Where do my files go when I click "save to computer

[lisaflynnart]

When I click on "save to computer" my file goes to Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/originals/B/file name.  I would like to clean out this "B" file and then have the ability to save files where I want (ideally just in my Photos Library).  I can't figure out how to find this path beyond the photos library.  I am just saving to a thumb drive until I get this figured out.  Yes, I am a newish PhotoShop user.

[Bojan Živković]

You can navigate through your folder structure and save exactly where you want. Photoshop is not forcing you to save anywhere in particular but must open some folder to start with. Learn how to navigate folder structure on Mac and use that knowledge in Save As dialogue which will allow you to move and navigate through folder structure on your machine.

[lisaflynnart]

Thank you. I learned more about my folder structure and did find the files. I found them by following this path:
Finder
Pictures
Photo Library
Show Package Contents
Originals

Once I click on Originals I see all the folders labeled with numbers and letters. My files were in folder B.

My additional question:
These folders are full of files with long alpha/number names, which I didn’t save intentionally. I notice many are screen shots that I have deleted from PICTURES, yet they still show up in this “Originals” file structure. They are taking up ALOT of space. What are the impacts if I delete these files from this location?

I appreciate any advice.

Lisa

[Bojan Živković]

For last question please wait for someone with Mac computer. Photoshop is more or less the same app on both machines while OS have some major differences.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

»These folders are full of files with long alpha/number names, which I didn’t save intentionally. I notice many are screen shots that I have deleted from PICTURES, yet they still show up in this “Originals” file structure. They are taking up ALOT of space. What are the impacts if I delete these files from this location?«

Could you please post a screenshot of the Folder? 

[Ayush Shah]

You can save the files you edited in Photoshop anywhere in the device you want. The Photoshop does not save anywhere but you save the document as per you're need.

[Conrad_C]

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@lisaflynnart wrote:

When I click on "save to computer" my file goes to Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/originals/B/file name

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That location on a Mac is a folder that we are not supposed to edit directly as users. It is normally hidden because that folder must be managed automatically by Apple Photos. So why is Photoshop going there? My guess is that at some point, you might have selected a photo in the Apple Photos application and edited it in Photoshop. That made Photoshop open the file from the location where Apple Photos was storing it, which is that normally hidden location.

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@lisaflynnart wrote:

I can't figure out how to find this path beyond the photos library.

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Because the Apple Photos library is where Apple Photos automatically manages all its files, by default normal users like us are kept out of it. You cannot use the normal double-click to enter

Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary

because it is a special kind of Mac folder, called a “package.”

It sounds like you found out one of the ways to break into a macOS package (right click, Show Package Contents), and that you want to “clean up” the images in there. Don’t do it. Let Apple Photos manage its private .photoslibrary package. If you see images in there that you don’t want, open Apple Photos and manage/delete the photos from there.

The reason macOS keeps us out of there is because Apple Photos expects that the files it arranged in there are going to be where it left them, which is where its database recorded them. If we go in there and start moving, deleting, or renaming files, the next time Apple Photos opens, it will be confused: Why are the files in the hidden .photoslibrary folders not in the locations recorded in the Photos database? That will cause problems: You might start having trouble and errors using Apple Photos with other photos you stored there, it might complain about a corrupted library, and it might even stop working.

One big reason is that Apple Photos automatically creates and manages multiple versions of every photo you add to it. One will be the original, if you edit it another auto-created version will be the edited derivative, and there can be lower-resolution copies used as previews. You would only be managing some versions and unknowingly not managing the other versions consistently, which would again confuse Apple Photos. Again, do not mess with any files inside Photos Library.photoslibrary if the integrity of the Apple Photos database is important to you.

Instead, here is what you should do when you save files on your computer: Use the standard Mac controls in the Photoshop Save dialog box to choose another location that is not inside

Photos Library.photoslibrary

Like saving from any other Mac application, saving the document almost anywhere else in your Home or Pictures folder (except ~/Library) is OK, any external drives are also OK.

Ultimately this is not really about Photoshop, it is a question about macOS, Apple Photos, and the macOS Save As dialog box that Photoshop uses. I tried this with another image editor, Affinity Photo, and its Save As dialog box also defaulted to the hidden Photos folder path.