Part of my personal concern with using this sort of service revolves around core competency. A web hosting company's core competency is (gasp) webhosting. I'm guessing they found themselves with a surplus of disk sitting around, so they decided to try and monetize it by offerring "backup" services. Backup, though, is not something they're very experienced at doing. AWS S3 (this is what SmugVault uses on the back end), on the other hand, is incredibly experienced at data storage/backup, and they go to great lengths to assure that your data is safe and secure. I'm not confident that a web hosting company would do the same.
I'm not claiming to know this company's technical abilities, but I would think that backing up website data files is really no different than backing up raw files. A data file is a data file. But, do we really know who is actually backing up all the information they claim to be? Unless we have firsthand knowledge, unless there is a disaster, you would never know ... Even the ones claiming to have policies and procedures in place - does not mean they are following them, or are not cutting corners ... as those of us in the I.T. field know.
At some point you have to trust someone. I trust that my photos are all backed up through SmugMug, but I have never seen it ...
Who you trust with your backups is a critical decision, and something that everyone needs to investigate thoroughly for themselves before making that decision. If you trust the wrong people, it could be very costly.
I have no problem with paying more for better service or better quality of service, but that is a decision we each need to make. I have my own backups of all my raw and JPEG files ... onsite and offsite ... so a "web" archive is simply a 3rd level of protection for me ... I should never need it ... but if you are relying on it as your only backup (*yikes*) then yes - you may want to pay a lot more for your backups.
Well, all of the "unlimited disk" hosting companies that I have seen ensure that the unlimited space is actually USED for legitimate website content. There are restrictions to the unlimitied usage, such as no copyright infringements, no pirated files, and no files that are not used by the website you are hosting (ie backup files). Otherwise everyone would just throw all their backups to their host for free ... but you can have the most massive websites imaginable and they will host them for the flat fee.
Do I read it correctly that they discriminate on file type? E.g. jpeg/html files are ok, but, say, CR2 or zip files are not?
And in the latter case, what would stop me/you/anybody from simply renaming CR2 to jpg and upload them then...I can even provide an html page for each set that would reference such files in a totally legitimate manner
Do I read it correctly that they discriminate on file type? E.g. jpeg/html files are ok, but, say, CR2 or zip files are not?
And in the latter case, what would stop me/you/anybody from simply renaming CR2 to jpg and upload them then...I can even provide an html page for each set that would reference such files in a totally legitimate manner
No, I didn't say anything about file types. It is whether it is used on your website. I guess what is to stop you is the hosting company's policies and procedures which you agree to when you join. Can you try to trick them into storing your backups without paying for them? Who knows? I'm not really that type of person. If you ask them if you can do that - and they say yes - then you can do that. If not, then they would shut you down ... which really defeats the purpose of backups.
Their fees seem very reasonable to me, and I understand what their hosting policies are.
I'm considering back up services like Carbonite, Backblaze, Mozy, or SmugVault. I am a digital scrapbooker and have lots of downloaded graphics I'd like to back up. I also have Photoshop, Word, and Notepad documents I'd like to back up.
Can you help me understand the pricing system of Smugvault please?
Say I currently have 10 GB of data I'd like to back up.
Storage is 22 cents per GB per month so that would be $2.20.
Plus a $1 per month recurring fee.
Plus Data Transfer IN is 30 cents per GB so $3.
So my first month using SmugVault would cost $6.20, right?
Then, every time I back up newly acquired data, it will be 30 cents per GB, and I'll continuing paying $1 per month plus the increased total of GB I have times 22 cents... ? So if I only acquired a few megabytes of scrapbooking elements and a couple of documents, Month Two might come to even less than Month One...
I read the other posts about how expensive SmugVault would be and I'm not sure I'm figuring this correctly. Perhaps it wouldn't be expensive for me because I'm not a professional photographer, but an avid digital scrapbooker of family photos.
I read the other posts about how expensive SmugVault would be and I'm not sure I'm figuring this correctly. Perhaps it wouldn't be expensive for me because I'm not a professional photographer, but an avid digital scrapbooker of family photos.
That's probably exactly the reason. I can't call myself a prolific shooter, but after each session I tend to end up with at least 4Gb worth of RAW files (and sometime much more). Plus inevitable PSDs (i.e. final work) - those things are huge. I don't even count proofs and finals jpegs. Let's say, on an average month I can *easily* accumulate anywhere from 20 to 50Gb. And that's *one month*
Do your math:-)
Amazon Web Services prices for S3 storage appear to be significantly lower than what is listed in the Smugmug page. I can't recall if these were the same when Smugvault was first implemented.
United States
Storage
* $0.150 per GB – first 50 TB / month of storage used
* $0.140 per GB – next 50 TB / month of storage used
* $0.130 per GB – next 400 TB /month of storage used
* $0.120 per GB – storage used / month over 500 TB
Data Transfer
* $0.100 per GB – all data transfer in
* $0.170 per GB – first 10 TB / month data transfer out
* $0.130 per GB – next 40 TB / month data transfer out
* $0.110 per GB – next 100 TB / month data transfer out
* $0.100 per GB – data transfer out / month over 150 TB
Requests
* $0.01 per 1,000 PUT, COPY, POST, or LIST requests
* $0.01 per 10,000 GET and all other requests*
* No charge for delete requests
I know that Smugmug has to recoup their costs, and I assume that recouping is transparent since we are billed by Amazon and not Smugmug. It would be nice if the Smugvault prices did come down, though.
I'm considering back up services like Carbonite, Backblaze, Mozy, or SmugVault. I am a digital scrapbooker and have lots of downloaded graphics I'd like to back up. I also have Photoshop, Word, and Notepad documents I'd like to back up.
Can you help me understand the pricing system of Smugvault please?
Say I currently have 10 GB of data I'd like to back up.
Storage is 22 cents per GB per month so that would be $2.20.
Plus a $1 per month recurring fee.
Plus Data Transfer IN is 30 cents per GB so $3.
So my first month using SmugVault would cost $6.20, right?
Then, every time I back up newly acquired data, it will be 30 cents per GB, and I'll continuing paying $1 per month plus the increased total of GB I have times 22 cents... ? So if I only acquired a few megabytes of scrapbooking elements and a couple of documents, Month Two might come to even less than Month One...
I read the other posts about how expensive SmugVault would be and I'm not sure I'm figuring this correctly. Perhaps it wouldn't be expensive for me because I'm not a professional photographer, but an avid digital scrapbooker of family photos.
Hello, that is correct for the most part. The only additional fees you will need to pay are for the annual SmugMug account which start at $39.95 for a Standard Account and the prince of downloading your data back to your computer which is 51 cents per GB.
So if you upload 10 GB the first month you will pay $6.20. If you upload an additional 2 GB the next month your second months bill will be $4.24. If you do not upload anything new the second month your cost would be $3.20.
Are any of your files jpgs, png's, or gif's? If so they will be uploaded to your regular SmugMug site and will not go into the SmugVault. That means you will not be charged for storing, uploading, or downloading them. So if your 10 GB of data has 5GB of jpg's than your first months bill will only be $3.60
No, the vault is for your eyes only. They can see the rendered JPEGS that are rendered for some types of files. You can see more about that here: http://www.smugmug.com/help/smugvault
So my average Raw file is 35 mb from my 5D Mark II.....if I convert it to a jpeg it's about 15mb.....
---will I need to upload to the SmugVault?... I really only want to be able to sell prints, so does the transfer to jpeg make the file less impressive? is 15mb small?
Thanks!
So my average Raw file is 35 mb from my 5D Mark II.....if I convert it to a jpeg it's about 15mb.....
---will I need to upload to the SmugVault?... I really only want to be able to sell prints, so does the transfer to jpeg make the file less impressive? is 15mb small?
Thanks!
So my average Raw file is 35 mb from my 5D Mark II.....if I convert it to a jpeg it's about 15mb.....
---will I need to upload to the SmugVault?... I really only want to be able to sell prints, so does the transfer to jpeg make the file less impressive? is 15mb small?
Thanks!
On a separate note, while my 5DMarkII Raw files are about the same size as yours , my jpegs tend to be 1..3Mb in size - and I made 20x30 prints out of them without any visible quality loss... FWIW I tend to work with low-noise material and rather smooth subjects ;-), so jpeg converter just loves it. I also use PS setting 8 (out of 12). Play with it, maybe 15Mb jpeg is an overkill?
SmugMug has no limit. For pro as long as each image is under 24MB you can add as many images as you want. Likewise for the other level as long as each image is under 12MB.
BTW the stuff you put in SmugVault is not displayed on your web site, it's only for backup.
On a separate note, while my 5DMarkII Raw files are about the same size as yours , my jpegs tend to be 1..3Mb in size - and I made 20x30 prints out of them without any visible quality loss... FWIW I tend to work with low-noise material and rather smooth subjects ;-), so jpeg converter just loves it. I also use PS setting 8 (out of 12). Play with it, maybe 15Mb jpeg is an overkill?
Yes, I've been working with high detail landscape and HDR images.....I want a file that will look gorgeous at the largest size I can print, so any reduction makes me nervous of quality loss, but maybe you're right.
So my average Raw file is 35 mb from my 5D Mark II.....if I convert it to a jpeg it's about 15mb.....
---will I need to upload to the SmugVault?... I really only want to be able to sell prints, so does the transfer to jpeg make the file less impressive? is 15mb small?
Thanks!
15MB jpg seems extreme. Even when I leave mine full size they are only 5-6mb from my markII after raw conversion. Though I send to export at no more than 3000 pixels on the longest edge which is perfect for 8x10 and keeps the files under 3MB. From there everything else is an enlargement.
Canon Gear: 5D MkII, 30D, 85 1.2 L, 70-200 2.8 IS L, 17-40mm f4 L, 50 1.4, 580EX, 2x 580EXII, Canon 1.4x TC, 300 f4 IS L, 100mm 2.8 Macro, 100-400 IS L Other Gear: Olympus E-PL1, Pan 20 1.7, Fuji 3D Camera, Lensbaby 2.0, Tamron 28-75 2.8, Alien Bees lighting, CyberSyncs, Domke, HONL, FlipIt.
~ Gear Pictures
Though I send to export at no more than 3000 pixels on the longest edge which is perfect for 8x10 and keeps the files under 3MB. From there everything else is an enlargement.
I want to be able to make perfect 30x40 prints with as little interpolation as possible...down sizing from the largest file as opposed to up sizing from a medium size file should yield the highest quality results if I'm not mistaken though right?
I want to be able to make perfect 30x40 prints with as little interpolation as possible...down sizing from the largest file as opposed to up sizing from a medium size file should yield the highest quality results if I'm not mistaken though right?
You should NOT downsample. You should NOT change the number of pixels. Both of those will degrade the quality of large prints. You want to preserve all your original pixels.
You can, however, use JPEG image compression and your large prints will not be affected. On the Photoshop 1-12 compression scale, level 10 is considered lab quality and will not impact your prints. Level 12, on the other hand, can create an image three times as large with no difference in the print quality. Both have the same number of pixels, one just uses more compression. Some people even say that level 8 or 9 is indistinguishable from level 12 in prints. I personally use level 10.
You should NOT downsample. You should NOT change the number of pixels. Both of those will degrade the quality of large prints. You want to preserve all your original pixels.
.
yes I understand this, as for the best size file to upload, i'm guessing largest is best, that way smaller prints can be downsampled and look great and the large file will still be ideal for the largest prints. right?
yes I understand this, as for the best size file to upload, i'm guessing largest is best, that way smaller prints can be downsampled and look great and the large file will still be ideal for the largest prints. right?
I upload my full resolution images at JPEG level 10. Then, as you say, you and your viewers have the most flexibility for print orders. Smugmug automatically creates 8 web sizes from what you uploaded that are appropriate sizes for web viewing. In the gallery settings, you control the max size that a viewer is allowed to see (it's common to not let them have access to the original).
I am quite annoyed that smugmug has lost interest in the backup-to-dvd options (refer thread) so am looking at other options, like SmugVault. However I don't have an offline backup - just what's in smugmug - hence the need for an backup plan.
So, if I go for Smugvault I have to download all my files locally then re-upload them in smugvault and then keep the 2 in sync ongoing ?
Can I just dump from smugmug into smugvault then do a daily/weekly sync ?
I am quite annoyed that smugmug has lost interest in the backup-to-dvd options (refer thread)
We have not lost interest. In fact we're working on a new solution as we speak. Appreciate your patience and sorry to annoy you, but I promise, it's important to us.
so am looking at other options, like SmugVault. However I don't have an offline backup - just what's in smugmug - hence the need for an backup plan.
Wait - you don't keep local copies? Why not? A great backup strategy is: local copies, jpgs on SmugMug, and your RAWs, TIFFs, PSDs, etc in SmugVault.
So, if I go for Smugvault I have to download all my files locally then re-upload them in smugvault and then keep the 2 in sync ongoing ?
Can I just dump from smugmug into smugvault then do a daily/weekly sync ?
We don't have these syncing options yet, I'm sorry.
I've just signed up for SmugVault, in addition to my Pro account. Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to upload a few large .jpg pano files I have. In my upload log, I get this error message:
Info: upload '> 24 MB in size. ' using POST to http://upload.smugmug.com/photos/new_add.mg with Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100401 Firefox/3.6.3 from 121.209.150.238 in unknown_big_upload on line 0
Can anyone please tell me what I'm doing wrong? I've tried different uploaders, to no avail. TIA.
I've just signed up for SmugVault, in addition to my Pro account. Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to upload a few large .jpg pano files I have. In my upload log, I get this error message:
Info: upload '> 24 MB in size. ' using POST to http://upload.smugmug.com/photos/new_add.mg with Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100401 Firefox/3.6.3 from 121.209.150.238 in unknown_big_upload on line 0
Can anyone please tell me what I'm doing wrong? I've tried different uploaders, to no avail. TIA.
Please write our Support Heroes and we'll help you from the help desk.
Hey Guys Can anyone give a quick heads up on how to create a subfolder in the categories pages, I’m starting to get to many images in on over title, eg landscapes, HDR and so on.... I want to have a sub folder in the above mentioned categories suck as names of towns under the heading of travel..... Any help would be great Regards Chris
Can anyone give a quick heads up on how to create a subfolder in the categories pages, I’m starting to get to many images in on over title, eg landscapes, HDR and so on.... I want to have a sub folder in the above mentioned categories suck as names of towns under the heading of travel.....
Comments
I'm not claiming to know this company's technical abilities, but I would think that backing up website data files is really no different than backing up raw files. A data file is a data file. But, do we really know who is actually backing up all the information they claim to be? Unless we have firsthand knowledge, unless there is a disaster, you would never know ... Even the ones claiming to have policies and procedures in place - does not mean they are following them, or are not cutting corners ... as those of us in the I.T. field know.
At some point you have to trust someone. I trust that my photos are all backed up through SmugMug, but I have never seen it ...
Who you trust with your backups is a critical decision, and something that everyone needs to investigate thoroughly for themselves before making that decision. If you trust the wrong people, it could be very costly.
I have no problem with paying more for better service or better quality of service, but that is a decision we each need to make. I have my own backups of all my raw and JPEG files ... onsite and offsite ... so a "web" archive is simply a 3rd level of protection for me ... I should never need it ... but if you are relying on it as your only backup (*yikes*) then yes - you may want to pay a lot more for your backups.
Steve
And in the latter case, what would stop me/you/anybody from simply renaming CR2 to jpg and upload them then...I can even provide an html page for each set that would reference such files in a totally legitimate manner
No, I didn't say anything about file types. It is whether it is used on your website. I guess what is to stop you is the hosting company's policies and procedures which you agree to when you join. Can you try to trick them into storing your backups without paying for them? Who knows? I'm not really that type of person. If you ask them if you can do that - and they say yes - then you can do that. If not, then they would shut you down ... which really defeats the purpose of backups.
Their fees seem very reasonable to me, and I understand what their hosting policies are.
Steve
Can you help me understand the pricing system of Smugvault please?
Say I currently have 10 GB of data I'd like to back up.
Storage is 22 cents per GB per month so that would be $2.20.
Plus a $1 per month recurring fee.
Plus Data Transfer IN is 30 cents per GB so $3.
So my first month using SmugVault would cost $6.20, right?
Then, every time I back up newly acquired data, it will be 30 cents per GB, and I'll continuing paying $1 per month plus the increased total of GB I have times 22 cents... ? So if I only acquired a few megabytes of scrapbooking elements and a couple of documents, Month Two might come to even less than Month One...
I read the other posts about how expensive SmugVault would be and I'm not sure I'm figuring this correctly. Perhaps it wouldn't be expensive for me because I'm not a professional photographer, but an avid digital scrapbooker of family photos.
michelekendzie.smugmug.com
Do your math:-)
Amazon Web Services prices for S3 storage appear to be significantly lower than what is listed in the Smugmug page. I can't recall if these were the same when Smugvault was first implemented. I know that Smugmug has to recoup their costs, and I assume that recouping is transparent since we are billed by Amazon and not Smugmug. It would be nice if the Smugvault prices did come down, though.
GreyLeaf PhotoGraphy
So if you upload 10 GB the first month you will pay $6.20. If you upload an additional 2 GB the next month your second months bill will be $4.24. If you do not upload anything new the second month your cost would be $3.20.
Are any of your files jpgs, png's, or gif's? If so they will be uploaded to your regular SmugMug site and will not go into the SmugVault. That means you will not be charged for storing, uploading, or downloading them. So if your 10 GB of data has 5GB of jpg's than your first months bill will only be $3.60
SmugMug Technical Account Manager
Travel = good. Woo, shooting!
nickwphoto
Malte
http://help.smugmug.com
---will I need to upload to the SmugVault?... I really only want to be able to sell prints, so does the transfer to jpeg make the file less impressive? is 15mb small?
Thanks!
You use the SmugVault as backup for raw images, SmugMug can't make a print from a raw image.
http://www.danalphotos.com
http://www.pluralsight.com
http://twitter.com/d114
BTW the stuff you put in SmugVault is not displayed on your web site, it's only for backup.
http://www.danalphotos.com
http://www.pluralsight.com
http://twitter.com/d114
Yes, I've been working with high detail landscape and HDR images.....I want a file that will look gorgeous at the largest size I can print, so any reduction makes me nervous of quality loss, but maybe you're right.
15MB jpg seems extreme. Even when I leave mine full size they are only 5-6mb from my markII after raw conversion. Though I send to export at no more than 3000 pixels on the longest edge which is perfect for 8x10 and keeps the files under 3MB. From there everything else is an enlargement.
Other Gear: Olympus E-PL1, Pan 20 1.7, Fuji 3D Camera, Lensbaby 2.0, Tamron 28-75 2.8, Alien Bees lighting, CyberSyncs, Domke, HONL, FlipIt.
~ Gear Pictures
I want to be able to make perfect 30x40 prints with as little interpolation as possible...down sizing from the largest file as opposed to up sizing from a medium size file should yield the highest quality results if I'm not mistaken though right?
You can, however, use JPEG image compression and your large prints will not be affected. On the Photoshop 1-12 compression scale, level 10 is considered lab quality and will not impact your prints. Level 12, on the other hand, can create an image three times as large with no difference in the print quality. Both have the same number of pixels, one just uses more compression. Some people even say that level 8 or 9 is indistinguishable from level 12 in prints. I personally use level 10.
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yes I understand this, as for the best size file to upload, i'm guessing largest is best, that way smaller prints can be downsampled and look great and the large file will still be ideal for the largest prints. right?
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So, if I go for Smugvault I have to download all my files locally then re-upload them in smugvault and then keep the 2 in sync ongoing ?
Can I just dump from smugmug into smugvault then do a daily/weekly sync ?
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Info: upload '> 24 MB in size. ' using POST to http://upload.smugmug.com/photos/new_add.mg with Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100401 Firefox/3.6.3 from 121.209.150.238 in unknown_big_upload on line 0
Can anyone please tell me what I'm doing wrong? I've tried different uploaders, to no avail. TIA.
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Can anyone give a quick heads up on how to create a subfolder in the categories pages, I’m starting to get to many images in on over title, eg landscapes, HDR and so on.... I want to have a sub folder in the above mentioned categories suck as names of towns under the heading of travel.....
Any help would be great
Regards
Chris
www.sinclairjonesphotography.com