Create Context Menu Items in Photos app

Question

I have seen several blog posts and articles about how to create context menu items in Finder and have been motivated to try creating a Context Menu (right-click) Items inside the Photos app.

Using Automater, I created a workflow using an Applescript to find what albums include the image selected. In the workflow header I say that the Workflow receive current 'image files' in 'Photos.app + Finder.app' Please see picture below.

The result is that the new context item is shown in the Finder.app (at the bottom = "Find Albums") but not in the Photos.app as can be seen in the other pictures below.

I don’t know how to save this script into Photos.app to get it to activate.

What setting allows my script to be seen in Finder and not in Photos?

Answer 1

As far as I know, applications handle the right-click context menu on their own and there is no way to modify it. The general way of registering a service or having an application add a context menu entry only works for Finder (possibly also for other system contexts, but not Photos), which allows extending the menu.

Answer 2

Apple has recently released a Photo Editing type of App Extension, which allows apps to provide custom functionality within Photos.app itself.

• Edit photos with extensions on your Mac
• Photo Editing App Extension

A Photo Editing extension lets users edit a photo or video within the Photos app. After users confirm the changes they make in a Photo Editing extension, the adjusted content is available in Photos. Photos always keeps the original version of the content, too, so that users can revert the changes they make in an extension.

There does not currently appear to be right-click functionality as you are requesting, but the Edit > "..." menus allow you to launch these app extensions.

The functionality you're trying to achieve may be available in a Photo Editing App Extension. If not, this extension type is where it would be added in some future version of macOS.