You’ve just taken some photos or videos with your iOS device, or maybe you’ve imported photos from your digital camera to your Mac. Now you want to send them to friends, relatives, or colleagues. You can do this in many ways, and the hardest part may be deciding how you want to send them.
Of course, photos and videos are just files, so any technique you can use to Send Files to Others or Broadcast Download Links should work just fine—and one of those may in fact be the best choice. On the other hand, numerous apps and services specialize in photos and videos, giving you a wider array of options, some of which may be better suited to your needs.
When trying to choose a method for delivering visual content, ask yourself:
What do you want the recipients to do with the photos or videos?
Let’s look at some possible answers that question, and a few of the options suitable to each answer.
View Fleetingly or Pass On
Sometimes you just want someone to glance at a photo, smile, and move on—or possibly pass it on to other people who might find it funny or interesting.
If the photo isn’t particularly private or sensitive—and assuming the recipient(s) participate in one of your social media circles—you might in fact broadcast it to:
Facebook
Flickr
Google+
Instagram
Twitter
…or any of numerous similar services. Remember that doing this means you have limited control over which other people—perhaps less close to you—can also see them.
In Photos (OS X or iOS), iPhoto, Aperture, or the OS X Finder, select one or more photos, tap or click Share ( or ) and then Twitter, Facebook, or Flickr ① to post the photo (with optional comments). For any other service, use the corresponding app or Web site.
① After you tap the Share button in Photos for iOS, tap Twitter, Facebook, or Flickr (outlined here in red) to send the photo(s) to that service.
View Privately
If a photo or video is not intended for public consumption, avoid social media and use a more private communication method. Even then, remember that once the file is out of your hands, anything can happen (and often does).
Email: Sending large email attachments (over a total of 20 MB or so) is faster and more reliable with Apple Mail’s Mail Drop feature in OS X 10.10 Yosemite or later (see Use Email Attachments) or with the CargoLifter plug-in for Mail. Or, put the photos in cloud storage manually and Broadcast Download Links.
Messages: You can use Messages for Mac or iOS to send images just as you can for other file types. If both you and the recipient use iMessage accounts, the files will be encrypted. Otherwise, they’ll be sent via MMS (multimedia messaging service).
On a Mac, drag and drop a photo or video into the message field.
On an iOS device, tap the camera icon next to the message field, and select a recent photo ②—or tap Photo Library, select the photo or video, and tap Choose—and then tap Send Number Photo(s).
② After you tap the camera icon in Messages for iOS, you can tap a recent photo or look for an older one in your photo library.
Save or Process
If you’re building a growing collection of photos or videos—or if your goal is to have them processed in some way (made into a Web page or movie, used in a book, digitally restored, etc.), then sending is probably not the ideal form of sharing. Instead, put them in your Dropbox folder and follow the steps in Sync Folders with Others.
Display on the Fridge
When you want a photo to end up on paper, try:
Mac: In Photos, select one or more photos and choose File > Order Prints.
In iPhoto or Aperture, click the Share icon ③ followed by Order Prints and follow the prompts to order prints in the sizes and formats of your choice.
③ One of the options available when you click the Share button (shown here in iPhoto) is to order prints.
iOS: An app called PhotoCard lets you order splendid, laminated prints and send them as postcards.
or 
) and then Twitter, Facebook, or Flickr ① to post the photo (with optional comments). For any other service, use the corresponding app or Web site.
icon next to the message field, and select a recent photo ②—or tap Photo Library, select the photo or video, and tap Choose—and then tap Send Number Photo(s).
