The best cloud storage options to keep your photos safe
We can all relate to what it feels like to lose the only copy of photos we’ve been collecting over the years. For some people they’re not just pictures, but precious memories of those moments that will never come again – a baby’s first steps, holidays, graduations, and weddings. They can also be something that has little sentimental value, but value nonetheless. Perhaps you need to claim from your Car Insurance after a road accident and, as noted in ‘How to Take Photos of an Accident to Help with Your Car Insurance Claim,’ without pictures of the damage and injuries, it can be tough to prove liability in the insurance lawsuit.
While digital photography is in many ways better than traditional film, you have no guarantee that your photos will always be safe. Laptops, mobile phones and digital cameras are stolen or damaged all the time. Someone can accidentally delete important files from a device.
The simple way to save yourself from hours of work and anxiety to retrieve your photos, is to back them up. Despite what you may think, storing your digital files on removable devices is often not enough. Memory cards and external hard drives get stolen, damaged or corrupted just as easily.
If you haven’t used cloud storage, it might be time to jump onto the bandwagon. Cloud systems enable users to upload their files online and access them from any gadget and place that has internet connectivity. You may already be familiar with GDrive – having a Google account automatically gives you a free cloud solution to work with – but, if you’re looking to explore other options, this article, which Web AddiCT presents in collaboration with content partner, Hippo.co.za, recommends three other services for keeping your photos safe.
Google Photos
Google Photos users receive unlimited storage for photos up to 16 megapixels. If you have the
mobile phone app, there’s no need to manually back up your photos as you can enable auto backup and sync in settings. The best feature of Google Photos is perhaps its machine learning capabilities; the app recognises various visual features and subjects and categorises them as people, places or things. This makes it easier for users to search for specific photos.
Flickr
Flickr is one of the world’s top social sharing sites and, every time you upload photos, you’re
basically doing a backup to the cloud. Flickr does seem similar to Facebook and Instagram in the way that other users can comment on and like your photos but, what sets it apart, is that it is strictly a hosting platform for users’ photos. Perhaps the only downside to Flickr is that it doesn’t accept RAW (unprocessed) image formats, however, its 1 terabyte of free cloud storage should make it one of the go-to options for ordinary shutterbugs looking for photo backup.
Dropbox
Dropbox offers a fast, all-in-one cloud storage solution for business and personal use. In addition to a limited free account, users can take advantage of paid plans with access to advanced features such as offline file access, smart sync, remote device wipe, and greater storage space. If you’re looking for a no-frills way to back up your photos, you can still get bang for no buck as Dropbox’s basic option gives you 2 gigabytes of space, folder sharing, and the ability to sync files across multiple devices on which the service is installed, all for free.
If you have been meaning to back up the files on your mobile phone or camera but haven’t gotten around to it, it’s better to do so now as you can lose everything in the blink of an eye. By signing up for a trusted cloud storage solution, you’ll have peace of mind that your treasured photos are protected beyond what a mobile phone, laptop or memory device provides.