The best data storage and photo cloud service for photographers. Check it out!
In the digital era, online cloud storage is one of the advanced inventions for storing our pictures. While some photographers balk at the idea of storing their images in the cloud, others welcome the ability to access their photos anywhere they have an internet connection.
Traditionally, you would usually transfer your photos from your camera to your computer. The files will be stored on your hard drive, and there they will be. You may have a spare hard drive to keep copies of your photos, but they are all stored locally and offline.
Saving images online isn't too different from the traditional way, but instead of storing them on your own hard drive, you can upload them to a large online server or cloud. Companies like Dropbox own these online servers and offer you a certain amount of space to store your work.
There are also companies like Google that offer 15GB for free. But if you're a heavy user, you can pay a monthly or annual fee for more storage. For example, you can buy 100GB of storage with Google Drive for IDR 27,000 per month. Pretty cheap, right?
It's affordable indeed, the big difference between cloud storage and using your own hard drive is that you have to pay an unlimited subscription price to store your images in the cloud, whereas, with hard drives, you only have to pay for it once i.e. when you buy it in a store. However, if you're interested, there are lots of options for keeping your images safe. Here are the best cloud storage services for photographers.
1. Photoshelter
Photoshelter is more than a cloud storage service. It is a professional website builder that allows you to create content sites for your portfolio. The plans include template designs, a shop builder where you can sell your work, a custom domain, and cloud storage.
Because it offers a comprehensive service, Photoshelter is popular among enthusiastic amateur and professional photographers. However, because it provides many services, the plans cost a bit more than the competition. The basic plan is around IDR 195k for just 4GB of storage. For the 100 GB package, you have to spend around IDR 420 thousand per month, but of course, you get other very attractive features.
2. Microsoft OneDrive
Microsoft One Drive is clear and easy to use. Admittedly, the user interface looks a bit unattractive, but when it comes to keeping files safe, this service is a master. You get 5 GB of free storage when you sign up. Paid plans start at IDR 27k per month for 100 GB of storage, but with these basic plans, you miss out on some of the core features.
Options like sharing link expiration, ransomware detection, and recovery, file restore, and password-protected sharing links are all reserved for premium plans. For the more expensive plans, you will get 1 TB for IDR 97,000 per month or 6 TB for IDR 130,000 per month.
3. pCloud
pCloud stores five copies of your files on its servers. So, if you unexpectedly get corrupted, you still have four other versions to ensure you don't lose them. Adobe Lightroom users can use the pCloud plugin and save their edits directly to the cloud server. pCloud is also capable of previewing most RAW files, so you don't need to convert them to view your images when using the web or app versions.
pCloud has two types of subscription options, yearly and lifetime. To get 500GB of storage, you have to pay IDR 55,000. Meanwhile, 2 TB of storage costs IDR 111 thousand. For lifetime access to the 2 TB storage plan, customers need to pay around IDR 7 million once.
4. Adobe Creative Cloud
When Adobe introduced a redesigned version of Lightroom, it also ushered in a new era of cloud-based workflows for photographers. Starting at IDR 139,000 per month, the Creative Cloud Photography Plan offers access to Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom CC, Lightroom Classic CC, and 20 GB of cloud storage.
Additional storage can be added at a rate of IDR 139 thousand per month per terabyte. This storage isn't the cheapest out there, but you should remember that you also get access to the photography industry's leading creative apps as part of that cost, including Lightroom CC for mobile and many of Adobe's other mobile apps.
Creative Cloud is unique in that it was specifically designed with the photographer in mind and allows all file types, from JPEGs to TIFFs and to RAWs to be automatically synced and accessed from virtually any device, be it a Mac or PC, tablet, or mobile phone.
The integrated support for RAW images is what makes Creative Cloud so appealing to photographers. You can import RAW photos on your desktop at home, then edit the same RAW files later on your phone when you're away from home. You can even work with your RAW images on, say, a work computer that doesn't have Adobe apps installed by accessing your Creative Cloud account via a web browser.
The only potential downside to Creative Cloud is that you have to be embedded in the Adobe ecosystem to get the best of the service. If you only like Lightroom for editing your photos, then this service isn't the best choice. However, if you enjoy all the Adobe apps, then you should definitely opt for this service.
The integrated support for RAW images is what makes Creative Cloud so appealing to photographers. You can import RAW photos on your desktop at home, then edit the same RAW files later on your phone when you're away from home. You can even work with your RAW images on, say, a work computer that doesn't have Adobe apps installed by accessing your Creative Cloud account via a web browser.
The only potential downside to Creative Cloud is that you have to be embedded in the Adobe ecosystem to get the best of the service. If you only like Lightroom for editing your photos, then this service isn't the best choice. However, if you enjoy all the Adobe apps, then you should definitely opt for this service.
5. Google Drive
This one is certainly not to be missed. Google Drive is a fast, easy-to-use, and well-designed cloud storage service. Google offers 15 GB of free storage, all you need to do is create a Google account. It's easy to organize your folders, and you can color-coordinate them if you want to make them more interesting.
The drive also makes it easier for you to share files. You can email direct folders to other people or share direct links with them. You have the option to choose view, edit, and comment depending on how much control you want to give recipients over your folders or pictures.
Paid monthly subscriptions start from IDR 27,000 for 100GB, IDR 41,000 for 200 GB, and IDR 139,000 for 1 TB. There is also larger storage that can expand storage up to 30 TB for a monthly fee of around IDR 4 million.
Disclaimer: Prices and information are listed according to the date and time the article was published.