Basic Question about adding photos

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Basic Question about adding photos

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I recently purchased a DS220+ and copied all my photos to a folder on it called "shared photos." Then, I installed Synology Photos. I was hoping that when I called SynPhotos up for the fist time it would populate with the photos, but it did not. So, I dragged the file "shared photos" I had previously installed on the NAS into the opening screen for SynPhotos. It appears to me to be copying all those files (taking forever) into the SynPhotos application such that I'll have copies in SynPhotos and those remaining in my original file. That makes no sense to me. I thought it would just create a pointer or something. Am I doing this right? Is there a good tutorial out there that explains the mechanics? I'm looking...
 
In Syno photos, you can set the folder that holds your shared photos (Default is /Photo) in settings, it is behind the red dot in the upper right corner of the screen. Personal photos are in the home folder of each user.

I hate to say so, but it is all nicely documented in the help screen of the application.
 
Thanks. No need to be sorry about pointing me to the help screen. I am literally at square one - didn't even know what NAS meant a week ago. I did go to the help screen, but you'd be surprised how confusing it can be when you're not familiar with the simplest terms. It's clear I need to have a better understanding of shared spaces and personal spaces - I didn't realize when I downloaded Photos and dragged a photo in (as instructed) the software would create new files and so forth.

It's the architecture that confuses me. If I create a small folder full of photos and put it on the NAS for safekeeping, then later I decide to add those photos in Synology Photos the software apparently copies (not moves or points to) those photos to a new file folder of its creation and leaves the original ones where I previously stored them. And it's a slow process - not like copying files between folders on a normal hard drive which would only take a couple minutes. Before I waited hours for that process to play out I wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something stupid.
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In Syno photos, you can set the folder that holds your shared photos (Default is /Photo) in settings, it is behind the red dot in the upper right corner of the screen. Personal photos are in the home folder of each user.

I hate to say so, but it is all nicely documented in the help screen of the application.
I think I may have replied to my own question, rather than to your response.... thanks again for your help.
 
I recently purchased a DS220+ and copied all my photos to a folder on it called "shared photos." Then, I installed Synology Photos. I was hoping that when I called SynPhotos up for the fist time it would populate with the photos, but it did not. So, I dragged the file "shared photos" I had previously installed on the NAS into the opening screen for SynPhotos. It appears to me to be copying all those files (taking forever) into the SynPhotos application such that I'll have copies in SynPhotos and those remaining in my original file. That makes no sense to me. I thought it would just create a pointer or something. Am I doing this right? Is there a good tutorial out there that explains the mechanics? I'm looking...
UPDATE: I am going to answer my own question for Newbies. Big Picture: When you install and open Synology Photos for the fist time it assumes you have, or it otherwise creates, "home" files for each user (I didn't have them or understand that). Inside each new home folder for each user is a subfolder for storing photos. You can also create, through Synology Photos, a shared folder that all can access with the label "photo" and containing a subfolder called "PhotoLibrary" Synology Photos calls the user home areas "Personal Space" and the shared photo areas "Shared Space" - That's the architecture I was trying to understand. Now, to answer my question.... The initial Synology Photo screen is initially blank because there are no photos. There's a "+" button in the upper right for adding photos, and as I recall the center message indicates that to add photos you can just drag them in from existing folders. That's what I tried - dragging a folder from my NAS into that area. It works, but it copies those photos and if you have a lot it takes hours. Once I understood what Synology Photos was trying to do with added photos and the files it created, it was easy to use the NAS file manager to right click and move my old photo files and photos from my NAS directory (using its file manager) to the newly created "PhotoLibrary" or home "Photos" file locations with a move command similar to what you'd use in Windows File Manager. I hope this helps someone.
 
Yes you're right. Managing photos in Synology has been one of the areas where you are restricted to the locations they say you can use, if you want to use their photo packages.

For many packages (Drive, Audio Station, Photos, etc) there is a concept of personal and shared locations. The personal areas are always in User Home: a shared folder 'homes' that is accessible to admin users, but a normal user can only see their 'home' (a pseudo-folder linked to '/homes/<username>'). It's best/wise to leave the permissions for 'homes' and any 'home' untouched, or you'll enjoy a lesson in fixing permissions and muttering oaths.

The shared locations vary: any shared folder can be selected as a Team Folder in Drive; 'music' shared folder is the default shared location but more can be added in Indexing Service; for Photos it's the 'photo' shared folder. An admin user has to enable Photo's Shared Space feature.

When you add files into Photos the NAS will take a long time to process each one (more if a lower spec NAS). And everyone has been learning about the way Photos is working, being a mix of the deprecated Photo Station and Moments, and new ways of doing stuff.
 
Yes you're right. Managing photos in Synology has been one of the areas where you are restricted to the locations they say you can use, if you want to use their photo packages.

For many packages (Drive, Audio Station, Photos, etc) there is a concept of personal and shared locations. The personal areas are always in User Home: a shared folder 'homes' that is accessible to admin users, but a normal user can only see their 'home' (a pseudo-folder linked to '/homes/<username>'). It's best/wise to leave the permissions for 'homes' and any 'home' untouched, or you'll enjoy a lesson in fixing permissions and muttering oaths.

The shared locations vary: any shared folder can be selected as a Team Folder in Drive; 'music' shared folder is the default shared location but more can be added in Indexing Service; for Photos it's the 'photo' shared folder. An admin user has to enable Photo's Shared Space feature.

When you add files into Photos the NAS will take a long time to process each one (more if a lower spec NAS). And everyone has been learning about the way Photos is working, being a mix of the deprecated Photo Station and Moments, and new ways of doing stuff.
Thanks for all you help, here and elsewhere.
 
In Syno photos, you can set the folder that holds your shared photos (Default is /Photo) in settings, it is behind the red dot in the upper right corner of the screen. Personal photos are in the home folder of each user.
I don't see this in the Photos app - the Settings available in Photos does not show any folder selection options as far as I can see. Am I misunderstanding you? See screen caps of all of the Settings pages available
 

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I have a - sort of - related question:

I've had a DS212J for years, and bought a DS220+ a while ago to replace it. Life got in the way for quite a while, and I'm now trying to get back to the swap over.
The DS212J is running DSM 6.2.4 and I have used DS Photo for yonks. I was planning to do the same with the DS220+, although I know it's not a straight transfer as the DS220+ is BTRFS.
Having read this thread, and a couple of others, it looks like I should now update the DS220+ to DSM 7 and use Synology Photos. I think I'm asnwering my own question here, any reason not to?

Secondly, as @Fiddlinmike notes above, copying photos takes a looong time. I thought in the past that this was due to using the Synology photo uploader (I think it was called), and that it was creating thumbnails as it uploaded each photo. However, now I'm not sure this is true. Presumably there's no difference in using the photo uploader, or just copying the files/folders across? If so, I should be able to set up the DS220+ and then copy my existing folder structure from the DS212J, no?

I should be more knowledgeable after all these years with the DS212J, but I've never really used it in anger, just as a storage medium :oops:
 
UPDATE: I am going to answer my own question for Newbies. Big Picture: When you install and open Synology Photos for the fist time it assumes you have, or it otherwise creates, "home" files for each user (I didn't have them or understand that). Inside each new home folder for each user is a subfolder for storing photos. You can also create, through Synology Photos, a shared folder that all can access with the label "photo" and containing a subfolder called "PhotoLibrary" Synology Photos calls the user home areas "Personal Space" and the shared photo areas "Shared Space" - That's the architecture I was trying to understand. Now, to answer my question.... The initial Synology Photo screen is initially blank because there are no photos. There's a "+" button in the upper right for adding photos, and as I recall the center message indicates that to add photos you can just drag them in from existing folders. That's what I tried - dragging a folder from my NAS into that area. It works, but it copies those photos and if you have a lot it takes hours. Once I understood what Synology Photos was trying to do with added photos and the files it created, it was easy to use the NAS file manager to right click and move my old photo files and photos from my NAS directory (using its file manager) to the newly created "PhotoLibrary" or home "Photos" file locations with a move command similar to what you'd use in Windows File Manager. I hope this helps someone.
Thanks for all of this. I've had a DS110j for a long time, but it was used as a 'set and forget' mirror of photos and music and other files from my primary laptop. Now I have a DS218+ on DSM7 and the folder structure imposed by some of the packages just was not clear to me when I set things up. And now, I'm still not convinced that I have the 'right' folder organization. Maybe this exists, but it would be ideal for new(ish) users to have an interactive flowchart to help them choose the folder structure. I'm not an expert, but I could see something like - 'are you going to share photos with other users', 'do you need photo storage that is private', 'where are your photos now', etc. The result might be a recommendation for a folder structure and how to transfer files to get what you want. This is the early event that I found especially opaque (although lots of time with help docs would have been a benefit, like @Fiddinmike, I did not appreciate some of the terminology and the consequences...).
 
With DSM7 you won't have any other options. Photo Statio does not work under DSM7
Thanks Rusty, sorry I could have been clearer (this thread is called 'basic question'...) I was aware that DSM7 and Synology Photos have to go together, so to speak.

I was originally planning to install Photo Station and carry on as before, but this was before DSM7 was around, or at least in common use. It now seems like this would be a sensible time to make the change - does that sound like a good plan?

Incidentally, I've just checked the DS220+ and it's currently on DSM6.2.4-25556 and Control Panel is offering me an update to DSM6.2.4-25556 Update 3. Is DSM7 not offered as a routine update?

P.S. Once I've made a decision and updated, I'd like an answer/opinion on my second paragraph above, if anyone has any thoughts?

Thanks all
 
Incidentally, I've just checked the DS220+ and it's currently on DSM6.2.4-25556 and Control Panel is offering me an update to DSM6.2.4-25556 Update 3. Is DSM7 not offered as a routine update?
There is a always a gradual roll-out of updates, so DSM7 won't appear right away on every unit. However, DSM7 has been out long enough that I would have expected the DSM7 update to show up by now on your DSM 220+. I would expect it will show up soon. In the meantime you should do DSM 6.2.4 updates you are offered to keep up w/security fixes.
 
It could be that the extra message in Control Panel's Update & Restore, that gave the option of upgrading to DSM 7, may now have been removed... theory being those that want to do it have done it by now.

The manual option is still available. Just go here to get the installer file.
 

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