This means that even if all your images are the highest quality setting, they won't be taking up as much valuable storage space on your hard drive or on your iOS devices. The service stores your high-res images in iCloud, but keeps the full files from taking up too much space on your desktop or iOS devices until you're actually viewing them. Just like on iOS the Photos app in Yosemite works closely with iCloud and with Apple's iCloud Photo Library. You'll also still be able to use iPhoto if you're more used to the way it manages your photo library - the new Photos app is not a replacement. Once you download the update, Photos will be the default photo management app on OS X, but that's not going to stop you from using any of a number of third-party apps.
Instead it has its own unique set of tools that are only available on Yosemite.
The Photos app is not a direct upgrade from iPhoto nor is it a complete copy of the Photos app on iOS. With the release today, Mac users finally can check out a new way to manage photos, but Apple will still let users continue to use iPhoto. You can download the Mac OS X 10.10.3 update right now from the Mac App Store.Īnnounced first in June 2014 at WWDC, Apple said the Photos app would not be coming until spring this year, well after the release of Mac OS X Yosemite.
Apple released a free update today for Mac OS X Yosemite that brings with it the new Photos app along with several other tweaks and fixes to the Mac OS.