Migrating your photos from iPhoto

Using offline photo library management software

Aug. 31, 2020 - Willem L. Middelkoop

After encountering the umpteenth ‘magic’ bug while managing my iPhone’s photos, I was done with it. Apple came a long way since it launched iPhoto (the predecessor of iCloud Photos). But for something as valuable as my personal memories, I want to be in full control. Read along to learn how I migrated my photo library away from the iCloud, using free, open source software.

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In Apple Photos you can export the unmodified originals

Happy together: Using the native iOS Photo app to browse through my entire photo collection managed with Shotwell

Yesteryear’s memory cards - note that they are sized in MB, as in mega, not gigabyte!

In the macOS finder you can setup photo synchronisation using a normal directory on the file system as source - no need for a full fledged iCloud Photo library!

Visiting the Apple Store in Miami Beach in 2008

Importing new photos from my camera is easy - very much like the Apple iPhoto ad from 2002!

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Articles (162)

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