Photos

With the Photos app you can view, organize, share, and edit your photos and videos.

There are many ways to get photos and videos on iPad: take them with Camera, turn on iCloud Photo Library to sync all your photos on all your Mac and iOS devices, sync them with iTunes from your computer, import them from a camera, save them from an email or a webpage, and more. You can also use Photos to store and view your favorite animated GIFs, which appear in the Animated album.

View and work with your photos in the Photos, Memories, Shared, and Albums tabs at the bottom of Photos.

• Tap Photos to see all your photos and videos, organized by Moments, Collections, and Years. To quickly browse the photos in a collection or year, touch and hold a thumbnail, then drag. Tap a thumbnail to view the photo.
• Tap Memories to view Memory movies and photos based on related dates, places, people, and more. 
• Tap Shared to see photos and videos you shared with others or that others shared with you. 
• Tap Albums to create and view your albums. 

 Support Guide

Browse your photos and videos. Tap Photos, then tap a photo. While viewing a photo, swipe the thumbnails to browse photos, then tap a thumbnail to view a photo. Drag down the photo to continue browsing Moments or Albums.

Note: By default, Photos displays a representative subset of your photos when you view by year or by collection. To see all your photos, go to Settings > Photos, then turn off Summarize Photos.

Zoom in or out. Double-tap or pinch a photo open or closed. Drag to see other parts of the photo.

Play a video. Tap . To toggle between full screen and fit-to-screen, double-tap the screen.

Play a slideshow. While viewing a photo or video, tap "sharrow", then tap Slideshow. To stop the slideshow, tap the screen, then tap . Tap Options to choose a slideshow theme, music, and more.

Play a Live Photo. A Live Photo, which can be taken on some models, is a moving image that captures the moments just before and after a picture is taken. In full screen, touch and hold the Live Photo to see its movement (iOS 9 or later required).

If someone shares a Live Photo with you via AirDrop, iMessage, or iCloud Photo Sharing, you can swipe up on the image (on supported models) to add a Live Photo effect—Loop, Bounce, or Long Exposure. See Take photos for information about taking Live Photos.

View photo and video details. Tap a photo or video, then tap Details or swipe up to see:

• Related memories. 
• People identified by Photos. 
• If available, the location where the photo or video was taken and a link to photos and videos taken nearby. 

Note: If the image is a Live Photo, you can swipe up to add a Live Photo effect (Loop, Bounce, or Long Exposure).

Search photos. From Photos, Memories, or Albums, tap  to search by date (month and year), place (city and state), category (beach or sunset, for example), or a person you named (Kim or Duncan, for example).

While viewing a photo or video, tap to show and hide the controls. Swipe left or right to go forward or backward.

Ask Siri. Say something like:

• “Show me photos from July”
• “Show me photos of California”
• “Show me photos of the beach”
• “Show me photos of Gordon”

 Support Guide

The Albums tab includes albums you create yourself and some albums that Photos creates for you, based on photo or video type. For example, photos you take with the FaceTime HD Camera are automatically added to the Selfies album. Other albums that Photos creates include People, Places, Live Photos, Videos, Panoramas, Slo-mo, Bursts, and Screenshots.

If you use iCloud Photo Library, all your photos in iCloud are in the All Photos album (see iCloud Photo Library). Otherwise, you see the Camera Roll album, which includes photos and videos you took with iPad and from other sources.

If you use iCloud Photo Library, albums are stored in iCloud. They’re up to date and accessible on devices where you’re signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID—iOS devices with 8.1 or later, Mac computers with OS X 10.10.3 or later, and on iCloud.com.

Create a new album. Tap Albums, tap , enter a name, then tap Save. Select photos and videos, then tap Done.

Add items to an existing album. While viewing photo thumbnails, tap Select, select items, tap Add To, then select the album.

Manage albums. While viewing your album list, tap Edit.

• Rename an album: Tap the album name, then enter a new name.
• Rearrange albums: Touch to enlarge the album’s thumbnail, then drag the album to another location.
• Delete an album: Tap  .

Note: You can’t delete albums that Photos creates for you, such as People, Places, and Selfies.

Mark your favorites. While viewing a photo or video, tap  to add it to the Favorites album. A photo or video can be part of another album as well as Favorites.

Hide photos or videos you want to keep but not show. While viewing thumbnails, tap Select, then select the photos or videos you want to hide. Tap "sharrow", then tap Hide. The photos or videos are moved to the Hidden album.

Note: Photos or videos are hidden from Moments, Collections, Years, and Memories, but are still visible in Albums.

Delete a photo or video from Photos. Tap the Photos tab, tap a photo or video, tap , then tap Delete Photo or Delete Video. Deleted photos and videos are kept in the Recently Deleted album for 30 days before they’re permanently removed. You can see how many days remain until the item is permanently removed from iPad. To delete a photo or video permanently before the days expire, tap the item, tap Delete, then tap Delete Photo or Delete Video. If you use iCloud Photo Library, deleted photos and videos are permanently removed from all your devices using iCloud Photo Library with the same Apple ID.

Recover a deleted photo or video. In the Recently Deleted album, tap the photo or video, tap Recover, then tap Recover Photo or Recover Video to move the item to the Camera Roll or, if you use iCloud Photo Library, to the All Photos album.

To recover multiple photos and videos, tap the Recently Deleted album, tap Select, tap the photos and videos you want to recover, then tap Recover.

Remove a photo or video from an album. Tap the photo or video, then tap . You can choose to remove it from the album or delete it from your iCloud Photo Library on all your devices.

 Support Guide

Photos scans your library to automatically create collections of photos and videos called memories. Memories also include Memory movies, which are automatically edited for you and set to music. You can edit them and share them with others. (Memories created from albums that don’t have enough photos and videos won’t generate a Memory movie.) You can also make a Memory movie from albums you create. Memories can focus on:

• Locations, such as a favorite vacation spot or your neighborhood
• Special events, such as birthdays, holidays, weddings, and performances
• Activities, such as hiking, skiing, and diving
• Pictures of family, friends, young kids, and pets

Play a Memory movie. Tap Memories, tap a Memory movie, then tap . To pause, tap the movie, then tap . To switch between portrait and landscape orientation while viewing the movie, rotate your iPad.

Scrub through a Memory movie. Tap a Memory movie while it’s playing to show the controls, then swipe left or right through the scrubber.

View an album’s memory. Tap an album you created, then tap . To add it to Memories, swipe up, then tap Add to Memories.

Save a memory to the Favorite Memories album. Touch and hold a memory, then tap Add to Favorite Memories.

Create memories from holiday events. Go to Settings > Photos, then turn on Show Holiday Events.

Change the mood. Tap a Memory movie while it’s playing, then tap a mood, or swipe the moods left or right to choose a new one. (Each mood includes a distinct title, music, and editing style.)

Change the duration. Tap a Memory movie while it’s playing, then tap a duration, or swipe to choose short, medium, or long. All durations may not be available for every movie.

Customize a Memory movie. Tap a Memory movie while it’s playing, then tap Edit to do one of the following:

• Edit the title: Tap Title, tap the title and subtitle to edit them, then choose a title style.
• Choose a title image: Tap Title Image, then tap the photo or video you want to use.
• Choose different music: Tap Music, then choose music from a soundtrack or from your music library (only music you own that’s stored on iPad is available).
• Choose a custom duration: Tap Duration.
• Choose photos and videos: Tap Photos & Videos, tap , then tap the photos and videos you want in the movie. Deselect photos and videos currently in the Memory movie to remove them.
• Delete a photo or video from the Memory movie: Tap Photos & Videos, tap a photo or video in the timeline, then tap  to remove it from the movie.
• Trim a video in the Memory movie: Tap Photos & Videos, tap a video in the timeline, then trim the video. 

 Support Guide

People

Photos scans your photo library for people’s faces and adds the most frequently found faces to the People album. You can assign names to the people Photos finds, add people who appear less frequently, mark people as favorites, and view memories that contain specific people. The more photos you have, the longer the first scan takes.

Note: With iCloud Photo Library, your People album is kept up to date on all your devices with iOS 11 and later, and Mac computers with macOS High Sierra 10.13 and later. (You must be signed in with the same Apple ID on all the devices.)

Name a person. Tap Albums, tap People, then tap a person. Tap the name at the top of the screen, then enter the name, or tap it in the list if you see it. Tap Next, then tap Done.

Mark people as favorites. In the People album, tap  on the person’s key photo. Tap  again to remove the favorite. You can also drag a person to the Favorites area.

To remove multiple favorites, tap Select, tap the people you want to remove, then tap Unfavorite.

Merge people. If the People album shows one person identified as two or more people, tap Select, tap each instance of the person, then tap Merge.

Set a person’s key photo. Tap the person’s album, tap Select, then choose the photo you want as the key photo. Tap "sharrow", then tap Make Key Photo.

Remove misidentified people. Tap a person in the Photos album, then tap Show More to see all photos they appear in. Tap Select, tap Show Faces, then tap the misidentified face. Tap "sharrow", then tap Not This Person.

Add more people. On a photo of someone you want to add, swipe up to see a thumbnail of that person (below People). Tap the thumbnail, tap Add Name, then enter the name, or tap it in the list if you see it (names in the list are from your Contacts app). Tap Next, then tap Done.

View photos that contain a person. Tap Albums, tap People, then tap the person.

 Support Guide

Places

The Places album creates collections of your photos and videos based on where they were taken. Collections are displayed on a map within the album. Only pictures and videos that have embedded location information (GPS data) are included.

View by location. Tap Albums, tap Places, then tap a collection. Zoom in on the map to see more specific locations.

See a list of locations. While looking at the map, tap Grid.

View a location in the Maps app. While viewing a photo or video that contains location information, swipe up to view Places, then tap the location’s name or address.

View a location-based Memory movie. Tap Albums, tap Places, tap Grid, find a location that has several images, tap , then tap  in the lower-right corner of the memory.

 Support Guide

iCloud Photo Library automatically uploads the photos and videos you take and stores them in their original format at full resolution. You can access your photos and videos in iCloud Photo Library from any device where you’re signed in using the same Apple ID.

Use the Photos app on iOS devices and Mac computers to open and edit your photos and videos. Any changes you make are updated on all your devices. See Edit photos and trim videos.

To use iCloud Photo Library, you need a device with iOS 8.1 or later, a Mac with OS X 10.10.3 or later, or a PC with iCloud for Windows 5 or later.

Note: If you turn on iCloud Photo Library, you can’t use iTunes to sync photos and videos to iPad.

Turn on iCloud Photo Library. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, or go to Settings > Photos.

Optimize your storage or keep all your photos and videos in full-resolution on iPad. Optimize iPad Storage is on by default. It manages space on your iPad by automatically keeping your full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and smaller versions optimized for your iPad, as needed. To keep the full-resolution originals on your iPad, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, then select Download and Keep Originals. Your originals are always stored in iCloud.

Download a full-resolution photo or video. If you’re not storing full-resolution versions on iPad, pinch to zoom in to 100%, or tap Edit. The full-resolution photo or video downloads automatically.

Note: To always use your cellular connection (on iPad cellular models) to upload and download from iCloud Photo Library, go to Settings > Photos > Cellular Data, then turn on Unlimited Updates. Models without a cellular connection must be connected to Wi-Fi to upload photos and videos to iCloud Photo Library

If your uploaded photos and videos exceed your storage plan, you can upgrade your iCloud storage. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud. Tap Manage Storage, then tap Change Storage Plan.

 Support Guide

My Photo Stream automatically uploads your most recent photos to iCloud, so you can see them on devices that aren’t using iCloud Photo Library. (My Photo Stream doesn’t upload Live Photos or videos.) You must be signed in on all devices using the same Apple ID.

Photos in My Photo Stream don’t count against your iCloud storage, and they’re kept for 30 days in iCloud (up to 1000 photos). Download photos to your computer or iOS device if you want to keep them permanently. For more information, see the Apple Support article My Photo Stream FAQ.

Turn My Photo Stream on or off. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, or go to Settings > Photos.

Note: My Photo Stream is automatically turned off if you use iCloud Photo Library.

Use My Photo Stream without iCloud Photo Library. Photos you take with iPad are added to the My Photo Stream album when you leave the Camera app and iPad is connected to Wi-Fi. Any photos you add—including screenshots and photos saved from email, for example—also appear in your My Photo Stream album. Photos added to My Photo Stream on your other devices appear in your My Photo Stream album on iPad.

Manage My Photo Stream contents. In the My Photo Stream album, tap Select.

• Save your best shots on iPad: Select the photos, then tap Add To.
• Share, print, or copy: Select the photos, then tap "sharrow".
• Delete photos: Select the photos, then tap  .

Note: Although deleted photos are removed from My Photo Stream on all your devices, the original photos remain in Photos on the device on which they were taken. Photos that you save to another album on a device or computer also aren’t deleted.

 Support Guide

With iCloud Photo Sharing, you can invite others who are using iCloud Photo Sharing to view your photos and videos. If they’re using iCloud Photo Sharing on a device with iOS 6 or later or on a Mac with OS X 10.8 or later, they can view your albums and leave comments. If they’re using iOS 7 or later or OS X 10.9 or later, they can add their own photos and videos. You can also publish your album to a website for anyone to view. iCloud Photo Sharing works with or without iCloud Photo Library and My Photo Stream.

Note: To use iCloud Photo Sharing, iPad must be connected to Wi-Fi. iCloud Photo Sharing works over both Wi-Fi and cellular networks.

Turn on iCloud Photo Sharing. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, or go to Settings > Photos.

Share photos and videos. While viewing a photo or video, or after selecting multiple photos or videos, tap "sharrow", tap iCloud Photo Sharing, add comments, then share to an existing shared album or select a new one. You can invite people to view your shared album using their email address or the mobile phone number they use to receive text messages.

Enable a public website. Tap Shared, tap an album, tap People, then turn on Public Website. Tap Share Link if you want to announce the site.

Add items to a shared album. Tap Shared, tap an album, tap , select items, then tap Done. You can add a comment, then tap Post.

Delete photos from a shared album. Tap Shared, tap an album, tap Select, select the photos or videos you want to delete, then tap . You must be the owner of the shared album or the photo.

Delete comments from a shared album. Tap the photo or video that contains the comment. Tap the comment area at the bottom of the screen, touch and hold the comment, then tap Delete. You must be the owner of the shared album or the comment.

Rename a shared album. Tap Shared, tap Edit, then tap the name and enter a new one.

Add or remove subscribers, or turn Notifications on or off. Select the shared album, then tap People.

Subscribe to a shared album. When you receive an invitation, tap the Shared tab , then tap Accept. You can also accept an invitation in an email.

Add items to a shared album you subscribed to. Tap Shared, tap an album, then tap . Select items, then tap Done. You can add a comment, then tap Post.

See your Family album. When Family Sharing is set up, a shared album called “Family” is automatically created in Photos on all family members’ devices. Everyone in the family can contribute photos, videos, and comments to the album, and be notified whenever something new is added. For more information about setting up Family Sharing.

 Support Guide

You can share photos and videos in Mail or Messages, or using other apps you install.

Share or copy a photo or video. View a photo or video, then tap "sharrow". If you don’t see the "Sharrow", tap the screen to show the controls.

Tap More in Sharing to turn on the apps you want to use for sharing.

You can share a Live Photo using iMessage, iCloud Photo Sharing, AirDrop, and more. A shared Live Photo plays in Photos on any iOS device with iOS 9 or later, a Mac with OS X 10.11 or later, or on iCloud.com. For devices or services that don’t support Live Photos, a Live Photo is shared as a still photo.

The size limit of attachments is determined by your service provider. iPad may compress photo and video attachments, if necessary.

You can also copy a photo or video, then paste it into an email or text message (MMS or iMessage).

Share a Memory movie. Tap a Memory movie that’s playing, tap "sharrow", then choose a share option. 

Tip: To change the orientation of the movie before sharing, tap  or .

Share or copy multiple photos and videos. While viewing by Moment, tap Select. Select the photos you want to share, tap "sharrow", then choose a share option.

Save or share a photo or video you receive.

• Email: Tap to download the item if necessary, then touch and hold it to see sharing and other options.
• Text message: Tap the item in the conversation, then tap "sharrow".

Photos and videos that you save in Messages or from a webpage are saved to the Photos tab. They can also be viewed in the Camera Roll or, if you’re using iCloud Photo Library, the All Photos album.

 Support Guide

You can edit still photos and Live Photos right on iPad. If your photos are stored in iCloud, your edits are updated across all your devices set up with iCloud, and both your original and edited versions are saved. If you delete a photo, it’s deleted from all your devices and iCloud. Photo app extensions can provide special editing options.

Edit a photo or Live Photo. View the photo full screen, tap Edit, then tap a tool. When you’re finished, tap Done.

• Auto-enhance  improves a photo’s exposure, contrast, saturation, and other qualities.
• When a photo is taken with flash, use the Remove Red-eye tool  by tapping each eye that needs correcting.
• To crop the photo, tap . Photos suggests an optimal crop, but you can drag the corners of the grid tool to set your own crop. Move the wheel to tilt or straighten the photo; tap Reset to undo these changes. Tap  to rotate the photo 90 degrees. Tap  to choose a standard crop ratio, such as 2:3 or Square.

• With photo filters , you can apply different effects to modify the colors and tones of the photo.
• Tap  to make adjustments to light, color, and black and white. Tap an option, then move the slider to the desired effect. Tap  for fine adjustments.

Don’t like the results? Tap Cancel, then tap Discard Changes. Or tap Done to save changes.

Add a Live Photo effect. Swipe up on a Live Photo and tap an effect. Loop repeats the action in a continuous looping video. Bounce rewinds the action backwards and forward. Long Exposure simulates a DSLR-like long exposure effect by blurring motion.

Make a still photo from a Live Photo. View the Live Photo, tap Edit, then tap the Live button in the lower left.

Set a key photo for a Live Photo. View the Live Photo, tap Edit, then drag the small square in the frame viewer until you find a still photo you like. Tap Make Key Photo.

Trim or mute a Live Photo. View the Live Photo, tap Edit, then drag either end of the frame viewer. To mute, tap .

Compare the edited version to the original. Tap Edit, then tap the photo to view the original. The edited version reappears automatically after a second or two.

Revert to original. After you edit a photo and save your edits, you can revert to the original image. Tap the image, tap Edit, then tap Revert.

Mark up a photo. View the photo, tap Edit, tap , then tap Markup. Annotate the photo with the Markup tools (pen, pencil, and marker). Erase your marks with the eraser. (If it’s a Live photo, Markup turns it into a still image.) 

Add a photo filter. Tap , then below the viewer, swipe the filters left or right to preview and choose a filter. You can remove or change filters that were applied in either Camera or Photos.

Trim a video. Tap Edit, drag either end of the frame viewer, tap Done, then tap Save as New Clip. The new video clip is saved in your Videos album (the original video remains unchanged).

Set the slow-motion section of a video shot in Slo-mo. Tap Edit, then use the vertical bars beneath the frame viewer.

 Support Guide

You can import photos and videos directly from a digital camera, an SD memory card, or another iOS device that has a camera. Use the Lightning to USB Camera Adapter or the Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader (both sold separately).

1. Insert the camera adapter or card reader into the Lightning connector or 30-pin dock connector on iPad.
2. Do one of the following:
   • Connect a camera: Use the USB cable that came with the camera to connect the camera to the camera adapter. Turn on the camera, then make sure it’s in transfer mode. For more information, see the documentation that came with the camera.
   • Insert an SD memory card into the card reader: Don’t force the card into the slot on the reader; it fits only one way.
   • Connect an iOS device: Use the USB cable that came with the iOS device to connect it to the camera adapter. Turn on and unlock the iOS device.
3. Unlock iPad.
4. The Photos app opens and displays the photos and videos available for importing.
5. Select the photos and videos to import.
   • Import all items: Tap Import All.
   • Import just some items: Tap the items you want to import (a checkmark appears for each), tap Import, then tap Import Selected.
6. After the photos and videos are imported, keep or delete them on the camera, card, or iOS device.
7. Disconnect the camera adapter or card reader.

A new event in the Last Import album contains all the photos you just imported.

To transfer the photos to your computer, connect iPad to your computer and import the images with a photo app such as Photos or Adobe Photoshop Elements.

 Support Guide