---
id: pyobjc-framework-photos
version: "12.2.2"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# pyobjc-framework-Photos — Wrappers for the framework Photos on macOS

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 674.9K/mo

## What it is and what it does

This package wraps Apple's Photos framework for macOS, allowing Python developers to interact with the Photos app and its underlying media library through a Python interface. It is part of the larger PyObjC project, which bridges Objective-C and Python; this particular wrapper focuses on the Photos-specific APIs.

The package is a thin binding layer—it does not include its own documentation, instead directing users to Apple's official framework documentation and PyObjC's general translation guides. It depends on pyobjc-core and pyobjc-framework-Cocoa to function, and is strictly macOS-only, supporting Python 3.10 through 3.15 with free-threading support on 3.13+.

Use it for:

- Automate batch operations on photos in the macOS Photos library (e.g., tagging, organizing, or exporting).
- Build macOS desktop tools that read or manipulate photo metadata and collections.
- Integrate Photos app data into Python-based workflows on macOS systems.
- Access photo albums and media information programmatically for archival or analysis tasks.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides Python bindings to macOS's Photos framework, enabling programmatic access to the Photos app and its media library through Objective-C bridge calls.

Yes, if you are developing on macOS and need direct access to the Photos framework from Python. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and carries a permissive MIT license. Install friction is moderate due to platform and Python version constraints, but these are inherent to the use case rather than signs of poor maintenance.

## Install

pip install pyobjc-framework-photos
uv add pyobjc-framework-photos
poetry add pyobjc-framework-photos

## Installing pyobjc-framework-Photos

Before you install: Medium install friction due to platform-specific wheels (macOS only, Python 3.10+) and two runtime dependencies on pyobjc-core and pyobjc-framework-Cocoa. Actively maintained with a release 3 days old and recent repository activity.

License in practice: MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; you may use, modify, and distribute this package freely provided you retain the license notice.

Quickstart:

pip install pyobjc-framework-photos

import Photos
# Access Photos framework classes and methods via the Photos module

macOS only; requires Python 3.10 or later and a working Objective-C bridge environment.

Verify before relying:

- Specific Photos framework capabilities exposed (e.g., album access, metadata queries, media filtering).
- Whether this package requires Xcode or system-level Photos framework headers to be present.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 674.9K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

macos photos framework python, pyobjc photos library access, python photos app integration, macos media library bindings, objective-c photos wrapper, macos-only, objective-c-bridge, photos-api

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/pyobjc-framework-photos) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/pyobjc-framework-photos/)