Organizing Photos
- Thread starter Mickeylittle
- Start date
OP
OP
Mickeylittle
iPF Novice
When I go to turn that on I get a warning that all my photos will be removed and they do get removed. Then I can’t figure out how to get them back until i turn that switch off and sync them back on using iTunes.
twerppoet
iPad Fan
Overall, Photos takes some time to sync and stabalize after you initially set it up. It can take days, not just hours. I think it's worth it in the long run, but I would. After all I've been using it since not long after it was introduced.
Deleting your curent iTunes synced photos? It needs to do that, otherwise you would be trying to sync to two sources as the same time; the folders on your computer through iTunes, and the library in iCloud. While they seem to be the same thing at this time, that is an illusion caused by your initial upload to iCloud Photos. iCloud Photos has no way of being certain that nothing has changed in the iTunes (computer) folders since you switched. If it did make that assumption, and tried to match your current library on the iPad to the one you've created in iCloud the potential for duplicates and lost photos goes way up.
Since you are not deleting any photos from the computer's folders, the risk is fairly low. You can always go back to the iTunes sync menthod with nothing lost but some time. Though, if you are worried and want to take some extra precautions you could duplicate those folders on the computer. Or just make sure you've got a recent backup of the computer (which you should be doing anyway).
My initial sync to iCloud Photos took about two days to stablize (all libraries on all devices shown as up to date); but I have a lot more photos than you.
Note: Once you turn on iCloud Photo Library you'll have the option to store full photos locally on the iPad, or optimize storage. If you choose the second you'll be able to view older photos off oline only at a lower resolution when offline. If you nee those photos to be editable offline, keep them local. If you need to save space (and the time to sync) then optimize. You can change your minde later, with the understanding that you're library will go through some more time shuffling photo's around.
Note Secudus: Once you have iCloud Photo Library turned on for all your devices, the My Photo Stream option becomes redundant.
Note Tres: My computer shows an update similar to the one on my iPad, but I'm using the Photos app on an iMac, so that's expected. I have no idea how iCloud Photos works on a PC. You can go to iCloud.com and look at your photos there. It has a similar update line in a similar place. That gives you at least on other point of reference on what iCloud Photos things is going on.
Keep in mind that each place you look is often off by a few photos if you've made recent changes. It can take a bit for everything to sync back up; since every device needs some uninterupted wi-fi time before it will update automatically in the back ground. The alternative it is to open Photos on each device. Updates happen faster when the app gets some screen time.
Deleting your curent iTunes synced photos? It needs to do that, otherwise you would be trying to sync to two sources as the same time; the folders on your computer through iTunes, and the library in iCloud. While they seem to be the same thing at this time, that is an illusion caused by your initial upload to iCloud Photos. iCloud Photos has no way of being certain that nothing has changed in the iTunes (computer) folders since you switched. If it did make that assumption, and tried to match your current library on the iPad to the one you've created in iCloud the potential for duplicates and lost photos goes way up.
Since you are not deleting any photos from the computer's folders, the risk is fairly low. You can always go back to the iTunes sync menthod with nothing lost but some time. Though, if you are worried and want to take some extra precautions you could duplicate those folders on the computer. Or just make sure you've got a recent backup of the computer (which you should be doing anyway).
My initial sync to iCloud Photos took about two days to stablize (all libraries on all devices shown as up to date); but I have a lot more photos than you.
Note: Once you turn on iCloud Photo Library you'll have the option to store full photos locally on the iPad, or optimize storage. If you choose the second you'll be able to view older photos off oline only at a lower resolution when offline. If you nee those photos to be editable offline, keep them local. If you need to save space (and the time to sync) then optimize. You can change your minde later, with the understanding that you're library will go through some more time shuffling photo's around.
Note Secudus: Once you have iCloud Photo Library turned on for all your devices, the My Photo Stream option becomes redundant.
Note Tres: My computer shows an update similar to the one on my iPad, but I'm using the Photos app on an iMac, so that's expected. I have no idea how iCloud Photos works on a PC. You can go to iCloud.com and look at your photos there. It has a similar update line in a similar place. That gives you at least on other point of reference on what iCloud Photos things is going on.
Keep in mind that each place you look is often off by a few photos if you've made recent changes. It can take a bit for everything to sync back up; since every device needs some uninterupted wi-fi time before it will update automatically in the back ground. The alternative it is to open Photos on each device. Updates happen faster when the app gets some screen time.
OP
OP
Mickeylittle
iPF Novice
This is beginning to make some sense finally! All my photos have been downloaded back onto my iPad and I chose the full version over optimized since i have the 512 GB iPad and room to spare. But the only thing that’s off currently is all my photos are in 1 big folder. They didn’t come back in all the little folders that I had setup in windows over the years such as Christmas 2012, Christmas 2013, etc.
I probably had about 100 or more different folders.
I probably had about 100 or more different folders.
twerppoet
iPad Fan
Correct. The folder structure you had on your PC is not duplicarted in iOS Photos. Photos doesn't actually divide your photos into folders. Albums in Photos are just links back to the originals. This has two main benifits.
One. You're never storing the photo more than once, no matter how many albums it may belong to.
Second. You don't need to worry about deleting the original when you edit your albums. The original photo is never delted unless you specify for it to be deleted, or delete it direclty from the Photos tab or All Photos album.
You'll have to re-create your albums, but you may want to think them through first. The search and faces features of Photos may save you from needing some album types. Also the main Photos tab works as a quick search along the timeline and locations.
You can also use the search to quickly sort through photos to make albums. For instance, you could do a search for December. From that screen you could quickly select all your Christmas photos to create an album. A location search should help create vacation albums. Etc.
One. You're never storing the photo more than once, no matter how many albums it may belong to.
Second. You don't need to worry about deleting the original when you edit your albums. The original photo is never delted unless you specify for it to be deleted, or delete it direclty from the Photos tab or All Photos album.
You'll have to re-create your albums, but you may want to think them through first. The search and faces features of Photos may save you from needing some album types. Also the main Photos tab works as a quick search along the timeline and locations.
You can also use the search to quickly sort through photos to make albums. For instance, you could do a search for December. From that screen you could quickly select all your Christmas photos to create an album. A location search should help create vacation albums. Etc.
OP
OP
Mickeylittle
iPF Novice
Well i think I’ve just decided to go back to syncing from my main pictures folder with all my sub folders that I’ve had setup for years as this would be a lot of work as I do have a really good folders system I;ve setup over the past 10 years. I’ll just use One Drive as a backup.
Sorry if this was a big waste of time for y’all but it really did answer my questions so it was very helpful for me!
twerppoet
iPad Fan
The biggest disadvantage to syncing photos through iTunes is that you can't make any changes on the iPad itself. All changes must be made on the computer. If the computer is your primary device, and you don't ever need to manage albums on your iPad, this is survivable. But if you ever want to move to the iPad as your primary device, iTunes quickly morphs from tool to major obsticle.
Folders have some serious organizing limitations on the compture as well, which is why most photo managing apps are moving away from them to systems more like Apple's.
While it may be easier to stick with what you have now, I think you're going to find you are just putting things off. Eventually you'll have to move on. Though those who wait sometimes get lucky. The future might hold some special migration tool that will make moving it less painful. Or not.
Obvioulsy I'm biased. Since I've already migrated (more than once) the frustrations and work don't seem so important.
Good luck.
Folders have some serious organizing limitations on the compture as well, which is why most photo managing apps are moving away from them to systems more like Apple's.
While it may be easier to stick with what you have now, I think you're going to find you are just putting things off. Eventually you'll have to move on. Though those who wait sometimes get lucky. The future might hold some special migration tool that will make moving it less painful. Or not.
Obvioulsy I'm biased. Since I've already migrated (more than once) the frustrations and work don't seem so important.
Good luck.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Mickeylittle
iPF Novice
Ok sir you talked me into it. I turned the iCloud Photo back on so now I just have to work my way thru 2200 in Camera Roll and create a few new folders. I won’t create near as many but I do need to create some. It would be very helpful if there was a way for the camera roll to shrink as I pull photos out from it to place in folders.
twerppoet
iPad Fan
No way to make the camera roll shrink, which is something you may come to appriciate later. One of the weaknessses of a folder based system is that it does not have one place where you know all your photos can be seen.
If you use the Photos tab instead of the All Photos album, just start at the begining and keep track of what dates you've already covered for each album. You can also do searches, as mentioned before, if you're album is locaton or date based.
Besides working from the Photos tab (or All Photos album), you can also start from within an album. In the album tap select, then without selecting anything choose Add. This will take you to the list of all photos where you can select photos to be added to the current album.
You may notice I kee saying All Photos album and Photos tab instead of Camera Roll. Tunring on iCloud Photos Library changes the Camera Roll to All Photos; probably to make it clear that photos you see there may not have been taken using the iPad's camera.
Good luck, and I hope you don't curse me overly much before you are finished.
If you use the Photos tab instead of the All Photos album, just start at the begining and keep track of what dates you've already covered for each album. You can also do searches, as mentioned before, if you're album is locaton or date based.
Besides working from the Photos tab (or All Photos album), you can also start from within an album. In the album tap select, then without selecting anything choose Add. This will take you to the list of all photos where you can select photos to be added to the current album.
You may notice I kee saying All Photos album and Photos tab instead of Camera Roll. Tunring on iCloud Photos Library changes the Camera Roll to All Photos; probably to make it clear that photos you see there may not have been taken using the iPad's camera.
Good luck, and I hope you don't curse me overly much before you are finished.
OP
OP
Mickeylittle
iPF Novice
Do you use iCloud Drive? I’m wondering because it looks like ICloud.com is the ticket. I went there a few minutes ago and renamed a couple of albums and deleted a few photos so I’ll look later today to see if those changes took place on my ipad. Also it will be much easier to do this on my 27 inch monitor than my 12.9 since I’ve got a couple thousand to go thru. My wife has about 20,000; bless her heart 
Whatever you do in icloud.com, will be synced to all of the devices connected to your iCloud account.
iCloud Drive is part of iCloud, but it doesn’t store photos. It allows various apps to store documents and data in iCloud. Numbers, Pages, Keynotes and iBooks could be among them, if enabled, but you can also allow other apps to save data/files to iCloud.
iCloud Drive is part of iCloud, but it doesn’t store photos. It allows various apps to store documents and data in iCloud. Numbers, Pages, Keynotes and iBooks could be among them, if enabled, but you can also allow other apps to save data/files to iCloud.
OP
OP
Mickeylittle
iPF Novice
I think in looking around that iCloud.com is now my best new friend! It worked great in creating photo folders, renaming them, looking at photos, deleting them, and adding them to different folders. So this thread and all you wonderful people have patiently helped me through this process and in a couple days I’ll have a slick and up to date photo gallery on my iPad for days and years to come!
Thanks to all here for the help
Thanks to all here for the help
Use Documents app by Readdle. There you can create as many folders as you want and later upload all these folders to cloud drive of your choice.
Atindra
Christopher Leslie Wood
iPF Noob
thanks this is just what i have been waiting for i am a new user on ipad with ios 11 an have just loaded 5000 photos to icloud but they are all spread around so sorting them into albums will be great thanks once again
