Backing up your photos
We all know that we should backup our photos as well as the other important files that reside on our computers. But how many of us actually do? When you think about backing up your photos there are some questions that need to be answered. While the focus will be on backing up photos the information also applies to other important files on your computer. This post is not a comprehensive presentation on backing up your photos but is intended to be food for thought.
Why should you backup?
Being that we are photographers we most likely have hundreds or more likely thousands of photos stored on our computer’s internal storage or an external drive or both. So the first question you have to ask yourself is how important are these photos to me and my family? If they all suddenly disappeared would I care? If they are important to you and you would care if they suddenly disappeared then you should definitely be backing them up.
What backup method do you use?
There are basically two methods when it comes to backing up your photos. They each have their pros and cons.
1. Automated backup methods. These methods backup your photos in real time or on a set schedule and are probably best for those who do not backup at all but know they should and those who backup but only occasionally, when they think about it, and have the time.
Pros – Convenience. You don’t have to think about backing up your photos. It just happens. Both Windows and Mac have their own automated backup systems built in and may be all you need or want and they are certainly better than not backing up at all.
Cons – Most of the good options you have to pay for and they can be expensive. They mostly don’t provide easy access to your photos when needed especially if you are just looking for an individual photo.
2. Manual backup methods. These methods require you to actually think about and then take the time to do the backup. These methods are best for people who don’t want to spend a lot of money, if any, on backups and are the type of person who will religiously do the backups when needed.
Pros – Offers the most flexibility. You can do a manual backup immediately after spending hours cataloging and post processing your photos. Won’t slow down your computer when you are trying to get some processor intensive work done.
Cons – You first have to think about backing up and then you have to actually take the time to do it.
Within each of the main backup methods there are options which are Full Backup, Incremental Backup, Differential Backups, and Mirror Backups. I’m not going to explain each of these in this post but you can find an explanation HERE and you can always use your favorite search engine to find more information. There is also the system backup but discussing that goes beyond the scope of this post so I’m not going to address it here.
What image file format do you use?
Digital photos come in a large number of file formats. The most common generic file formats are Jpeg, Tiff, Bmp, Gif, Png, and Eps. Most likely you have your files stored in the Jpeg and/or the RAW file format as they came out of your camera. There are over 200 proprietary RAW file formats and the question is will you be able to open them in the future? If you have digital files from the 90’s stored on Kodak Photo CDs can you still read them? How about Kodak RAW or PICT files? Then there are the photo editing software formats such as PSD for Photoshop, XCF for Gimp, CPT for Corel Photo and the list goes on. Compounding the file format issue is that all of the formats listed have changed over time so a PSD file from Photoshop CS3 is not exactly the same as a PSD file from Photoshop CC 2017.
So why does this matter you might ask? If you were one of the early adopters of digital cameras back in the 90’s there is a possibility that if you still have photos from those cameras stored in the original RAW file format you might not be able to open those files any longer. Of the current image file formats in use today how many will still be used 10, 15, or 20 years? How many will you still be able to open to view or edit with the computers and software of the future? When our children and grandchildren reach our age and become more interested in their family history will they be able to open them? We don’t know but it’s definitely something to think about when you archive your photos.
I know there are some in our club who convert their RAW files to Adobe’s DNG (Digital Negative) format and it does have advantages. Read THIS article for more information. However, the DNG format is not without it’s problems. Read THIS article by the same author. So what is the answer to the question? The answer is there is no one single answer. You simply have to pick one or more formats such as the Jpeg and RAW formats and religiously back them up.
What do you backup your photos to?
How many of you have photos stored on CDs or DVDs? I’ve read that they will last up to one hundred years or longer but the question is will the computers of the future be able to access them. How many of you remember the 8” floppy disk? How about the 5.25” floppy? The 3.5” floppy? I don’t know about you but I know longer own a computer that can read any of them. My guess is that the CDs and DVDs of today will become obsolete much like the floppy disks of the past. The only questions are when will this happen and what will you be able to do to save your photos stored on them?
Another storage option is to store them on a portable drive. While they could also some day become obsolete a portable disk drive has many advantages over CDs and DVDs. They are relatively inexpensive for the amount of storage you get and they are much faster than a CD or DVD when it comes to reading or writing files. A 1TB external USB 3.0 drive can be found for under $50. Costco is selling a 5TB external hard drive for $119 and they sell smaller ones for well under $100. So does Sam’s club and Amazon and other retailers.
Transfer speeds of a USB 3.0 drive are around 20 times faster than CDs or DVDs which would save a lot of time should conversion or moving ever become necessary. Plus if you buy a large enough drive all your files are on one drive so you can start the transfer process and go eat lunch. With CD and DVDs you would have to sit there and keep changing them. If you ever had to convert them to a new file format you would again likely be able to start the process and walk away which you could not do with CDs or DVDs.
Where do you backup to?
Once you have decided on which file format(s) to use and what media you are going to use to the next question is where to store them? Do you keep your backups locally, store them in the Cloud, or both? You can also store your backups offsite such as in a safe deposit box, at work or with a friend or relative. Each of these methods have their advantages and disadvantages affecting ease of access and safety.
If you store your backups locally are they safe from fire, flood, or theft? Do you have multiple backups to protect against backup media failure or loss? Will the cloud storage service you choose still be around in a few years. I know that both Google and Adobe had cloud storage sites that they shut down requiring their users to move their photos.
If you decide to store them in the cloud how many hours or days would it take to upload them? At least one cloud storage service will send you a physical storage device to copy your photos to and send it back to them and they will upload your photos to their drives. My guess is this service is offered by others as well.
How do you keep your backups future proof?
As discussed above the selection of file formats and storage media are important to future proofing your stored photos. If a file format or media storage device is in danger of becoming obsolete then you must have an easy way to convert the files to a new format and/or move them to a new storage device. Take a look at your current file formats and storage media and then ask yourself how easy or difficult would it be to convert your files to a new file format and move them to new storage media?
What backup software should you use?
The most convenient may be the backup software built into both the Windows and Mac operating systems. There are also a great many commercial programs available and finally there are free alternatives. I’m not going to make a recommendation but you can use your favorite search engine to find those available for your operating system and how best to use them.
Two things to consider when choosing backup software. How is the data stored? How easy is it to retrieve individual photos? These are actually the opposite sides of the same coin so to speak. Many backup programs store their data in a proprietary format and they may also compress all your photos into a single backup file. This can make it difficult to restore photos if your primary drive crashes and you no longer have access to the backup program. This can also make it difficult to find and restore one or more individual photos. Others store them in the same structure and format as you store them on your computer. This makes it easier to find and restore individual photos.
There are other considerations such as do they store each modification of an individual photo? In other words if you have modified a photo does the software store it as a separate file or does it overwrite the old file with the new one? Another consideration is encryption. Do you need it?
Do your research before selecting backup software and choose the one that you think will work best for you.
Of course if you have properly grouped and organized your photos on your computers drive you can back them up simply by copying them from your computer to your backup drive using the operating system's tools. This might require more continuous input by you but no special backup software is required.
Here is what I do.
If you are still reading I’ll tell you what I do. I have a little over 47,000 image files consuming 556GB of storage space. My backup system described below works for me but it may or may not be the best solution for you.
I store all my photos in my camera’s RAW file format. Without getting into the RAW vs Jpeg debate I do this so I have the original file with the maximum amount of image data available. I store photos I post process in the proprietary file format of the software I use such as Photoshop’s PSD format. If the software doesn’t have it’s own proprietary format I save it either as a Tiff file or PSD file. These formats allow me to go back and further modify my photo without having to start over. Files that I have shared or want to share I store in Jpeg format. Pretty much anyone with a computer, smartphone or tablet can view a Jpeg file.
When it comes to storage media I don’t use CDs or DVDs. They are slow and photos would most likely have to be moved to another storage media if I ever needed to convert them to a new file format. I store my photos on USB 3.0 external drives.
I no longer store my photos on my computer. Except when I’m working on them they are stored on an external hard drive. I have two USB 3.0 external hard drives where my photos reside. In addition I backup all my other important files to these drives. One is always attached to my computer to allow for easy access. The other is stored in a fire proof safe on the top shelf where it would not likely be damaged by water.
I backup my important files to my primary attached, external drive whenever I’ve spent a lot of time working on something or at least once a week. I backup my primary external drive to my other external drive that is stored in my safe at a minimum every two weeks.
Finally the software I use is THIS program. This is a free open source program. I use it for two reasons. First it’s free and second it stores my backup photos in the same structure and format as they reside on my computer making it easier to find and retrieve an individual photo. Plus if my computer’s hard drive were to fail I can retrieve my photos without having the FreeFileSync software by simply using the computer operating system's tools to copy them to a new drive.
That’s it. I hope if you are not backing up your photos you will use the information presented to start backing them up. If you already backup your photos the information may cause you to re-evaluate your current method and perhaps make a change.
