Organize Your Digital Life
Tools, services, and strategies I'm using (or considering) to organize 30,000+ photos, 3,000+ videos, and boxes of old media. Learn from my research.
The 3-2-1 Backup Rule
The gold standard for data protection
Keep 3 copies of your data
Store on 2 different types of media
Keep 1 copy offsite (cloud or different location)
Photo Organization
Free storage (compressed), excellent search and face recognition. My go-to for phone backups.
- Free unlimited (compressed)
- Great AI search
- Auto-organize by people/places
- Compresses originals
- Privacy concerns
Seamless if you're in the Apple ecosystem. Original quality storage.
- Original quality
- Great integration
- Memories feature
- Paid storage
- Apple lock-in
Photo Scanning
Free app that removes glare from printed photos. Multiple shots create one clean scan.
- Free
- Removes glare
- Easy to use
- Phone quality limits
- Time consuming
Dedicated photo scanner. Fast batch scanning for large collections.
- Very fast
- High quality
- Batch scanning
- Expensive ($500+)
- Single purpose
Video Digitization
USB device to capture analog video. Works with VHS, Hi8, camcorders.
- DIY at home
- One-time cost
- Works with most formats
- Real-time capture
- Learning curve
Mail-in service for tapes, film, and photos. They digitize everything.
- Handles everything
- Professional results
- Cloud delivery
- Expensive
- Shipping risk
- Slow turnaround
Local Transfer Services
Check Costco, Walgreens, or local camera shops for digitization.
- No shipping
- Often cheaper
- Faster
- Quality varies
- Limited formats
Backup Solutions
Unlimited cloud backup for $7/month. Set it and forget it.
- Unlimited storage
- Cheap
- Automatic
- Slow initial backup
- Recovery can be slow
Network attached storage you own. Local cloud with redundancy.
- You own your data
- Fast local access
- Expandable
- Upfront cost
- Self-managed
External Hard Drives
Simple and cheap. Buy two and keep one offsite.
- Cheap
- Portable
- No subscription
- Can fail
- Manual process
- No remote access
My Current Strategy
Google Photos for phone backup
Auto-backup everything. Use AI search to find things.
External drive for originals
Keep full-resolution copies on a dedicated photo drive.
PhotoScan app for printed photos
Slowly working through boxes. A few photos each week.
Elgato for tape digitization
DIY conversion of VHS and Hi8 tapes.
Backblaze for offsite backup
$7/month peace of mind. Everything backed up continuously.
Have questions or suggestions?
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