assman Loc: Grand Rapids, MI

I am just an enthusiast with a Lightroom subscription. I am looking for some kind of cloud storage/backup for all my photos (jpg, dng, etc.) along with videos and my Lightroom folder. My thought is to get Amazon Prime plus the 100mb additional storage for videos (I don't do a lot of that) and my Lightroom folder files. It's either that or maybe SmugMug where I can actually sync my stuff (so they say) and use it for sharing photos. Or should I just can the idea and do my backups and just export to Google?

Thanks,
assman

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

Personally, you can purchase an external hard drive for very little money and pay only once. I, for one, cannot understand this need to have everything on-line. I keep a few images, my best, on line to show. But I certainly am not going to pay someone to store my abject failures.

juan_uy Loc: Uruguay

The cloud is the easy solution for remote backup. An external drive doesn't protect your data from theft or disaster (fire, flood, etc.).

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

FWIW - I tried the Amazon Prime photo storage for an off site backup for my images, at the time it was a manual process to run their app and upload images. I gave up on using it as it was never automated, and also did not upload updated images unless the old image was first removed. It also did not do block uploads, as in only data that has changed, so every upload is a full upload regardless of the number of bytes in the file that actually changed.

The software may have evolved since then, and may be more automated and may have addressed versioning and automatic syncing of uploads.

If you are already a Prime member, give it a try, no additional cost, if it has changed great, if it works for you great.

I have above 70,000 images. I keep them on an external drive, back them up on another external drive using Time Machine every hour, then on another external monthly using Chronosync (back up software) to create a mirror image of the current state of the images.

I used to use Crashplan to maintain a cloud based backup of my computer & images, the backup was automatic and fast, they kept versions of files and upload bandwidth was reduced by only uploading the portions of data that changed within the file. BUT....monthly price became an issue and I moved away from Crashplan.

I publish jpg versions of my best shots on my Flicker site, my originals and backups are original raw.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

Granted. That's why I have two copies, one on a RAID 5 in a fireproof "safe room" in the basement of our house. A solution that is not viable for everyone.

At least I am in control of the data. I have a tough time trusting the cloud providers as this is the "Wild West" of off site storage IMHO.

But, in the end, each to his own.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

For me, a cloud backup must be automatic, use block uploads, maintain encryption at rest where I am in control of the keys. I would never use a cloud backup as my only backup. I would maintain my originals and have at least 2 backups on site plus a cloud backup as a third backup to deal with disasterous loss, and be reasonably priced for my budget!

After all, easy enough to maintain an external drive used for a monthly backup off site at a neighbors or friend's house these days.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Why not just use Lightroom?

It will sync across devices, you can store video and still pics, and it has options for sharing.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

Edit:

FWIW - Just looked at Amazon Prime Photos again... it has improved, BUT does not count XMP files as photos, and apparently cannot display PSD files.... since I shoot raw, Lightroom creates XMP files for all my edits, and anything done in Photoshop for me is PSD, so Amazon prime photos, as a cloud backup still needs some work in my book.

In the end, I would prefer a cloud solution that allowed me to use a backup client I like, like Chronosync.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

And if the house burns or floods or subject to a power line spike or lightning strike or...? (God forbid) An off-site disaster recovery (DR) copy is the answer.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Take a look at Amazon S3. They have 3 levels, each with a different price and features/limitations, and you can move files, folders or the entire content between tiers in real time as your needs change. Amazon is by far the largest of the cloud providers - the size of the next 5 combined.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

Coulda woulda shoulda. If the stated options are on the table. Which one are you by your own needs are you choosing. Think about it and make your own choice.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

I responded earlier I don't know what happened cuz it's not here. So here it goes again


Your choice of Amazon prime is a good one for cloud storage, plus you get a lot more benefits with the prime.(I use Amazon as my cloud storage, and I'm very happy with it) Amazon does not use your photos in any way shape or form. Stay away from SmugMug by using their site you give them the right to use your photos in any way they please with no compensation to you. I don't know if other sites do that but I do know SmugMug agreement allows that. So whatever site you use read the agreement very carefully.

Secondly, do not use the cloud for your only backup. You need at least two hard drives as a backup. You can sync across them and several ways, you can use a backup syncing program if you use Lightroom you can sync across them with it, but with Amazon you need to use their own app and it's fast.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I have the photographers version of Lightroom and Photoshop for $10.00 a month. I like it. No con's from me.

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

Check out Backblaze - it's automated with unlimited backup and only costs $60/year.

Gitchigumi Loc: Wake Forest, NC

News to me... I use SmugMug and was not aware of this. And, I just reread the SmugMug Terms and Conditions, where I do not find any reference to such condition. How did you learn of this? My personal experience over the past 5-6 years with SmugMug has not indicated any action like that. So, please enlighten me.