When you take (or import) photos with one of your Apple devices, you probably want them to appear on all your other Apple devices too. The easiest method is to sync them by way of the cloud. iCloud offers two ways to do this—My Photo Stream (which syncs photos as you go and is described in this chapter) and iCloud Photo Library (which syncs your entire library and is covered in the next chapter, Sync a Photo Library across Devices). Dropbox offers several additional alternatives.
To help make a good decision about which iCloud technique(s) you should use, I begin this chapter with an overview of how they compare.
iCloud Photo Options
My Photo Stream and iCloud Photo Library both sync photos across your devices via the cloud, but they differ in almost every other detail.
My Photo Stream
Doesn’t count against your iCloud storage quota
Supports photos only
Stores only your 1,000 most recent photos on each device
Stores photos online for 30 days
Works only over Wi-Fi connections
For Photos, iPhoto, and Aperture
iCloud Photo Library
Counts against iCloud storage quota
Supports photos and videos
Can store as many photos as you like, for as long as you keep paying
Works over Wi-Fi or cellular
Replaces Camera Roll on iOS
For Photos only, not iPhoto or Aperture
Disables syncing photos with iPhoto or Aperture via iTunes
Gives you a single library across Macs, iOS devices, and iCloud
Uploads original, full-resolution photos but optionally stores smaller, optimized copies on each device
Set Up My Photo Stream
You can use My Photo Stream with or without iCloud Photo Library (see next chapter). To set up My Photo Stream:
iOS: Open Settings > iCloud > Photos ①, and turn on Upload to My Photo Stream. Optionally turn on Upload Burst Photos.
① Enable My Photo Stream here.
Mac: Go to System Preferences > iCloud and select Photos. Then click Options and make sure My Photo Stream is selected.
Apple TV: On a 4th-generation model, go to Settings > Accounts > iCloud and sign in. Select My Photo Stream to turn it on. (The process is slightly different for older models.)
Use My Photo Stream to Sync Photos
With My Photo Stream enabled, photos you take on an iOS device sync to iCloud automatically (assuming you’re using Wi-Fi), and from there, to your other devices.
Similarly, if you import photos (say, from your digital camera) into Photos, iPhoto, or Aperture on your Mac, they begin syncing to iCloud immediately.
View Synced Photos
iOS: Go to Photos > Albums > Camera Roll (or All Photos, if iCloud Photo Library is also enabled).
Mac: In Photos, select Photos in the sidebar. In iPhoto or Aperture, select iCloud in the sidebar under Shared then double-click My Photo Stream. Or, at iCloud.com, click Photos.
Apple TV: Go to Photos > Photo Stream (4th generation) or iCloud Photos > My Photo Stream (others).
Dropbox Photo Options
If you use Dropbox, you have a couple of additional ways to sync photos across devices. You can do this instead of using iCloud, or in addition (if you want the security of extra copies).
Regular syncing: Any photos or videos you manually put in your Dropbox folder (or a subfolder) sync to the cloud, and from there, to your other devices with Dropbox.
Camera Upload: In the Dropbox Preferences window, click Import ② and select Enable Camera Uploads For; choose Photos Only or Photos and Videos, as you prefer, from the pop-up menu.
② Enable camera uploads in Dropbox with this checkbox.
Then, whenever you connect a camera or iOS device to your Mac, Dropbox prompts you to activate Camera Upload for that device. Having done so, every time you plug in that device, all your recent photos and videos are copied immediately to the Camera Uploads folder inside your Dropbox folder.
