Hands-On Mac 176: Photos in macOS Sequoia 15.4 - All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio)

Summary

Hands-On Mac 176: Photos in macOS Sequoia 15.4 - Detailed Summary

Podcast Information:

Title: Hands-On Mac 176: Photos in macOS Sequoia 15.4
Host: Micah Sargent
Release Date: April 3, 2025
Description: In this episode of Hands-On Mac, Micah Sargent delves into the latest updates and features introduced in macOS Sequoia 15.4, specifically focusing on enhancements to the Photos app. From new filtering options to advanced editing tools, Micah provides an in-depth overview to help users make the most of their photo management and editing experience on Mac.

1. Introduction to macOS Sequoia 15.4 Updates

Timestamp: [02:26]

Micah Sargent kicks off the episode by highlighting the recent release of macOS Sequoia 15.4 on March 31st. He encourages listeners who haven't updated yet to download the latest version to take advantage of the myriad new features and security improvements. While acknowledging the fun additions like eight new emojis, Micah emphasizes that the focus of this episode is on substantial quality-of-life enhancements in the Photos app.

2. New Filter Option: “Not in an Album”

Timestamp: [03:00]

One of the standout features introduced in Sequoia 15.4 is the new filter option labeled "Not in an Album" within the Photos app. Micah explains:

“This gives us the ability to quickly see which photos in our library have yet to be sorted into an album. This is great for quickly categorizing things that maybe you missed, that you meant to categorize or see different photos that for whatever reason didn't make it into albums.” ([03:15])

This feature streamlines the process of organizing photos by allowing users to identify and manage uncategorized images efficiently.

3. Reordering Items in Collections

Timestamp: [04:10]

Previously, users could not reorder items within certain collections in the Photos app. With Sequoia 15.4, this functionality has been introduced, offering greater customization and ease of access. Micah demonstrates how collections like Utilities and Media Types can now be reordered:

“If there's one that you use more often, perhaps you like to look for duplicates. You can click and drag to bring that to the top...” ([05:05])

This enhancement allows users to prioritize collections based on their personal workflow, making photo management more intuitive.

4. Sorting and Filtering Enhancements

Timestamp: [05:45]

In addition to reordering, macOS Sequoia 15.4 introduces new sorting options within collections. Users can now sort photos by oldest to newest or vice versa, based on when they were added or taken. Micah notes:

“Very handy. Very nice to be able to have that.” ([06:00])

This feature provides flexibility in how users view their photos, catering to different organizational preferences.

5. Album Management Improvements

Timestamp: [06:30]

Album organization has also received a boost. Users can now reorder their custom albums by simply clicking and dragging them within the sidebar. Additionally, an "Automatically Sort by Date Modified" option is available:

“This is very handy when it comes to seeing which albums you've been working with most recently...” ([06:50])

This makes it easier to manage and locate albums based on recent activity, enhancing overall user experience.

6. Introduction of the Cleanup Toolkit and Retouch Feature

Timestamp: [07:36]

One of the most significant updates is the addition of the Cleanup toolkit within the Photos app, part of the Apple Intelligence package. Micah explains the installation process and introduces the new Retouch tool:

“Retouch says, I want you to sort of improve upon this portion of the photograph...” ([08:10])

The Retouch tool allows for more sophisticated photo editing by enabling users to specify which parts of an image to preserve while removing or altering others. This is achieved by holding down the Option or Alt key to guide the tool's adjustments, offering more precise control compared to the traditional erase function.

7. Image Playground Enhancements: New Sketch Style

Timestamp: [11:00]

Another exciting feature introduced in Sequoia 15.4 is the Image Playground app’s new Sketch style. Previously, users had access to Animation and Illustration styles for creating images using Apple Intelligence locally on their M1 Macs or later. Micah showcases the new Sketch style:

“It is a really stunning style of illustration... called sketch.” ([12:00])

The Sketch style produces highly detailed, photorealistic illustrations that resemble colored pencil drawings, adding another layer of versatility for users engaged in creative projects. Micah demonstrates generating images with this new style, highlighting its ability to create lifelike and intricate designs directly on the device.

8. Local Image Generation Advantages

Timestamp: [13:00]

Emphasizing privacy and performance, Micah points out that the Image Playground’s capabilities, including the new Sketch style, operate locally on the user’s Mac:

“You're not going to the cloud, you're not going to a server somewhere to create these photos.” ([13:15])

This ensures that image generation is both secure and efficient, leveraging the power of newer Mac hardware without compromising user data.

9. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Timestamp: [14:00]

Micah wraps up the episode by recapping the transformative updates in macOS Sequoia 15.4’s Photos app. He underscores the importance of these enhancements in improving photo management and editing workflows:

“That is a look at some of the new features and settings coming to macOS that have come to macOS sequoia in 15.4.” ([14:05])

Listeners are encouraged to update their systems to explore these new tools and features, enhancing their overall experience with the Photos app.

Key Takeaways:

New “Not in an Album” Filter: Streamlines the identification and organization of uncategorized photos.
Reordering Collections: Allows customization of collection order based on user preferences.
Enhanced Sorting Options: Offers flexibility in viewing photos by different time-based criteria.
Improved Album Management: Facilitates easier organization and access to frequently used albums.
Cleanup Toolkit and Retouch Tool: Introduces advanced editing capabilities for precise photo modifications.
Image Playground’s New Sketch Style: Expands creative options with photorealistic sketch illustrations generated locally.

For more insights and detailed explorations of macOS features, tune into future episodes of Hands-On Mac with Micah Sargent.

Transcript

Micah Sargent (0:00)

Coming up on Hands on Mac, let's take a look at some of the new photos updates in Kos. Sequoia 15.4 stay tuned.

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Micah Sargent (2:12)

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Micah Sargent (2:26)

Welcome back to Hands on Mac. I am Micah Sargent and today I wanted to talk about a few things that you will notice if you update to MacBooks Sequoia 15.4. It is Tuesday, April 1st and Apple rolled out this update yesterday. Monday, March 31st so if you have it, great. If you don't, you can update and check out some of these features. Now there are a whole host of new features and updates and security improvements. It's well worth downloading some fun stuff like eight new EMOJI with even a fingerprint emoji. But that's not what we're talking about today. Instead, we are taking a look at some of the quality of life improvements that have come to Photos in this version of macOS. So let's head over to macOS and take a look. All right, here we are on Mac OS and this, of course, is Sequoia 15.4. And I've got the Photos app open. One of the first things that you will. Well, you probably won't notice at first because you actually have to go into the menu, but one of the first changes that I want to show you is right here in the Photos app on this main screen. So given that we're on the libraries view, I can go up to the top of the screen here where I have the Filter option. And there's now a new filter option that joins the rest of the list called not in an Album. And we love this. This gives us the ability to quickly see which photos in our library have yet to be sorted into an album. This is great for quickly categorizing things that maybe you missed, that you meant to categorize or see different photos that for whatever reason didn't make it into albums, so maybe aren't of too much importance to you. There are plenty of reasons why a photo may not be categorized as such, but being able to quickly see what's in an album or not in an album right in that filter menu is fantastic. Now, on top of that, we also have the option to reorder the items that we have in certain collections. That was not possible before. So here in the menu on the left side, the toolbar on the left side, we have the Utilities collection and the media Types Collection utilities are kind of like sort of technical tags for photos. So photos that we've imported duplicates, which requires kind of a tool to figure out that there were duplicate photos. Handwriting, meaning that it used computer vision to determine that there was handwriting in the photo and provide a sorting based on that. Illustrations, same thing. It found what it believes to be our illustrations. And then last but not least, as is currently available, recently viewed. So the photos that you looked at most recently. Now, with this, we are then given the ability to actually make adjustments to how these collection albums essentially are ordered. This was not possible before. So if there's one that you use more often, perhaps you like to look for duplicates. You can click and drag to bring that to the top media types. Maybe you want to quickly find your selfies. You can click and drag to bring that to the top of the list and find those selfies that are there as opposed to the other options. So it's just very nice that you can finally reorder those items and see what you would like across the board. In all of these collections, you're able to filter options and sort them by oldest to newest. So on top of being able to kind of filter them as such, you can then take and sort them and make it so that they are showing the versions that you have. There you go by newest first by oldest first based on when you've added them and when they have been taken. Very handy. Very nice to be able to have that. And on top of that, if you've created your own albums, you can see we've got these albums here right now. They are listed based on when we've created them and we can click and drag right to reorganize them, but you can have them automatically sorted so that they are sorted by date modified. This is very handy when it comes to seeing which albums you've been working with most more recently and get the ones that you're not adding to anymore out of the way. Very, very nice. All right, let's take a look at one more feature that has come to the Photos app next.