Iphoto Library Screensaver Mac

Mac OS X makes it easy to create a slideshow screensaver using images in your iPhoto library. Slideshows work just like any other screensaver, except they use your photos to create a personalized touch. On both my Mac Pro and my iMac, I've run into a problem where the iPhoto library simply doesn't show up in the Desktop & Screen Saver System Preferences panel (in Mac OS X 10.6.x). Well, sometimes it shows up, but simply as a line reading iPhoto, but without any actual content. In the Finder, go to the external drive where you want to store your library. In another Finder window, find your library. The default location is Users username Pictures, and it's named Photos Library. Drag your library to its new location on the external drive.

Iphoto library screensaver mac os

Photos in your System Photo Library are available in apps like iMovie, Pages, and Keynote. You can also sync them to iOS devices and view them on Apple TV. And if you want to use your own images as your desktop picture or screen saver, the images need to be in your System Photo Library before you can select them in System Preferences.

If you have only one photo library, then it's the System Photo Library. Otherwise, the first photo library that you create or open in Photos will become the System Photo Library. If you have more than one library, you might need to designate a System Photo Library, so other apps can access the photos and videos you want them to use.

Iphoto Library Screensaver Mac

Follow these steps to designate a System Photo Library:

  1. Quit Photos.
  2. Hold down the Option key and open Photos. One of the photo libraries is already designated as YourLibraryName (System Photo Library).
  3. Choose the library you want to designate as the System Photo Library.
  4. After Photos opens the library, choose Photos > Preferences from the menu bar.
  5. Click the General tab.
  6. Click the Use as System Photo Library button.

If you open a second or different library in the Photos app, and you haven't designated it as the System Photo Library, other applications will use photos from the original System Photo Library. Hold down the Option key when you open Photos to see which library is set as the System Photo Library.

iCloud and the System Photo Library

You can use iCloud Photos, Shared Albums, and My Photo Stream only with the System Photo Library. If you choose a different library in Photos without designating it as the System Photo Library, the iCloud tab in Photos preferences is disabled:

If you designate a new library as the System Photo Library and then turn on iCloud Photos, the photos and videos in the new library will merge with those already in your iCloud Photos. If you want to keep the contents of your photo libraries separate, don’t turn on iCloud Photos for more than one library in Photos.

When your Mac isn’t being used, you can turn its screen into a digital picture frame by using a screensaver that shows photos. If you store photos in Apple’s Photos app, setting up the photo screensaver is very straightforward.

Iphoto Library Screensaver Mac Free

Here’s how to set your Mac to use your Photos Library as a screensaver.

1. Open System Preferences and click Desktop & Screen Saver.

Iphoto Library Screensaver Mac Os

2. Select any of the photo-based screen savers in the scroll list at left. The ones that let you select images all show a ladybird beetle.

Iphoto Screensaver

3. Click the Source drop-down menu and choose Photo Library. (If you don’t have any images in Photos, the Photo Library option will not appear.)

4. It may take a moment if you have a lot of images, but the media list at left will populate with all your Moments, Collections, Albums, and more. (You’ll also see an entry for iPhoto if that’s still installed.)

5. Select any item or category.

6. Click Choose.

You can click Preview to see how the screensaver will work when activated, too.

MacOS also has a screensaver that appears when the login screen is idle. However, there’s no graphical user interface to update it unless your Mac is in a workgroup. Apple has instructions on a support page it no longer maintains that explains the Terminal commands necessary to set a screensaver.

Iphoto Library Screensaver Mac Free

You can’t use photo-based ones, however, because without being logged in, the Photos library and other photo sources are unavailable. You can pick among several screensavers located in /System/Library/Screen Savers, such as Arabesque and Flurry by following the instructions in that support document.

This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Shannon.

Iphoto Library Screensaver Mac Os

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