Skip to main content

Google Suggests Images Stored Using Google Photos Could Suffer Damage

Google has revealed to its Google One subscribers that its High Quality photo option may reduce image quality more than previously advertised. The admission is a departure from the service's long-held position that High Quality photos are near identical to the original version and that users could safely delete originals once uploaded to Google Photos.

Google High Quality Photo Option Comes Under Scrutiny

Back when Google Photos launched in 2015, it came with a strong selling point. You could upload as many photos as you wanted to the service for free, provided you allowed Google to switch them into its High Quality mode.

However, a recent email sent to its Google One subscribers hammered home the point that "Original quality photos preserve the most detail and let you zoom in, crop and print photos with less pixelation." The email also encouraged users to make the most of their storage quote by uploading and storing Original Quality images, rather than relying on the High Quality image option.

Part of the reasoning behind this push is that from June 2021, Google Photos Hight Quality mode will only offer 15GB of free storage. If you reach the 15GB limit, you'll have to pay to expand your Google Photos storage or just stop using the service.

Related: Google Photos to End Unlimited Free Storage in 2021

In many ways, it appears Google is pushing users to reduce the amount of free photo storage space available to them before the subscription model begins in earnest.

High Quality vs. Original Quality Photos

The email explaining the changes included a photo image illustrating the difference between a High Quality image and an Original Quality image.

While the quality difference on display seems stark, it's important to note that this is hardly representative of the actual difference in quality. Yes, the High Quality image will have some compression, but it won't look like a grainy mess as Google is suggesting.

Related: How to Export Your Photos and Videos from Google Photos

Your High Quality images are stored at up to 16-megapixel quality. That's still larger than the default image size on many modern smartphones. So, while the impending changes to the Google Photos terms and conditions are important, you don't have to fret quite as much as Google wants you to.

If you're concerned about how much Google Photos storage you have remaining, you can use Google's space calculator to find out how long your storage will last. The calculator considers how frequently you upload data and your remaining storage space and gives you a rough estimate of how long it will take to fill up your Google Account.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Best 10 Social Media Platforms for Photographers to Flaunt Their Talent

Social media offers an excellent opportunity for photographers to connect with potential clients. In the digital era, it's a great asset. By showcasing your work on these networks, you can reach new audiences. Whether you are a professional or freelance photographer, the following social platforms will help you show off your work and get the right people to take notice... 1. Behance Behance is a classic portfolio publishing network that functions like a LinkedIn for creatives. Designed by Adobe, this is one of the best photography networking sites currently out there. The platform is ideal for sharing your portfolio and favorite images, allowing other Behance users to like and comment on your photos. By learning from their feedback and professional critiques, you can improve your work. The coolest feature of Behance is that it lets you find professional gig opportunities right on the platform. With your portfolio already available on the site, getting work becomes effortless. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The 6 Best Platforms for Sharing Your Digital Art Online

Whether you're looking for somewhere to host your digital art portfolio or simply want to share your latest artworks, it can be difficult to choose a website to upload to. Or at least, it definitely is more so than before, now that art websites aren't bubbling with as much excitement as they used to be. You know that each site has its pros and cons, but it's hard to figure out what those are unless you make an account and see for yourself. Don't worry if you don't have time for that—we've got your back. Here are the websites we recommend for sharing digital art, and why you might want to consider them. 1. Pixiv If you were around when the online art scene was ridiculously active, chances are that your art style is influenced by anime and/or manga in some way. Otaku culture began its slow sneak into mainstream media back then, and Pixiv is a great home for artists that fall in that category. Pixiv started as a small online community based in Japan,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Snapchat Suspends Two Anonymous Messaging Apps Over Cyberbullying Claims

In light of a lawsuit that was filed earlier, two Snapchat apps, Yolo and LMK have been suspended by Snap. The apps allowed users to send anonymous messages on the platform. The Lawsuit Calls for an Immediate Ban of Yolo and LMK According to a LA Times report, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of Kristin Bride, the mother of a teen who committed suicide in 2020. The lawsuit alleges that Bride's son took his own life after being cyberbullied via Yolo and LMK. In addition to this, the lawsuit alleges that Yolo and LMK aren't doing enough to tackle cyberbullying, and have consequently violated consumer protection law as well as their own terms of service and policies. Both apps use Snap Kit, a set of tools that allows developers to directly connect to Snapchat for better integration features. Today the family of a 16-year-old Oregon boy who took his own life after being cyberbullied sued Snap and the makers of apps YOLO and LMK, alleging that the companies should be "h...
Post a Comment
Read more