This excerpt is from the newly published book, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers, which is current for the latest Photos 2.0 and is now available in print and as an eBook. Each chapter leads off with an essay, then delves into artistic and technical content to help you improve your photography using Photos for macOS and its editing extensions. Here's the essay from Chapter 1.

The Guy Before You

Thunderous applause is the last thing that you want to hear for the person who just spoke before you. This could happen in the classroom, at work, or even at a social gathering. Oh sure, on the outside you're happy for them. But inside, nobody likes to follow someone who has just knocked it out of the park.

This plays out in may ways. How about the guy that replaced Michael Jordan after he retired from the Chicago Bulls? I bet that was fun. Movies try to do this with sequels. The first release was a smash, so let's do it again. Sometimes it works out.

And then there's the world of software. Here we are with Photos for macOS, Apple's second act, following Aperture. Those who had stuck with it all of those years had come to love it. I didn't sense the same affection for iPhoto. But there wasn't much disdain either. iPhoto was like the friendly neighbor next door who suddenly disappeared one day. You felt a little sad at first. Then you went back to watering the lawn.

Apple is no stranger to turning over the cart. They've done it with hardware (you don't need a built-in SD card reader) and with software (you'll be working with Final Cut X now). And most of the time, they've pulled it off. And I think Photos for macOS is going to fall into that category.

To be honest, it hasn't really received a fair shake. Aperture refugees lament missing features. And they may never learn to love again. A lot of iPhoto folks weren't sure what they were doing in the first place, and are now more confused than ever. (I don't mean you, of course.)

Then there are the folks coming to Mac computing by way of the iPhone. They have their hands full learning a new operating system and trying to figure out how iCloud works.

I wrote this book for all of these people. For you. Because I think that you and Photos for macOS should get a fair shake. If the two of you spend some quality time together, I think you'll find a lot in common. I'm not saying that you're going to get married and have kids or anything. But the friendship could be rewarding.

Someone once told me that a good relationship is one where both parties feel like they got the best deal. Photos for macOS is free. (Well, except that you have to buy a Mac to use it. That's an old Steve Jobs joke, by the way.) It can protect your valuable memories, even if your phone, tablet, or Mac is lost or destroyed. It automatically backs up your images to iCloud. That is, if you let it.

Photos can make your pictures look better. Its editing tools are outstanding. And the third party editing extensions that are rolling in to the Mac App Store are taking creativity to another level.

And just as importantly, Photos is friendly. It really is. All of that seems like a good deal to me. What does Apple get out of it? Well, if your learn to love Photos, you'll probably keep buying Macs, iPhones, and iPads. That's not bad for them either.

Think about that boy who has to walk on stage after the kid before him gets a standing ovation. He probably has something wonderful to say. But you have to give him a chance. Now's the time to do that.

-Derrick Story

More About The Apple Photos Book

Apple's Photos for macOS app was designed from the ground up to help you organize, edit, and share your pictures and videos. While the interface appears simple, finding the hidden nuances of Photos is not so straightforward. There's more to this app than initially meets the eye.

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers shines a light on the true sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. From the point of view of a working photographer, Derrick provides everything you need to know to get the most out of the imaging tools built into macOS and iCloud.

This book is up to date with the current version of Photos that shipped with macOS Sierra. It includes discussions on Memories and object recognition, plus all of the tools that make this a compelling application for Mac-toting photographers.

You can order your own copy directly from the publisher, Rocky Nook. Use coupon code DSAPPLE35 for a 35 percent discount. We recommend the Print & eBook Bundle that gives you the Kindle, iBook, and PDF versions, plus the lovely print edition.

You can also order your copy on Amazon.com

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

I don't always have my best cameras with me when the great moments in life happen. And for those instances, thank goodness for plug-ins. More on that in a moment. First, a word about noise reduction.

In my mind, Apple has never been very good at taming noise. Even in their pro app, Aperture, that adjustment brick was ineffectual at best. And things haven't improved in Photos for macOS. Fortunately, we have third-party relief though editing extensions. And my current favorite is the noise reduction tool in Macphun's Luminar, that will offer its toolset to Lightroom and Aperture as plug-ins, and to Photos as an editing extension.

Editing this image in Photos is fun, but noise is rearing its ugly head.

The process I use now, is that I edit my image natively in my photo management app, in this case Photos, knowing that I can apply noise reduction once I'm finished with it.

I then open the image in Luminar and apply my noise reduction. Reviewing the results with the before/after curtain.

The fine-tuned picture then comes back to Photos, looking much cleaner.

Finished image with noise reduction applied.

You may be thinking that you rarely have to deal with noise using your Nikon D800. Yes, that's true. But many of life's moments happen when the D800 is back on the shelf at home. The image I'm using here was captured as a Jpeg with a compact camera that was in my pocket while I was driving on an errand. I had never expected to engage in serious landscape photography.

Yet, there was the shot, and I was going to use what I had to capture it. I knew that in post I could probably clean it up. Between you and me, I like the picture. I decided to go for a painterly look, adding to the effect of the fog. But tomorrow I may feel differently, and possibly go back and do something else. The joy of non-destructive editing.

I'm using Luminar for this type of work now because it can handle everything I need with just one editing extension or Lightroom plug-in. And I've tested it with Capture One Pro too, seeing great results.

I have a beta copy, but you can pre-order your copy now for a discounted price plus bonus items. It's a great help for all types of images, especially those you did not plan to take.

Master Photos for macOS

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

For hands-on tutorials, be sure to take a look at Photos for OS X Essential Training on lynda.com. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

I forgot to adjust one of my cameras to the proper time here in Iceland. And those images were driving me crazy in my Capture One catalog because they were out of order. Unfortunately, I discovered that there was no easy way to fix this problem within Capture One.

The original time stamp for this shot of Skogafoss Falls, Iceland was 7 hours off. I needed to fix that. Olympus TG-4 in Program mode. Image by Derrick Story.

After a great deal of hunting, I discovered that I must leave the application for my fix. So, I turned to Photos for macOS, which does have a batch time stamp fix tool. The basic task went like this.

• Export images out of Capture One Pro.
• Delete the existing shots from the Capture One Catalog.
• Create a new library in Photos for macOS.
• Import pictures into Photos.
• Use the Adjust Date and Time tool in Photos to fix the time stamps.
• Export the images out of Photos and back into Capture One Pro.

I was very careful along the way and backed everything up, just in case something went wrong. But I have to say that the entire process was a real hassle. In the future, I'm going to be more diligent about checking the time stamps on all of my cameras. I certainly don't want to spend time on this again.

More Capture One Pro Tips and Techniques

Improve your skills by watching Capture One Pro Essential Training now available on lynda.com. More than 5 hours of tips, tricks, and techniques. Plus many free movies using advanced techniques.

Master Photos for OS X

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

For hands-on tutorials, be sure to take a look at Photos for OS X Essential Training on lynda.com. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

I've been working with a beta version of Luminar, the latest innovative photo application from Macphun. And I can tell you right now, this is software worthy of your attention.

What they've done is modernize the approach to the image editing tools that we all need to use, but are not always sure how to implement them. Macphun has made this easier by creating a Filter panel that contains the various adjustments we need, then allows us to combine these adjustments in any manner that we want. And for those combinations that we want to use over and over, we can save them as presets or workspaces.

Additionally, we can use these filters with other tools in the application, such as brushes and gradient screens. So, while you're working, you're not thinking about how to create a mask, rather, you're just making the picture look better. For those who really want to dig in, there are layers that make sense, a history function that's easy to use, a cloning tool, and much more.

Plus, Luminar works as an Editing Extension for Photos for macOS, and as a plug-in for Lightroom, Aperture, and Photoshop. The icing on the cake is that it's going to be affordable too: $60.

The application is scheduled for release in mid-November. Stay tuned here for updates, tutorials, and offers. I want to help us all learn this app together. This is terrific software that I think is going to add great enjoyment to your image editing.

Master Photos for macOS

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

VIDEO TRAINING

Want to see how easy it is to apply local edits to your images using Editing Extensions? Take a look at my new lynda training, Photos for OS X: Extensions for Local Adjustments.

And for an overview of all of the great features in Photos, my Photos for OS X Essential Training will get you up and running quickly. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers shines a light on the sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. Available as an eBook now, and coming to print later this year.

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

If you're looking for a new goodie to spruce up Photos for macOS, you might want to take a look at Polarr Photo Editor, currently on sale for $1.99.

You buy it as an app, but doing so also loads an editing extension that works great in Photos for macOS. First launch the Polarr app to make sure everything is working OK. Then close it. Next go to System Preferences > Extensions > Photos and check the box next to Polarr. It's now ready to go as an extension.

Launch Photos for macOS and choose a picture to edit. Select Polarr from the list of Extensions in Edit mode. Your image will open in the Polarr interface. There are numerous filters to browse on the left side of the screen, and plenty of adjustments on the right.

The adjustments include all of the usual suspects for light and color, but there are plenty of surprises too, such as debase, distort, and grain. You can check your progress with the before/after button in the lower right corner.

The most recent version includes copy/paste adjustments. That might not seem practical, since you can only work on one image at a time with editing extensions, but Polarr remembers your copied adjustments for the next picture you open with the tool. Nice. It's actually quite useful.

There are plenty of tools and filters to explore here. And you certainly can't argue with the $1.99 sale price. Load it up this weekend and see what you can do with it.

Master Photos for macOS

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

VIDEO TRAINING

Want to see how easy it is to apply local edits to your images using Editing Extensions? Take a look at my new lynda training, Photos for OS X: Extensions for Local Adjustments.

And for an overview of all of the great features in Photos, my Photos for OS X Essential Training will get you up and running quickly. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers shines a light on the sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. Available as an eBook now, and coming to print later this year.

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

Photos users still exploring the new features on their Macs should not overlook the addition of Memories to their iPhones. In some ways, the mobile version surpasses the desktop experience.

What makes sense about Memories on an iPhone is that it's the perfect device to share our experiences with others. And the ability to enhance a handful of images by creating professional looking slideshows with just a tap on the screen elevates the entire presentation.

Test it for yourself right now. Tap on the Memories button at the bottom of the Photos interface and turn your device to sideways to landscape mode. Tap the play button in the right corner, and Photos will build a slideshow based on the images in that Memory and start playing it.

Terrific. But you can step in and fine tune the presentation. Tap on the screen again to reveal the controls, as shown below.

Directly beneath the image appears a row of themes you can choose from, things like Sentimental, Gentle, and Chill. And if you have enough slides, right below that is a second row that lists three durations, Short, Medium, and Long. So depending on the mood that you want to convey, and the amount of time your viewer has, you can reconfigure the presentation with just two taps on the screen.

For even more control, tap on the Adjustments icon in the upper left corner. Now you have additional editing options for the title, music, duration, and specific images included in the slideshow. Tap Done once you've made your changes.

You can share the presentation beyond your iPhone by tapping the Share button at the top of the screen. All of the usual suspects are available, including Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo.

I recommend building your Memories on the desktop version of Photos for macOS. It's easier than working on the phone, and everything is instantly shared via iCloud anyway. But when it's time to show off the pictures, design the presentation on the fly for your viewer, then blow their socks off. It really is impressive.

Master Photos for OS X

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

For hands-on tutorials, be sure to take a look at Photos for OS X Essential Training on lynda.com. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

More Help and Insights on Photos for OS X

Don't forget about the Photos for OS X Special Feature Section on The Digital Story. It's a roundup of tutorials, videos, and articles focused on helping you master Apple's latest photo management software. You can also find it under Photography in the top nav bar.

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

There are quite a few big features in Photos for macOS Sierra, but one of my favorite small adjustments is the return of Places, now debuting as an application album alongside People, Favorite Memories, Last Import, and such.

Since the iPhone handles geotagging for us automatically, photographers who use their smartphone regularly have a thumbnail tapestry of their journeys awaiting them, with each location plotted out on a map. Click on any of those thumbnails, and pictures from that location pop on to your screen.

It's so simple, really. If you want to see all of your vacation shots from Hawaii over the years, you could build a Smart Album with various conditions covering the appropriate metadata, or your could quickly go to Places and click on the thumbnail over Hawaii on the map. Instantly all of your shots from that location appear on the screen.

Want to fine tune your search to a specific location in Hawaii? Simply zoom in by using the "+" icon in the lower right corner of the map, or by pinching outward on a trackpad, to reveal various spots on the island that you visited. Now click on any of those thumbnails to see that smaller group of pictures.

This system does not require descriptions, titles, keywords, and any other user-added metadata. Just let the iPhone (or in my case the Olympus TG-4 also) capture the location information, then use the Places album to find the shots you want.

If you know where a picture was captured, you can find it in seconds in Photos for macOS. (Or you could do it the old-fashioned way...)

Master Photos for macOS

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

VIDEO TRAINING

Want to see how easy it is to apply local edits to your images using Editing Extensions? Take a look at my new lynda training, Photos for OS X: Extensions for Local Adjustments.

And for an overview of all of the great features in Photos, my Photos for OS X Essential Training will get you up and running quickly. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers shines a light on the sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. Available as an eBook now, and coming to print later this year.

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

If you're recording geodata with an iPhone and/or a camera such as the Olympus TG-4, then you have some handy viewing options built right in to macOS.

"Atop Mt. Tamalpais," The GPS tab in Get Info for the Preview app. Captured with an Olympus TG-4. Image by Derrick Story.

I catalog most of these images in Photos for macOS, which does show some basic geodata. But I really like the view in Preview using the More Info heads up display (Command-I). The GPS tab is more detailed than Photos, and you can click on the Show in Maps button for a terrific Satellite view with labels.

The Satellite view in Maps with labels showing.

Now one handy thing you can do in Photos is add a location pin to a picture, then export it and view in Preview and Maps. Do this in Photos by clicking on Assign a Location in the Info box and start typing where the image was captured. Photos will offer you locations. Choose the right one, and the tag will be assigned to the picture.

When you export the picture from Photos, be sure that the Location Information box is checked in the Export dialog. That will ensure the data travels with the image. Then you can view in Preview and Maps just like a picture that was geotagged with a camera.

Master Photos for macOS

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

VIDEO TRAINING

Want to see how easy it is to apply local edits to your images using Editing Extensions? Take a look at my new lynda training, Photos for OS X: Extensions for Local Adjustments.

And for an overview of all of the great features in Photos, my Photos for OS X Essential Training will get you up and running quickly. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers shines a light on the sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. Available as an eBook now, and coming to print later this year.

Get it for $15 using checkout code APPLE15!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

We're on Apple News!

Find us now on the Apple News App for iOS! Just open this link on your iOS device, then add The Digital Story to your Favorites.

Despite being a diehard Capture One user, I prefer quick portrait retouches in Photos for macOS. Why? (That's crazy, right?) Well, actually it's not, and I'll explain why here.

As you're probably suspecting right now, the key to this workflow is the editing extension functionality in Photos. In this case, I rely primarily on BeFunky and Pixelmator Retouch. Both have a variety of brushes, including soften, that makes it easy to apply basic improvements to a portrait. Here's a movie where I show you how I use a soften brush to minimize sunburn lines.

Other helpful tools include tooth whitening, eye brighting, skin tone, and of course, cloning. These are the common adjustments that I need for my people shots. And I have them right here in Photos.

Then, once I finish an image, it automatically propagates to all of my other computers and devices via iCloud. So the updated image appears on my iPhone, for example, and is ready to share with the world. This is a terrific workflow, especially for your personal work.

Master Photos for macOS

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

VIDEO TRAINING

Want to see how easy it is to apply local edits to your images using Editing Extensions? Take a look at my new lynda training, Photos for OS X: Extensions for Local Adjustments.

And for an overview of all of the great features in Photos, my Photos for OS X Essential Training will get you up and running quickly. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers shines a light on the sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. Available as an eBook now, and coming to print later this year.

Get it for $15 using checkout code APPLE15!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

Photos for macOS can do so much more than many photographers realize. And to show you just how powerful it can be, I've just published Photos for OS X: Extensions for Local Adjustments.

In this title, I take a deep dive into six editing extensions that provide local adjustments, letting you work on just part of the photo (in addition to easy to use presets and other goodies they include). The extensions I feature are: Color Filters, Filters for Photos, Tonality, Snapheal, and BeFunky. Plus, I fire up External Editors and roundtrip with Photoshop and Exposure X, all from within Photos for macOS, and all totally non-destructive.

If you're a Photos user, or if you want to see the real potential of this image management app for Mac users, then take a look at the free welcome movie that provides an overview of the course.

Master Photos for OS X

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

For hands-on tutorials, be sure to take a look at Photos for OS X Essential Training on lynda.com. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers shines a light on the sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. Available as an eBook now, and coming to print later this year.

Get it for $15 using checkout code APPLE15!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.