Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Introducing Photos Backup Anywhere: A Simple Backup Solution for Your Photos

This is such a wonderful idea. My use case would be to let my MacBook 'Optimize Storage' but still get a backup of full-resolution photos onto an external drive. I'm not at my Mac right now, so I can't check, but aren't there two versions for downloading originals - download original and download 'full-resolution' original? If that's true does this pull in the absolute highest resolution available?
 
UltimateSyn said:
This is such a wonderful idea. My use case would be to let my MacBook 'Optimize Storage' but still get a backup of full-resolution photos onto an external drive. I'm not at my Mac right now, so I can't check, but aren't there two versions for downloading originals - download original and download 'full-resolution' original? If that's true does this pull in the absolute highest resolution available?
Click to expand...
Thank you for your interest. Your use case is similar to mine--making a full backup of a photo library when "Optimize Storage" is enabled.

To answer your question, the app backs up the full-resolution photo or video exactly as it was initially imported into the photo library. If 'Optimize Storage' is enabled, it will transparently download the original images from iCloud as necessary.
 
gerdemb said:
Thank you for your interest. Your use case is similar to mine--making a full backup of a photo library when "Optimize Storage" is enabled.

To answer your question, the app backs up the full-resolution photo or video exactly as it was initially imported into the photo library. If 'Optimize Storage' is enabled, it will transparently download the original images from iCloud as necessary.
Click to expand...
Awesome, thank you, going to buy it after work. Just curious how the mechanics work - is it basically just doing a library export onto whatever target drive you select?
 
gerdemb said:
The backup works fine with "Optimize Mac Storage" enabled. Any photos missing from the local photo library will be transparently downloaded from iCloud.

The current released version (1.3) only backs up the original items. However, I'm working on a new release that will also back up non-destructive edits. You can find a link to try the beta version for free at the bottom of the website: https://photosbackup.app I would love to hear your feedback!

To recover your photos, use the Photos app to re-import the images from the backup folder. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't provide an API for programmatically importing photos, so you will need to manually recreate albums, faces, and other organizational features.
Click to expand...
I love the idea of getting a "FULL" backup of my photos and all the work put into this library over a decade or so. Preserving the edits is good, and albums would be a plus. But my biggest fear is to lose all the faces data. I've thought there ought to be a way to somehow embed face data into the exif tags of photos so its there for future apps, but Photos only saves face data locally. Same with locations, tags and other things as far as I'm aware. If it was possible to read the face data and add tags, maybe 'on backup' you get a checkbox to have face data embedded if not already. To me, having face data and albums and so on as part of the backup would be good to have even if Apple doesn't use that on import. At least it'd be in the files. BUT I'm sure thats outside the scope of your application. AND there's likely privacy implications I'm not thinking of. Looking forward to trying it out.
 
UltimateSyn said:
Awesome, thank you, going to buy it after work. Just curious how the mechanics work - is it basically just doing a library export onto whatever target drive you select?
Click to expand...
Thank you for your interest! The app uses Apple's PhotoKit API to directly access image and video assets in the photo library. It doesn't depend on or use the export function of the Photos app itself, allowing for more flexibility and performance compared to using the Photos app's built-in export function.
 
bhagemann said:
I love the idea of getting a "FULL" backup of my photos and all the work put into this library over a decade or so. Preserving the edits is good, and albums would be a plus. But my biggest fear is to lose all the faces data. I've thought there ought to be a way to somehow embed face data into the exif tags of photos so its there for future apps, but Photos only saves face data locally. Same with locations, tags and other things as far as I'm aware. If it was possible to read the face data and add tags, maybe 'on backup' you get a checkbox to have face data embedded if not already. To me, having face data and albums and so on as part of the backup would be good to have even if Apple doesn't use that on import. At least it'd be in the files. BUT I'm sure thats outside the scope of your application. AND there's likely privacy implications I'm not thinking of. Looking forward to trying it out.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I also wish there was a way to fully back up all photo library details, such as face data, albums, and edits. Unfortunately, the API that Apple provides for apps to work with the photo library is pretty basic and doesn’t provide access to most of this information, which makes it impossible to preserve all metadata during backup. The only exception is location, because that’s usually embedded in the image file itself.

If you want a complete backup of your photo library preserving all the metadata, the best solution I know of is to store the library on your Mac’s internal HDD or on a directly connected external disk (no NAS or network shares!). If you’re using iCloud, make sure that you have selected “Download Originals to this Mac.” Then you can backup this photo library using Time Machine or another backup tool. Unfortunately, this solution is impractical for many users, especially those with large libraries like mine. This is why I developed the app.

My focus with the app is on creating a simple and reliable backup of photos that, like Time Machine, is 'set-and-forget', running automatically without requiring constant user intervention.

Thanks again for your interest—I hope the app meets your needs, and I’d love to hear your feedback when you give it a try.
 
gerdemb said:
@agregson
Thank you for your feedback! I'm glad to hear everything is working well.

About the backup status: If the menu bar icon has a green checkmark badge, that means the backup is complete. A blue down arrow badge means a backup is currently running. If there's no badge, it means no backup is running. If you want more details, such as when the last backup finished or the progress of the current backup, click the menu bar icon. This will show you the current status. I wanted a simple "set and forget" design that works automatically in the background, much like Time Machine.

The app automatically checks your photo library for new items every hour. This full scan should only take a minute or two.

Thanks again for all your messages, and feel free to reach out if you have any more questions or feedback. Your comments have been very helpful!
Click to expand...
It is working extremely well. Just what I needed. I also love the minimalism of the app. It does what it is supposed to do with minimal fuss, intervention or intrusion. I have long wanted an app like this. Thanks!
As for features - don’t be tempted to do what so many do and add more. It is great. I suppose the only thing would be support for other network storage such as SFTP, Google, DropBox, OneDrive. At the moment I script and schedule Transmit to sync a folder from external drive to online storage.
Happy user and will recommend to others.
 
Okay, sorry to keep bugging you. I bought the app and completed my first backup. Was incredibly easy and fast, I suppose mostly since all the local copies were already available on my Mac. All is well, photos appear to be in place.

My question today is how would I go about re-importing these photos into Photos if something catastrophic were to occur and my normal library became lost / corrupted? I noticed the month/year structure of the backup, and am wondering if I would have to go into every folder to manually re-import, of if there's another easier way that this was designed for.
 
UltimateSyn said:
Okay, sorry to keep bugging you. I bought the app and completed my first backup. Was incredibly easy and fast, I suppose mostly since all the local copies were already available on my Mac. All is well, photos appear to be in place.

My question today is how would I go about re-importing these photos into Photos if something catastrophic were to occur and my normal library became lost / corrupted? I noticed the month/year structure of the backup, and am wondering if I would have to go into every folder to manually re-import, of if there's another easier way that this was designed for.
Click to expand...
Could you not just drag and drop the relevant folders you wish to import onto a new photos library? I tried that by setting up a new library and dragging in a backup of a year and it seemed to import without issue. Part of the reason I wanted a file based backup such as this app allows was to make it easy to access the photos. I like to have the same as my second backup after Time Machine. Now have files covered with rsync (and versions), photos with this app (and versions via rsync).
 
UltimateSyn said:
Okay, sorry to keep bugging you. I bought the app and completed my first backup. Was incredibly easy and fast, I suppose mostly since all the local copies were already available on my Mac. All is well, photos appear to be in place.

My question today is how would I go about re-importing these photos into Photos if something catastrophic were to occur and my normal library became lost / corrupted? I noticed the month/year structure of the backup, and am wondering if I would have to go into every folder to manually re-import, of if there's another easier way that this was designed for.
Click to expand...
I'm glad the initial backup went smoothly; that's exactly the experience I aim for.

In the event that you need to re-import your photos after something catastrophic, you'll need to reimport them into a new photo library. (Unfortunately, Apple doesn't provide developers an API for apps to create photo libraries or automate imports.)

In the Photos App, go to File | Import... and select the folder containing the photos you wish to import. In my experience, Photos can handle importing several thousands of photos at a time, but may struggle to handle tens of thousands of files, so you might want to limit your imports by year depending on how many photos you have.

Thanks again for your interest and please don't hesitate to contact me again if there's anything else.
 
Hi, the beta is full. Do you have an ETA for the new version with support for backing up modified photos (e.g., with edited locations)?
 
gerdemb said:
You can beta test the new version of Photos Backup Anywhere that backs up photo edits here: (https://testflight.apple.com/join/TcDH3ccO) The user limit has been increased, so let me know if you encounter any issues.
Click to expand...
Hi

I joined the beta.... and I've already sent 2 feedbacks

If I set 2 backups in two different locations (changing the destination of the backup in the settings) does it create problems or does the program each time compare the local backup with iCloud and update the missing photos?

Thank you
 
Barbaro said:
Hi

I joined the beta.... and I've already sent 2 feedbacks

If I set 2 backups in two different locations (changing the destination of the backup in the settings) does it create problems or does the program each time compare the local backup with iCloud and update the missing photos?

Thank you
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for joining the beta and for sending in your feedback!

To answer your question: if you set up backups in two different locations by changing the destination in the settings, it shouldn't create any problems. The app compares the local backup destination with iCloud and updates any missing photos each time. This means that it will efficiently ensure that both backups are complete, regardless of where the backup destination is set at the moment.

Let me know if you have any other questions or need further clarification!
 
gerdemb said:
Thanks so much for joining the beta and for sending in your feedback!

To answer your question: if you set up backups in two different locations by changing the destination in the settings, it shouldn't create any problems. The app compares the local backup destination with iCloud and updates any missing photos each time. This means that it will efficiently ensure that both backups are complete, regardless of where the backup destination is set at the moment.

Let me know if you have any other questions or need further clarification!
Click to expand...
Thank you,

Is it ok to send you feedback through the TestFlight app using send feedback or it's better to use another method? Yesterday I reported a bug in the program menu

have a nice day
 
Are there any issues if I do a backup from one Mac, to a local external drive, then move that drive to another Mac?

(Assume using the same Apple Account and on same local network - in case those could be issues.)
 
gerdemb said:
I’m excited to share my indie Mac app, Photos Backup Anywhere, which I’ve developed as a 1-click, set-and-forget backup solution inspired by Time Machine. It works with iCloud, even with the “Optimize Storage” setting, ensuring your entire photo library is securely backed up. Remember, backup is not the same as sync—iCloud sync doesn’t protect against data loss. The app backs up to any volume connected to your Mac, including NAS network drives and external storage. Feel free to ask questions!
Click to expand...

What a totally-fantastic app you've created!

Similar to @agregson, when first running I had the blue down-arrow shortly be replaced with the green checkmark, but nothing besides the (hidden) .pba folder lived in the destination folder until I came-back to it a few hours later.

Fully-populated, and collated!

I observed no Scanning/Verifying in the dropdown 🤷‍♂️

I've previously been using PhotosLibraryExtractor.py for these duties. PLE accomplishes similar ends, but it was incredibly difficult just to get the necessary libraries, etc. installed and working together (an obnoxiously Sisyphean task that no one in their right mind sh/w/ould wish upon another).

I really appreciate the simplicity and ease with which your app has allowed me to accomplish virtually the same goal. I count the preservation of the original filename a definite plus in PBA's court ;)

A definite keeper @gerdemb! Thank you.
 
Barbaro said:
Thank you,

Is it ok to send you feedback through the TestFlight app using send feedback or it's better to use another method? Yesterday I reported a bug in the program menu

have a nice day
Click to expand...
Thank you for your valuable feedback! Using the TestFlight "Send Feedback" option works perfectly for reporting bugs and sharing feedback. Please include your email address in the feedback so I can follow up if needed.

I noticed that you are using MacOS Sequoia, which might be causing the issue. (I'm still on Sonoma--and can't reproduce your issue.) Are any other users on Sequoia experiencing issues with the menu?
 
polyphenol said:
Are there any issues if I do a backup from one Mac, to a local external drive, then move that drive to another Mac?

(Assume using the same Apple Account and on same local network - in case those could be issues.)
Click to expand...
Good question! What is your use case for sharing a backup between two Macs?

The backups are tied to the Mac that made them. That means that you cannot start the backup on one Mac and then move the backup drive to another Mac and resume the backup from the second machine. However, if you want to simply view the backed up files on another Mac, you can plug in the external drive and access them as normal.

You can move the backup to a new folder, external drive, network location (NAS), etc. without problem. However, the backup needs to be run by the same Mac for continuing the backups.
 
  • Like
Reactions: polyphenol
splifingate said:
What a totally-fantastic app you've created!

Similar to @agregson, when first running I had the blue down-arrow shortly be replaced with the green checkmark, but nothing besides the (hidden) .pba folder lived in the destination folder until I came-back to it a few hours later.

Fully-populated, and collated!

I observed no Scanning/Verifying in the dropdown 🤷‍♂️

I've previously been using PhotosLibraryExtractor.py for these duties. PLE accomplishes similar ends, but it was incredibly difficult just to get the necessary libraries, etc. installed and working together (an obnoxiously Sisyphean task that no one in their right mind sh/w/ould wish upon another).

I really appreciate the simplicity and ease with which your app has allowed me to accomplish virtually the same goal. I count the preservation of the original filename a definite plus in PBA's court ;)

A definite keeper @gerdemb! Thank you.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your feedback! I'm glad to hear that you've found the app to be straightforward and easy to use. That was my goal when releasing it.

Also, thank you for reporting the missing backup issue on the first run. I've identified the problem and released a fix in the beta version.

To anyone else following along-there is a bug where the first time a backup is started in an empty directory, the backup may complete very quickly without actually backing up any files. If this happens, you can simply stop the backup and then start it again in the same directory and the backup will continue correctly. Alternatively, you can wait one hour for the backup to retry automatically. This will only happen the first time a backup is started in an empty directory and subsequent back ups to the existing directory will not have this problem.

After the initial backup, the incremental scanning and verifying steps are often very quick. As a result, you might not see them if you're not watching closely.

Thank you again for taking the time to write. Your support means a lot!

If you run into anything else or have suggestions, please let me know.
 
  • Like
Reactions: splifingate
Hi,

I'm in a bit of a Catch 22 situation here. The program will not proceed past the setting screen. I can't use any of the suggested methods of submitting the problem to the developer so I'm submitting here.

I joined the beta and installed. I couldn't get past the initial "Photos Backup Anywhere Settings" screen. No combination of backup locations, deleted items and startup choices would initiate furthere action by the program.
I stopped testing in test flight and removed the program.

Being a gluton for punishment I then purchased the program from the app store. Upon inital launch the program crashed. I submitted the report. I then restarted and still am unable to get past the settings window.

Any help would be appreciated.

Mac Mini M1, 15.1.1
 
gerdemb said:
Good question! What is your use case for sharing a backup between two Macs?

The backups are tied to the Mac that made them. That means that you cannot start the backup on one Mac and then move the backup drive to another Mac and resume the backup from the second machine. However, if you want to simply view the backed up files on another Mac, you can plug in the external drive and access them as normal.

You can move the backup to a new folder, external drive, network location (NAS), etc. without problem. However, the backup needs to be run by the same Mac for continuing the backups.
Click to expand...
Very simple! No amazing complicated ideas. I've just changed my Mac mini and was wondering what would happen if I do that again in a year, or two, or three! Or, obviously, if I was just about to change but used PBA to do a backup on the old one in preparation for the new!

Or if it breaks and gets replaced.

Or if it's too damned cold where my mini is but I want to make sure my backup is up to date from my nice warm sofa and MBP. So bring the external drive downstairs.
 
Very nice! I do have all my photos fully downloaded to one Mac mini so they're already a part of my Time Machine and other backups. But I can certainly see how this would benefit people who don't have a desktop Mac to do that with. I bought the app, even though I don't plan to use it... just wanted to support you ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: pig pile
My interest in your app is perhaps a little different from that of others. I have for a long time managed photos (scanned prints and digital) within the Finder structure, backing up large collections organized by date to multiple drives, a NAS, OneDrive, etc. Although I've used iPhones for years, and have 50GB in iCloud, I've paid little attention to iCloud storage and not used Apple's iPhotos and Photos apps. I don’t want to be locked into a particular app or library construct, which can change at the whim of the developer.

As for iPhone photos, my routine is to periodically connect it to a Mac and use Image Capture to transfer photos to a drive, which are then renamed by capture date. All very manual. But, I see your PBA app as a great tool to bypass all that and maintain an automatically updated local copy of photos, as they are acquired on the phone, synced to iCloud and then downloaded by PBA. Is that a correct understanding of how it could work for me?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back