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Storage For Graphic Designers
Not long ago, if you wanted to work on a different device, you had to prepare ahead of time and transfer big files on discs or USB sticks to move them. Working in a team typically included an assembly line approach in which work was handed down the line from one person to the next, and delivering work to a customer for proofreading required mailing it by post. You can become a graphic designer through Blue Sky Graphics online graphic design course.
Thanks to the finest cloud storage and file transfer services, we can now work from anywhere and transmit big files quickly. Cloud storage also offers a place to store your work secure from spills. While many of today’s most well-known choices began with distinct methods and objectives, they have evolved to provide a similar mix of storage and collaboration capabilities, making it more difficult to distinguish the benefits of each.
In this article, we evaluate some of the most popular alternatives for creatives to save files online and share them with colleagues and customers, as well as explore the benefits and drawbacks of each.
01. Google Drive
Google Drive is a natural option for anybody who utilises Google’s other products, especially Android users since it is integrated into the design. It interacts smoothly with other Google applications and offers one of the most generous free storage limits available, with 15GB available, albeit this includes Gmail if you use it as your email.
Paid plans start low and allow you to increase the storage capacity as much as you like. It costs £1.99 per month for 100GB, and there are many options ranging from £1.99 to £299.99 per month for a huge 30TB. The platform is simple and straightforward to use, and it is one of the finest choices for immediate collaboration due to the ability to work concurrently with others using Google’s own GSuite products such as Google Docs and Sheets, and you can improve productivity with a variety of third-party add-ons. Add in useful features like the ability to stop downloads, and Google Drive becomes one of the most versatile choices available.
02. pCloud
Google Drive is a useful and flexible tool for collaborative work, but it is not the most visually appealing choice for presenting work to customers. The UI is cluttered, and picture previews are cropped to a square. In terms of appearance, pCloud may be a better choice. The interface components are discrete and kept to a minimum, with a focus on providing large size previews of each file, which saves clicks to open each file. It is also possible to see each folder as a slide presentation.
pCloud lacks the collaboration capabilities of Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox, but with features like the ability to customise sharing links to add your own message or branding, it is clear to understand why it is one of the most popular choices for photographers to distribute work. Direct connection allows you to backup material straight from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Facebook, and Instagram, and it is also one of the few storage choices with a built-in video player and streaming, as well as an audio player with playlists.
The free option provides a pretty substantial 10GB, while lifetime memberships are available for £175 for 500GB or £350 for 2TB, allowing you to pay once and get started.
03. Dropbox
Dropbox is still one of the most well-known brands in cloud storage. It is one of the quickest because it utilises block-level synching, which means that it just syncs changes to a page rather than the whole file. This is ideal for collaborative work since it allows for rapid adjustments. The professional edition also has a ‘smart sync’ feature that enables you to conserve hard drive space by transferring files to the cloud while still viewing them on your PC.
The service is not as integrated with other tools as GoogleDrive or OneDrive, and it does not have its own full office suite, but it does have collaborative tools and integrates with Office Online for editing Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, as well as the ability to share files directly to Slack.
04. OneDrive
Just as Google Drive is a handy choice for Android users, OneDrive provides similar degrees of integration if you are a PC user running Windows 10 or use Microsoft’s Office 365. It is considerably less popular than Google’s offering among ordinary consumers, but it is quite popular among businesses who utilise Office 365.
The free allocation is a rather meagre 5GB, which makes this option primarily useful for storing files that you want to email via Outlook, but storage can be increased to 50GB for a reasonable £1.99 per month, and there is a business plan that offers unlimited storage as well as desktop versions of Microsoft products such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for £7.99.
The design is pleasing to the eye, a chat button at the top opens Skype so you can communicate with coworkers, and OneNote integration outperforms Google Docs and Dropbox Paper. Fast block-level synching is also used, but only for Microsoft file formats.
05. iCloud
This is a storage option that is only useful for Apple fans, although it is useful for saving and backing up pictures and data from a Mac or iPhone. Of course, iCloud works nicely with the MacOS and iOS ecosystems and makes it simple to save files through the Finder. Documents from the iWork suite are stored to iCloud, where they may be accessed from any device. There is also a Windows client available, so access is not limited to Apple devices.
06. Adobe Creative Cloud
If you subscribe to Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite of applications, keep in mind that cloud storage is included. Many users overlook the fact that the monthly price they pay for app access includes storage space that may be utilised to back up data. It is not worth purchasing an Adobe package only for the storage, since the free plan only provides a paltry 2GB of storage along with beginner versions of certain Adobe applications, but if you already have a Creative Cloud subscription, it is worth noting that you have the capacity there.
