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MM Answers: what is the best way to store my photos?

Today we continue with our column MM Answers.

Today's question:

What is the best way to store my photos?

Online or offline?

There are online and offline options, all with pros, cons and specific needs. We will show you the best options available. Just to avoid confusion, the part of the “cloud” we talked about concerns servers maintained by some company, protected, encrypted and managed by a network connection.

Amazon Cloud Drive

You can access your stored files in the cloud through an application installed on your computer, iPad or iPhone / iPod touch, and which often works almost “hidden” on your device. If you, for example, are not connected to the internet, the next time your device connects, the changes (photo sync) will be made and everything tends to continue working well.

If your choice is to keep your photos on your computer only, a warning: make backups! Faulty computers and their photos, regardless of the brand of HDD or SSD, are not worth the risk of having precious moments lost forever. For those who use Macs, there are two interesting options: Time Machine and / or a complete copy of the file called Fototeca (located in the Images folder).

Time Machine running on a MacBook Air

If you don't know the Time Machine, it’s worth checking out these articles.

Tip: If you keep your photo library on an external drive, don't just leave them on it. Always have a backup!

Free or paid?

Some service providers charge only for more advanced packages, while others charge for the format or size of your files. Taking the example of iCloud, its 5GB is practically not enough for most people, so start putting the monthly cost of storing paid packages at the tip of the pencil.

Services

ICLOUD PHOTO LIBRARY

Apple introduced the storage / optimization solution for its photos in the cloud entitled Photo Library on iCloud. By choosing this storage option, your photos can be optimized on your devices, taking up less space and, consequently, fitting more and more photos. This is also true for Macs and not just for iGadgets.

iCloud Drive

My experience with the photos on iCloud was not good and I explain why. I have a library with about 21,000 photos. Even uploading for weeks, with a 30Mbps connection at home, they were not all sent to the cloud. And the photos that were on my iPhone / iPad also took a long time to “go up” and appear on my computer. Several people face problems similar to the Apple support forum or the MM Frum leave no doubt.

The highlight for this service is its practicality, especially for those who have Apple devices, have a small amount of photos or are lucky that the service works correctly when uploading. As iCloud starts your storage with just 5GB free, prepare your pocket to buy more space in your cloud. The monthly plans available are as follows:

  • 5GB: free
  • 50GB: $ 1
  • 200GB: $ 3
  • 1TB: $ 10

As the center of your photos is now the cloud, you can also choose to keep only an optimized copy of them on your computer, exactly as possible on iPhones or iPads. When you need to make edits or create projects, you can work with the original images being downloaded on demand. The good thing about this option is that it makes the minimum of disk consumption feasible, very useful if your Mac doesn't have a lot of space dedicated to photos and videos.

GOOGLE PHOTOS

New Google Photos

The idea of ​​Google with the service is to offer a location for all user photos / videos, with basic organizing and selection tools very similar to organizing photos from the Apple Photos app itself, including filters by time, places , people and sharing tools, such as Facebook and Twitter.


Google Photos app icon

THE Google Photos free and offers unlimited storage, that is, no account within the user's account limit (like the old Picasa). There is a catch: photos can not exceed more than 16 megapixels of resolution and videos must be at most in Full HD 1080p.

If you want to keep your photos in their natural / original aspect, additional spaces can be hired. Check the values ​​below (monthly plans):

  • 15GB: free
  • 100GB: $ 2
  • 1TB: $ 10

All storage packages take into account the total space of your Google account, not just photos.

ONEDRIVE

OneDrive

Microsoft also has a cloud file storage service with photo management capabilities. Although not as intuitive as the first two, the editing tools and the possibility to easily open your photos on any type of device are items worth mentioning.


Microsoft OneDrive app icon

The standard storage space is limited; check the monthly values ​​and spaces available:

If you prefer to subscribe to Office 365, the space is bigger:

For all monthly or annual subscribers to the service, the 1TB space is already included in the package.

AMAZON PHOTOS

Amazon Cloud Drive

THE Amazon Cloud Drive has a plan called Unlimited Photos. It is an unlimited photo storage and backup service.


Amazon Photos app icon

If you want, the photos taken with iGadgets they are automatically sent to Cloud Drive just let the app run. All images can be viewed in very cool layouts, in addition to being shared via Facebook, Twitter and / or email.

Amazon offers three months of testing, and after that, the annual plan comes out $ 12 including an extra 5GB package for storing any type of file.

DROPBOX

Dropbox and Office

One of the most traditional cloud storage services, the Dropbox has an automatic photo upload tool for both iGadgets as for Macs / PCs. Regarding search filters or photo organization, the application is very weak, keeping your files only in the cloud. In this regard, the services of Apple and Google give a bath not only in Dropbox but in all other competitors.


Dropbox app icon

Regarding prices, Dropbox offers three types of monthly packages:

  • 2GB: free
  • 1TB: $ 10
  • Unlimited: $ 15

FLICKR

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<p>Purchased by Yahoo a few years ago, <strong>Flickr</strong> remains firm and strong as a tool for uploading and organizing photos in the cloud. In it, in addition to album creation tools, there are several aimed at professional photographers, which narrows the scope of interest of more common users a little.</p>
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Copyrights, labels, access control are some examples of the resources available in the service. Curious about storage? It offers 1TB to all users, with advertisements.

My choice

After many attempts and tests, today I use two different ways to manage my photos, one online and one offline. For the cloud solution, I chose the Google Photos (after a few attempts with iCloud).

My main library is stored not only on my computer, but also backed up to a Time Capsule. Over 90% of my photos are captured by iGadgets, therefore, I use the tools of Photos to search for location, date, etc.

And you, what tool / service do you use to manage your photos? Leave your comment below.

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If you looked for an answer on MM Frum and did not find it or if you simply have any suggestions for the MM Answers (we will select one at a time), just send an email to me (marcelo at our domain) or talk to me on Twitter (@marcelodemelo).

See you next time! 😉