However, as is the case with various Mac applications, there are quite a few features and tricks that are not widely known, and that can make your life a lot easier if you manage you photos on your Mac on a regular basis. Here are some of the most important of them.
1. Use Photos Without Even Opening It
With the Photos app on your Mac closed, press and hold the Option key while at the same time clicking on the Photos app icon and the application will prompt you to start from a different photo library or to create a new one. Now, if instead of just the Option key you also press down the Command key while clicking on the closed Photos app icon as a shortcut, the application will display a menu to repair your photo library, along with a progress bar to show you the status of the process.
2. Get Back to iPhoto
Don’t like all the changes implemented by Apple in the new Photos app? No problem, simply use iPhoto. However, the old iPhoto app is not compatible with the latest versions of OS X. So in order to get the latest and greatest iPhotos release, head to the Mac App Store on your Mac and there click on the Purchased section. Next look for iPhoto in the column of applications and download it. This will ensure that you have not just the latest version of iPhoto, but also one that is compatible with all the recent releases of OS X. While it is great that Apple at least gives users the option to choose between the new Photos app and the old iPhoto application, we advise you to stick with one or the other, instead of jumping between them too often, since this can lead to compatibility issues in the future.
3. Get Those Lost Photos Back
The new Photos app has a very handy feature for those of us who always forget to backup our important photos. With the Photos app open, click on the File menu and then select the Recently Deleted option to get any deleted photos back. Be warned though, if the photos you put in the Trash were deleted more than 30 days ago, Photos will permanently erase them. Mac Imaging Ninja: Check out our take on which Photoshop alternative is better for Mac, if you’re interested.
Which One Did You Like?
And there you have them. Whether you are a happy user of the new Photos app or would like to have more options to manage your photo libraries, these tips will definitely come in handy.
