Mac Photos: Photo Editing, Organizing & Sharing on Mac from Udemy

What's inside

Learning objectives

Become completely comfortable using mac photos
Import and organize photos so you can easily find them
Edit and adjust your photos to make them look amazing

Save and share your photos to your computer, online, or with icloud
Create and order projects such as books, calendars, and more
Use the photos app on your iphone to organize, edit, and share

Become completely comfortable using mac photos
Import and organize photos so you can easily find them
Edit and adjust your photos to make them look amazing
Save and share your photos to your computer, online, or with icloud
Create and order projects such as books, calendars, and more
Use the photos app on your iphone to organize, edit, and share

Syllabus

Introduction

Welcome to the Mac Photos course! In this lecture, you'll learn a little more about how this course works, who the instructor is, and how to have the most success.

Download the practice photos from this lecture so you can follow along in this course.

In this lecture of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to import photos from your computer. This is perfect if you are importing the practice photos that you downloaded in the previous lecture.

In this lecture of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to import photos from a camera or memory card.

In this lecture of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to import photos from your phone using a USB cable.

In this lecture of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to import photos from iCloud, which allows you to wirelessly send photos from your phone to Mac Photos.

In this lecture of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to import photos from a web browser, directly into Mac Photos.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to view your photos in a variety of ways - including by moment, collection, and year. You'll also learn how to view your photo full screen.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to view photos by people (with face recognition), by place on a world map, by memory collections, and more.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to create albums to organize your photos, and how to create folders to organize your albums. Also, you'll learn about smart albums and media types, which quickly allows you to access different types of photos like panoramas, selfies, live photos, and more!

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to tag your photos with custom keywords and other metadata which allows you to more easily find them with the search bar. You'll also learn about favoriting photos.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to use the editing module including how to quickly rotate photos and make automatic adjustments.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to add filters to photos to instantly make them look better. Plus, you'll learn proper workflow for editing photos including how to make duplicates of photos.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to use the crop and rotate tool.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to make your photos look better with cropping and rotating. Learn how to crop using the rule of thirds, and when not to use the rule of thirds.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to use the light adjustment sliders. Use these sliders to fix the exposure of your image so it's not too dark or not too bright.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to increase the saturation and contrast of colors in your photos.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to quickly make your photos into black and white photo masterpieces.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to remove any unwanted blemishes or objects in your photos with the retouching brush. Also, learn how to use the red eye filter to remove red eye.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to fix the white balance of your photos so that all of the colors look natural.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to use the levels adjustments to change the exposure of different parts and colors of your photos.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to use the curves adjustments to change the exposure of different parts and colors of your photos.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to add more definition and detail to your photos with one slider.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to adjust the brightness, saturation, and hue of individual colors in your photo.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to reduce the noise in your photos (this is the digital noise/grain that you get mostly in darker images).

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to sharpen your images, increasing the details that can be seen.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to add a vignette in Mac Photos.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to edit live photos - including how to create a loop, a boomerang, and long exposure shot.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to export your photos. You'll learn how to quickly export your photos as a JPEG image with a quick drag and drop. And you'll also learn how to save them with specific settings to fit your needs.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to export your live photos as an animated GIF that can be uploaded and posted online. You'll also learn how to export specific still images from a live photo.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to share your photos instantly online and with other Mac apps such as Twitter, Facebook, with AirDrop, and more.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to quickly play a slideshow with any photos in your library. You'll also learn how to export a custom slideshow as a video file that can be posted online, shared, and saved for later.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to print photos directly from Mac Photos with your own printer. You'll also learn how to save photos from Mac Photos as a PDF.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to order photo prints directly from Mac Photos.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to create and order a calendar with photos from your own library.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to create and order photo books directly from Mac Photos.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to create and order cards directly from Mac Photos.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to edit a portrait. Watch Phil as he works through this entire photo edit from start to finish, including how he crops, adjusts exposure, fixes white balance, and adds effects like vignettes to make this photo pop!

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to edit a group photo. Watch Phil as he works through this entire photo edit from start to finish, including how he crops, adjusts exposure, fixes white balance, and adds effects like sharpening to make this photo pop!

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to edit a landscape photo. Watch Phil as he works through this entire photo edit from start to finish, including how he crops, adjusts exposure, fixes white balance, and adds effects like color adjustments to make this photo pop!

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, watch Phil as he does a complete photo edit of a night photo with light streaks.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, watch Phil as he does a complete photo edit of his cat.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to find the original photo files in your Finder.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to change where the original photos are stored on your computer hard drive.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to send photos to other applications to do edits, and have those edits sync within Mac Photos.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to see all the available keyboard shortcuts.

In this lesson of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to view and edit videos.

In this bonus lecture of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to use the Photos app on your iPhone to view and organize your photos into albums.

In this bonus lecture of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to use the Photos app on your iPhone to share photos in a number of ways including with Air Drop, to Facebook or other apps, and more!

In this bonus lecture of the Mac Photos course, you'll learn how to use the Photos app on your iPhone to edit your photos.

Thank you so much for taking this course! Here's a little thank you video for you!

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Covers importing photos from various sources, including cameras, memory cards, phones, iCloud, and web browsers, which is useful for users with diverse photo storage methods

Teaches basic photo editing skills like auto-enhancement, cropping, rotating, and one-click filters, providing a solid foundation for beginners in photo editing

Explores the integration between Mac Photos and the Photos app on iPhone, allowing users to seamlessly manage and edit photos across devices

Includes lessons on advanced editing techniques such as light adjustment sliders, color adjustments, retouching, and red-eye removal, enabling users to refine their photo editing skills

Demonstrates how to export photos in various formats, create slideshows, print photos, and share them online via social media and other Mac applications, which is essential for sharing memories

Explains how to create and order photo prints, calendars, books, and cards directly from Mac Photos, which is useful for creating personalized gifts and keepsakes

Reviews summary

Beginner's guide to mac photos app

According to learners, this course offers a clear, concise, and easy-to-follow guide to using the Mac Photos application. Students consistently found it extremely helpful for beginners who want to effectively manage and edit their pictures. The curriculum covers essential features such as importing from various sources, organizing photos into albums and using keywords, and performing basic editing adjustments. Many reviewers highlighted the instructor's patient teaching style and the course's practical demonstrations. While it may be too basic for users seeking advanced editing techniques, it is highly recommended for anyone starting out with Mac Photos.

Based on specific macOS version.

"Course uses High Sierra, but I found the steps still work fine on newer macOS versions."

"Noted that the interface is slightly different on my current OS (Ventura), but the principles are the same."

"It would be helpful to see examples from a more recent macOS version, but it wasn't a major issue."

Patient and easy to understand.

"Phil is a great instructor, very patient and easy to understand."

"Enjoyed the instructor's teaching style throughout the course."

"The instructor made learning enjoyable and simple."

"He goes through everything step by step without being rushed."

Learn importing, organizing, editing.

"Covered all the essential features I needed to learn: importing, organizing, and editing..."

"I now feel confident organizing my large photo library."

"Learned how to do basic edits and make my photos look much better."

"Taught me the basics of getting photos into Photos, organizing them, and making simple edits."

Ideal for new users of the app.

"I learned so much as a beginner Mac user."

"If you are new to the Mac Photos app, this is the course for you."

"This course was perfect for me as someone who had never used Photos before..."

"Helped me get started with managing my photos on my Mac."

Explanations are easy to follow.

"The instructor explains everything very clearly and at a good pace..."

"Each step was broken down simply, making it easy to follow along."

"Found it very easy to understand even as a complete beginner."

"Everything is presented in a very understandable format."

Lacks depth for advanced users.

"This course is very basic; if you have any photo editing experience, it might be too slow or simple."

"Didn't go into as much detail on advanced retouching or creative techniques as I had hoped."

"Good introduction, but not enough for someone looking for professional tips or complex editing."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Mac Photos: Photo Editing, Organizing & Sharing on Mac with these activities:

Practice Basic Photo Editing Techniques

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Reinforce fundamental photo editing skills before starting the course. This will make it easier to grasp the more advanced techniques taught in the course.

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Find several unedited photos.
Experiment with exposure and white balance adjustments.
Practice cropping and straightening images.

Read 'Understanding Exposure' by Bryan Peterson

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Gain a deeper understanding of exposure principles. This will help you make better editing decisions in Mac Photos.

View Understanding Street Photography: An... on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'Understanding Exposure'.
Read the chapters on aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
Experiment with these settings on your camera or in Mac Photos.

Edit a Photo a Day

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Practice editing photos daily to reinforce the skills learned in each module. This will help you internalize the editing techniques and develop your own style.

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Select a new photo to edit each day.
Apply the techniques learned in the course.
Experiment with different styles and settings.

Four other activities

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Show all seven activities

Organize Your Photo Library

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Apply the organization techniques learned in the course to your own photo library. This will help you keep your photos organized and easily accessible.

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Create albums and folders to categorize your photos.
Tag your photos with keywords and metadata.
Use smart albums to automatically organize photos based on criteria.

Create a Before-and-After Photo Series

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Showcase your editing skills by creating a series of before-and-after photos. This will help you visualize the impact of your edits and refine your techniques.

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Choose several photos with different editing needs.
Edit each photo to improve its overall quality.
Create a side-by-side comparison of the before and after versions.
Share your series on social media or a personal blog.

Create a Photo Book

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Consolidate your learning by creating a photo book using Mac Photos. This will test your ability to organize, edit, and share your photos in a creative way.

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Select a theme for your photo book.
Choose the photos you want to include.
Edit and arrange the photos in Mac Photos.
Add captions and text to your photo book.
Order your photo book from Mac Photos.

Read 'The Photographer's Eye' by Michael Freeman

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Improve your understanding of photographic composition. This will help you take better photos and make more effective editing decisions.

View The Photographer's Eye - Definitive Edition:... on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'The Photographer's Eye'.
Read the chapters on composition and design.
Analyze the composition of your own photos and identify areas for improvement.

Career center

Learners who complete Mac Photos: Photo Editing, Organizing & Sharing on Mac will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Photo Editor

A photo editor is responsible for enhancing and perfecting photographs, and this course is a great introduction to that field. The Mac Photos course provides a thorough overview of editing techniques available specifically with Mac's built-in photo editing application. This role might involve retouching, color correction, and image manipulation. The course's focus on editing within Mac Photos, including advanced adjustments and retouching, means a photo editor will quickly learn to utilize familiar user interfaces to achieve desired results. A photo editor wishing to build a foundation in photo editing software and workflows should take this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Photo Editor

Photographer

A photographer captures images, and this course can be an excellent tool to refine their workflow. The Mac Photos course teaches how to import, organize, and edit photos, all essential skills for a photographer. The course covers a wide range of editing techniques, such as adjusting light, color, and sharpness, and also teaches retouching. A photographer who wishes to quickly and efficiently manage their images should take this course. The course also covers how to save and share photos, which is essential for a photographer to be able to present their work. Learning to manage and enhance images directly on a Mac can streamline a photographer's post-processing and enhance efficiency.

See salaries and explore the career path for Photographer

Digital Content Creator

A digital content creator produces material for online channels, and the Mac Photos course can be incredibly beneficial to them. This course teaches photo management and editing techniques, which are critical skills for producing high-quality content. This role often involves working with a variety of visual assets, and the course's sections on photo importing, organization, and editing provide efficient strategies. The course also includes advanced features within Mac photos which can be useful for a content creator. A digital content creator who wishes to learn how to work with images using free tools should take this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Content Creator

Social Media Manager

A social media manager is responsible for creating and curating content for social media platforms, including visual content. This Mac Photos course helps a social media manager by providing the skills to edit and optimize their images. Content on social media must be visually engaging, and the course's lessons on image adjustments, filters, and retouching are key. The course also teaches effective methods for saving and sharing photos, which is useful for the rapid pace of social media. A social media manager who needs to enhance their visual content with efficient methods should take this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Social Media Manager

Blogger

A blogger often uses images to enhance their posts, and this course supports that effort. The Mac Photos course helps a blogger by teaching them how to edit, organize, and share photos that are used in blog posts. The course teaches how to adjust images, use filters, and retouch images, which are useful for creating engaging and professional looking blog images. The course also teaches how to export images which is crucial for using them on a blog. A blogger who wants to learn how to efficiently manage and enhance their blog photos should take this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Blogger

Marketing Specialist

A marketing specialist uses visual elements to promote products and services. The Mac Photos course is beneficial because it provides the image editing and management skills necessary to enhance marketing visuals. Being able to quickly edit existing photos, or even produce simple graphics, is a useful skill for a marketing specialist. The course teaches how to adjust photos, use filters, and organize images, all of which are crucial for creating visually engaging marketing materials. A marketing specialist who wants to refine their visual marketing skills should take this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Specialist

Family Historian

A family historian works to document a family's past, often using old photos. The Mac Photos course can be useful to a family historian trying to organize and manage a collection of photos and would be a useful skill. This course teaches how to import photos, organize photos, and how to use metadata to create an organized photo archive. The course also helps them understand how to make simple adjustments to photos to improve their quality. A family historian who needs to organize and preserve family photos with digital tools should take this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Family Historian

E-commerce Manager

An ecommerce manager is responsible for managing an online store, which often involves using product images. The Mac Photos course helps an ecommerce manager by providing the skills to edit and manage product photos. This course teaches how to use editing tools to make images more appealing and product-focused. The course also covers how to export and share images, which is crucial for an ecommerce manager to update product pages efficiently. An ecommerce manager will find this course useful to help make images for an online store.

See salaries and explore the career path for E-commerce Manager

Visual Designer

A visual designer is responsible for the aesthetics of a project, and this course helps them polish their visuals. The Mac Photos course provides valuable skills in photo editing which is a useful skill even when not the main focus of a project. This course covers a variety of editing tools which are useful for polishing images before adding them to a website, a graphic design, or other visual design work. A visual designer who needs to quickly edit photos should take this course. This is helpful when a designer is iterating rapidly.

See salaries and explore the career path for Visual Designer

Archivist

An archivist is responsible for organizing and preserving valuable materials, which may include photographs. The Mac Photos course helps an archivist by providing skills in how to organize and manage photos. This course covers how to import photos, how to use metadata, and how to save them in a way so that they are easily found. An archivist who needs to organize and preserve photos would find this course helpful in managing a photo archive. The ability to use metadata for organization is particularly useful for an archival context. This course also provides an understanding of digital photo formats.

See salaries and explore the career path for Archivist

Real Estate Agent

A real estate agent often needs to take and manage photographs of properties. This Mac Photos course can be useful for this role. The course helps a real estate agent by teaching them how to enhance and edit real estate photos to be appealing in marketing materials. The course covers ways to adjust light, color, and sharpness, which can help make a property photo look its best. The course also teaches how to import and organize photos so that they are easy to find when needed. A real estate agent who wants to improve the quality and management of their property photos would find this course useful.

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Teacher

A teacher often needs to create visual learning materials, and this course can support those endeavors. Within the Mac Photos course, a teacher can learn how to manage, organize, and edit photos for use in presentations, handouts, or other educational resources. The course covers photo adjustment, retouching, and organization, which are useful for a teacher to enhance the visual quality of their teaching materials. A teacher wishing to learn how to quickly organize and edit images will find this course useful. The skills taught in this course can be applied to a range of educational contexts.

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Travel Agent

A travel agent often uses images to market destinations and experiences, making this course a potential asset. The Mac Photos course is helpful because it teaches how to edit and manage travel photos. The course includes editing tools and techniques, such as adjusting light, color, and sharpness, which are key for making a travel destination look appealing. This course also teaches how to save and share photos, which is important for creating marketing materials. A travel agent who wishes to enhance their promotional photos with efficient editing and management skills may find this course useful.

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Administrative Assistant

An administrative assistant might need to handle images for various office needs, such as presentations or company communications. The Mac Photos course is useful in that it provides the skills to manage and make basic edits to photos, which is useful in an office setting. Specifically, this course teaches how to import, organize, and make simple adjustments to photos, and also teaches methods for sharing and saving photos. An administrative assistant who wants to learn how to efficiently manage photos for office tasks should take this course.

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Personal Assistant

A personal assistant often manages a variety of tasks, including working with photos. The Mac Photos course may be useful to a personal assistant who needs to organize, edit, and manage photos. The course teaches basic editing techniques within the free built-in Mac photo software, which can be helpful for tasks such as creating photo albums or preparing images for presentations. The course also covers photo organization, which is an important skill for effectively managing a large personal photo library. A personal assistant who wishes to refine their skills with photo software may find this course potentially useful.

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Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Mac Photos: Photo Editing, Organizing & Sharing on Mac.

Understanding Street Photography

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Provides a solid foundation in understanding exposure, which is crucial for effective photo editing. It explains the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Mastering these concepts will greatly enhance your ability to make informed editing decisions in Mac Photos. This book is best used as additional reading to supplement the course.

Understanding Street Photography: An Introduction...

Paperback

Understanding Street Photography: An Introduction...

Kindle Edition

The Photographer's Eye (Definitive Edition):...

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Focuses on composition and design principles in photography. Understanding these principles will help you take better photos and make more effective editing decisions. It valuable resource for improving your overall photographic eye and is best used as additional reading.

The Photographer's Eye - Definitive Edition:...

Paperback

Mac Photos

Photo Editing, Organizing & Sharing on Mac

What's inside

Learning objectives

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Beginner's guide to mac photos app

Activities

Career center

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