ICloud Photo Library questions... how beta-ish?

1 so much for High Res ... however, every time I attempt to download a photo from the new Photos app on iCloud.com to my PC, it's downloaded in low resolution. Like a 3264x2448 (original size when uploaded from iOS) becomes a 2048x1536 when downloaded to the PC.
2 how come that iCloud Photo library isn't available in iCloud Photos (Windows app)?
3 why is Photostream still available ?!? ... the funniest being that activating iCloud Photo Library on iOS activates photostream at the same time ... In that case, the Photo Stream album remains hidden, but probably still activated and eating up space. That's ridiculous. I know, just turn it off.
4 how optimized is "optimized" ... on my iPhone, when I choose to store optimized local versions of photos and videos with iCloud Photo Library activated, there's absolutely no change: all photos, even after hours, remain locally stored in full res and uncompressed.

just to correct something wrong that I said: if iCloud Photo Library and PhotoStream are activated, PhotoStream won't actually eat any space and it will behave like it did in iOS 8.0 - 8.0.2, seamlessly integrated in Photos. Now if iCloud Photo Library is off and PhotoStream is still on, a new album will be created, containing low res versions of both uploaded and downloaded files (like in iOS 7), using local storage again.
Anyway ... expecting iCloud Photo Library to get out of beta ASAP and PhotoStream to go ... for good.

Similar Messages

  • ICloud photo library question

    So I can find hundreds of articles telling me that if you iCloud storage is full, your photos won't sync anymore. But if you have thousands of  photos, what will happen in my phone is eventually full?
    I mean, I have my "optimize iPhone storage" option turned on, but there will be a maximum right? Or are the optimized versions really that small of size?
    Thank you in advance for answering my question.
    Rafael

    Yeah - I'm not seeing anywhere that it states if there is a maximum of "optimized" photos you can keep on your device. I'm guessing that "optimized" photos must be much like iTunes in the Cloud where you can see all of your music (including what is stored in the cloud), but only the music you have actually downloaded will be on your physical device. So only the "original photos" that the management system have left on your device, or that you have specifically downloaded are actually on your device.
    Sorry I'm not 100% on that. I'll see if any of our Photo experts know for certain!
    But to answer your question about:
    "nowhere it's stated that your oldest/never viewed pictures will be removed from your device" I think this covers that particular question:
    How does iCloud Photo Library save space on my device?
    If you turn on Optimize [device] Storage, iCloud Photo Library will automatically manage the size of your library on your iOS device, so you can make the most of your device's storage and access more photos than ever. iCloud Photo Library stores the original, high-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and can keep lightweight, device-optimized versions on each of your devices. As long as you have enough storage, recent photos and videos that you access the most will stay on your device at full resolution.
    To turn on Optimize [device] Storage on your device, tap Settings > iCloud > Photos or Settings > Photos & Camera, then select Optimize [device] Storage. You need an Internet connection to access an original photo or video that’s stored only in iCloud.
    So, if original photos are the ones that are actually on your device, then it will remove older and least viewed original photos to maximize storage when needed.
    This is supported by the paragraph about turning off iCloud Photo Library:
    You can turn off iCloud Photo Library for a single iOS device by going to Settings > iCloud > Photos and turning off iCloud Photo Library beta. If you turned on Optimize [device] Storage, you might not be storing all original photos and videos on that device. To download the original photos and videos, select Download and Keep Originals.
    If it is off, you do not have access to those photos that are "optimized", so that supports the idea that they actually live in the cloud.
    Cheers,
    GB

  • Uploaded photos to icloud photo library, now how can I remove them from iphone

    I have finally uploaded all my photos to icloud photo library, however it has still kept them all on phone - granted they are smaller versions and I have some more space but  still want to remove most to make more space - but be safe in the knowledge that they are backup to icloud - a bit like how drop box works. Can anyone tell me how I do this - do I just delete them from iphone, or will that delete from icloud too?
    It all seems unnecessarily confusing this icloud photo business.
    Thanks
    Using iPhone 4s ios 8.1

    if you really want to be safe and be for sure that your pictures are saved.
    Then import them to your computer Import photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac or Windows PC - Apple Support  then you can delete it off your phone.
    Here info on icloud library iCloud Photo Library beta FAQ - Apple Support

  • ICloud Photo Library question IOS 8.0.2

    Hi,
    I have updated IOS to 8.0.2. Now I have an option to turn iCloud Photo Library ON. Correct me if I am wrong, this allows me that every photo or video is automatically uploaded on iCloud... Right? What I want to know is, if this uploading is done only when connected on WiFi, or also when on cellular connection?
    Thanks for help!
    BTW: Does anyone know where are these photos or videos stored on iCloud? How to get to them on iCloud? These new Photos features with iCloud and syncing are so messy...

    Thank you AxeMan1020! This information helps me, as well.
    I am writing to see if perhaps photo streams and shared photos might solve which photo solution (My Photo Stream Vs iPhoto Library) to use when where and why, assisting nikoo_80 - and myself...
    nikoo_80 wrote:
    Hi,
    I have updated IOS to 8.0.2. Now I have an option to turn iCloud Photo Library ON. Correct me if I am wrong, this allows me that every photo or video is automatically uploaded on iCloud... Right? What I want to know is, if this uploading is done only when connected on WiFi, or also when on cellular connection?
    Thanks for help!
    BTW: Does anyone know where are these photos or videos stored on iCloud? How to get to them on iCloud? These new Photos features with iCloud and syncing are so messy...
    Axeman1020 wrote:
    By default it uses cellular data. If you turn off cellular data for photos Settings > Cellular > Photos - off) then it will be restricted to wifi.
    Just a few warnings, iCloud Photo Library is still in beta so I suggest before turning it on you backup your photos.
    Also, once it is enabled, you will no longer be able to sync photos via iTunes and any photos currently on the device that were synced via iTunes will be removed.
    By using Photo Streams and shared / auto upload (My Photo Stream) that was also in iOS7, I notice that all of the photos I took, when enabling automatic upload to all my devices, every photo I took was uploaded to iCloud and distributed to iPads and Mac computers, restricted to WiFi only.
    When I delete a specific photo, that photo would remain on another device. Removing the share / auto-upload (disabling My Photo Stream) on the phone was able to remove the photos shared from the iPhone onto other devices via iCloud.
    Interesting note from AxeMac1020 as using the Beta iPhoto Library disables the ability to retrieve using iTunes or iPhoto after being enabled AND it goes back 30 days only, I like that however how do we preserve photos? Back-up using iPhoto, then enable Library Beta? If this will delete photos once enabled, do we use "Image Capture" or "iPhoto" for import and protection against them being deleted? Seems like a benchmark as majority of photos will be deleted (although I removed all photos completely prior to activating iPhone 6.
    I had an issue with the synchronization of photos into iTunes (iOS7) whereas the photos would synch though the storage amount would double as I was selecting events and albums (iTunes sync) while maintaining the same on the iPhone (5), iOS7 related somehow, most likely user error on my part. The point is, with 64GB on that phone, it used 80% of the storage by copying the photos thrice, somehow.
    logging into iPhoto, iTunes, I was able to sort, move and remove photos though this is previous to the iCloud Drive & iCloud Photo Library. Does iCloud Photo Library require iCloud Drive and if these are sync'd like iOS7, are these managed on each device, distributed similarly as My Photo Stream? can they be managed on iCloud.com? managed via camera roll / albums/ etcetera ? Are these iCloud Drive managed? Centralized and managed on device that took the photo?
    Interesting twist as I hadn't noticed this feature until now! Thank you both !
    I am not able to turn iCloud Drive ON yet as my OS X Mavericks require Yosemite OR!!!! Perhaps we have an update!!! I'll check now.
    Great resources in this thread! Thanks !

  • ICloud photo library questions

    Hi,
    sorry in advance for my poor english, but i'll try to explain the best that i can...
    I have an iPhone 6 128GB and an iPad Air 128 GB.
    All my pictures were taken using my iPhone (restored icloud backup from iPhone 5s and I have 1200 photos)
    With iOs 8.0.2 I enables iCloud Photo Library on both iPhone and iPad.
    Well. Now on my iPad i choose the optimized version of photos to preserve space, but the photos don't download automatically, as i see only blank previews in photos app.
    I need to scroll the library and they eventually start to download to ipad... Doing this i have the full library on ipad and it keeps more or less 600 MB.
    On iphone i also chose to keep only optimized version, but the total sotrage capacity occupied by photos keep being 4,9 GB (as before enabling iCloud Photo library)
    As what i understood, it sould have decreased the gb occupied by photos as on ipad... is it correct?
    Also, on iPad, if i disable icloud photo library, it says that all photos are going to be removed form ipad, but this does not happen on iphone, like it did not understood that on iphone there are only optimised versions...
    Could someone explain me whaty is going on?
    thank you
    Paolo

    just to correct something wrong that I said: if iCloud Photo Library and PhotoStream are activated, PhotoStream won't actually eat any space and it will behave like it did in iOS 8.0 - 8.0.2, seamlessly integrated in Photos. Now if iCloud Photo Library is off and PhotoStream is still on, a new album will be created, containing low res versions of both uploaded and downloaded files (like in iOS 7), using local storage again.
    Anyway ... expecting iCloud Photo Library to get out of beta ASAP and PhotoStream to go ... for good.

  • HT6378 Does iCloud Photo Library beta do any duplicate checking?

    I have multiple copies of picture in various iPhoto libraries.   Dose it indicate if I've already uploaded a file?

    Thanks - I didn't ask very clearly.  I'm trying to upload my photos to the iCloud Photo Library during this beta period - so I guess I have to export from my various iPhoto Libraries and use the web-based upload functionality.   It doesn't appear that it checks for duplicates which represents an organizational challenge.
    I've uploaded a few photos and can't find a way to create albums - any idea?
    Thanks,
    Kevin

  • Can't re-enable iCloud Photo Library iPhone

    After upgrading to iOS 8 on my iPhone 5s and iPad (4th Gen) I turned on the iCloud Photo Library (beta) on both devices.  Since, I have bought an iPhone 6 and restored my backup to the iPhone 6 from the iPhone 5s backup.  The problem is that my photos didn't show up... so I decided to switch iCloud Photo Library off and on again hoping that the photos will re-download... Now here is the problem I have, when I switch iCloud Photo Library back on, I get the message "iCloud Photo Library Not Yet Available", though it's on my iPad and if I go to iCloud storage settings, it shows that I have a library... so I'm stuck with what to do...
    Any suggestions?

    iCloud Photo Library is in beta (with good reason) and there are a limited number of slots open to users. When you turned off iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone, you opened up a slot for another user. There is nothing you can do other than check from time to time to see if there is now an open slot available for you to re-enable the feature. However, given the trouble many users are experiencing with the service, it's probably not a bad idea to wait until at least iOS 8.1 is released.

  • I have the iCloud Photo Library (Beta) turned on. The photos from my iPhone do get uploaded to the iCloud. The photos are then downloaded to my wife's iPhone (we share the iCloud account). How do I keep the photos from downloading to my wife's iPhone

    I do not want all the photos from my iPhone downloading to my wife's iPhone from iCloud? We share an iCloud account. How can I prevent the download to my wife's iPhone from iCloud. .The "Upload to My Photo Stream" is turned off on my iPhone. . I am running 8.1.3. 
    I have a related question. In order to same space on my iPhone is there a way to upload the photos to the iCloud and then delete them from my iPhone.

    The way to keep the photos from downloading to your wife's phone would be for her to go to Settings > iCloud > Photos > and turn off iCloud Photo Library. If that isn't an option, the other option would be for her to have her own Apple ID ( and possibly explore the new family sharing options https://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/family-sharing/ )
    Regarding the "related question" see the quotes below from iCloud Photo Library beta FAQ - Apple Support
    Deleting a photo or video from your Photos app will also remove the item from iCloud Photo Library and from your iCloud storage allocation. Photos and videos you remove can be recovered from the Recently Deleted album for 30 days. After 30 days, your content will be removed from the Recently Deleted album.
    If you want to reduce the space used by photos on your phone, rather than deleting them see the following:
    How does iCloud Photo Library save space on my device?
    If you turn on Optimize [device] Storage, iCloud Photo Library will automatically manage the size of your library on your iOS device, so you can make the most of your device's storage and access more photos than ever. iCloud Photo Library stores the original, high-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and can keep lightweight, device-optimized versions on each of your devices. As long as you have enough storage, recent photos and videos that you access the most will stay on your device at full resolution.
    You can turn on Optimize [device] Storage from Settings > iCloud > Photos or Settings > Photos & Camera > iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. You need an Internet connection to access an original photo or video that’s stored only in iCloud.

  • ICloud Photo Library (beta) - how does it work?

    8.0.2 has an option to enable iCloud Photo Library (beta), I am trying to understand how it works before I turn it on...
    The description says it will auto-upload the entire iPhoto Library to iCloud so other devices that can access these photos by using the same Apple ID. It also has sub-option to keep original photo or keep optimized photo on the device. So questions:
    1. This feature seems to do what Photo Stream does, will new taken photos be auto-sent to iCloud and Photo Stream?
    2. Does iCloud Photo Library count iCloud storage?
    3. Those albums synced with iTunes, will they be uploaded to iCloud Photo Library, and no longer sync with iTunes? Will they be deleted from devices? Will the iTunes Photo Sync selections be disabled?
    4. Here "iPhoto Library" refers to the photo library on devices only, or it includes the Photo Library on computer? My Mac iPhoto/Aperture also signs in the same Apple ID, will those photos on my Mac be auto-uploaded to iCloud?
    5. Presently I sync selected photos to devices via iTunes, if iTunes Sync is disabled after enabled iCloud Photo Library, how can I send selected photos to devices?
    Thanks

    2-factor authentication sounds good but what if in the cloud sends your photos to someone else's account?
    yeah I know sounds like someone with no idea about how these things work, well please read on.
    i posted this last night on tis same forum, and have not received any help on it so far:
    subject: Major security issue! I can see 100's of other peoples photos, Help!
    Oct 1, 2014 4:39 AM
    Using iPad Mini / iPhone 4S
    I have just recently enabled the iCloud Photo Library (Beta). I also use MS Onedrive and i have it setup to automatically backup all my photos and      videos from both my iOS devices.
    Today i opened Onedrive for no particular reason and clicked on the Photos tab, this shows the progress of photos being backed up, only this time i      scrolled down to find that there was hundreds of photos from different families mixed in with mine dating back to 2002! Naturally the first thing i am      thinking is who is looking at my photos/files. What is going on!!!!
    Let me just assure anyone reading this, that the owner of these photographs would not appreciate anyone else having them, these are Kindergarten,      public school and family photos of complete strangers. and all my photos are mixed in between them.
    Is anyone else having this issue
    iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular (MM), iOS 8, iOS 8.0.2

  • How can I 're-upload' photos to iCloud Photo Library Beta?

    iCloud Photo Library a beta is set up to optimise iPad storage, but when trying to clean up my photo library, and opening photos to assess quality (which isn't feasible with the reduced resolution versions stored on my iPad) the full versions have downloaded and wiped out the storage capacity on my ipad!  I need to revert to to the 'minimised' version, but can't see how to do this.  Any help appreciated!

    Are you really in a hurry to move your photos?
    iCloud Photo Library is still a beta version. (See: iCloud Photo Library beta FAQ)  The Mac part has not yet been released, but all be available early next year. We do not know yet, what the Mac part of iCloud Photo Library will be like. The Photos.app for Mac will be able to upload to iCloud Photo Library.  If you simply wait till early next year, it will be the easiest transit. Then you will be able to migrate iPhoto Libraries and Aperture Libraries to Photos and store the photos in iCloud.
    Right now, only iPad, iPhones, iPod Touches can upload to iCloud Photo Library Beta. And if you enable iCloud Photo Library Beta on your mobile devices, the usual ways to upload photos from your Mac will be disabled. It will no longer be possible to sync photos with iTunes, and you cannot upload using My Photo Stream. You would have to mail the photos to your mobile devices to upload them to  iCloud Photo Library Beta or use Dropbox or similar.

  • IPhone photos app crashing consistently with large iCloud photo library beta - how can I completely remove?

    Hi - I turned on the iCloud photo library beta on my phone weeks ago.  Worked fine with no issues.  Then the Yosemite OS X beta 10.10.3 was released with the new Photos app.  Once i loaded that new app, it converted my Aperture library and began to upload around 75,000 photos.
    My iPhone almost immediately became sluggish (I assumed because it was downloading the pictures) and then eventually started crashing every time I go into the app (after a few seconds).  I assumed it was because it showed 75,000 images in my Cameral Roll/Moments so I turned of the iCloud photo library beta.  It prompted to be certain I was ok with deleting the images, which I said OK to.  But it still shows 75,000 images in the camera roll and anything I tried to do with any photo has become completely unusable (generally just crashing each time).
    Did I miss a step in the process?
    Is this just me?
    I'm trying to backup my iPhone but it keeps erroring out with the message "iTunes could not back up the iPhone "name" because the iPhone disconnected".  Otherwise I would just recreate .  Please help

    It can free up some storage but it doesn't work like Dropbox. See the following quotes from iCloud Photo Library beta FAQ - Apple Support
    I personally don't use iCloud Photo Library as it is still beta. Additionally, I have a Mac computer and there is not yet a Mac Photos app that is compatible.
    How does iCloud Photo Library save space on my device?
    If you turn on Optimize [device] Storage, iCloud Photo Library will automatically manage the size of your library on your iOS device, so you can make the most of your device's storage and access more photos than ever. iCloud Photo Library stores the original, high-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and can keep lightweight, device-optimized versions on each of your devices. As long as you have enough storage, recent photos and videos that you access the most will stay on your device at full resolution.
    To turn on Optimize [device] Storage on your device, tap Settings > iCloud > Photos or Settings > Photos & Camera, then select Optimize [device] Storage. You need an Internet connection to access an original photo or video that’s stored only in iCloud.
    How does iCloud delete photos and videos from iCloud Photo Library?
    Deleting a photo or video from your Photos app will also remove the item from iCloud Photo Library and from your iCloud storage allocation. Photos and videos you remove can be recovered from the Recently Deleted album for 30 days. After 30 days, your content will be removed from the Recently Deleted album. Photos are backed up on our servers for up to 30 days after they're deleted from the Photos app. If you need to recover these photos during that time, contact Apple Support.

  • How upload to iCloud photo library beta from mac

    How do I upload photos from imac (iPhoto) to iCloud photo library beta.

    I have bought 500 gb of data a month. However what is the point as I only have access to the photos I take on my phone. I have no option in the beta.icloud/photo app to upload my photos from my mac.. what am I missing?
    The option to upload should be there on the iCloud web page, but I don't see it.  That is what iCloud Help says:
    Add new photos or videos
    Log in to iCloud.com, then click Photos.
    Click Upload and select the photos or videos you want to add.
    Click Choose to upload them to your library.
    So, I am sure, the option to upload will be there soon. It must be an oversight. Send feedback to Apple: Apple - iPhoto - Feedback
    The still elusive "Photos.app" on your Mac is supposed to bring the ability to upload to iCloud Photo Library on the Macs. The release has been announced for "Early next year". For the time being, upload the photos you want in iCloud Photo Library to your devices (Photo Stream, Mail) and add them from there to the iCloud Photo Library.

  • How do I get rid of iCloud photo library beta?

    the iCloud photo library beta seemed like a good idea - but it deleted all of the photo that had been automatically shared from my iPhone. Basically doing exactly he opposite of what I understood it to do. So I want it gone.

    I came on this site for a similar reason. Where did my pictures go that I saw in my photo library prior to upgrading to this iCloud beta crap?

  • How does iCloud Photo Library backup photos & save iCloud space

    I was reading about how to free up some space on my iCloud account (5GB).
    Since the Camera Roll is the only thing that is backed up to iCloud, I would periodically import all my photos to iPhoto and delete them from my device.  This would make the Camera Roll pictures move over to my other albums which are NOT backed up to iCloud.  Now I ran into some apple documentation which explains what exactly gets backed up on an iOS device and its reads like this:
    Photos and videos on your iOS devices, unless you turn on iCloud Photo Library beta on your iOS 8.1 device. If you turn on iCloud Photo Library beta, your photos and videos are already stored in iCloud, so they aren’t included in your iCloud Backup.
    So basically if I turn on this iCloud Photo Library on my iOS device, it won't back up any photos to iCloud, because they are already stored in iCloud?  What does that mean?  Is this going to free up some iCloud space if I turn it on on my device?  If so, how exactly does it work that will save me space?
    Thanks

    santiagofrommiami wrote:
    And of those 4.3GB of backup, my Photo Library is 1.4GB.
    So my question is, how do I prevent my Photo Library from being backed up to the cloud, since I already have a backup of it everytime I connect to iPhoto and it copies all those photos to my mac?
    I don't know, sorry. It's supposed to work alongside Photos & iCloud, so that photos are stored only once. When it doesn't work you have a couple of options as I see it –
    Delete the old backups on iCloud to hopefully start over (I don't like deleting the only backup of anything).
    Forget about iCloud backups & use iTunes to backup instead, it might not be suitable if you have no computer etc.
    Buy more storage for iCloud.
    I don't use iCloud backup, it bemuses me with issues like this, there is no easy way to resolve when it fails.
    And one more question while we are at it...can I erase iphoto from my computer now that I have the new Photos app?
    That is up to you. If you are happy you do not need it & have a backup of it go ahead & remove it. You can re-download it from the app store if it is already in your Mac App store account.

  • How does iCloud Photo Library and Optimize iPhone Storage Work?

    Even Apple Phone support can't answer these questions:
    How does iCloud Photo Library (Beta) from yesterday's 8.1 update with Optimize iPhone Storage turned on work? (I'm on an iPhone 6)
    It only stores your iPhone/iPad versions on your device, which is amazing. Why would you need anything else? It freed up around 8-10GB of space on my device which is amazing. But how does it work when you use it?
    When you email it seems to ask you, when sending what size you want to send like it's always done. It gives you the original 2.4MB version. This works like I'd imagine and when I received the test email the photo was correct. In this case I assume it hits iCloud and sends it from there, not your actual device. (Like it doesn't re-download it to email it). Correct?
    When posting to Facebook, does it do this same thing? Or is this something Facebook has to build into their iOS app in an update? Or does it just work? Correct?
    When posting to Instagram, does it grab the right version. Obviously the phone optimized version should be fine, but when viewing on a Desktop version of Instagram at instagram.com, will it show the right version?
    Sometimes I backup photos using Image Capture on the Mac. If I did that right now, would it only grab the iPhone versions? Obviously I can just test it but it'd be amazing if someone who knows these things could explain all of these use cases.
    Do you need to be on
    In closing it's more of how does this work? Does it work? Why wouldn't you want to use this feature if it saved space and made more sense? I guess I just would love some real clarity since not even the blogs are explaining how it works in every application.
    In closing part 2. It does seem to work really well, it's just those fringe cases. I just viewed all my photos on https://beta.icloud.com/#photos and they're all there, easy download of the high res, delete, it deletes from my camera roll on my phone, it's amazing, it works, it's magic. Just tell me what issues there are with storing only low res iPhone on my device and if there are none, game on!
    Thanks!

    santiagofrommiami wrote:
    And of those 4.3GB of backup, my Photo Library is 1.4GB.
    So my question is, how do I prevent my Photo Library from being backed up to the cloud, since I already have a backup of it everytime I connect to iPhoto and it copies all those photos to my mac?
    I don't know, sorry. It's supposed to work alongside Photos & iCloud, so that photos are stored only once. When it doesn't work you have a couple of options as I see it –
    Delete the old backups on iCloud to hopefully start over (I don't like deleting the only backup of anything).
    Forget about iCloud backups & use iTunes to backup instead, it might not be suitable if you have no computer etc.
    Buy more storage for iCloud.
    I don't use iCloud backup, it bemuses me with issues like this, there is no easy way to resolve when it fails.
    And one more question while we are at it...can I erase iphoto from my computer now that I have the new Photos app?
    That is up to you. If you are happy you do not need it & have a backup of it go ahead & remove it. You can re-download it from the app store if it is already in your Mac App store account.

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