Great advice here. The above is worth repeating.Originally Posted by Snapshot
Great advice here. The above is worth repeating.
At what resolution does this happen? I use Google myself and so far everything has been stored in its native resolution.
Do you have a free account or are you paying for the extra storage space?
While I am not an IT person, I manage the file storage for a $500M/year general contractor as part of my other duties.
Get to the cloud.
The ability to upload files, selectively sync the folders you want, have access to all your files all the time provided you have an internet connection... I wouldn’t do anything else. Fuck all that NAS, local storage, all that stuff.
We use Dropbox at home,$17/month I think, and we store all kinds of things there. The ability to easily share files with one another plus external folks is phenomenal.
My wife was a high-end wedding photographer until she “retired” a couple of years ago. She was storing shit on all manner of external drives, etc. total nightmare.
As for naming, assuming you’re on a windows machine (and why on earth aren’t you if you if you aren’t? Are you a teenager or an artist or something?) check out the bulk rename utility
https://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/
It does some basic re-naming but also has some ability to change file names based on dates, etc and can allow you to batch entire folders or groups of files. So, for example, you get all the Xmas 2003 files into one folder, and then batch rename them “0312 Xmas” with the date and time stamp and you’ve got all your photos named and in order.
Last edited by rob_s; 10-06-2020 at 05:30 AM.
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1) first get your structure down, so you can have any hope of finding anything in the future.
2) don't let stuff pile up; it's soul crushing
3) have a primary storage location (something mirrored/RAID1 would be awesome, and pretty easy to buy.)
4) I'm not a huge fan of cloud storage (I don't like the idea of some faceless company having possession of my stuff) but it can have it's place.
I've actually been doing "cloud" backup hosting for a small number of my clients, where *I* am the cloud provider. I know exactly where their stuff is stored, how it's stored, how it's encrypted, how it's backed up, and I know who has eyes/fingers on all of it (me!)
PM me if you want more of my thoughts.
One of my favorite debates *used to be* cloud vs local. Now it’s just old and tired. Like “horse vs car”.
Couple of notes though...
Our outsourced IT was super against the cloud. Wonder why? Turns out they are charging us through the nose for their local server and various types of backups. Meanwhile two years ago, while the entire executive staff was on retreat, we get a call that the local server has shit the bed and will require a new part that will take over 24 hours to source. All of our operations files? Already moved to the cloud and our project teams kept chugging along just fine, thank you! HR, BD, accounting, and estimating? Fucked. Now they’re all on the cloud too. But some are so precious that we have had to fake their old local server drive letters with the cloud storage so they can feel comfortable with the whole thing.
You don’t have to only depend on the cloud storage if you still harbor paranoid delusions about “the man” being the only one to have your shit. You *can* back things up locally under your tinfoil hat.
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In terms of getting over the initial hurdle of massive folder(s), honestly my recommendation is use a terminal because then size isn't much of an issue. This is NOT the user-friendly option for those that have never used a terminal. You also have to be very careful because often a change you make in the terminal cannot be recovered from so you need to be deliberate and sure about changes you make. The value in it is the ability to use simple patterns to move huge chunks of files with simple commands and without needing an insane amount of computing power. If it was me, I'd probably start by using a pattern (date or other identifying characteristic in the filename) to break down the uber-folder into more manageable folders. Maybe by date.
For example, say I wanted to move a ton of images by date. Imagine I have a bunch of pics with this sort of date-based naming scheme:
IMG_20200901_130059.jpg
IMG_20200902_130114.jpg
IMG_20200903_130202.jpg
If using a Mac or other Unix-based terminal, I might navigate to that folder in my terminal and run a command like this:
mv IMG_202009* 2020/september/.
That simultaneously creates a "2020" folder and "september" subfolder while also moving any of the images from September into it. Hopefully that illustrates the power, all without having to resort to... "the cloud"!
Or the Windows command prompt version:
mkdir 2020\september
move IMG_202009* 2020\september\.
First you have to create the folder/subfolder, at least based on my rusty DOS skills (aka "command prompt" these days). Then you move all of September's files to the new "2020" directory and "september" subfolder.
If attempting anything like this and you've never done it before, I'd recommend creating some empty folders and files to experiment with first. Also, consider asking someone for help that's more familiar with working in a terminal. I'm always happy to answer questions on this sort of stuff if you PM me.
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I pay Google 1.99 / month.
Agreed with rob_s and others there are many benefits and conveniences to the cloud, but I would avoid using it as my _only_ backup because (a) it requires a wide area network connection which we tend to take for granted but which can be pretty easily disrupted, and (b) your stuff is in the hands of "somebody, somewhere" who may or may not deserve your trust, now or in the future.
If the NAS & similar infrastructure is too inconvenient / expensive / etc. then primary backup to the cloud with another backup to something under your control might be a good combination. This could be a small portable solid state drive (SSD) - I use a pair of 2TB Samsung T5s and rotate them onsite / offsite once a week or so. I have a script that copies what I consider to be my most important files (including photos) to the onsite SSD which then goes offsite and the other one comes home to take its turn the following week. This is semi-automatic in that I need to plug it in and run the script, and is in addition to the nightly automatic backup to the NAS.
A "better" solution might be to have the NAS back itself up to the cloud, or to another NAS at a different location, and this is available and suitable for a business or high end individual, but it requires a better wide area network connection than I am willing to pay for.
The idea where you are the cloud provider is interesting but I think it is a big responsibility earn and retain the trust of keeping others' data safe.
I agree with all the above. It seems you have two tasks:
The Gordian Knot of a folder, where all the images are tossed in together. You need to organize the pictures. I agree on developing a file hierarchy, and doing the slug work of moving files to the folders they need to be in. Remember, when creating your file folder system, it needs to be flexible, descriptive, and allow you (or someone else) to find something in 20 years. Ours is based on where we we living at the time (military moves a lot), then years, then descriptive folder (ex. “Spring Soccer”) then the pictures. When I download the pictures from my Nikon camera, I rename them in the process, and add them to a new folder in the file system. Simple, logical. Allows my wife to find pictures when she needs to.
Backups. I have several drives on my Mac Pro tower. I duplicate the data, and use a RAID as well. Then I use time machine to a backup USB drive. Then I use Backblaze to backup offsite/to the cloud. $50 per year. Worth it. If the house burns down, all the on-site backups are worthless because they will all be destroyed. So I have on-site backups in case of hard drive crash/death, and off-site backups in case of calamity/acts of God.
I am not an IT wizard like the folks above, nor am I a pro photographer. If I can do it, so can you. Sort of like cleaning out your sock drawer, do it once, and keep it organized after that. That said, when I go into my wife’s computer and try to find shit due to the disorganized filing scheme, I want to pull my hair out. For her, iCloud Drive/Google drive/DropBox drive sharing is the key, because it allows her to share files across desktop, laptop, and iPad while keeping versions up to date, and providing a backup. I use iCloud Drive, but not for critical/personal files. Just a personal technique.
Just my .02 cents.
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master"
Ditto iCloud and the Mac Mini. If you want to back up the mini separate from the cloud plug in your external storage of choice and run Time Machine. Time machine has saved more than one person where I’m currently working. Including me.
Yes you will pay for extra iCloud storage but it’s really pretty inexpensive. The MacMini also seems a little expensive up front but it’s a great multi tasker. And apples native photo app works really, really well.
“If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything." - Miyamoto Musashi
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