16 replies to this topic

[cwj2323]

What I want is a place to store photos to link to this and other sites. I do not need any editing features because I already have GIMP on my computer. At max, the photos will be 1,000 pixels wide, but most often in the 500-700 range. Up to this point I have used Picasa (owned by Google). I use Shutterfly, but what I upload there is for printing. . I believe they have public albums you can create, but I haven't tried it.

Can you tell me what you use and maybe the good and bad about it?

Thank you so much.

[meghann]

I have used Flickr for a long time and have been pretty happy. There is a free version, with limited storage space, and a paid version that has unlimited. I use the paid.

[Seattle]

I use Photobucket - I have the free version but I agreed to link that account to my Facebook account and got unlimited storage.

[guy_incognito]

I also use Picasa, and have been very happy with it. Works great for posting to online albums, but also use it as my main photo organizer, majority of editing, and use it easily send emails or invites to photo albums.

[cabirds]

Picasa is 1GB free, but any image under 800x800px doesn't count towards the free limit.

What are the other sites you all are using limiting for free data storage? (there is a purpose to my question, promise!)

[cwj2323]

I use Photobucket - I have the free version but I agreed to link that account to my Facebook account and got unlimited storage.

Without linking to Facebook, can you tell me what the limit is? I do not have a Facebook account.

I did not realize that about Picasa, cabirds. That's interesting, than probably a good chunk of my photos are not counted. But I'd like to get away from Picasa if possible. I have had problems lately with uploading. They've been moving products toward Google+ and I wonder if that's a cause, but I do not know for sure.

[sandylee]

I use PhotoBucket.... I resize my photos to 640x480 prior to downloading (uploading?) there. This size is decent for web viewing on most sites.... as well as for viewing if you don't have high-speed.... (which, a lot of folks still do not have this, or around here even have access to it). I also keep my web photos to about 150 kb total size. Should you need to have several size images (like larger ones for the pro's/semi-pro's), save your big and special images to disk. Resize to the appropriate size for the pro-Sites in which you participate.
One note.... if you do any "sharpening" of your photo, be sure do do it AFTER "Saving for Web".... I do virtually none (ha ha.... can't REALLY help a substandard pic like mine).... but for posting, this works best.

I took "the plunge" today, and posted a pic on "PhotoSharing" .... it worked fine, linking to PhotoBucket. I REALLY miss the ability to upload from the puter. After what we had, the thumbnails are a pain.....and I still have to go delete a bunch.....especially since there is not much to look at on the long-term threads.

I am still curious as to why the small photo limit on this huge site..... (I own a local Site, and we have no storage limit .... costs me less than 10 bucks a month) BUT... there is so much more here than a simple Forum..... AND (mine if Free)..... but this is the best FREE site around. Love seeing the info and posts from everyone.)

Last thought....Maybe all the long-term threads should be deleted (with maybe a "quick-start"?) Wouldn't be too hard to start over! Bigfoot? Mitch? Other Admins?

[meghann]

I also wanted to add another point why I use Flickr as a paid user: with the unlimited storage, I can upload full size files, so then if anything happens to my computer and backups, there will be full size copies of my most important stuff online.

[lonestranger]

I haven't used Picasa Web Albums since the fall of 2009 when it wouldn't let me upload anymore pictures. With the exception of a few uploades to Facebook, I have just been using these forums and personal emails to share my photos for the past few years. Thanks to cabirds, I now know that I can upload unlimited photos to Picasa as long as they are resized, which Picasa now does automatically. I just uploaded "A new mix of this and that" with over a hundred photos in 2-3 minutes, which was a small fraction, a very small fraction of the time I spent quickly sifting through over 2 years worth of pictures.

As far as backing up my files goes, I back up all my raw files to an external hard drive every month or so and generally forget all about them. My best photos are redundantly backed up. My best pictures stay on the laptop for quick access, are transfered to my desktop to display on it's 22 inch monitor which is used mainly as a digital picture frame, and then they're backed up on the external hard drive, with a few flash drives storing some favorites to go. Backup storage space is cheap, discs, flash drives, external hard drives, they`re all cheap means of storing important photos. I have never considered online sites as a form of backup, but more of a way of sharing my pictures. I have always wanted to share high resolution pictures but it seems that when it comes to web sharing, more is not always better. Now that I know I can use Picasa Web Albums with unlimited uploads, I will be sharing/uploading more pictures to Picasa for anyone bored enough to have a look now and then.

https://picasaweb.go...xOfThisAndThat#

[meghann]

I just like the security of having an online backup in addition to my external hard drives. There's always the chance your house will burn down or something, and if so, it won't matter how many backups you have, if they are all in the same spot.

I suppose I could always go the route my dad does. He has two hard drive back ups, syncs them monthly, and keeps one at my grandparents' house, so the backups aren't in the same location.

[scall0way]

I've used picasa for years and have been really happy with it. Never liked Flickr. The only thing wrong with Picasa is that I can't seem to be able to include photos here from it - only a link which someone would have to click on. But I much prefer to see the photo in the actual post. I just have not been able to do it yet with Picasa - but I'll keep trying different things.

[Platypus]

scall0way - I wrote step-by-step instructions for you on how to post Picasa photos in the "New Forum Testing Zone" Thread.

[LindyFish]

I have used SmugMug for years and love it.

[creeker]

Photobucket for me, but I really don't like it anymore.

[dklucius]

i've had 1/2 dozen different computers over the years. Mostly HP's and started with HP Photo Essentials for storage and then tried Adobe Photoshop. and then shutterfly and piccassa and flicker and photobucket.. I am self taught on computers and have learned by trial and error.
i had several computers die and was glad to have stuff stored elsewhere. i still have the free versions of all of the above some just for storage and if i need to go back for old photos from 5 or 10 years ago. spread out on different ones i have plenty of free storage. I do prefer to use photobucket best of all of them to use for posting on here it works for me better than the others. its easy to go back to Adobe or HP and retrieve old photos and then use photobucket to post them..

[JimBob]

Flickr here.

[lyceel]

Another vote for Picasa. Works great with Android phones and tablets, btw.