|
4 x 6 Price |
We have included the price of 4”x6” prints to compare prices. (this does not include the prices in prepaid or bulk print packages. |
|
Amount of Free Storage |
This is the amount of file storage provided by the site at no charge. Sites that do not have unlimited storage will generally offer more space for a fee. |
|
Backup CDs / DVDs |
Archive CDs can be purchased from most sites as another backup for your files. |
|
Child-Friendly (adult content not accessible) |
Most sites have policy stating that adult or illegal material will be removed, but that does not mean public galleries are monitored. Other sites allow adult material to be posted publicly as long as the user marks it as such, but this is left up to the user’s discretion. Many sites do not allow children to register, but kids today are smart enough to change their age. Only a few sites are truly child-friendly. If you have children who will be using the site, make sure they use one you have approved. Always monitor your child’s internet activity. Please visit ncmec.org for more guidelines internet safety for children. |
|
Community/Public Galleries |
Public galleries are galleries that other site members want ot share with the photo community. These galleries can be categorized in two ways, each having its benefits. Galleries sorted by user-defined tags have more diverse browsing capabilities. Galleries sorted by predefined categories are more structured.
Professionals should look for galleries that have many members and active forums. This is free exposure, so take full advantage.
Private users should inquire about privacy and protection. Some sites automatically submit all photos to the public galleries. Some sites only do after you select this option. Make sure to double-check that all photos you want private are marked as such. |
|
Copy (right-click) Disable OR Password Protection |
Password-protection can apply to individual albums or to an entire account. Copy disabling prevents guests from copying your photos to their hard drive by right-clicking their mouse. Only a few sites have copy disabling, such as ones for professional photographers, because a file that is copied from the internet will be too small to enlarge or print with any quality. |
|
Film Developing |
Although most of the photo sites are designed to work with digital photos, some have film developing services as well. Film that is mailed in is developed and then added to your online photo account. |
|
Free Basic Membership |
Many sites offer free membership, but this does not indicate a lesser service. Some give limited functionality until you upgrade to a paid membership, but others offer all of their services at no charge and make their money other ways, such as with advertising or selling photo prints and products. |
|
Free Monthly Bandwidth |
This indicates the amount of data that can be transferred per month to or from the photo site without paid membership or other fees. |
|
Friends List & Friend-Based Permissions |
Friends lists allow members of a site to list other members of the site who they know personally or who share similar interests. Many sites have a permission level called "friends only" that will allow only members on your friends list to view that media. |
|
Full Size of Image Stored |
Some sites compress images to save storage space. Images that are reduced in size will not be useful for printing or for recovering lost files by downloading them back to your computer. These sites are generally for sharing only and will request a full size image if you order prints. If you are looking to back up photos, make sure the full image can be accessed if recovery is needed. |
|
Image Hosting |
Many photo and video storage sites will also host the photos and provide you with the code. This allows you to post the photos on other sites, such as blogs, online auctions, your personal webpage, etc. |
|
In-Store Print Pickup |
After you upload photos to an online service, some companies work directly with retail locations so you can pickup your photos instead of having them shipped. Most sites charge a small fee for this service. |
|
Max Image Size |
Many site give guidelines, such as 10MB, to prevent loss of data and to preserve storage space. File size is more relevant for sites offering video storage as the file size will effect the video length.
While most still images will not exceed the file size limit for most sites, sites used only for online viewing of photos may require you to reduce the image size before uploading or will reduce the image size during the upload. These sites should not be relied on for backup because, if you need to retrieve the photos in the event that you lose them, the files you will download back to your computer will no longer be large enough for printing. |
|
Max Monthly Bandwidth Available |
This indicates the total amount of data that can be transferred per month from the photo site to third party sites. Some sites allot more bandwidth to upgraded accounts. |
|
Max Upload (at one time) |
This number indicates the total file size uploadable at one time. Some sites do not specify this information and others just give guidelines. If you intend to upload large batches of photos at a time, sites with FTP upload capabilities might be best. |
|
Max Video Length |
|
|
Member Search |
This allows you to find members by name, email, or other profile criteria. |
|
Online Address Book or Friend List |
Online address books allow for easy sharing and shipping when sending photos or gifts to your friends and family. Sites that do not offer photo products might just have a "friend list" for online sharing only. Some sites allow you to import your entire contact list from Outlook and other programs. |
|
Online Albums |
Online albums can be organized and shared. The degree of arrangement and the method of sharing varies among sites. The more advanced album features include a customizable page for displaying photos and the ability to create unlimited sub-albums. |
|
Personal Profile |
Profiles allow you to communicate who you are to others. Information in these profiles is sometimes searchable byt other members. You can generally choose what information you would like to make public and what is private. |
|
Personal URL |
A personal URL may be provided from some sites. It may be free or provided with a certain membership package. |
|
Photo Books |
Photo books are similar to traditional albums or scrapbooks, but the photos are printed directly on the pages of the book. They come in many different sizes, cover styles, price reanges, etc. The application to create photo books can be wither a desketop application, which you would download to your computer, or a web-based application, which requires that you upload photos to the photo site. There are pros and cons to each. |
|
Photo Editing Tools |
Some editing tools are web-based and can be accessed directly from the photo site. Others require a downloaded application that resides on your computer so you can access them without connecting to the internet.
Very Basic: one or two adjustments can be made, like cropping and/or rotation
Basic: three or four basic functions, generally with red-eye reduction
Moderate: basic editing tools with some extras, like borders and/or color effects
Advanced: many online tools or downloadable photo editing software that allows image adjustment, added effects and many more features to perfect photos |
|
Photo Gifts |
|
|
Photo Sharing |
There are many vehicles for sharing photos online. The most common are email invites that contain a link to a single photo or album, e-postcards containing single photos and personal URLs for your albums that can be passed along verbally or in a message. |
|
Poster Size Prints |
Poster size prints are larger than 8”x10”. |
|
Print w/o cropping (4xD/8xD) |
Because the size of digital photos do not align traditional print sizes, cropping is necessary to fit them into standard prints, like 4x6 or 8x10. Some sites allow a no cropping option where your photos are printed on larger paper so the digital image does not have to be cropped. This is sometimes called “Print with White Border” or “4 x D” and “8 x D” or simply “Print without Cropping.” Smugmug is one of the few sites that allow you to choose exactly where the cropping lines will be. |
|
Private Groups |
Private groups allow members to create focused groups for sharing media. Membershipis generally by invite only. |
|
Professional Services |
Professional services include specific memberships for professional photographers or special services for all members that are useful to professionals. Most sites that offer professional services can be used by anyone looking to break into the field of photography. Major professional services you will find include watermarking and logos (graphics added to on-screen and prints for both copyright protection and advertising), professional portfolios, price setting (set your own prices for prints and products with your photos and receive the difference by check) and/or commission (receive a percentage for all products purchased with your photos).
Many sites offer great services for professionals to everyone. Just because a site does not have a specific membership for pros does not mean it is not great for pro use. Some basic membership features that are very useful to pros include free personal URLs (URLs – Uniform Resource Locators - are individual web addresses where members get to customize a homepage and sub-pages with albums. This web address can be sent to clients along with a password. The clients can then preview the photos and order what they want. If they order from the site, you will have to split the profit with the photo site. A major benefit is the photo site takes care of production, shipping and customer service. There are many other options besides this. Some sites allow you to add your link and logo to the album site so clients can link to your site for ordering.) exposure in public galleries, password-protected online albums (after a photo shoot, a new online album can be created with a password for that client), discussion forums (where pros can find trends, discuss and critique, ask for opinions and network) and photo editing tools.
All professionals should belong to at least one photo site for backing up their photos at remote locations and to take advantage of archiving services. |
|
Public Groups |
Public groups allow members to create open invitation, focused groups for sharing media. |
|
Sign Up Promo |
A “sign up promo” is a promotion given upon registration. Generally, this offer is for a sampling of prints or a product. Printing sites give free prints. Tip: You can register for multiple sites that offer free prints as the promo. If you order a sample print of the same photo from each, you will be able to compare the print quality, shipping time and other details for yourself! |
|
Standard Size Prints |
Standard size prints refer to 3”x5” through 8”x10”. |
|
standard uploader |
standard uploader helps to upload multiple upload files at one time |
|
Unlimited Free Storage |
Free storage is provided by some sites as a service and as a marketing tool. Once your photos are uploaded to a site, you can share them with friends and order prints and gifts from the site. |
|
Upgradeable Membership |
Upgrading means paying a fee for enhanced services. Upgraded membership can also mean bigger discounts on prints and other products. Read the “What You Get with Membership” section in our reviews for the exact differences between basic and upgraded membership for each site |
|
Upload Speed |
This rating indicates the speed at which files are transferred from your computer to the website. |
|
Video Files Supported |
Certain video cameras and applications create video files in certain formats. Make sure yours is supported by the site you choose or you are able to convert the file.
Video Formats: Microsoft Media (AVI, WMV, WM, ASF)
Real Video (RM, RAM), Apple QuickTime (MOV, QT), MPEG-1/MPEG-2/MPEG-4 (MPG, MPEG, MPE, M1V, MP1, MPEG2, M2V, MP2, MPEG4, M4V)
3GP (3GPP, 3GP, 3GPP2, 3G2)
DivX (DVX, DIV, DIVX) |
|
Video Hosting |
|
|
Video Storage |
Video storage is permitted on many photo sites now. Most have a limit of 5 – 10 minutes and usually costs an added fee due to the large amount of space taken up by video files. For longer home movies, a site made specifically for video storage may be necessary. |
|
Wireless Mobile Uploading |
Many photo and video sites provide a way to email your photos from your cell phone directly to an online storage account. |
