[scratchpaddy]

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I can't seem to find anything. Seaching for the names of individual services yields every thread where a picture was ever embedded from that service, so that's not really helpful. If anyone can post a link to a thread about this same topic, I'd be happy with that.

So, I'm finally getting around to putting my pictures somewhere online for all to see, but I'm not sure which service to use. I'm leaning towards SmugMug right now. They're not the cheapest, but I really like the layout and the things they let you do with your collections.

I don't like Flickr at all. The layout seems clumsy and awkward to me. It seems they have the biggest community there, but I really don't care if rudeboi123 can favorite me or whatever. I'm mainly looking for a way to share my pictures with people I know in real life.

I've read bad things about Photobucket recently, so I'm wary of them.

I'm sure there are other services to choose from, too. What are your opinions?

[Na Horuk]

Do you want a paid service or something free? Or something in-between?
These things change. A long time ago, deviant art was considered a good place for visual artists. Later flickr was the preferred one. Then a lot of people hailed 500px as the next big thing.
I think SmugMug is pretty stable, though. Its a good choice

[dadipentak]

I use SmugMug & have no complaints (although--as with my cameras--I don't use many of its available features.)

[scratchpaddy]

Then a lot of people hailed 500px as the next big thing.

Ah! That's one of the ones I was thinking of, but couldn't remember the name of. It looks pretty slick, but I don't really like the feel of it. It's like one big popularity contest. On every picture's page, the panel that shows views, likes, and favorites looks like it's trying to command more attention than the actual picture. It seems geared towards people who crave lots of attention and people who want to sell their pictures. I don't fit into either category.

I use SmugMug & have no complaints (although--as with my cameras--I don't use many of its available features.

That's what makes us human, yes? Always wanting more than we need. I just discovered a new switch on my K-5. I didn't know it was there, and I don't know what it does yet, but I think it's pretty cool.

[p38arover]

I use Picasa web albums. It's free.

[scratchpaddy]

I use Picasa web albums. It's free.

Dang, how could I forget Picasa?

To answer an earlier question,

Do you want a paid service or something free? Or something in-between?

I'm willing to pay if it seems like the best option for me. I see that most sites have free versions that limit your uploads, and probably constantly harass you about upgrading. Is that what you mean by "in-between?"

I'll give Picasa a try first, since it's free, but keep the suggestions coming.

[Miguel]

One problem with Picasa is that you have limited control over your images' visibility. You are also at the mercy of Google who views you and your work as a deliverable to advertisers. That is the price of free.

I've been with Smugmug for ten years happily. The biggest limitation is that they only have three drill-down levels for image cataloging. And many of us need twice that capacity. They say they are working on it but it hasn't happened yet.

Also check out Zenfolio which is very similar to Smugmug with a different set of lImits.

M

[lolenslooker]

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I can't seem to find anything. Seaching for the names of individual services yields every thread where a picture was ever embedded from that service, so that's not really helpful. If anyone can post a link to a thread about this same topic, I'd be happy with that.

So, I'm finally getting around to putting my pictures somewhere online for all to see, but I'm not sure which service to use. I'm leaning towards SmugMug right now. They're not the cheapest, but I really like the layout and the things they let you do with your collections.

I don't like Flickr at all. The layout seems clumsy and awkward to me. It seems they have the biggest community there, but I really don't care if rudeboi123 can favorite me or whatever. I'm mainly looking for a way to share my pictures with people I know in real life.

I've read bad things about Photobucket recently, so I'm wary of them.

I'm sure there are other services to choose from, too. What are your opinions?

I currently use deviant art.com . They allow you to set up a gallery, have a profile page, join groups in the art community, sell your photos on line, all work done for you. If you get a premier member you choose how much to charge. With regular membership, I think no cost or minimal you can go with the 20% , and it breaks down how much you make per photo. They offer art prints, gallery, all pre made on high quality board, fully backed, with built in hangers, customer just unpacks and hangs art on wall, or photo rolled where customer mats and frames themselves. I checked out about 20 different sites including Smug Mug, before deciding. It a personal thing, whatever you feel comfortable with.

[SpecialK]

Had an issue with Flickr so I do not recommend them, and in fact I don't like the layout.

Photobucket "upgraded" to uselessness earlier this year. They are slowly working out the long list of bugs - but they screwed the pooch, so I left after 6 years.

I've moved to SlickPic.com which has a free, $25/yr or $99Pro/yr, with some pixel dimension limits on the first 2 accounts. I have the $25 account that has unlimited storage. The only feature I miss is having the caption visible (at least any of it) in the thumbnail view.

[civiletti]

Flickr works for me.

[dshombert]

+1 for Zenfolio. I no longer use it for my original purpose, but I like it's features and the way it's put together.

[scratchpaddy]

Okay, let's look at some of these. 500px first:

The world's best photo sharing.

Wow! That's pretty impressive. I do want the best. How can Zenfolio compete with that?

the best viewing experience on the web.

But I thought... Nevermind. Let's look at Flickr.

Best mobile photo app

Aarrghh! How can you all be the best?! This is starting to sound like a certain Foo Fighters song. Surely SmugMug isn't the best, too?

Your Photos Look Better Here.®

Oh, I see. Every one else is the best, but you're better than the best.

[scratchpaddy]

Okay, /sarcasm off.

I'm not liking Picasa much. It wants to be my desktop photo organization buddy, but Lightroom already serves that purpose. Also, I might be missing something, but I can't get photos to upload at more than websize.

I currently use deviant art.com .

I don't really like the feel of DevianArt. Too much anime and adolescent angst.

Also check out Zenfolio which is very similar to Smugmug with a different set of lImits.

They seem geared towards selling stuff, which isn't really what I'm going for.

I've moved to SlickPic.com which has a free, $25/yr or $99Pro/yr, with some pixel dimension limits on the first 2 accounts.

Does that mean you have to pay $100 a year to upload full-resolution pictures? Also, maybe it's just me, but pictures on that site seem to load a lot slower than any of the other sites I visited.

[SpecialK]

Does that mean you have to pay $100 a year to upload full-resolution pictures? Also, maybe it's just me, but pictures on that site seem to load a lot slower than any of the other sites I visited.

The $99/year account allows full-res storage. I always resize to 50% anyway (habit from Photobucket limits), so that is no issue for me. It also allows more customization of the layout, and maybe a few other things.

I don't notice any upload difference between SP and PB.

[Adinfinitum]

Very interesting thread, and probably time for a fresh perspective even if it has been done before.

Personally, I'm with you. I really don't like Flickr and have moved away from it - I seem to hit my monthly limit every time I upload a single image.

Photobucket - blah. They killed my images with colour casts and the site wouldn't render properly on various devices including PCs. I also dumped them after several years.

For free storage, I use Google Plus Photos (which has taken over from Picasa but without the desktop client) which gives me 5gb free with full resolution uploads. It is of course, geared towards sharing within the G+ community but you can choose not to. It is also a better sharing option because you can easily email, share to G+ or share to forums using the URL link.

When my portfolio is better stocked and organised I will fork out for a more professional set up and I am leaning towards SmugMug. I do like their service. You get your own web page, and if you want to sell they will do all the work. Even if you don't want to sell, you can have your own images printed up on various mediums directly from their site for a decent price and with the images already stored there, I'm liking the simplicity.

I will be very interested to see where you go scratchpaddy