Quicker way to load Mega.co.nz photo thumbnails
September 16, 2016 11:31 AM Subscribe
I use Mega for a catch-all photo backup. This is in addition to backups of select photos that I really want to keep.
I found a reason to access that backup finally now after a few years of using it. I have 3000 photos to look through though. Loading the image thumbnails is so slow it would take months to find the photos this way.
How can I find the photo I'm looking for?
I'm afraid the photos are direct from my phone without any location or tags and in one big folder; this is a catch-all backup.
One idea I had was to download the entire cache locally and then browse through. The problem with this is that:
1) I don't have enough local disk space for that... so I'd have to buy a new drive just for this task
and
2) I'm on shared internet so I'd have to schedule the downloading. This might take a few weeks and I'd risk the computer in a shared area. I could alternatively pay for a remote access machine but that's pricey.
I don't regret using Mega per sec... Similar problems would probably affect other providers. What I like about it is that it's free for the amount I need. I used paid storage before but one month I couldn't meet the payment and Backblaze deleted all my data so I prefer free or other billing methods. But this is a problem I didn't foresee...
I'm afraid the photos are direct from my phone without any location or tags and in one big folder; this is a catch-all backup.
One idea I had was to download the entire cache locally and then browse through. The problem with this is that:
1) I don't have enough local disk space for that... so I'd have to buy a new drive just for this task
and
2) I'm on shared internet so I'd have to schedule the downloading. This might take a few weeks and I'd risk the computer in a shared area. I could alternatively pay for a remote access machine but that's pricey.
I don't regret using Mega per sec... Similar problems would probably affect other providers. What I like about it is that it's free for the amount I need. I used paid storage before but one month I couldn't meet the payment and Backblaze deleted all my data so I prefer free or other billing methods. But this is a problem I didn't foresee...
Do you remember approximately the date (at least the month) that you took the photo? Can Mega be sorted by date?
posted by clone boulevard at 11:52 AM on September 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by clone boulevard at 11:52 AM on September 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Do they have a name that indicates the order they were taken in? Can you download one from the middle, and would you know if the photo came before or after that one? If so, then repeat a few times to find a small set of photos that you would need to download.
If that doesn't work, I would:
1. find a remote server that has enough space (Amazon EC2 free tier?)
2. download them there
3. run imagemagick to resize the images
4. add an html file as an index to them (or some easy-to-install gallery software)
5. browse them there.
I realise this is quite a technical solution, but we could help to break any or all of the steps into more manageable pieces for you.
How large are all the files together?
posted by Gomez_in_the_South at 5:14 PM on September 16, 2016
If that doesn't work, I would:
1. find a remote server that has enough space (Amazon EC2 free tier?)
2. download them there
3. run imagemagick to resize the images
4. add an html file as an index to them (or some easy-to-install gallery software)
5. browse them there.
I realise this is quite a technical solution, but we could help to break any or all of the steps into more manageable pieces for you.
How large are all the files together?
posted by Gomez_in_the_South at 5:14 PM on September 16, 2016
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If so and if you remember the layout and colour scheme of the photo, quickly mock up a rough approximation with a drawing program, and make Google Image look for it.
And next time, take the time to tag your photos.
posted by zadcat at 11:47 AM on September 16, 2016