Can You Solve My Photo Backup Dilemma?

My current method for the backup of photos taken on my phone is as follows:
1. Take the photo.
2. Google photos immediately backs this up (WiFi or cellular).
3. At the end of the day/trip I delete all the duplicates/blurry photos etc.
4. Once a month I jump on the computer, download the photos off google photos and sort them into folder albums.
5. Google drive desktop client backs this up automatically.

However, this means I am using double the amount of storage on my google account, because Google Photos and Google Drive are both storing the images.

I've tried OneDrive, but the auto photo backup means if I delete duplicates/blurry photos at the end of the day in my gallery app (Google Photos), OneDrive won't reflect those changes. Ideally, I want to be able to do the following:
- Have photos backed up straight away and delete duplicates at the end of the day.
- Be able to send photos on my phone to folder albums, that then sync with the pictures folder on my computer (OneDrive and Google Drive do this).
- Not take up two lots of storage space.

What system do you use? And how have you set this up to backup with your computer/cloud? Am I just too pedantic wanting everything stored in dated albums?

Comments

  • Buy an old Pixel original? Unlimited original quality photo backups?

    • Online storage is not my issue thankfully. I've got Google One (thanks to Google Rewards credits) and also 200GB OneDrive thanks to a Telstra Deal way back.

  • I used to use google drive to back them up too… I've since stopped since the photos integration that they started. I'm a bit confused. Is there a benefit to having your photos in Google photos as well as being sorted into folders in Google Drive?

    Personally, I've found the functionality and searchability of the Google Photos to be better than what I used to do manually in folder and stuff.

    • Good point! There's no reason I store them in folders for specific events/trips, its just what I've always done, and it's a way to organise them. I guess people are moving away from this now though.

      • +1

        Looks like you can create albums in Google Photos. Might be best to organize that way

  • Maybe consider a traditional cloud backup service.

    I have recently started using Backblaze to complement my old-school USB hard-disk offline backups. They have a couple of different services, some easier to use than others. I'm using their B2 service which is dirt cheap to the point that my backups so far cost me next to nothing. If you've got 100's go GB of photos, then you'd need to do the math.

  • +1

    Iyou have a dilemma? I dream to be as disciplined and organised as you with my thousands of photos.

  • However, this means I am using double the amount of storage on my google account, because Google Photos and Google Drive are both storing the images.

    Do you need a copy in Google Photos, a copy on your computer and another copy in Google Drive?

    If you want 'backups' then having two backups with one company isn't wise. If something takes out your google photos, it might take out your drive backup as well.

    Why now get some local storage to backup to?

    Google photos, local copy on computer, another copy on a ext drive or a Amazon etc.

  • Buy a NAS.

  • What phone are you using?
    MicroSD card?
    Then PC/External drive?

    Otherwise, check your backup settings, and have the auto-sync setup on your pc as well. If you have a PC that is usually turned on and connected with an eternal drive - then let the PC sync from the cloud backup, and also sync to the external drive.

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