I already use time machine for my Mac. As a second line of defense for my pics, I was thinking of having a second form of backup. I believe I have a couple options. 1. Use the "export" feature in iPhoto to place the raw files on an external HD. 2. In "finder" drag the iPhoto library over to an external HD. Both seem pretty clean and easy. I have tested both. I am looking for other opinions on the two options. Pros and cons. Thanks.
How about using Carbon Copy Cloner to select your iPhoto Library to "clone" over to an external instead of manually dragging the files. You could even set up a schedule and do incremental backups.
How about using Carbon Copy Cloner to select your iPhoto Library to "clone" over to an external instead of manually dragging the files. You could even set up a schedule and do incremental backups.
Back up the whole Library. Why? Because in the event of a problem it's a whole lot less work than starting over from scratch - which is what you will do if you only back up the photos.
Rather than just dragging the Library to the external, use an app that will do incremental back ups. The first time you run the back up the app will make a complete copy of the Library. Thereafter it will update the back up with the changes you have made. That makes subsequent back ups much faster. Many of these apps also have scheduling capabilities: So set it up and it will do the back up automatically. Examples of such apps: Chronosync or DejaVu . But there are many others. Search on MacUpdate
My schedule: My Library lives on my iMac. It’s Backed up to two external hard disks every day. These disks are permanently attached to the iMac. These back ups run automatically. One is done by Time Machine, one is a bootable back up done by SuperDuper
It’s also backed up to a portable hard disk when ever new photos are added. This hard disk lives in my car. For security, this disk is password protected.
I have a second off-site back up at a relative’s house across town. That’s updated every 3 or 4 months.
My Photos are backed up online. There are many options: Flickr, Picasa, SmugMug etc. However, check the terms of your account carefully. While most sites have free uploading, you will often find that these uploads are limited in terms of the file size or the bandwidth you can use per month. For access that allows you to upload full size pics with no restrictions you may need to pay.
Every couple of months I test the back ups to make sure they are working correctly. It’s very easy to mis-configure a back up application, and the only way to protect against that is to do a trial restore.
Opinion Needed...exporting iPhoto pics
