Mac OS (version 15.3.2)
iOS (version 18.3.2)
The Sync operation automatically convert the Photos from Sony RAW format to JPEG, cut down the resolution.
Sync Photos from Mac to iPhone via Finder. Photos is Sony RAW format in Mac, it becomes JPEG in iPhone. Can it be HEIF?
Can it be converted to HEIF?
Can I control the resolution?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Mac Studio, macOS 15.3
It is intentional. Syncing from the Finder is just meant for viewing the photos on the mobile devices, not for transferring them for editing them on the iPhone or iPad. When we sync the photos using the Finder (or previously iTunes) a version optimized for viewing on the device will be synced, scaled down for the size of the display and converted to JPEG.
if you want to transfer the photos in the original quality, consider to switch to iCloud Photos. Then the photos will be synced as they are. The Photos Library on your iPhone or iPad will be identical on all your devices and any adjustments, metadata, albums, named faces will automatically sync between all devices.
Thanks for the information.
I understand the reason to keep smaller size of photos in syncing the mobile devices.
But for HEIF format photos, when syncing from Mac to iPhone, it just copy the original size, and NO format conversion.
Even the HEIF photos are from my Sony camera, no conversion and no cut down in size.
HEIF has a lot of benefits than JPEG, that is the reason Apple go for it since iOS 11.
ChauYauKi wrote: … HEIF has a lot of benefits than JPEG, that is the reason Apple go for it since iOS 11.
In case you missed what léonie was saying, let me repeat it:
if you want to transfer the photos in the original quality, consider to switch to iCloud Photos. Then the photos will be synced as they are. The Photos Library on your iPhone or iPad will be identical on all your devices and any adjustments, metadata, albums, named faces will automatically sync between all devices.
"The Sync operation" you speak of is the old method, and it has limited support.
Thank you for your inspiration. I eventually work out the way to sync to iPhone and iPad.
I keep photos in RAW format in the "Photos" App in my Mac Studio M1. The camera is 60MP (mega pixel), file size is 70-80MB, which is too big for mobile devices. Syncing via iCloud is not a viable solution.
Using Finder to sync to iPhone, the photos will be converted to JPEG, 3MP only.
Using Finder to sync to iPad, the photos will be converted to JPEG, 12MP.
The sync causing format conversion and reduced in resolution is out of my control.
My solution now is, export the album as HEIC format, using Full size, Display P3 colour.
Create another album and import all photos back.
The HEIC format photos will be in 60MP resolution, but size is only around 5-8MB.
Using Finder to sync this new album to iPhone and iPad. The photos are all in 60MP, no format conversion and no reduced in resolution.
The overall storage is around 10% using HEIC over RAW.
OK. Here's what I do, just for "inspiration." My Nikon produces jpgs and RAWs as separate files. I import both to Finder and, while they remain on my internal drive for a while, before they are removed from the SD cards they eventually end up on an external drive as archive. I load only jpgs into Photos, and I use Photos to curate them-- keyboarding, titling, captioning, and rating them. I crop and adjust them some of them to help decide which are my "Favorites," about 15%. Some of the Favorites look like they could benefit from RAW data, so I load the RAW versions into Lightroom where I can do some magic stuff. Then I export those as 100% jpgs, and I import them into Photos for some further work, including cropping--and sometimes I like the original jpg better. So, for me, Photos only works with jpgs. The favorites are shared with iCloud and mirrored to my iPad and iPhone.
I don't pay much attention to file size--I have lots of SSDs. iCloud keeps very small files on my iPhone, but my iPad holds the 30MB jpgs. The limitation, really, is the SD cards.
How do I retain Sony RAW format and control resolution when syncing photos from Mac to iPhone via Finder?
