iPhoto syncing and backing up options

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Level 1

9 points

iPhoto syncing and backing up options

I am looking for advice on the best solution to sync my iphoto library. My library is very large probably 70GB. I have an external backup but I don't backup my laptop enough so I am worried I will lose a lot of photos and videos when it fails someday. I am looking for a syncing solution that will always backup my iphoto library and allow me to restore it if it crashes or my hard drive fails and I need a new mac. I am looking for the most reliable solution. Cost is a factor, but not most important. Thank you for any advice!

Any opinions on these backup/syncing options?

1. Carbonite?

2. Dropbox?

3. Google Drive?

4. iCloud? seems very expensive and does it work or is it glitchy?

5. Time capsule?

OS X Mavericks (10.9.2), Mavericks, 16GB memory, 2.4 Intel

Posted on Jul 28, 2015 11:24 AM

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Answer 1

léonie

Level 10

194,785 points

Jul 28, 2015 11:37 AM in response to Dan Gilliam

An iphoto Library does only work if it is on a directly connected drive. You cannot store an iPhoto Library on a remotely mounted volume.

See: iPhoto: Issues with FAT32-formatted drives

Additionally, storing the iPhoto library on a network rather than locally on your computer can also lead to poor performance or data loss.

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

If you want a reliable backup of your iPhoto Library use an external drive and cloning software like Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner to make incremental backup copies of the library. Or use TimeMachine more regularly.

I tested to store the iPhoto Library on network volumes, but the library was corrupted after a few syncing cycles, none worked, neither Dropbox, nor iCloud Drive, nor a Samba server.

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Answer 2

Dan Gilliam Author

Level 1

9 points

Jul 28, 2015 1:13 PM in response to léonie

Thanks, that's good to know. So many sites say its easy to set-up, but I was wondering if it works all the time.

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Answer 3

léonie

Level 10

194,785 points

Jul 28, 2015 1:25 PM in response to Dan Gilliam

You can store photos in Dropbox or Google Drive. But an iPhoto Library or Photos Library is package of linked items and database files. And these links will break by the syncing, if the syncing does not understand the way the items in the package relate.

Apple's solution for the cloud storage of Photos Libraries is iCloud Photo Library. That works well, but requires to sign up for enough paid cloud storage.

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