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Tame Your Photos: A Simple Guide to Organizing iPhone Pictures with Albums


Are you tired of endlessly scrolling through thousands of digital pictures just to find that one perfect photo from your last family gathering? For many seniors, managing the huge number of photos on a phone or computer can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be.

Fortunately, the Apple Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac has a simple, powerful tool called Albums that acts like a set of digital labels, letting you instantly sort and find your cherished moments.

This guide will show you the easiest way to organize your memories so you can start enjoying and sharing them right now!



Why You Need Albums: Stop Scrolling and Start Sharing Your Digital Memories

When you take a picture, it gets stored in one huge library. Albums provide the solution!

What exactly are Apple Photo Albums? An Album is simply a shortcut or tag you place on a group of photos. When you add a picture to an Album, you are not making a duplicate, which means you don't use up any extra storage space.


Using Albums gives you three huge benefits:


  1. Instant Sharing: Quickly select and send every photo from a recent vacation or event.

  2. Easy Finding: Tag all your favorite pictures of the grandkids in one spot.

  3. Better Storytelling: Organize your pictures chronologically or by topic (e.g., "Garden Flowers" or "Home Projects").


    Organize Photos using Albums

Step-by-Step: How to Organize iPhone Photos for Seniors

Getting started is simple. This three-step process is tailored for clarity and ease of use on an iPhone or iPad:


Step 1: Create a New Album

  1. Open the Photos App (the colorful pinwheel icon) on your device.

  2. Tap Albums at the bottom of your screen.

  3. Look for the plus sign (+) in the upper-left corner and tap it.

  4. Choose New Album.

  5. Give your album a specific name, like "2025 Cruise Photos" or "Mary's Birthday Party."

  6. Tap Save.


    Album on iPhone

Step 2: Select and Add Pictures to the Album

Now it's time to fill the Album. The easiest way is to start from your main photo library:

  1. Go to your main library (the Library or Recents tab).

  2. Tap the Select button in the top-right corner.

  3. Tap on every picture you want to go into your new Album.

  4. Tap the Share button ( box with up arrow ) in the bottom-left corner.

  5. In the menu that appears, scroll down and tap Add to Album.

  6. Tap the name of the Album you just created.

That's it! All those selected pictures are now neatly organized under your new Album label.


Albums vs. Folders: Simplifying Your Photo Library

As you start making lots of albums, you may need a way to organize them. This is where Folders come in.


  • Albums hold photos (e.g., "Hawaii 2024").

  • Folders hold Albums (e.g., "Family Vacations").


Think of a Folder as a file cabinet drawer that holds several related photo albums. If you use a Mac or have an iPad, you can easily create a Folder and drag your related Albums into it (like placing your "Hawaii," "Alaska," and "Europe" Albums into one "Vacations" Folder). This keeps your list of Albums short and tidy.


Don't Forget the Basics: Using Automatic Albums to Find Old Photos

One of the best features of Apple Photos is the automatic organization it does in the background, making it easier than ever to find old photos on your iPhone without even making a new album!


Take a moment to explore the following automatic Albums, which you will find under the Albums tab:


  • People: Apple automatically recognizes faces and groups all photos of the same person together. Just tag their name once!

  • Places: Shows your photos organized on a map, letting you browse by location.

  • Media Types: Quickly separates your photos into categories like Videos, Selfies, Screenshots, and Live Photos.


By combining the power of the automatic organization with your custom Albums, you will gain total control over your digital memories, leaving the frustration of endless scrolling behind.


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Need Help with Tech?

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Check out our upcoming classes at anvcs.org/classes.


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