Exporting Photos and Videos from Apple Photos on Mac: Everything You Need to Know
Exporting photos from Apple Photos on a Mac can feel simple — until you realize just how many options Apple quietly gives you.
Whether you’re sharing images, preparing files for printing, turning Live Photos into animated GIFs, or exporting videos and slideshows, Apple Photos offers powerful tools that most users never fully explore.
In this guide, we’ll break down every export option step by step so you can choose the right format, quality, and workflow every time.
🎓 What You’ll Learn
• How all export options in Apple Photos work
• The best settings for high quality with small file sizes
• When to use JPEG, PNG, or TIFF formats
• How to export original, unedited photos
• How metadata, titles, keywords, and captions are handled
• How to export Live Photos as GIFs or videos
• How to export slideshows and memory videos
• Time-saving keyboard shortcuts and drag-and-drop tricks
📤 Understanding Photo Export Options in Apple Photos
Apple Photos includes multiple export paths, each designed for different use cases.
The most common option — Export Photos — lets you choose file format, quality, color profile, image size, metadata, and naming structure. This is ideal when you want control over how files look and behave outside the Photos library.
For most users, exporting JPEG at full size with low quality provides the best balance of clarity and file size.
🧠 Choosing the Right File Format
• JPEG: Best for sharing, web use, and everyday exports
• PNG: Lossless format, great for graphics and transparency
• TIFF: Highest quality, best for professional workflows and archiving
Larger formats preserve more data — but dramatically increase file size.
🏷️ Metadata, Titles, and Keywords Explained
Apple Photos can embed:
• Location data
• Camera information
• Titles, captions, and keywords
This information is useful when organizing files or importing them into other photo apps, but it may not always be visible on non-Apple platforms.
⚡ Faster Exporting with Keyboard Shortcuts
Instead of navigating menus every time:
• Shift + Command + E opens the export dialog instantly
• Dragging photos directly to the desktop creates a quick JPEG export
• Holding Option while dragging exports the original unmodified file
These shortcuts can save serious time when exporting large batches.
🎞️ Exporting Live Photos, GIFs, and Videos
Live Photos unlock extra export options:
• Convert Live Photos to animated GIFs
• Export the Live Photo as a video clip
• Choose between Loop, Bounce, or Long Exposure effects
You can also export:
• Individual video frames as still images
• Memory videos in landscape, square, or portrait formats
• Slideshows as video files
🖼️ Extra Tips & Helpful Notes
• Always export full size unless you intentionally need a smaller image
• Avoid exporting “small size” images for printing
• Use Finder batch rename tools after export for clean organization
• Exporting never deletes originals — Photos always keeps your library safe
