iPad Photo Management

[AiDetroit]

I have been debating this issue for a while but the time has come to make a decision. I have a 2011 MacBook Pro that has served me well but is on its last leg. I’m afraid as I type this it may be completely done. So besides the worry of even recovering my files, I need to figure out my next step. Do I get another MacBook or iPad for my personal use? Here’s where my questioning comes in.

I am a graphic designer so I’ve always had a MacBook Pro and run Adobe, etc. My other main use is storing and organizing all my personal photos using the Photos application built in to the OS. Obviously, as a designer I have files from clients, etc. I have decided either route I go, I no longer need a personal computer to design on. I have a much nicer MacBook Pro from work with all the latest Adobe CC and I’ve mostly just been using that any time I need to open photoshop or indesign as it runs way better. And I rarely do any freelance anymore anyway, so it’s usually just minor personal use. I figure I can backup all my past client and personal work on an external hard drive, and just hook it up to the work laptop if I need it. But photos is where I am stuck.

I very much prefer the use of the Photos app on the physical computer versus iOS. Can I really be happy managing my photos on an iPad only (for obvious reasons I don’t want to use my work laptop for this)? I guess I’m open to a cloud based photo management system but I’m worried about things like is it expensive, is it easy, is it going to take FOREVER to transfer and organize 15 years worth of photos on there? I like that my phone automatically backs up to my Photos app on my computer and I can go in later and filter out the ones that aren’t worthy to save and sort by event etc. Ahhh! What do you guys think I should do??? Thank you!!!

 

[akash.nu]

If it’s only for personal use, an iPad Pro should be fine for you. However, when you talk about photo management, you should be fine as long as you use iCloud / other online photo management systems but your 15 years worth of pictures might take a hell lot of time to get uploaded to the online storage and also bear in mind the iPad will only keep some photos on the device. Most will be uploaded to the online storage system, so you might not have the high resolution version at your fingertips always without good internet connection.

 

[Abazigal]

@AiDetroit

You may want to read this article, which details how a photographer uses his iPad for photo management.

https://thesweetsetup.com/using-ipad-photography-workflows/

 

[kiranmk2]

Depends on what you do with your photos. I transferred 15 years worth of photos into iCloud a few years ago. Took about 2 days on a 10 Mbit upload connection (but I think it was probably server limited rather than bandwidth-limited) for just under 5000 images. If you just want to manage and view them then an iPad is fine, but if you want to do serious edits (or your photos are from non-iOS cameras such as a dSLR) then maybe a laptop is the way to go - perhaps try out some of the powerful iOS editing tools to see if they meet your needs.

Depending on the number of photos you have I don't think storage will be an issue - my ~5000 images take up <20 GB in full quality and <5 GB in the 'optimised storage' versions (which are still good enough for full screen viewing, with no zoom) - so a 128 GB or over iPad should be plenty (depending on what other media you will be installing).