Create safe storage for your photo albums
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Source alt=”A person laying their photos on a table.” data-original-mos=”https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YsxSXfywKyCzKfLwiEgYmD.jpg” data-pin-media=”https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YsxSXfywKyCzKfLwiEgYmD.jpg”/> Source alt=”A person laying their photos on a table.” data-original-mos=”https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YsxSXfywKyCzKfLwiEgYmD.jpg” data-pin-media=”https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YsxSXfywKyCzKfLwiEgYmD.jpg”/> (Image credit: Shutterstock / Jacob Lund)
While digital photography offers many benefits over traditional film, it isn’t as secure.
Digital images are more vulnerable than prints and negatives. They can be erased with one click, or lost forever, unlike other media. Even if you have backup software (opens new tab), there’s always the possibility of it failing.
Three types of backups are recommended. Two should be on-site. This could include an external drive and media such as USB sticks, CD/DVD/Blue Ray disks. The third backup option should be kept off-site.
These are some ways to make sure your digital memories are properly protected, backed up, and safe from loss.
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1. Use recordable media
Recordable media like SD Cards (opens new tab), CDs and DVDs are great ways to back up your photos. However, if you don’t take care, you might end up with a lot of them that are difficult to organize.
This is especially true when dealing with SD cards taken from multiple cameras or a growing number of CDs and DVDs. This can lead to things getting mixed up and even lost or damaged.
While saving money on media may be a good short-term solution, long-term savings in management and organization are not possible.
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2. An external drive can be used
Many people think of a standalone SATA harddrive that can be connected via USB to their computer. From there, you can copy and write files. This is a great way to backup your data, but hard drives may fail (opens new tab).
Solid State Drives (opens new tab) tend to be more stable but also cost more. While reliability may seem like a plus, it means that you will need to make space for the drive as well as connecting wires to your computer.
Although it may not seem like a problem, it is better to minimize clutter to ensure backups don’t get in the way. You might also not want to use all the USB ports you have with an external hard drive connected.
A USB Flash drive (opens new tab) is the best choice. It doesn’t require any leads to connect to your computer and can be stored away until you need it. You can also take them with you to other places as needed. Even better, USB flash drives are relatively inexpensive and offer a lot of storage.
As a backup for all photos, you can save to one master USB stick. This can be more challenging if you have multiple devices or photos.
External hard drives still have one advantage over recordable media: they offer more storage space for a fraction of the cost. Many external hard drives can store over 1TB.
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3. Multiple software libraries can be used
A good defense is the best defense against any possible disaster. While it is recommended to have multiple storage options for your photos, you also have a variety of software options.
Apple once offered Aperture to organize photos. But iPhoto library Manager (opens new tab) and the same trick works with iPhoto.
It’s simple. Move older, unutilized images and create duplicate images. This library will be kept on an external drive.
This tip is best when libraries are stored on network-attached storage (opens new tab) or in conjunction to the next method which has the advantage of freeing up valuable internal space on flash storage drives.
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4. Photos can be saved to the cloud
If you aren’t proactive about backing up your digital photos, sync them to the cloud. Many of these services offer free or inexpensive storage.
Some of the most popular cloud storage options are Dropbox, Google Drive(opens new tab), Microsoft OneDrive and many others. Many offer mobile apps that can automatically back up the Camera Roll on iOS and Android.
These same services work with libraries created by desktop applications such as Adobe Lightroom, Aperture, and iPhoto. However, you will need to ensure that these files are saved in a folder on either internal or external storage. This is to allow for quicker local access. Bitcasa provides this option, while other cloud services like ExpanDrive can also do the same.
Check out our list of top cloud photo storage.
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5. Cloud photo services are free
Mobile shutterbugs are increasingly accepting the convenience of having entire photo collections stored in their pockets via dedicated cloud photo services.
Picturelife, Adobe Creative Cloud and ThisLife allow you to backup photos from any device. This provides additional security and allows you to organize and edit your photos from any device.
There are many free cloud photo storage options that you can use as a backup for premium cloud accounts.
Amazon Prime customers get a variety of benefits including free delivery, Prime Video and Prime Music as well as book borrowing from the Kindle Prime Library. Amazon Prime members have the option to store unlimited photos. This is a great benefit. Uploading photos is simple and, as long as you are an Amazon Prime customer (or more), your photos will be online and private with the account.
Google Photos is another option to store your photos in the cloud, completely free and without limitations. Google will only convert images with high resolution to a slightly lower resolution. You won’t notice any difference in ordinary photos, so if that sounds extreme, don’t be alarmed. Photos can be organized into albums and you can scroll through them chronologically.
Facebook is another online platform where you can upload photos without paying any fees. You can also set them up as albums. Facebook will display the most recent photos in your photo tab, just like other services. You can also set sharing permissions so that only you, your family members, and friends can see your photos.
Want more options? We have featured the best cloud storage .
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6. Print them (just in case).
If scrapbooking is your hobby or you were raised in the Fotomat generation (kids ask your parents), printing thousands of digital photos may seem like a waste money, time and trees. Even though we are so obsessed with paperless photos, there may be a time when having a stash of prints is a good idea or even a necessity. They are a good hard copy that can be scanned back into your computer in case of an emergency.
Prints are now reasonably affordable. Shutterfly offers unlimited photo storage on desktop and mobile devices. This doubles as a backup! They offer weekly deals on photo-based products such as custom books and prints. Don’t forget to visit your local drugstore. Walgreens and Rite Aid offer similar services and you can pick them up in store. This allows you to save big on shipping.
Below is a list of our top photo printers.
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7. Backup, rinse, and repeat
We can’t stress enough how important it is to back up digital photos. Many consumers no longer bother printing photos. They can carry entire collections on a phone or tablet. These files should be considered your “negatives” and should therefore be treated accordingly.
It is not a good idea to keep two copies of your digital photographs in the same place. Online storage is a good option because a fire, flood, or any other natural disaster can wipe out all your digital photos in a matter of minutes. For pennies per day, services like CrashPlan (opens new tab), carbonite or liveDrive can secure back up your entire desktop system (including digital photos) without any user interaction.
It’s a good time to buy a high-capacity USB 3.0 external drive. They are also very affordable these days. You can also flip on Time Machine, which is the standard backup software for OS X. A lot of inexpensive NAS devices support Time Machine. Products from Synology, ASUSTOR and others can also access files remotely through mobile apps. Keep a backup of your backup for any eventualities that the original drive fails to work.
Need assistance choosing? We have featured the best free backup program.
