By Cathi Nelson, Houzz
At one time or another, most of us have had an overflowing gallery of digital photos and needed a place to stash them. That is, until free cloud storage entered our lives. This type of storage allows users to remotely save, share and manage their data via the Internet.
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Many of us unknowingly sacrifice quality and ease of workflow when it comes to the “free” cloud storage of our photographs. The rise in these online services is no surprise — we all love scoring a deal! However, these sites pose a fresh set of issues often not discovered by users until it’s too late: after photos have disappeared, their quality has atrophied, or the site has suddenly closed for business. So let’s uncover some truths about free cloud storage and take a look at paid options that might be a more secure place to house your family’s photos.
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Reasons to Rethink Free
1. Data dump. Free cloud storage services may mine your photos for data, but what exactly does that mean? Basically, if you store your photos for free, you may inadvertently be agreeing to the company using or distributing your photos to generate new content in exchange for its free service. Always read the privacy policy for any cloud storage service before uploading your images.
2. Low-resolution solution. The quality of your photos could be diminished since free cloud storage services may compress your photos on their systems. Your photos could become irreparable, their collapse manifested in blurry or pixelated prints.
3. Lost organization. Among the many draws of cloud storage, users can also tag, date and sort their photos within the site. Unfortunately, when the service you’re using is free, this metadata could potentially be lost when you transfer the files to another system. All the time you spent organizing is gone, and you will have to repeat the process if you seek to regain optimization of your archive.
4. Limited uploads. Free cloud storage services limit how many photos you can upload. This especially proves to be problematic in the long run, sometimes as long as several years down the road, when your latest upload won’t fit in the allotted space. Think of the frustration you have when your phone’s memory is out, and you aren’t able to snap a new photo until you take the time to clear out some space. You will have to do the same time-consuming task within these cloud services.
5. No guarantee. Equal to the horror of a computer crash, the free cloud storage service to which you uploaded all your photos could be gone in the morning. Offering free cloud storage to consumers doesn’t make the creators of these sites accountable — or profitable. There is absolutely no guarantee that your photo storage will last through the years, let alone through the day.
However, there are professional cloud storage services available to you for a price, but remember that time is money too. Instead of dealing with the glitches, limits and disappearances free sites impose, you could pick a cloud storage plan tailored to your specific needs.
1. SmugMug. This service, starting at $3.99 per month, offers you a password-protected website for storing your photos. SmugMug believes that your photos are meant to be displayed and housed on a beautifully designed site, which makes this option one of the best for artists to display their portfolios. The company was started by a father and son, and stemmed from their own passion for photography.
2. Mylio. This is an ever-evolving cloud storage app that you can download to your phone or computer. Its system also supports video and PDF files. Mylio formed from the founders realizing that their memories were scattered pixels, and so Mylio came about as a way to organize the story of our lives and share it with anyone, anytime, anywhere. You can start using Mylio for free today and then upgrade for more storage starting at about $8 per month.
3. Forever. Available for a single payment of $299 or 12 monthly installments of $29, this service guarantees photo storage for life plus 100 years. The company can offer this by the implementation of “The Forever Guarantee Fund,” and some of your money goes to this fund so that the company can continue to preserve and update its platforms to keep your photos safe throughout the years. The service also provides you with the tools to create and print photo books, calendars, cards and more.
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4. Apple iCloud. If you own an iPhone or a Mac, it may be easiest for you to use Apple’s iCloud since your files will automatically sync and be backed up through its system. Apple also offers the option of “Family Sharing,” which allows up to six members of your family to share photos, music, books and purchases from Apple’s app store. You can get 5 gigabytes of storage free and then upgrade to more space starting at 99 cents a month.
Once you choose the right service for you, upload and sit back and enjoy your family memories as they become indelibly stamped in history. Remember, the price is right when it comes to finding a home for your treasured memories to reside in safely.
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