How I Use Google Photos

In this video, I’ll share a bunch of the ways that I use Google Photos.

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Hi, everyone! This is Lara Hammock from the Marble Jar Channel and in today’s video, I’ll share a bunch of the ways that I use Google Photos.

I used to have this relatively elaborate process of organizing my photos every three months which I documented in a FOUR part video series. Well, a couple of months ago, my computer gave up the ghost and I lost ALL of the data on it. I wasn’t too heartbroken since all of my photos were already backed up on Google Photos, but it DID make me rethink why I needed them backed up on my computer at all. So, now all of my photos just live up in the cloud — period. This has massively streamlined my process. I just did a video on using Google Photos to free up space on your iPhone, but in this video, I thought I’d share my much quicker monthly process and all the ways that I currently use Google Photos.

Monthly Clean up
So, at the beginning of every month, I make sure all of my photos are backed up to Google Photos, i delete the ones I don’t want, and i totally wipe all of the photos off my iPhone and iPad so that I start new every month. I can search more easily using the Google Photos app and they don’t take up a bunch of space on my phone. It’s also super satisfying.

In my last video I talked about how Google Photos interacts with your Camera Roll, but basically, when I open up the Google Photos app, i make sure everything is backed up — it’ll say “Backup Complete” up here and then with in the app, I delete all of the photos I no longer want — duplicates, screen shots, terrible pictures. It’s easy to delete in bulk by just pressing down on a photo to select it and then choosing as many others that you want to get rid of and hitting delete. I then go onto my iPad, and ensure all of the photos on that one are backed up as well. I may have to delete a couple of others once this completes, so that I only have the photos that I want to keep. Once I’ve got Google Photos exactly how I want it, I can delete all of the photos on the Camera Roll on both my iPad and iPhone AND delete everything from Photo Stream. Now everything is up in the cloud, but as long as I have internet access, my photos are still super easy to access. So, now let me tell you some of the ways I use those photos. I’ll let you know along the way if I have more detailed videos on how to do some of these things.

Monthly Update
I have a Facebook account, but for a number of reasons, I don’t use it. I don’t usually feel comfortable sharing personal triumphs or defeats with 400 of my closest friends. Instead, I have a small email distribution list that consists of my parents, my in-laws, my grandma, our siblings, and a great uncle. Every month I send a short bulleted list of adventures or updates and some photos. I can brag a little about my kids since this group is all family and i can share sad things as well without feeling too emotionally exposed. The bonus is that I keep a copy of these monthly updates and now I have over 5 years of monthly update recordings with photos.

Quarterly Email Collage
Again, I don’t use Facebook, but there is a larger group of friends and family that I would still like to keep up with on a less frequent and less detailed basis. For that group, every quarter I create a collage with 8-12 of the best photos from the quarter. I use the InstaMag app on my iPad. Then I blind copy everyone and send it out without any commentary. Maybe it’s annoying, but I figure a single email is fairly easy to delete out of your inbox. It gives a little touch point and each quarter I get some emails back from distant friends and family, many times with their own photos attached!

Quarterly Printed Photo Frame
At the same time that I choose the 8-12 photos for the email collage, I also send those same photos out to have hard copies printed and sent back to me. When they arrive, I have a large frame (I think it is 12" x 18") with plexiglass that pops on and off. I switch out the new photos for the ones from last quarter and hang it in my kitchen for my family to enjoy. . .

[bfowler]

So delighted to see you helping so many people - (but mostly helping me!). And I’m glad that you’re constantly picking topics that are such great life-hacks for both ADD’ers and “normals”....lol. Keep up the good work, it is greatly appreciated!

[jeffwertz]

All the Google Photos videos you have done and continue to do are great and very helpful. Thanks for helping us understand how to use all of this tech!

[PaperBagMan]

It's always better to have multiple copies of the same file in multiple locations. For example, I back my phone up to my computer and google drive and I back my computer up to a cloud service and an external hard drive. That way if one medium fails or becomes inaccessible, you have other mediums to restore from.

[lynnemcdowell]

This one of the best tutorials I have found on Google Photos. Thanks!

[tracymalloy]

Very helpful ~ especially the TV Photo slide show, excited to learn how to do that!

[lefty]

I can’t access all my photos on apps like fb snap Instagram all those 😰

[dennishumbla]

My google Photos uploads my screenshots and downloads that I dont whant to mix with my Photos taken with my camera. I dont whant to mix them with family images.. When I delete them from Google Photos It also deletes them on my phone and I dont whant that.. how do I make this work?

[habibj]

When I delete photos from my iPhone they are also being deleted from my Google photo account. I thought if you remove photos from your iPhone, the photos should remain on my Google photos. What could I be missing?

[mangoboo]

My two sisters and I have the same Apple ID and all our photos are connected together. I want to separate my photos from them. So when I use google photos how can I save my photos in google photos when I delete my photos

[meeririlis]

What option do you recommend original or high quality?in google photos

[habibj]

if you edit a photo in a photo gallery, does it also edit the photo in Google photos or does the editing only edit the photo within the photo album only?

[kyofxx]

Hello if i delete the google photos app and download it again will i still have all my photos?

[brsrc]

*I have over a 1000 photos in my Google photos app on my phone. When I go to Facebook to upload a photo I am only able to access about half of what is in my Google photos. Why is Google photos not letting me access all of my photos from Facebook?*

[Sam-oqcq]

Can I combine another email of google photos and complete backing up the pictures? My 15gb are full now. I still have 14, 000 photos to go😢

[eshy]

when i delete from my iphone it delete from my google photos and when i backed it up google photos deleted it but it’s not even backed up

[mr.mediocregamer]

How do I create new albums or move photos to those albums on my android? All it lets me do is open and close photos. Not make albums not move photos to anywhere... etc.

[wesleyjones]

How do you include contact groups to Google Photo

[taedae.]

Do you need to pay something for google photos? Great video!

[jamiemoore]

I have a question: When I take a photo on the iPhone camera app does it go to google photos or my camera roll. Or do I have to repeat the process of backing up the photo, or does it do this automatically?

[lefty]

So I deleted all the pictures and videos on my iPhone. All the photos and the videos are In google photos but when I try to send photos to my friends it says that I don’t have Nothing and when I look at google they still there help 😰🥺