, I’m clicking the link for part one and it just takes me back to this video. How do I get to part one?

[@TheMacWhisperer]

This should get you there: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJPTgIyMr5eNo8U

[@susanlepich3914]

If I own the shared album and then delete it, will the people that I shared the album with have it deleted as well? Btw, your video is very helpful! Thanks!

[@TheMacWhisperer]

Yes, if you delete a shared album the recipients will lose access to it. They can manually download the photos to their own library by right clicking on any photos they want to keep and selecting import. When I delete a shared album I usually send out an email a week before and a day before, letting the recipients know to save the images if they want them. I can always re-share them later if I need to. And thanks so much for watching!

[@karenrobertson2908]

My son shared an album with me, but it does not appear on the left sidebar. I can only see if I toggle at the top drop down menu where it shows (both libraries, personal library, or both library) and select shared library. I would like to move the photo to "my library" but the Move to is grayed out. why is that??

[@TheMacWhisperer]

It sounds to me that he shared a LIBRARY not an ALBUM. This is a way to consolidate two different people's photo libraries with each other. It's the wrong thing for him to have done, and you can decline the shared LIBRARY but it will be easier if he removes it from his end, and re-shares an ALBUM instead of the LIBRARY… For husbands and wives that shared LIBRARY feature is extremely powerful and allows everyone to have each other's photos… But for most people shared ALBUM is the right solution.

[@mzphotosgeelong]

Hi there I’ve just started watching your tutorials very good , but I don’t see what you see I’m using version 10.0(701.0.230) Not sure what to do ? Any help would be great thanks.

[@TheMacWhisperer]

Hi! This video was made with an earlier version of Photos. My new updated video for the iOS 18 version of photos will be out on Saturday. Stay tuned! It will make more sense.

[@mzphotosgeelong]

@@TheMacWhisperer thank you

[@TheMacWhisperer]

FYI, in case you didn't see it, here is the new photos video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ennFZnxmn9Wre6M

[@SimpleTruthNotEasy-l8j]

on 23:00, my smart album does not show ANY..... what to do

[@TheMacWhisperer]

It could be an issue with the filters or criteria set for your Smart Album. Try double-checking the settings for what the album is supposed to show. If you're still having trouble, feel free to join one of our live broadcasts-we cover all kinds of iPhone and Mac tips, and I’d be happy to walk you through it live! 😊

[@megansolis4917]

How can I share a folder so participants have access to all the albums inside of it?

[@TheMacWhisperer]

Unfortunately Apple hasn’t made that capability available. At this time you can share an album but you cannot share a folder or the album inside of that folder.

[@do9138]

I just want to set up specific folders and move pictures into them. What this video said to do doesn't do that. It doesn't move the selected pics into the folder or anywhere else. I have a 2024 MacBook Pro. This must be out of date.

[@TheMacWhisperer]

You can't move pictures into folders. You can move pictures into albums, then you can move albums into folders. It is still fully current info. How are you trying to move things? Remember, photos go into albums, abnd albums go into folders. Pictures cannot live directly in a folder.

[@waltertanner7982]

@@TheMacWhispererI understand this,but why arethere 2 categories of containers at all? I find this unneccessary complicated.

[@SimpleTruthNotEasy-l8j]

please change the music at the intervals between the sections..... very annoying....

[@TheMacWhisperer]

Already changed for future videos. Hard to do it on old videos but you don't have to worry about it on new videos.