Cloud Hosting

SmugMug, a household name when it comes to online image hosting, has developed a new service called Source. Already known for their incredible functions in online display and sales of images, SmugMug is taking the next leap towards providing photographers with new, never-seen-before cloud storage and management service for next to nothing.

Although cloud storage is relatively new, many photographers already use it as backup or as easy access to their library of images. There are, of course, a few shortcomings that most popular cloud storage platforms have: very few are designed with the photographers in mind. None are designed to such a degree as SmugMug Source.

The reason I am so excited to preview SmugMug Source is that it is a new product that has a multitude of applications for every workflow and photographer while being very affordable and easy to integrate with what most people currently have. Lets break down some exciting features SmugMug Source brings and how they can be applied in a potential professional photography workflow.

SmugMug Source supports: .RAF, .RW2, .CR2, .NRW, .ARW, .NEF, .DNG, .SRF, .RAW, .DCR, .ORF, .CRW, .SRW, .CR3, .RWL, .X3F, .MRW, .IIQ, .PEF, .tif, .tiff

Everything from huge Phase One (.iiq) files to the simple .tiff can be processed by Source making this product relevant to any photographer shooting on a digital camera. While other cloud storage platforms can store these files, few can process them as well as SmugMug Source does.

One unique feature of Source is that it can process photos on the fly. Process, as in edit? No, not quite. What it can do is upon import of raw files create a .jpeg for clients to preview. As an event photographer, I remember spending hours on end showing the files from my image-processing program to the client. This time now can be saved by uploading photos into SmugMugs cloud storage. Upon upload, it will create a visual .jpg that can be immediately shown to the clients using SmugMugs incredible photo-sharing possibilities such as client galleries. I know for a fact that when I was selling image by image to my clients, they often wanted to see the photos, but before that could be done, I was asked to select the best ones. Now, the whole gallery can be shown at once, which is both saving time on the photographer's sideas well as giving clients the full story. Moreover, this sharing feature allows for photographers to deliver photos at speeds unparalleled by anything else. Often, at large events, photographers must deliver images every few hours for social media and other online usage. In the past, this would mean dumping photos to two separate hard drives as well as a cloud storage service and exporting .jpgs at the end. Now, much of it can be saved.

Every photographer is scared of the day when the next drive will fail. Often, this is very unpredictable and annoying. But organizing a robust backup system thats automated can be quite time-consuming. SmugMug Source eliminates the problem of forgetting to back up. The software will make a backup automatically when the hard drive is plugged in. It will watch your catalog of raw assetsand upon any changes, update the backup on the SmugMug Source end. Additionally, this eliminates forgetting to upload. As a fashion photographer, I travel a lot, and there isnt always great internet at every place I open the laptop. However, I rely on online galleries for my clients to be able to select the images they want. Furthermore, with Zoom entering the studio, I can now tether to my computer and automatically upload the files to the cloud of anyone on the team (editors, art directors, retouchers) to access.

As I said, I travel a lot. Most photographers have to travel at some point for assignments. Some of my friends spend less time in what they consider home than they do abroad. Traveling and shooting entail bringing loads of drives to store and back up photos on. However, there is never enough storage if you ask me. Going away for a few shoot days can take up loads of drive space, and if its a long project, that space becomes scarce very fast too fast. SmugMug Source eliminates that problem for photographers by allowing them to store photos in the cloud. The only thing you need is an internet connection, and youre good to go. When you arrive back at the office, you can simply download them back to your physical storage and edit them.

Speaking of storage, the huge benefit of Source is that it is priced by need. Depending on the size of your project, you can pick to use up to 512 GB, up to 1 TB, and above. This is priced as so:

The final benefit that many photographers will appreciate is Lightroom integration. Being one of the most popular image-processing programs, Lightroom can be used in conjunction with SmugMug Source. Their original plugin has been used and loved by thousands of photographers, with Source taking it to the next level. Storing your raw files in the cloud doesnt mean you cant edit upload and sync your entire archive through Lightroom. Not only you can edit from the cloud, but also have the ability to keep your catalog nice and tidy by managing your raw files alongside the finished photographs.

Overall, SmugMug Source is a fantastic cloud storage platform that does much more than just store files in the cloud. It integrates with Lightroom, makes hard drives redundant on trips, backs up in the background, supports most types of raw files, and ultimately allows for easy previews. This new service has certainly captured my interest. I will be exploring how I can integrate it into my professional fashion photography workflow, as it brings a lot of useful features that will make a lot of photographers lives easier. The possibilities are amplified when you take a look at SmugMugs other services, which, among other things, allow you to beautifully share and sell photos online.

Link:
SmugMug Source Preview: Say Goodbye to NAS Servers and Hello to the Best Cloud Storage Yet - Fstoppers