Q: What are the best cloud-based photo storage options?
A: If you’re like me, you shoot not only lots of video but also plenty of still photos. You want to keep your images safe, plus you need easy access to your older ones—maybe for a retrospective or promotional materials. Definitely keep a hard copy of your photos on an external drive, but for anywhere-access, it’s good to store them in the cloud. These apps allow you to access your photos from just about any device and easily share them.
- With Dropbox, you can back up photos right from your device in the app, plus it arranges your shots in chronological order. You only get 2 GB of free space, though—after that, you’ll need to pay for more.
- Apple’s iCloud Photo Library is built into iPhones and iPads and can be activated in your settings. It automatically uploads your photos and comes with 5 GB of free space. Apple will organize your photos by various categories, such as date, location, selfies and even faces, which is helpful when you’re looking for photos of a specific person.
- If you’re not a Mac person, Google Photos allows you to store an unlimited amount of compressed images (small files). If you want to store the full-resolution versions, you get 15 GB free. Google Photo’s automatic facial recognition can quickly make you a slideshow based on pictures of an individual. It also recognizes objects, meaning you could search for pictures with something specific in them—like a set piece from a certain show.