Best online photo service?
January 8, 2007 8:34 PM Subscribe
What's the best photo storage solution? Specifically, I'm looking for a service with both online and offline components, unlimited storage, and fast and easy tagging / uploading / searching / viewing. Does such a site exist?
More specifically, here are the features I'm looking for.
It has to be free, or at least cheap, and have unlimited storage.
I'd prefer one that doesn't have to be 100% browser-based - that is, a downloadable client exists and you can use it to easily navigate and tag your photos. It'd sync up with your account whenever you're online.
You can view the photos both on- and offline (the client would store thumbnails).
Uploading is done through the client, not the browser.
Extra frills like facial recognition, etc. are just that - frills, and unnecessary (but nice!).
The main thing I'm looking for is a client that's not browser-based.
Currently I'm using Yahoo, and I don't really like it. It's too slow and unresponsive, and it's a pain to tag everything. Does a better solution exist?
help!!
More specifically, here are the features I'm looking for.
It has to be free, or at least cheap, and have unlimited storage.
I'd prefer one that doesn't have to be 100% browser-based - that is, a downloadable client exists and you can use it to easily navigate and tag your photos. It'd sync up with your account whenever you're online.
You can view the photos both on- and offline (the client would store thumbnails).
Uploading is done through the client, not the browser.
Extra frills like facial recognition, etc. are just that - frills, and unnecessary (but nice!).
The main thing I'm looking for is a client that's not browser-based.
Currently I'm using Yahoo, and I don't really like it. It's too slow and unresponsive, and it's a pain to tag everything. Does a better solution exist?
help!!
Response by poster: I really like Picasa, but there's a few problems -
I'm on a Mac (forgot to mention that...whoops), and Picasa runs only on Windows and Linux (don't know what that's about)
Also, there's only 250 MB of space.
Picasa Web is great for individual galleries, but it's not really what I'm looking for.
posted by cybertaur1 at 8:38 PM on January 8, 2007
I'm on a Mac (forgot to mention that...whoops), and Picasa runs only on Windows and Linux (don't know what that's about)
Also, there's only 250 MB of space.
Picasa Web is great for individual galleries, but it's not really what I'm looking for.
posted by cybertaur1 at 8:38 PM on January 8, 2007
My husband tried Picasa Web and hates it. I have been on Flickr since the dark ages, and can't say enough good things about it. I've had work republished via Flickr, and though I haven't seen any $$ from it yet, getting my name out there artistically is always a bonus.
The paid Flickr account I have is by far worth every penny.
I don't know if this is helpful to you, since you say you're using Yahoo, and I know that Flickr was bought by Yahoo... I'm assuming that these are two different sites, but perhaps not.
As far as software goes, I use Picasa on PCs when I have to and don't hate it, but the iPhoto/Photoshop combo platter I have on my Mac is far, far superior. I have no problem using Photoshop for editing and then uploading via a web-based portal.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 9:39 PM on January 8, 2007
The paid Flickr account I have is by far worth every penny.
I don't know if this is helpful to you, since you say you're using Yahoo, and I know that Flickr was bought by Yahoo... I'm assuming that these are two different sites, but perhaps not.
As far as software goes, I use Picasa on PCs when I have to and don't hate it, but the iPhoto/Photoshop combo platter I have on my Mac is far, far superior. I have no problem using Photoshop for editing and then uploading via a web-based portal.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 9:39 PM on January 8, 2007
flickr fulfills pretty-much all of your requirements that I can see. The Pro account is not free, but cheap and well worth it. This provides unlimited uploads, storage and bandwidth. As they have an API, there are lots of clients available for uploading, tagging, sorting etc - including several for the Mac, all of which are very very good. I'm a mac user and use some of the clients (flickr upladr, 1001 etc) regularly. I never upload via the website - always via the clients, due to ease of use (drag and drop from iPhoto, enter tags, image titles and descriptions, press an upload button).
The tagging and grouping capabilities of flickr are excellent and done very easily through both its web based flash interface and the offline clients.
When you get using it, the social networking side of it is really fun and a great source of inspiration to me.
Can't speak highly enough of if.
posted by superfurry at 1:22 AM on January 9, 2007
The tagging and grouping capabilities of flickr are excellent and done very easily through both its web based flash interface and the offline clients.
When you get using it, the social networking side of it is really fun and a great source of inspiration to me.
Can't speak highly enough of if.
posted by superfurry at 1:22 AM on January 9, 2007
You're not going to get unlimited storage for free. Even disregarding business models, something like that would open the hosting service to all kinds of abuse.
Flickr has an open API and so there are several standalone applications (by Flickr and third parties) for managing your Flickr account, and it meets all the requirements you list. And since it's owned by Yahoo, you can use your existing Yahoo login. I'm happy with Flickr, effectively free for me because my pro account was a birthday present. Even non-pro accounts work out pretty well; you get almost everything pro accounts have besides the unlimited storage, so auditioning the service is painless.
posted by ardgedee at 3:26 AM on January 9, 2007
Flickr has an open API and so there are several standalone applications (by Flickr and third parties) for managing your Flickr account, and it meets all the requirements you list. And since it's owned by Yahoo, you can use your existing Yahoo login. I'm happy with Flickr, effectively free for me because my pro account was a birthday present. Even non-pro accounts work out pretty well; you get almost everything pro accounts have besides the unlimited storage, so auditioning the service is painless.
posted by ardgedee at 3:26 AM on January 9, 2007
zoomr.com will do a lot of these things and if you have a blog they'll give you a 4gb account for free. it's not as community based as flickr that i can see of (yet) but it's nice and easy.
posted by heartquake at 6:47 AM on January 9, 2007
posted by heartquake at 6:47 AM on January 9, 2007
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posted by saraswati at 8:36 PM on January 8, 2007