Organize your photos
Use automated and manual tools to sort your pics
YOU’LL FIND IMAGES imported into your Mac’s Photos app are stored inside the Photos Library.photolibrary file. This self-contained file is not designed to let you browse for images by looking at its collection of sub folders. (But if you Ctrl–click on the file you can choose to Show Package Contents and take a peak in the Originals folder.) However, we’d strongly advise that you explore the contents of the Photos Library by using the Photos app itself, as it provides powerful tools for getting your images and video clips organized.
Since the Photos Library hides its folders, some photographers prefer to store their shots in labelled folders — especially if they use third–party apps such as Photoshop. They can then browse to the relevant folder from within their chosen app, edit an image, and save it into another folder. As mentioned, you can use your Mac’s Image Capture app to import shots from locations such as a memory card into custom folders. If you use Image
Capture then your best organizing option is to label your folders using the location and date of your shoot.
Automatic organization
If you import shots directly into Photos, you don’t need to rely on your own memory to help you find favorite stills or clips. Your iOS and desktop Photos apps provide automated ways to help organize files. The Photos app displays shots chronologically by reading the time and date metadata stored in each image file. If you click
on the Photos label in the Library pane, then click the All Photos button at the top, you can scroll back through time on a pic by pic basis. As you scroll, a date range (such as 21-30 Jan) will appear. By clicking on the Days, Months or Years buttons you can collapse your photos into time– based collections with labels, such as January 2020. These feature larger thumbnails that display highlights labelled by time and place. Double– click on a thumbnail to view its associated photos and clips.