DOWNLOADING AND PRESERVING YOUR WEDDING PHOTOS

Your wedding was such a special time in your and your partner’s life. Now that the day has passed, you can still relive the moments through your photos. Many people think that downloading the images to their computer is a sufficient form of storage. But what if something happens to your computer? The photos could be lost forever. Backing up your digital images on multiple devices is your safest bet. Here are some ways to preserve your images:

USE EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES

This is the easiest way to store your photos. I recommend using at least two hard drives in case you lose one, it fails, or one of them gets accidentally wiped. Make sure you copy and paste your photos over to each hard drive as soon as you download them from your online gallery. External hard drives range in pricing, but you can find great options for around $100. My favorite brands are LaCie, Western Digital, and ADATA. It’s also a great idea to store these in a fireproof chest.

SAVE TO THE CLOUD

I recommend using a cloud backup system as well as the external hard drives. The more places you store your images, the better. If you have an Apple computer, iCloud automatically saves your photos. Double-check in case it’s been disabled though. You can also use Google Drive, BackBlaze, Dropbox, and more.

PRINT YOUR IMAGES

This one is my favorite. Investing in a photo album is one of the best, most secure ways you can preserve your images. In a world where everything is digital, it’s special to have something tangible. It’s something beautiful that instantly becomes a family heirloom. After all, it’s designed to be passed down for generations.

FAQS

What are raw images and why don’t I get those?

Raw image files are unprocessed, uncompressed, and unedited digital images that come out of a professional camera. These files are not a finished product and are designed to be edited. I do save these images for my own backup purposes, but the ones I deliver to you are sorted and edited to my standards and style. I don’t share or deliver these files for several reasons. The biggest reason is that you simply wouldn’t want these files. They are big and most people can’t even open them with their software. I also don’t allow other people to re-edit my images. That way I can maintain a consistent quality standard.

After a year has passed, do you continue to save our photos?

I do, but only to a single hard drive, which is not something to bank on. I expect clients to take care of their own images and back them up properly. Clients should not rely on me to have them years later if images are lost.

How long do our photos stay in the online gallery?

It is stated in my contract that your gallery will be accessible for at least 6 months (I usually try to keep them longer if possible). This should give you enough time to get back everything up.

Why is printing with a professional film lab better?

I always recommend printing with a professional lab. They offer expertise, better quality materials, and archival-level processes. I also have a relationship with the lab I use. It’s easier to communicate, fix possible mistakes (if any), and match colors. Using mediocre printing services, like Walmart or Walgreens, is not the best idea if you want to preserve the prints.

Is any of this different for film photos?

No. I treat film the same as the digital photos I deliver to you.

SHARING YOUR PHOTO GALLERY

Sharing your photo gallery with family and friends is a wonderful way to relive the memories and moments of your wedding day. Here’s how you can easily share your gallery and make the most out of it:

Using Pic-Time’s AI Photo Search: Gallery guests, clients, and vendors can easily view and organize their most relevant images directly from the gallery. They can find photos of grandparents, group photos, or themselves on the dance floor, doubling the engagement time in the gallery, and allowing guests to order products more quickly from the shop.

Starting the Search: If you enable the AI Search, guests can activate it from the gallery by clicking the magnifying glass icon or the People Search promo banner. They can search for specific people or keywords, making it easy to find special moments like speeches, hugs from grandparents, or specific images like all the black-and-white photos.

Download, Share, or Buy: After selecting people or typing in keywords, guests can filter the images, download the selection, share the results, or click the Buy button to purchase products directly from the filtered photos.

DOWNLOAD OPTIONS IN PIC-TIME

Downloading All Photos from the Gallery

1. Click the downward-facing arrow in the upper right corner of the screen and select “Download Full Gallery.”
2. Choose “Download to Computer,” “Save to Dropbox,” or “Save to Google Photos.”
3. Images are grouped in a zip file(s) for optimized download speed. Click the photos.zip file to begin the download.
4. The zip file(s) will be saved to your computer’s designated “downloads” folder. Extract the photos by double-clicking the zip folder or using third-party software.

If there are multiple scenes in the gallery, images will be split into subfolders named after the scenes in the downloaded folder.

Downloading an Individual Photo

1. Hover over an image in the gallery and click the downward-facing arrow.
2. Choose the image quality and where you want to save your photo, checkmark any download terms, and click “Continue.”

Downloading a Selection

1. Click the downward-facing arrow in the upper right corner of the screen and select “Multiple Selection.”
2. Select photos from any of the collections on the left side.
3. Choose certain photos within a collection or click “Select All” or “Unselect All.”
4. Choose the size you want to download and click “Download to Computer,” “Save to Dropbox,” or “Save to Google Photos.”
5. Images are grouped in a zip file(s) for optimized download speed. Click the photos.zip file to begin the download.
6. You can also download the web-size version of the photos by clicking on “Download Here.”