My Macbook is beginning to run out of space to "Keep originals" of the photos I have in the Photo Library, and I don't want the only copy of the photos to be in the cloud.
How can I create a hard copy of the library, probably on an external hard drive, after unchecking "Keep originals" on the Mac? I'm OK with running some backup procedure manually.
Best Answer
- If the photos you want are on iCloud:
Download the files as follows:
If you hard drive is full, then before doing this change the location of the iPhoto Library to an external drive. Instructions for that are here: http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/01/25/how-to-safely-move-your-macs-iphoto-library-onto-an-external-drive
See below to get specific photos in the iPhoto library.
- If the photos you want are currently on your hard drive:
Copy or set your backup software to copy the following item:
/Users/your-username-here/Pictures/iPhoto Library
That should do it.
This is not a standard file, it is a package, so if you want to copy specific photos you can control click the file then choose "Show Package Contents". You will then see a folder with various items including subfolders that contain your photos. I believe the originals are stored in a folder called Master and are organized by date. You can copy what you want from there. Some back-up apps will even allow you to sync these subitems as opposed to the entire package.