Home Forums Mac Software Mac Operating Systems The problem with storing images in the icloud

I took 10 images with my iphone and put in icloud.

But when I go to upload these a few weeks later to craigs list, they are now reading as tiny 50x50 pixel thumbnails? I can see them. What is this? Thanks.

Isn't there a macOS/iOS feature that allows you to store your photos in different sizes in different locations to optimize use of storage space?

Your 50x50s sound like what's stored on your iPhone while the full sized images are in iCloud.

Hmmm don't know. The photos are taken with iphone, but are large jpegs. Then I moved then into a folder called craigs list which is in the icloud. Then I tried to access them from Photos, on laptop, and instead of being large, they are tiny. This would not happen if I just put them on a normal hardrive. It's like the cloud is stuggling to process them for photos on laptop, and just gives a 50x50 thumnails instead of the 2000, 2500 pixel images they are.

Go to Photos > Preferences > iCloud and see if "iCloud Photo Library" and "Optimize Mac Storage" are checked. (From previous threads I believe this will be the case.) If both are checked then the images physically stored on your Mac (or iPhone or iPad) are reduced to a size that is optimal for display on that particular device while the full size image is stored in the Photos library on iCloud as Artie505 has already indicated. If you edit the image on your Mac or iPhone or iPad the edit changes take place on the optimized image on the device as well as the full resolution image on iCloud.

If you want to move or copy the full size image to a non-Photos Library folder on either your device or iCloud, then in Photos select the image or images and click on File > Export and select the desired target folder on your local device or the iCloud Drive.

Thanks Joe, yes that is all checked. I edit only in Photoshop. Still not sure on this glitch... who knows..!

Try the export option and see if that doesn't solve the problem

Joe you mean export from the cloud, or on a Photos app?

I'LL remember that protocol, thanks Joe, I'm used to just dragging on and off. You don't drag photos on and off the thumbnail grid of photos on desktop?

That said: I just went to a folder that I keep in icloud. Laptop. Root folderfrom icloud drive. 10 images in a folder called craigs list, then images. 9 are damaged, small
I went to icloud.com, which I never do now, and found the folder-- and images are all tiny there too. Done, Gremlin. Others folders are not doing this with images.
Something happened don't know where, where this on folder shrunk all images from normal to microscopic. Not a big deal. just stumped don't get it.