As the saying goes, “nothing lasts forever. ” Unfortunately, this statement is accurate, and proof of it is seen in this technological era. Most people nowadays have many digital photos on their smart devices, yet these images can disappear in a matter of seconds with one mis-click of a button, a hard drive failure, a misfortunate accident, or personal hardship.
There are many options to keep your photos safe, but the most important of all is having more than one copy of them. In addition, it would be best if you also stored them in different locations, whether that be devices or external hard drives.
The most common picture format is JPG/JPEG. Despite significant efforts to change this format, it’s still your best bet for your images.
If you want your digital images to last forever, there are two main things you can do:
Keep moving your data to new formats before the old ones get obsolete.
Move your photos to a new storage device before you’re no longer able to use the old one. Below you’ll find different options to save and preserve your images.
Using Optical Disc
You run a significant risk when you store your pictures on your hard drive. So, while you have them stored there, it’s best you also save them on a removable storage device.
Other storage devices include Blu-ray optical discs, CD-R, and DVDs. You can’t delete photos stored on these discs with one click.
Nowadays, people are more familiar with using thumb drives to save work and photos. However, the charge will decay over time, rendering the drive useless.
Convert your JPG/JPEG files to PDF
Using Adobe Acrobat, you can convert your photo files into PDF files to save them long-term. Adobe Acrobat is a part of a family of application software developed by Abode Inc.
Adobe Acrobat is the best choice when saving picture files, so you don’t lose its quality. Once you download the Adobe Acrobat app, you’ll be able to convert JPG to PDF easily in its free version for a while.
Using Cloud Storage
Saving your images in your cloud is saving them on someone else’s hard drive. While using a cloud saves you from using a hard drive, you have no control over your data.
Many large companies such as Apple and Google offer photo storage. Both provide a free version, but you will have to buy more storage after using up that space. The upside, however, is that you can save your photo in print-ready quality.
Print Your Photos
Even though we’re in a digital age, the best way to prevent you from losing your digital images is to print them. The advantage of having prints is that you can scan them if you want them on a device.
Backup, Backup, Backup
Stressing this can never be too much. Since most people no longer print their photos because it’s time-consuming, space-wasting, and costs a lot of money, they store them on drives and clouds. However, these aren’t always reliable.
It’s essential that you have more than one copy of your photos and that you don’t store them in the same place.
Conclusion
There are many alternatives when it comes to saving and preserving your images. It is up to you to be informed and choose the one that best suits you and your needs.
