Photos for OS X: Export photos, videos, and slideshows

Export photos, videos, and slideshows

Export photos in a selected format

You can export photos so that you can import and work with them in other apps. You can choose the size and format for the exported photos.

  1. Select the item you want to export.

  2. Choose File > Export > Export [number] Photos.

  3. Click the Photo Kind pop-up menu and choose the file type for the exported photos.

    • JPEG creates small-size files suitable for use with websites and other photo apps.

    • TIFF is a lossless file format that works well for transferring photos between computers and apps.

    • PNG is another lossless file format popular for web images.

  4. Click the File Name pop-up menu and choose how to name the exported files (this step is optional).

    You can name your exported files using the titles you’ve given them in Photos, their filenames, or or a filename numbered sequentially. If you choose Sequential, you can specify text to appear before each number (for example, Birthday01, Birthday02, and so on).

  5. Click the Subfolder Format pop-up menu and choose how to divide the exported files into folders.

    For example, if you export photos from several different moments, you can have Photos export each moment as a subfolder named after the moment. Choose None to export the photos as individual files without subfolders.

  6. Click Export.

  7. Choose where to save the exported photo files, then click Export.

Tip: If you have an iCloud account, you can export photo files to iCloud Drive, then access them from any Mac, iOS device, or Windows PC set up to use iCloud Drive. For more information about iCloud Drive, search for “iCloud Drive” in Mac Help.

Export photos in their original format

You can export photos in the original file formats in which they were imported into your Photos Library.

  1. Select the photos you want to export.

  2. Choose File > Export > Export Unmodified Original.

  3. Click the Export IPTC as XMP checkbox to export IPTC information (assigned IPTC metadata and keywords) as a sidecar XMP file.

    Export Original dialog showing export options
  4. Click the File Name pop-up menu and choose how to name the exported files (this step is optional).

    You can name your exported files using the titles you’ve given them in Photos, their filenames, or or a filename numbered sequentially. If you choose Sequential, you can specify text to appear before each number (for example, Birthday01, Birthday02, and so on).

  5. Click the Subfolder Format pop-up menu and choose how to divide the exported files into folders.

    For example, if you export photos from several different moments, you can have Photos export each moment as a subfolder named after the moment. Choose None to export the photos as individual files without subfolders.

  6. Click Export.

  7. Choose where to save the exported photo files, then click Export Originals.

Export videos

You can export videos so that you can share them or work with them in other apps. When you export a video, you can choose the movie quality and whether metadata such as a title or description is included with the exported file.

  1. Select videos you want to export.

  2. Choose File > Export > Export [number] Videos.

  3. Click the Movie Quality pop-up menu and choose the video format for the exported video.

    Export Original dialog showing export options
  4. Click the File Name pop-up menu and choose how to name the exported files (this step is optional).

    You can name your exported files using the titles you’ve given them in Photos, their filenames, or or a filename numbered sequentially. If you choose Sequential, you can specify text to appear before each number (for example, Birthday01, Birthday02, and so on).

  5. Click the Subfolder Format pop-up menu and choose how to divide the exported files into folders.

    For example, if you export videos from several different moments, you can have Photos export each moment as a subfolder named after the moment. Choose None to export the videos as individual files without subfolders.

  6. Click Export.

  7. Choose where to save the exported video files, then click Export.

Tip: If you have an iCloud account, you can export photo files to iCloud Drive, then access them from any Mac, iOS device, or Windows PC set up to use iCloud Drive. For more information, search for “iCloud Drive” in Mac Help.

Export slideshows

You can export slideshows to share with others. When you export a slideshow, Photos creates a movie file with the video format that you select.

  1. Click Projects in the toolbar, then double-click the slideshow you want to export.

  2. Click Export in the toolbar.

  3. Enter a filename for your slideshow movie in the Save As field.

  4. Click the Format pop-up menu and choose a file type for the exported movie.

    Standard definition (480p) is good for standard definition TV. If the slideshow will play on a high definition TV or display, choose one of the high definition formats: 720p, 1080p, or 4k.

  5. To export the slideshow movie to iTunes so that you can transfer it to another device, select the Automatically Send to iTunes checkbox.

    Note: If you’re using iCloud Photo Library, the Automatically Send to iTunes checkbox isn’t available.

  6. Choose where to save the exported photo file, then click Save.

Last Modified: Sep 1, 2016
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