Nick Heer
I have no idea if I can trust iCloud Photos. https://pxlnv.com/blog/i-regret-the-blood-pact-i-have-made-with-icloud-photos/
I Regret the Blood Pact I Have Made With iCloud Photos

Sometimes, I do not recognize a trap until I am already in it. Photos in iCloud is one such situation. When Apple launched iCloud Photo Library in 2014, I was all-in. Not only is it where I store the photos I take on my iPhone, it is where I keep the ones from my digital […]

Mar 27 at 11:53pmWeb
Show threadJustin Harter3d ago

@nickheer I’m curious if you’re still using Apple Photos to manage photos/data/structure, or something else.

Honestly, I wonder if folders and Finder windows aren’t the way to go.

Show threadKevin Yank3d ago
@nickheer Suggest taking a look at PowerPhotos from Fat Cat Software. It specifically supports copying photos between libraries with metadata and edits intact. https://www.fatcatsoftware.com/powerphotos/
PowerPhotos - Merge Mac Photos libraries, find duplicate photos, and more

Fat Cat Software
Show threadKevin Yank3d ago
@nickheer Docs on copying/moving albums here: https://www.fatcatsoftware.com/powerphotos/VersionedDocs/v8/copy_albums.html
Copying albums

Fat Cat Software
Show threadKevin Yank3d ago
@nickheer Limitations on what metadata/edits it can and can't preserve in the process here: https://www.fatcatsoftware.com/powerphotos/VersionedDocs/v8/copying_limitations.html
Copying limitations

Fat Cat Software
Show threadNick Heer3d ago
@sentience And there are even older versions that run on Ventura! Thank you for sending this to me. I will need to try it out.
Show threadWill Richardson2d ago
@nickheer before you try and store your library on an external drive, it's also not sunshine and roses: https://willhbr.net/2025/12/26/stuck-in-a-photo-management-factory/
Help I'm Stuck in a Photo Management Factory and I Can't Get Out — Will Richardson

I feel obliged to include a photo, since this post is about photography. In 2019 I got into this whole photography business and used my iPad for photo editing in Photomator. This went pretty well until I started to shoot raw photos instead of JPEGs, and quickly ran into the meagre 250GB internal storage limit of the iPad. At the time I wrote about how limitations of the iPad make using it as an exclusive photo-editing device impractical. Basically the...

Show threadNick Heer2d ago
@willhbr Thanks! Luckily (?) I went through that process many years ago, and the drive is connected to my iMac, so I don’t need to worry (too much) about ejecting it.
Show threadWill Richardson2d ago
@nickheer please share what you end up doing once you're off iCloud, i want to escape the system I've built for myself, but not sure what to do if Photomator isn't an option anymore
Show threadB O2d ago
@nickheer I’ve started doing yearly exports, using osxphotos (https://github.com/RhetTbull/osxphotos), to self-hosted immich; so I can keep using the 200GB family plan. I hope I’ll be able to cancel that at some point, I don’t want to pay a single penny to Apple
GitHub - RhetTbull/osxphotos: Python app to work with pictures and associated metadata from Apple Photos on macOS. Also includes a package to provide programmatic access to the Photos library, pictures, and metadata.

Python app to work with pictures and associated metadata from Apple Photos on macOS. Also includes a package to provide programmatic access to the Photos library, pictures, and metadata. - RhetTbu...

GitHub
Show threadNick Foster2d ago
@piyuv @nickheer I do this, but it runs every day on a Mac Mini I bought specifically for this task haha