Ways to Share

Sharing pictures on an iPhone is a lot different than sharing an ice cream cone, and not as much fun. That said, learning how to do this comes in pretty handy. Sharing photos was one of the challenges I faced when moving into digital photography. In the real world I could just hand my picture to someone I wanted to share it with, or mail it to them. Here, on my iPhone, sure, I could pass the iPhone over to them to have a look but how to get the image from my phone to theirs? And how to get the photo into another app like SnapSeed for processing? These were the questions: How to move pictures from here to there? Below are some suggestions on how to do it...

Use The Share Sheet

As you scroll through your pictures in your Photos library notice the funny little icon at the lower left of the screen when you enlarge the picture, when you are holding the phone in the portrait orientation. It looks like this. It is called the "share sheet". When you have found the picture you wish to share, just tap on it.

Tap on this innocent looking icon to share (send) your photos or documents to other places.

​

You are immediately brought to a new and very powerful new "Share Sheet" screen. Notice your picture has been reduce to a thumbnail and it has a blue check on it. Now you can also check other pictures you may wish to send as well. You can swipe both left and right to see and select more pictures you may wish to share at the same time. Go ahead, check several more to add to the first one, like I did here.

Before you share it, let's us look at the Share Sheet more closely. There's way more features here than at first meets the eye. Notice, in the second row you will find thumbnails of some of your favorite people to share with. You can tap on the thumbnail of someone who you wish to receive your picture(s).

The third row contains apps you may want to use with the picture, like include in a text message or attach to an email. Swipe along this row to find many more apps you may wish to use. At the very end of this third row you will find three dots with the word "more" underneath. Tap it and you will find a long list of even more apps you may wish to use with your picture.

Wait, there's even more features on this sheet. Swipe up and you will see a long list of other possible things you may want to do your photograph. As you use the Share Sheet you will come appreciate its power and convenience!

Think of your Share Sheet as your hub or Grand Central Station.

I want to give a special shout out to "AirDrop" because it is the one feature that I use a lot. Tap on it and you will be presented with a new screen that offers other places where you can send your picture IF there is another open device nearby, turned on and available, like your computer, for example. (AirDrop doesn't work if your computer is asleep.) If I have a picture on my iPhone that I want to use in a Keynote slide show, I just AirDrop it to my Mac mini computer from my iPhone. See below. Another screen appears. I just tap on the Mac mini circle that represents my computer. Instantly the picture is sent to my documents folder on my computer where I can drag it right onto the slide show. So fast, so easy..

By the way, you can also AirDrop a photo right into another person's Apple library IF they have given you permission to do so. The recipient must go to Settings>General>AirDrop and check ""Everyone for 10 Minutes". This means that the person is giving you permission to receive the picture. You have just 10 minutes to send it, after which permission expires. (This feature is a good one. It prevents a stranger in the coffee shop from sending you an unwanted picture without your permission.) Furthermore, when the recipient receives the sent photo, a box appears asking if they will "accept" it.

In the example below, Jan Armor will send a picture from his iPhone to his computer, Mac mini, when he taps the circle so labeled. Also notice, Jan Armor could also send that same picture to Kathleen's iPhone just by tapping on her circle. Pretty slick! This AirDrop is very useful trick to learn. Not only can you send pictures from your phone, you can also send documents. AirDrop works on the computer too, AirDropping photos from the computer to your phone or your iPad, as well as to someone In the room who has given you permission. Lastly, AirDrop has a range of about 30 feet.

​

​Click here for a helpful video that explains using the Share Sheet (on an iPad).​

(Although this video is for iPad users it is a very good explanation for iPhone and Macusers as well.)

​

​