We compiled a list of the best cloud photo storage services. The same services also work with libraries from desktop applications like iPhoto, Aperture, or Adobe Lightroom, although you’ll want to make sure to save these files in a folder on internal or external storage that’s set up to sync from desktop to cloud for faster local access, rather than a network-based drive dependent upon internet access Bitcasa offers such an option, and other cloud services can do the same using software like ExpanDrive.

Some of the more popular options cloud storage options include Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and others, including many offer mobile apps that can be configured to automatically back up the Camera Roll of iOS and Android devices. If you happen to be a person who isn’t very proactive about keeping a good backup of digital photos, syncing them to the cloud is a great way to “set it and forget it.” There are an endless variety of services with Mac desktop clients, and many of them offer generous amounts of free or cheap storage as well.

However, the more devices and photos you have, the more difficult this can be to put in place.Įven still, the one advantage external hard drives have over recordable media is the bigger and cheaper storage space, with external hard drives now commonly offering over 1TB of storage or more. In which case, saving to a single master USB stick can work well as a backup option for photos in general.

In that regard, a USB flash drive will probably be the simpler solution, as not only does it not require leads connecting up to your PC, but they can be easily stored away until needed, and taken with you to other locations as required. Better still, USB flash drives tend to be relatively cheap while offering a large storage space. Additionally, you might not want to use up your limited number of USB ports with an 'always on' external hard drive connection. That may not seem like a big problem, but it would seem more ideal to reduce clutter so that backups won't get in your way. Solid State Drives (SSDs) are more stable, but tend to cost more, and while reliability may seem like an initial plus it does mean you will have to find space for the drive and connecting wires on your computer workspace.

While that's a perfectly fine way to run a set of backups, the caveat is that hard drives can fail. Mention ' external hard drive' and most people will immediately think of a standalone SATA harddrive, connected up via USB to your computer, which you can then copy and write files to.

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