This article will show you how to choose the best cloud storage for photos and backup photos to cloud with a step-by-step guide. If needed, please keep reading below.
It’s very easy to take thousands of photos and leave them on your phone, but it only makes those photos potentially unsafe. You need to be aware that once you lose your phone, you will lose them all forever.
So, making a backup for precious photos is necessary, but what is the best way to backup photos? The majority of users will use physical disks like internal disks, external drives, USB, etc, but this kind of device may be affected by local disasters or natural disasters, for example, system crash, hardware failure, virus, fire, thieves, and more.
In addition, there are a few users who choose to backup photos to the cloud, such as Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Photos, iDrive, etc. Honestly, cloud backup for photos is more sensible, because this way can free you from local or natural disasters and has fewer influencing factors.
Speaking of the best cloud storage for photos, you may think about several choices, including OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, etc. But how do you choose one from them? Here, I’ll share some requirements in the following, which you can use as a reference.
Scalable: Almost all clouds will provide users free space as long as they create an account. But the space is limited, and it will run out sooner or later. So, make sure the cloud disk is scalable and free of charge.
File formats: The Majority of cloud storage supports JPG or JPEG. But if you might have TIFFs or RAW files, this is also an option to consider.
Display mode: Not all cloud storage displays your photos well, and makes it easier for you to see your pictures.
Mobile device: To access anytime, anywhere, you need to ensure that the provider has a mobile app, which can help you upload or view your pictures.
In this part, you will see some popular cloud backup services and their brief introduction. You can use the above criteria to choose which is best for you.
Pros: unlimited storage, supports Raw file format, Wi-Fi auto uploader for phones, several photo editing options, access and upload files through mobile device, auto tagging and image recognition, animation creator with GIFs, slideshow video
Cons: 16MP limit for photo resolution, reduces any 4K videos to full HD 1080p quality
Google Photos will automatically back up every photo (RAW file included) on your smartphone with WiFi, and extract every image on your computer. It still can auto-tag and recognize faces, and include some useful editing options, such as colour adjustment, cropping, resizing, and more. Also, it allows you to create albums and share them with your friends or publicly.
You can use this app if you are willing to limit the photo resolution to 16 megapixels. And that’s enough for most purposes, because smartphones mostly capture 12- or 16-megapixel photos.
Pros: scalable, well-organized folder system, store up to 35 file types including TIFF, RAW, iOS HEIC photos, 30-day version history, priority email upload, selective sync, easy file sharing, view photos on phones (iOS, Android) and tablets
Cons: only 2GB free space, automatic photo uploading requires a paid subscription, lack of editing options
Dropbox will automatically upload your files to a folder in Windows File Explorer and macOS Finder, and allows you to view your images from the mobile app and website. And it supports up to 35 file types, including JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and GIF, app-specific types like Photoshop and Illustrator, raw formats like CR2, DCR, and DNG, and even iOS HEIC photos. Besides, its space is scalable, for example, 500MB for each referral and up to 16GB, 250MB for completing the “Getting Started guide, and 1GB for every Mighty Answer on the Dropbox forum.
You could consider Dropbox if you have multiple file formats. But you need to be aware that the free space is only 2GB, automatic uploading of photos requires a paid subscription, lack of editing tools.
Pros: greatly integrated with Microsoft Office, Outlook, AutoCAD, and Windows 10, subscribe to Office 365 for an extra 1TB, RAW file support, automatically recognized content of image, and tag
Cons: less photo-focused, only 5GB of free space
Microsoft OneDrive is best for Windows users and greatly integrates with the Windows Office suite, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. It offers an extra 1TB of space to users who subscribe to Office 365.
It looks amazing, but Microsoft OneDrive is designed for all kinds of files, not just photos, and lacks editing tools. So, you’d better select another cloud storage.
Pros: display photos in a photostream and tag with names and locations, automatic photo uploading, mobile app with photo-editing features, tagging, live photo support, machine-learning-support search, competitive pricing, super-easy file backup, and sharing
Cons: does not support RAW files, 5GB space free of charge, and the paid option is up to 2TB, no Android device support
iCloud is a top choice for Mac or iOS users, and it’s also compatible with Windows. It supports automatically uploading photos, displaying photos tagged with names and locations in a photostream, easy file backup, and sharing. In addition, its mobile app can edit, tag, store live photos, and use a machine-learning-supported search option.
Pros: store unlimited photos, photo printing service, automatic photo uploading, no size restrictions for images, mobile apps with editing, tagging, live photo support, and machine-learning-supported search, recognize objects with artificial intelligence, and store RAW images
Cons: just for Amazon’s Prime members, 5GB limits for videos and files only
Prime Photos is the best choice for users who pay for Amazon Prime accounts, which can automatically upload unlimited photos without any restrictions on image quality. And it supports artificial intelligence and can recognize objects, such as trees, birds, etc., to find the photo you are looking for. Besides, its mobile app can edit and tag faces, store live photos, and use machine-learning-supported search.
If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can use Prime Photos. If not, it’s suggested to use the alternative software mentioned in this article. Because the Prime subscription will cost you $99 per year and it’s a little expensive.
Pros: specially designed for image files, RAW files, and TIFs support, responsive photo galleries for external website or blog (does not work on HTTPS)
Cons: does not support video files, photoshelter backups require manual file upload
Photoshelter is focused on image files, even supports RAW files and TIFs, responsive photo galleries for external websites or blogs (does not on HTTPS). It offers users unlimited storage for $49.99 per month. However, it does not support video files, and the Photoshelter backups are not automatic as well.
In the following, I will only show the traditional way – using the cloud desktop folder, an app for Android devices and iPhones. If you happen to need this, please continue to see below.
The desktop folder is applied to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and more. This way is very simple and easy to learn.
Step 1. Download Google Backup and Sync, sign in to your account, and transfer the desktop folder to your local computer.
Step 2. Select the files you want to backup on your computer and save them to a folder, then right-click the folder and tap “Copy” from the context menu.
Step 3. Go to the desktop folder of Google Drive, right-click on a blank space, and select “Paste”. Then, it will be transferred to the website.
✎Note: If you are a professional, you can use Google Cloud Backup and Restore to back up your photos.
Step 1. Open the Google Photos app and sign in to your Google account.
Step 2. Tap Menu at the top.
Step 3. Select “Settings” and “Back up & sync”, then turn it on.
To perform automatic iCloud backup on iPhone, you are supposed to enable iCloud on your iPhone. It will automatically backup iPhone over WiFi every night, and requires iPhone to be connected to power, and the screen should be locked.
Step 1. Unlock your iPhone and connect it to WiFi.
Step 2. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backups and turn it on, then click “Back Up Now”.
Step 3. Connect your iPhone to a power source.
Step 4. Lock your iPhone’s screen.
✎Note: If you want to back up Mac photos to iCloud, just go to System Preferences and Apple ID > click iCloud in the sidebar > then select Photos. If your macOS is an earlier version, go to System Preferences and iCloud > click Options next to Photos > then select iCloud Photos.
Usually, the cloud storage will provide users with free space, but this is limited and will run out shortly. So, it’s imperative to get more space. Here are two commonly used ways, including paying for extra space and getting expandable space from a service provider. The first is simple and easy, the second is only supported by some service providers.
Here, I highly recommend using CBackup, and it can help you combine cloud storage into one. Also, it supports backing up files to the cloud freely, such as Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, and more.
Step 1. Download CBackup, create a CBackup account, and log in.
Step 2. Click "Storage" on the left side, choose one cloud storage, and hit "Authorize Now". Then follow the on-screen guide to allow CBackup to access your cloud storage.
Step 3. After adding, all your Google Drive accounts are listed here. Click the "Storage" button, you will see an "Add Combined Cloud" option. Click it.
Step 4. Tick the box next to the cloud storage account that you want to combine. After checking, click on "Next". And change the cloud order if needed, and click Combine.
Step 5. Then, you will have a "Combined Cloud" in your cloud list. You can choose the "Backup PC to Combined Cloud" option to select it as the backup destination to enjoy huge backup space.
✎Note: If you want to move a file in Google Drive to another account or a different cloud drive, you can go to the “Backup” tab, click "Backup Public Cloud to Public Cloud" position to achieve that.
That’s all for backup photos to the cloud with the best cloud storage for photos. You may hear about many software programs, but which is the best one for you? You can use the criteria in this article to find it. After that, you need to back up your photos as soon as possible, because you never know when your phone or computer will go wrong.
In addition, the capacity of cloud storage is also a question worth mentioning. Because you can no longer backup photos to the cloud with low disk space, this puts your data at risk.
