iPhones, photos, and backup/storage/serving?
Discussion
I currently have a few iPhones to backup and look after.
Is there any nice way to manage the whole photos/videos?
The last two times I've backed up photos/videos using Win10 import, it just keeps halting on "cannot create a file when it already exists" but if I click retry it works, but it's 7,500 photos and videos just on my iPhone! My wife has more... It takes hundreds of clicks.
This time on Windows it's now copying everything again, and isn't seeing the existing images in the folders, so I now have duplicate images name (2) all over the folders.
The iPhones get media deleted, but it's nice to keep some stuff on them, so the backup (which has everything), and the iPhones aren't storing the same files, so it's important to only grab the new stuff, but nothing else, otherwise it's a manual job to sift through and delete duplicates (well there is software to automate it, but you still ideally need to visually check)
I'm thinking it's all too clunky really now the data-set is getting so big. I had been setting up a media server with Jellyfin for all the photos/videos (and other media), but it's just not very nice on the iPhone (planned to basically serve everything from the server to the phones, so the phones could be emptied of media but have access to it all from the server)
So, simple need. A way to sync new photos in a really solid reliable way that doesn't break?
In an ideal world, the backup (date + file names) isn't great either. I'd prefer to move them from here to choreographed storage for media serving, but then files still on the iPhones that have been removed from the rough backup will get copied back in, despite them already being in the choreographed location.
Arghhh. Not easy is it.
But it feels like the first important step is just a robust backup to the raw photo/video backup location, which is already failing, which makes any subsequent methodology completely unworkable.
Why Apple can't just store the photos in date/file name format so it can be a native copy/paste in essence.
Is there any nice way to manage the whole photos/videos?
The last two times I've backed up photos/videos using Win10 import, it just keeps halting on "cannot create a file when it already exists" but if I click retry it works, but it's 7,500 photos and videos just on my iPhone! My wife has more... It takes hundreds of clicks.
This time on Windows it's now copying everything again, and isn't seeing the existing images in the folders, so I now have duplicate images name (2) all over the folders.
The iPhones get media deleted, but it's nice to keep some stuff on them, so the backup (which has everything), and the iPhones aren't storing the same files, so it's important to only grab the new stuff, but nothing else, otherwise it's a manual job to sift through and delete duplicates (well there is software to automate it, but you still ideally need to visually check)
I'm thinking it's all too clunky really now the data-set is getting so big. I had been setting up a media server with Jellyfin for all the photos/videos (and other media), but it's just not very nice on the iPhone (planned to basically serve everything from the server to the phones, so the phones could be emptied of media but have access to it all from the server)
So, simple need. A way to sync new photos in a really solid reliable way that doesn't break?
In an ideal world, the backup (date + file names) isn't great either. I'd prefer to move them from here to choreographed storage for media serving, but then files still on the iPhones that have been removed from the rough backup will get copied back in, despite them already being in the choreographed location.
Arghhh. Not easy is it.
But it feels like the first important step is just a robust backup to the raw photo/video backup location, which is already failing, which makes any subsequent methodology completely unworkable.
Why Apple can't just store the photos in date/file name format so it can be a native copy/paste in essence.
I have 14,000 photos and videos on a 64GB XS.
Currently pay £2.29 for iCloud and share with my wife and the 200GB is full.
Haven’t backed up the phone in 7 weeks.
Majority of the 14,000 files of media of our 3 year old daughter.
There’s no easy option to store them and delete the majority rather than a select few it seems.
Currently pay £2.29 for iCloud and share with my wife and the 200GB is full.
Haven’t backed up the phone in 7 weeks.
Majority of the 14,000 files of media of our 3 year old daughter.
There’s no easy option to store them and delete the majority rather than a select few it seems.
Mr Whippy said:
Sorry I forgot to mention not cloud based.
Not keen on giving all my data to Apple etc.
Given the responses it sounds like no one does local storage any more?
I’m with you in regard to iCloud. I have a 1Tb hard drive and move the iPhone “recents” images to it regularly into specific folders. As long as you use at least one named folder the next step will still work. Then use iTunes to update the phone from the 1Tb drive; which is in effect the master file.Not keen on giving all my data to Apple etc.
Given the responses it sounds like no one does local storage any more?
The way I've done it is two fold...
The first is to copy all the files from our iphones onto my local NAS drive by plugging them into my PC and copying off..... I first copy them all to my PC drive, then use software called Beyond Compare to copy them over to the NAS. That way I don't copy all the duplicates, then delete them from the iphones. Its a ballache, but it works.
The second (and now my preferred option) is to use OneDrive. I know you aren't keen on the Cloud idea, but you can install it onto your iphone, and it'll sync your photos to the Microsoft OneDrive. Assuming you are using Windows PC, all the pictures will then appear on your PC in the Photos section. You can then use that to copy them onto your local hard drive if you like for safekeeping. Also, whilst I've yet to test this, I believe that if you delete a picture on your phone, it DOESNT delete it from the One Drive, so its easy to keep them all stored on the PC, whilst keeping the phones tidy. You can then still view them via the OneDrive app as well.
Neither option is perfect, but the OneDrive option seems pretty good for my needs in these complicated digital times. I think this will be my future go-to option, then once a year I'll copy the whole lot onto the NAS for local safe keeping and then start again.
Hope that helps.
The first is to copy all the files from our iphones onto my local NAS drive by plugging them into my PC and copying off..... I first copy them all to my PC drive, then use software called Beyond Compare to copy them over to the NAS. That way I don't copy all the duplicates, then delete them from the iphones. Its a ballache, but it works.
The second (and now my preferred option) is to use OneDrive. I know you aren't keen on the Cloud idea, but you can install it onto your iphone, and it'll sync your photos to the Microsoft OneDrive. Assuming you are using Windows PC, all the pictures will then appear on your PC in the Photos section. You can then use that to copy them onto your local hard drive if you like for safekeeping. Also, whilst I've yet to test this, I believe that if you delete a picture on your phone, it DOESNT delete it from the One Drive, so its easy to keep them all stored on the PC, whilst keeping the phones tidy. You can then still view them via the OneDrive app as well.
Neither option is perfect, but the OneDrive option seems pretty good for my needs in these complicated digital times. I think this will be my future go-to option, then once a year I'll copy the whole lot onto the NAS for local safe keeping and then start again.
Hope that helps.
Mr Whippy said:
Sorry I forgot to mention not cloud based.
Not keen on giving all my data to Apple etc.
Given the responses it sounds like no one does local storage any more?
I have 50,000 files on my laptop and a separate HDD too. Not keen on giving all my data to Apple etc.
Given the responses it sounds like no one does local storage any more?
A lot of duplicates files in that figure.
Just read a reply a few posts up which looks like a solution for me that I’ll have to look into.
Skyedriver said:
One of the reasons I don't like Apple.
Son has iPhone, wife has iPhone, I have a Samsung which uses Android, saves the pics in jpeg and i copy them over to my PC, cut & paste, dead easy.
For me to store their pics I get them whatsapped to me and save them from there.
My iPhone automatically backs up my photos to my PC and the cloud in jpeg files. Son has iPhone, wife has iPhone, I have a Samsung which uses Android, saves the pics in jpeg and i copy them over to my PC, cut & paste, dead easy.
For me to store their pics I get them whatsapped to me and save them from there.
Skyedriver said:
One of the reasons I don't like Apple.
Son has iPhone, wife has iPhone, I have a Samsung which uses Android, saves the pics in jpeg and i copy them over to my PC, cut & paste, dead easy.
For me to store their pics I get them whatsapped to me and save them from there.
iPhone - Settings-Camera-Formats- High Efficiency (is the HEIC/V format) / Most Compatible (is JPEG) - select the latter, job jobbedSon has iPhone, wife has iPhone, I have a Samsung which uses Android, saves the pics in jpeg and i copy them over to my PC, cut & paste, dead easy.
For me to store their pics I get them whatsapped to me and save them from there.
But seriously, just use Google Photos - then they'll all be in one place to begin with!
I was kinda hoping someone had written an app to do the cloudy things but to a local source.
That way I could populate the server side directly on the iphone/s.
Then at convenient times just sit down properly at computer to choreograph/tidy out the server data.
I get people love cloud but unless there is a way to encrypt it locally before it gets to the server then I’m out.
I think Apple are the only ones who do this…? But may still have keys and may still later monetise this resource.
Plus having to pay monthly isn’t appealing for me *unless* it’s got a really elegant sync back to a local storage/backup?
Ie, I need a way to get out elegantly once I’m in… I don’t want to get into iCloud and then be trapped because it’s near impossible to dump the lot back local again.
I know people have been caught out with iTunes in that regard with their music collections.
That way I could populate the server side directly on the iphone/s.
Then at convenient times just sit down properly at computer to choreograph/tidy out the server data.
I get people love cloud but unless there is a way to encrypt it locally before it gets to the server then I’m out.
I think Apple are the only ones who do this…? But may still have keys and may still later monetise this resource.
Plus having to pay monthly isn’t appealing for me *unless* it’s got a really elegant sync back to a local storage/backup?
Ie, I need a way to get out elegantly once I’m in… I don’t want to get into iCloud and then be trapped because it’s near impossible to dump the lot back local again.
I know people have been caught out with iTunes in that regard with their music collections.
If you use a Mac they get sync’d to iPhoto (although you have to have it open I think!) if you have it setup that way and then I have an external drive plugged into the Mac which backs up automatically via time machine.
I do use the Apple backup as well which gives me 200GB.
Out of curiosity what are your concerns with the Apple cloud?
I do use the Apple backup as well which gives me 200GB.
Out of curiosity what are your concerns with the Apple cloud?
Mr Whippy said:
I was kinda hoping someone had written an app to do the cloudy things but to a local source.
That way I could populate the server side directly on the iphone/s.
Then at convenient times just sit down properly at computer to choreograph/tidy out the server data.
I get people love cloud but unless there is a way to encrypt it locally before it gets to the server then I’m out.
I think Apple are the only ones who do this…? But may still have keys and may still later monetise this resource.
Plus having to pay monthly isn’t appealing for me *unless* it’s got a really elegant sync back to a local storage/backup?
Ie, I need a way to get out elegantly once I’m in… I don’t want to get into iCloud and then be trapped because it’s near impossible to dump the lot back local again.
I know people have been caught out with iTunes in that regard with their music collections.
As said if you have a Mac you can hold photos in iCloud and locallyThat way I could populate the server side directly on the iphone/s.
Then at convenient times just sit down properly at computer to choreograph/tidy out the server data.
I get people love cloud but unless there is a way to encrypt it locally before it gets to the server then I’m out.
I think Apple are the only ones who do this…? But may still have keys and may still later monetise this resource.
Plus having to pay monthly isn’t appealing for me *unless* it’s got a really elegant sync back to a local storage/backup?
Ie, I need a way to get out elegantly once I’m in… I don’t want to get into iCloud and then be trapped because it’s near impossible to dump the lot back local again.
I know people have been caught out with iTunes in that regard with their music collections.
If you have a synology nas then this
https://kb.synology.com/en-global/DSM/help/Synolog...
I don’t get what is in it for DropBox unless they’re going to use my data in some subversive way?
Apple via iCloud would be fine if I can then regularly dump it all back to jpg files in sensical folders on a Windows based PC/server… I’ll take a look at that route… as it’ll then work elegantly on the iPhone via iCloud.
My main concern is data privacy, and then access to it for my own backup/serving at home (local media server)
Apple are the only ones I trust with data generally, hence the iPhone.
Windows is firewalled into submission, and all local based… I wouldn’t trust MS with any data if I could help it.
I’ll dig into the iCloud route back to a PC then, as it sounds like the most realistic option given my needs… not ideal due to cost, but hey… saves me time!
Apple via iCloud would be fine if I can then regularly dump it all back to jpg files in sensical folders on a Windows based PC/server… I’ll take a look at that route… as it’ll then work elegantly on the iPhone via iCloud.
My main concern is data privacy, and then access to it for my own backup/serving at home (local media server)
Apple are the only ones I trust with data generally, hence the iPhone.
Windows is firewalled into submission, and all local based… I wouldn’t trust MS with any data if I could help it.
I’ll dig into the iCloud route back to a PC then, as it sounds like the most realistic option given my needs… not ideal due to cost, but hey… saves me time!
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