Question about iCloud Photo Library

[JerTheGeek]

If i enable it on my MacBook Air, will all my photos start uploading to the cloud? All I want is for all of my iPhone and iPad photos and videos (which are already in iCloud Photo Library), with their edits, to automatically download onto my Mac. Then I also want the photos from my bridge camera, and from years ago (which aren't on my iOS devices) to show up just on my Mac in the Photos app. Is that too much to ask? Is this possible or no?

 

[KALLT]

If i enable it on my MacBook Air, will all my photos start uploading to the cloud? All I want is for all of my iPhone and iPad photos and videos (which are already in iCloud Photo Library), with their edits, to automatically download onto my Mac. Then I also want the photos from my bridge camera, and from years ago (which aren't on my iOS devices) to show up just on my Mac in the Photos app. Is that too much to ask? Is this possible or no?

I don’t this is possible. iCloud Photo Library is a one-way street, once enabled your pictures will be uploaded. If you just want the pictures on your devices to show up in your Mac, you should use Photo Stream instead.

 

[JerTheGeek]

I don’t this is possible. iCloud Photo Library is a one-way street, once enabled your pictures will be uploaded. If you just want the pictures on your devices to show up in your Mac, you should use Photo Stream instead.

Man that is annoying. I have a big library as I'm sure many people do, consisting of photos from many years ago; I don't need them to upload. Sigh. Hopefully apple will come up with a way to have the photos and edits and organization from the iOS devices on the Mac; and just have other photos only viewable on the Mac.

 

[lssmit02]

If i enable it on my MacBook Air, will all my photos start uploading to the cloud? All I want is for all of my iPhone and iPad photos and videos (which are already in iCloud Photo Library), with their edits, to automatically download onto my Mac. Then I also want the photos from my bridge camera, and from years ago (which aren't on my iOS devices) to show up just on my Mac in the Photos app. Is that too much to ask? Is this possible or no?

This is what Macrumors has said about iCloud Photo Library and Photo Stream:

On iOS and OS X, users will also continue to see an option for My Photo Stream, which is Apple's existing service that allowed users to automatically sync their last 1,000 photos between devices. On devices where iCloud Photo Library is active, there will no longer be a separate My Photo Stream album, as all photos are now included in the main library stored in iCloud.

The My Photo Stream setting does, however, offer some level of integration between devices where iCloud Photo Library is enabled and those where it is disabled. Turning on My Photo Stream on a device with iCloud Photo Library is enabled allows the device to import Photo Stream photos from other non-iCloud devices and also send new photos out to My Photo Stream for display on those devices.

This suggests that some combination of turning off iCloud photo library and turning on photo stream might achieve what you want. I think if I've understood the explanation, you turn off iCloud Photo Library on the MacBook Air, but turn on Photo Stream, then the photo stream photos on the Air will automatically be sent to the iPhone and iPad, and the Air will receive all photos from the iCloud Photo Library enabled iPad and iPhone. Does that sound right?

 

[JerTheGeek]

This is what Macrumors has said about iCloud Photo Library and Photo Stream:


This suggests that some combination of turning off iCloud photo library and turning on photo stream might achieve what you want. I think if I've understood the explanation, you turn off iCloud Photo Library on the MacBook Air, but turn on Photo Stream, then the photo stream photos on the Air will automatically be sent to the iPhone and iPad, and the Air will receive all photos from the iCloud Photo Library enabled iPad and iPhone. Does that sound right?

I think this is what I'm already doing; I have iCloud photo library enabled on the iPhone and iPad; and I have it turned off on the Air. Also I have photo stream turned on and I tested it and yes it does automatically upload them; just without the edits; if only there was a way to get the edits on the photo stream photos that upload to the Air.