How do I backup photo files to Google Drive?

Select Events to be backed up and export out of iPhoto via File ➙ Export ➙ File Export with the following settings:

and drag the exported folders of photos to your Google drive.

Note: the entire iPhoto library can't be backed upb to Google drive as the format of the Google drive is not compatible with the iPhoto library. But you can backup folders with image files.

OT

Yes - that is a good and simple solution - some people keep the drive in a safe deposit box - some in their car - soem at a friend's or realitive's house

LN

For future users who might encounter this...

Dropbox has a feature to Import from iPhoto into your Dropbox account. The "Pro" level ($9.99/mo) gives you 100GB, so it seems you'd be able to fit into that space no problem.

While there's the monthly cost, it seems much easier than the setup you proposed.

That said, I prefer Google Drive because for the $9.99, I get a full Terabyte (1000GB) of storage... so I was hoping for a similar solution for that, but I guess there isn't. Yet. 🙂

Seth

The problem with the Dropbox option is that it doesn't back up your Library, just some version (though I'm not sure which one) of your photos. You can do that for free with flickr.

True... it does seem to just keep a snapshot of the state of the iPhoto library at that moment... it doesn't auto-sync.

However... here's something I found via a similar question on these forums. https://www.insynchq.com/ I've installed it and used its "Add to Insync" command to create a live copy of my iPhoto and iTunes to my Google Drive. It seems to be working. It's $15 for the software but well worth it in my view, considering the fact that my music and photos are now all backed up all the time. It does the same for any file/folder anywhere on the computer, without having to copy/move it to the Google Drive sync folder.

Not a salesperson for that service. Just happen to like it so far. 🙂

Seth

I've installed it and used its "Add to Insync" command to create a live copy of my iPhoto and iTunes to my Google Drive.

But now you're back to the Google Drive problem. Storing (and backing up to) a Library on Google Drive runs a very high risk of damaging the Library as it's stored on an inappropriate disk format.

I'm not really sure where you've got that information. I did find this article http://simoncurd.com/2013/02/19/moving-your-iphoto-library-to-the-cloud/, which mentions that, if you upgraded from iPhoto 10 to iPhoto 11, the aliases created inside the library no longer work... but it also has lots of info on how to clean that up (essentially, turn the aliases into real photos). Also this. http://aurelio.net/articles/dropbox-iphoto-11.html

On the other hand, that article is about MOVING your iPhoto library into the Dropbox folder. I'm not doing that, I'm creating a symlink (symbolic link) using Insync... and, unlike Dropbox, Insync DOES support symlinks. I looked inside the folder structure in my iPhoto library, and it does have alias/symlink folders inside. So I'll let it sync up and let you know if I run into trouble.

If you know of other issues that would cause problems (other than aliases / symlinks) I'd love to see where you got that info.

Seth

The problem with random blogs on the internet is that the person writing them may not know as much as they think they do. A clue might be the references to an "iPhoto 10" library. There is not and never has been an iPhoto 10.

that article is about MOVING your iPhoto library into the Dropbox folder. I'm not doing that, I'm creating a symlink (symbolic link) using Insync... and, unlike Dropbox, Insync DOES support symlinks.

Okay, so you have a symlink to Google Drive. Now what happens if you have an issue - hard drive failure, accidental deletion whatever - and you want to restore the Library from Drive? It's going to be downloaded from the Google server, right? So, what format is that server? If it's not formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) then the chances of data corruption are very high. My source for this information? Apple:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5168

for more. Note also the comment:

iPhoto libraries should be stored on a locally mounted Mac OS X Extended drive for best performance.

So, the issue isn't using the Library but when you restore it...

Now regrettably, the article refers to FAT drives rather than all drives, but check the forum here or over on Aperture (which uses the exact same Library) and you'll see the many reports of folks whose Libraries have been trashed when stored on a NAS or Server or inappropriately formatted disk.

That's interesting. I think we can disregard that KB article, because, as you say, it's about FAT32, which neither Google Drive nor Dropbox use, and it doesn't give any details as to why FAT32 drives are problematic. For the other examples you allude to -- are they from syncing with a cloud service? I'm not storing my iPhoto library on a NAS or external drive... I'm copying my NFS+ folder to the cloud, using a service specifically designed for that purpose.

I'm also looking at real-world experiences (from the link I posted above, and there are several examples in the google search https://www.google.com/search?q=backup+iphoto+library+to+cloud)-- these are people who have successfully moved over their iPhoto library to Dropbox and Google Drive, have encountered issues, and have figured out the cause and resolved those issues and explained it all pretty clearly. I trust those testimonies, "random blog" or not, because they're specifically addressing the issue we're discussing here, they're written by the people doing the tests, and frankly I don't see why they would lie about it.

Regardless, let's be pragmatic here. I'm trying it out... and I'll let you know if I encounter poor performance or data loss. I have backed up my library locally so I'm willing to take the chance... in the name of SCIENCE! 😀

Seth

I think we can disregard that KB article, because, as you say, it's about FAT32, which neither Google Drive nor Dropbox use, and it doesn't give any details as to why FAT32 drives are problematic

Perhaps you need to re-read my last paragraph:

...but check the forum here or over on Aperture (which uses the exact same Library) and you'll see the many reports of folks whose Libraries have been trashed when stored on a NAS or Server or inappropriately formatted disk.

So, no, I don't think we can disregard that article. As to why? Well the common mistake is to assume that the iPhoto Library is just a bunch of files. It's not. It, the Aperture Library and libraries from 3rd party apps like DevonThink and even Lightroom are complex ecosystems of interlocking SQL databases, XML and impeta files that manage the interrelationships between the Masters, the Previews, the Thumbnails and so on. (and btw, knowledge base articles rarely explain why...)

And while you're copying a folder to the cloud, what is the folder sitting on when it's in the Cloud? It's not about the device, it's about the disk format the Library is sitting on. So, find a NAS or Server formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and you'll have no problems. But if it's sitting on something else then the risk of corruption is very real indeed, especially once you start to write to the Library when updating the back up.

The problem referred to in the first two articles - about the symlinks - arises in one specific case only: Libraries updated from an earlier version to iPhoto 11. It does not exist in newly created Libraries at all. But these articles say nothing about the data corruption issues that are caused by having the Library on an inappropriately formatted disk - issues from problems importing, exporting, saving edits and sharing the photos up to lost metadata, lost edits and so on.

No disrespect to the folks you linked to but you have to read carefully and cautiously. Both of those articles are more than 15 months old and there have been a lot of updates since. Are you sure they're still current? On the google link some of those pages are more than 2 years old, predate iPhoto 11, predate the common iPhoto/Aperture Library. And they make common mistakes like: :

The photos you have edited are saved to a different folder inside your library, named Modified. Guess what? This folder was also renamed and symlinked in iPhoto '11, now it's called Previews. And there goes another duplicates to the Dropbox server…

No they are not "the photos I have edited". That's not what Previews are. They have no role in editing at all. It's all virtual in iPhoto 11. The previews are there just for media browser access. (You can actually not use them at all - there's a setting to turn them off in Aperture.) And, no they're not duplicatesl... The point is if the person is unclear on what the elements of the Library are, what their role is and so on, are you sure that's the plan to follow?

My aim in writing is to let you know what I have seen and learned on here - and not only you. This is an open forum and lots of people search the site and never post. The desire for a cloud back up of the Library is great. It comes up here quite a lot. But, as of this writing the fact remains: there is (unfortunately) no reliable cloud back up for the iPhoto Library.

By all means experiment, but I would not be using it as your sole back up.