Import and organise your images on Mac
How to upload, sync, and share your shots
While you can perform edits on your iPhone’s version of Photos, the Photos app for Mac gives you greater control due to a more powerful set of tools (such as the Retouch tool for removing unwanted objects). You can also check the quality of a shot more effectively when viewing it on your Mac’s larger display (especially if you need to smooth out noise caused by a high ISO speed, for example).
One way to get iPhone-sourced videos and stills on to your Mac is to automatically upload them to your iCloud account. They will then be ready to edit and share in the Photos app on any iCloud connected device such as an iMac or an iPad. To set up iCloud syncing, go to your iPhone’s Settings, then scroll down and tap on iCloud Photos. Set iCloud Photos to On so that your snaps will automatically be uploaded to your iCloud account (and then synced with your other devices). To save storage space on your iPhone, turn on Optimise iPhone Storage in Settings > Photos. When the phone becomes low on storage space full-sized shots will be replaced by low-res versions. The original high-res versions will be stored safely in iCloud. If you need to edit and share a shot on your iPhone or Mac then the full-sized version will be downloaded to the device.
It’s worth noting that if you shoot a burst of shots on your iPhone then only the favourited frame will be uploaded to your iCloud account by default. To upload the entire burst to iCloud, turn on the Upload Burst Photos options in Settings > Photos. You can then choose your favourite frame from the comfort of your Mac’s display.
Uploading clips and stills to iCloud runs the risk of devouring your mobile data allowance (especially if you shoot in Apple ProRAW format). To preserve your data allowance, go to Photos > Settings, tap Mobile Data and then turn it off. Now your iPhone will only upload shots to iCloud when it’s connected to Wi-Fi. You’ll also need to turn off the iPhone’s Low Power Mode or the automatic upload process will be paused.
To make sure that your Mac is also talking to iCloud, launch the macOS Photos app. Go to Photos > Preferences. Click the iCloud icon. Tick the iCloud Photos box to keep your iPhone and Mac’s Photos apps in sync. You can save valuable storage space on your Mac by clicking on the Optimise Mac Storage button. If you choose this option, the full-size photo or clip will automatically download when you click the Edit button.