Photo stream

[n4uau]

Joanna, I misunderstood you. On the Mac I seem to be able to go there and look at photos or down load them. That's all. On iPad, once they are on the cloud, they are gone,i guess.

 

[J. A.]

I just accessed my iCloud account through Puffin, and there's a new Photos folder/app, a beta version. So it seems that it's possible to see them there as well. It wasn't possible before iOS 8, as far as I know - not in Windows, using a browser, and not on the iPad.

 

[n4uau]

Progress but i want to stay standard Apple and use Safari on the iPad to see them. Not have to go to the iMac! 8.1.1 maybe.

 

[n4uau]

AH HA VICTORY, BREAK OUT THE CHAMPAGNE!!

To view icloud photos in Safari go there then request the desk top view, see user guide on ios8 a free ebook and voila there it is in living color.

 

[twerppoet]

So let me see if I can get this right.

All photos are in the cloud. If I select that option, the ones on the iPad are reduced size, a great idea. Now I want to send you a copy of a photo from my iPad. Which one goes? Big or small or do I select like in the past?

If I use Snapseed to edit a photo which photo does it get? The big one or the reduced one?

If I delete a photo from the iPad does it delete it from the cloud,i would hope no or it isn't a backup at allt!

If I want to delete a photo from the cloud how do I access it from the iPad since safari won't access it. And if I want to send you a photo that I removed from the iPad but it is still on the cloud how do I get to out to send it?

So much confusion!

You are overthinking it. It's simple. You do everything in the Photos app. Everything. Depending on your options, it makes some different storage choices in the background, but it works exactly the same

For anything except 'looking' at the photo in the Photos app it will download the full size. That includes editing, sending, or whatever. That's if you choose the Optimize iPad Storage options. If you choose the other, then the full sized photo is already on your iPad, but still synced with iCloud.

You still have the choice to change the image size in Mail, but that's done in Mail, after it's access Photo in full sized. (or maybe it's smart enough to choose the smaller photo if you decide to mail a smaller photo)

If you have a huge photo collection and limited space on the iPad, you'll want to go the optimize route. If you have a modest collection and plenty of space, you'll probably want the keep local route for speed and availability of full sized photos when off line.

Hold in mind, that even when Optimize is turned on your most recent photos will still be on the iPad in full size.

And also, don't forget that this uses your iCloud storage space. It counts. If you've only got 5 GB, iCloud Photo Library will eat it up fast.

The iCloud Photo Library is exactly what you see in the photos app. You delete it from the Photos on the iPad, and it's deleted from the cloud. There is no more, 'my photo is in two places that I delete separately' that you saw in iOS 7 Photo Stream.

Yes, it's more complicated in the background, but you as a user don't have to worry about any of that. Just use the Photos app to manage your photos.

Anyway, that is how it is supposed to work, and how we hope it will work; with the provision that I'm still half guessing. I don't' have a nice neat Apple document to back up my comments.

That said, I'm still not sure how things will act between different devices, especially if they have different settings and/or different versions of iOS. Will local files stay on an iPhone if you delete them when they show up on the iPad? I don't know.

And remember. It is BETA. Things may not work exactly right, and it's subject to change at a moments' notice. Or with no notice at all.

When I feel like it, I will probably experiment a bit, but even when I do it will only reflect my set up; which is exactly the same on both devices.

 

[n4uau]

I hear you but then it must delete the icloud version of any photo i delete on the ipad. Hence no archival backup. Or if it doesnt delete it, that photo becomes inaccessible if i can only access it via my photos.

Something just doesnt feel right here!

 

[twerppoet]

I hear you but then it must delete the icloud version of any photo i delete on the ipad. Hence no archival backup. Or if it doesnt delete it, that photo becomes inaccessible if i can only access it via my photos.

Something just doesnt feel right here!

That's because it's an entirely new thing that only looks and acts like the old thing.

The whole point of iCloud Photo Library is that it becomes your entire library of photos. It's not a replacement for your camera roll, a temporary place for your current photos. It is all the photos you want to keep, and the temporary stuff.

You manage it the same way you would a photo collection on your computer. Keep everything you would normally keep. Delete only the junk.

If you don't want this on your iPad, don't enable it. Keep your library elsewhere and use your iPad more or less as you've always used it; keeping only current photos and some others you like to show off.

By the way, this fixes the album link issue, where you couldn't delete the original without deleting the album. Not by keeping a separate copy for the original, but because you never delete the original.

If you want good albums without the new library method, the old workarounds are still available. Using a third party album app, or using iCloud Photo Sharing to create albums (that you don't' have to share). The second has the benefit of not counting against your iCloud storage.

 

[n4uau]

Twerpoet ,
I guess I'm not stating my concerns very well. I understand the purpose of the cloud and applaud the idea but.

1 Does deleting a photo on the iPad also delete it from the cloud?
2 if not how do I later access that photo that is still on the cloud but not on my iPad, if not via Safari?
3 If it does also delete it from the cloud then I might still need an archival storage location.

Just trying to understand what is happening! You and Johanna are an enormous help with your vast knowledge and I do appreciate what you guys are doing. It's like a full time job with all the new stuff!

BTW my 64G iPad air 2 is on the way. Means I won't have to worry about running out of space as I have in the past on this forum ☺

 

[twerppoet]

1. Yes.
2. You don't. (at least not yet). And to be fair, you couldn't before either.
3. Always a good idea. You should never depend on just one or even two backups and/or storage locations.

You probably remember us talking about Apple and a new Photos app for OS X coming sometime in the Spring. This will be the other side of the equation. Your photos will also be stored on the computer while being synced to the iCloud Photo Library. That will be your archive, and if you back up the computer regularly (as you should) then you'll have a fairly good system, especially if one of those backup methods is online like BackBlaze.

What will happen with Windows? I have no idea, ut I don't expect Apple will leave them completely in the cold. There are simply too many iOS + Windows users to ignore.

Again, this is as much guess work as anything else. I'm taking a few facts and projecting where I think things are going.

And really, that's why it's so confusing. All the moving parts are not in place yet. It's like Apple decided to replace your economy car with a pickup truck, but they've only got the engine, drivers' seat, and wheels in place. The truck bed and tow package are still in the works.

You can drive it around, but it feels weird and it's hard to see how it's an improvement right now. But that truck bed and tow package are going to make things much better, eventually.

 

[n4uau]

Thanks again, i'm begining to understand. This is all a work in progress, one step at a time. I'd expected a "finished product". First with iOS8 then with Yosemite, then 8.1. I guess there is more to come.

 

[Diane B]

Okay, Twerppoet, since we are discussing Photo app I've been a bit murky about Icloud Drive and my photos/options. Read all the warnings about not choosing Icloud Drive when I upgraded so didn't--and haven't and know it is in beta.

I have a 128 GB Air with lots of photos on it, I upped my storage from 20 GB to 200 GB storage. I'm only concerned about backup for my Ipad photos since I upload all my RAW files from the original SD card to Lightroom on my PC and they are backed up there--so, you see I just don't want to have to try and replicate galleries, etc in case of an Ipad crisis or upgrade of firmware. I don't need or want to have smaller versions on the Ipad--I have enough space, at least for now. So--I'm assuming there is no good reason for me to choose Icloud Drive.

Also, as I process my RAW files (uploaded from cameras) to jpeg for optimum viewing size or the app does, I delete original very large files. It seems fine just the way I've done it in the past years but want to be sure I'm not missing something. I should have said I don't have a Mac, don't use Photostream to transfer to PC since I have already uploaded RAW files from my SD cards to Lightroom. BTW I was glad to get Camera Roll back in 8.1 and I use Photostream just to transfer photos from my 5S to Ipad and then I delete the image files from my Iphone. I only keep a very few photos on my cell--though that may change when I get a 6 Plus but that's 16 mos until contract is up LOL.

Sort of writing it all out and making sure I have it straight in my own mind.

Diane

 

[twerppoet]

Thanks again, i'm begining to understand. This is all a work in progress, one step at a time. I'd expected a "finished product". First with iOS8 then with Yosemite, then 8.1. I guess there is more to come.

I need to correct myself on one thing. The iCloud Photo Library is now showing up in on my icloud.com page. It says it's beta there too.

So I was wrong on that count, and happily so.

I don't know why it did not appear for me earlier. Might have been a lack of photos, or maybe it took time for the servers to catch up with my registration. It is, after all, a beta.

 

[twerppoet]

Okay, Twerppoet, since we are discussing Photo app I've been a bit murky about Icloud Drive and my photos/options. Read all the warnings about not choosing Icloud Drive when I upgraded so didn't--and haven't and know it is in beta.

I have a 128 GB Air with lots of photos on it, I upped my storage from 20 GB to 200 GB storage. I'm only concerned about backup for my Ipad photos since I upload all my RAW files from the original SD card to Lightroom on my PC and they are backed up there--so, you see I just don't want to have to try and replicate galleries, etc in case of an Ipad crisis or upgrade of firmware. I don't need or want to have smaller versions on the Ipad--I have enough space, at least for now. So--I'm assuming there is no good reason for me to choose Icloud Drive.

Also, as I process my RAW files (uploaded from cameras) to jpeg for optimum viewing size or the app does, I delete original very large files. It seems fine just the way I've done it in the past years but want to be sure I'm not missing something. I should have said I don't have a Mac, don't use Photostream to transfer to PC since I have already uploaded RAW files from my SD cards to Lightroom. BTW I was glad to get Camera Roll back in 8.1 and I use Photostream just to transfer photos from my 5S to Ipad and then I delete the image files from my Iphone. I only keep a very few photos on my cell--though that may change when I get a 6 Plus but that's 16 mos until contract is up LOL.

Sort of writing it all out and making sure I have it straight in my own mind.

Diane

Ok. Lets see if I can catch at least some of these concerns and bag them.

First, there is a difference between iCloud Drive and the new iCloud Photo Library. iCloud Drive is not in beta, and you can enable iCloud Drive without enabling the iCloud Photo Library (beta) feature. Since you do not have a Mac, you don't need to hold off on installing iCloud Drive; and you never did. It was only Mac users who needed to wait; for the OS X update to Yosemite.

These two links should answer most of your questions.

iCloud Drive FAQ: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT201104
iCloud Photo Library (beta) FAQ: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6378

Both of these will let you keep documents and photos synced between your devices better than Photo Stream ever did. They also give you access to those documents and photos via a web browser and icloud.com; and I'm not sure what else.

Whether that's worth it to you or not, I don't know. But you're going to be hard pressed to justify 200 GB of iCloud storage if you're not going to use either of these services. Nothing else you do on an iOS device is going to come close to using that much iCloud storage space.

I've only got 20 GB, and I don't expect to upgrade that until Spring, when my Mac's iPhoto (10 GB) and Aperture (?? GB) libraries will be ported to whatever Apple creates to replace them. Even then I might decide to keep the Mac separate from the iCloud Photo Library and manage things manually.

Because I have no idea how it's all going to work together.

But for now, I'm happy enough with both iCloud Drive and iCloud Photo Library. I can do some things that while not impossible before, now require fewer steps and less hassle.

 

[auntyj]

Could I seek some clarification on the photo stream issue?
I have an iPad 2 and an iPhone 4S, and I haven't updated to IOS 8 as yet because I'm reading about a lot of problems with it.
I rely on photo stream a lot, to sync photos from one device to the other.
I don't tend to use iCloud at all - usually I backup to my MacBook (using iTunes), & back that up to an external HDD.

J.A. has said, "Enabling iCloud Photo Library (Beta) in Settings made PhotoStream disappear, If you disable that feature, PhotoStream will reappear."
Can anyone confirm if this is still the case? If I set my iCloud backup to off, will PhotoStream still appear as normal? And will my photos behave as normal if I'm not exporting them to iCloud at all?
I have a couple of apps that currently don't sync between my devices, but with IOS 8 they would - that's the only reason I'm even considering installing it. I'm also aware of the issue with switching to iCloud Drive, as I'm hesitant to upgrade to Yosemite, considering the problems I had with Mavericks.
The PhotoStream issue is a major stumbling block for me, any advice would be gratefully received.

 

[J. A.]

This is still the same. If you enable iCloud Photo Library, PhotoStream disappears. And it reappears when you disable it.

You're able to use PhotoStream without backing up your photo library. That's what I do. I save my photos somewhere else. My pictures would take a huge amount of my iCloud storage space, that's why I don't use the backup for them.

Also, your pictures will behave as normal. Again: I don't export mine to iCloud. As long as I don't delete them from my Photos app, they are there in Camera Roll (or Recently Deleted).