Two practical routes: a manual export for occasional use, or a published collection for a repeatable workflow.
For an occasional export
- Select your finished photos in Lightroom Classic and choose File → Export.
- Export JPEGs to a folder, using sRGB for straightforward sharing. Choose image size and quality to suit your needs.
- In Apple Photos, choose File → Import and select the exported files.
- Add the imported photos to an album.
This works without an extra plugin. Repeat the export and import when you want to send more photos or revised edits.
Before deleting a temporary export folder, confirm Photos has copied the files into its library. Referenced files still depend on their original folder. Read Apple’s explanation.
For a routine you repeat
LR to Photos adds a Publish Service inside Lightroom Classic. Add favourites to a published collection and click Publish; the plugin exports your edits and imports them into an Apple Photos album.
You still decide when to publish. When you send revised edits, older versions are retained in an Out of date album. Edits in Apple Photos do not sync back to Lightroom.
Which route fits?
Manual export is a sensible choice for the occasional batch. A publish plugin becomes useful when exporting, importing and organising the same collections is a recurring chore.
LR to Photos costs £40.83 before tax (£49 including UK VAT) and includes 1.x updates. See our comparison of export methods.
To reach your iPhone as well
Use Apple Photos’ System Photo Library with iCloud Photos enabled on the Mac, then enable iCloud Photos on your iPhone with the same Apple Account. Apple handles this part of the journey. Follow the iPhone guide.