9 Essential Google Photos Tips!

Image source: Google Blog

Looking at the popularity of this amazing app, I devoted previous 2 posts to Google Photos covering the essential features first: storage and delete. I have included them in the list below for the benefit of first-timers and sake of completeness. This is the third and final instalment of the Google Photos series. I thought it will be more useful to list down the features as tips to use Photos effectively:

1- Storage Settings

Google Photos allows you to select your preference for uploading and storing your photos/ videos from these 2 options: High-quality and Original quality. With High-quality option, you have unlimited storage for your photos and videos. With original quality, you consume from your 15 GB default storage. I have discussed them in this post: Are your photos eating into limited storage of your Google account?

2- Auto Back-up

You can upload your photos/ videos from Desktop either (i) in the browser through website photos.google.com, or (ii) using Backup & Sync, a desktop application. Backup & Sync is used by Google Drive and Photos to sync files on Desktop with online storage and you can download it here. On your phone, you can turn auto back-up on or off from Settings -> Backup & Sync.

3- Storage on Google Drive

If you upload your photos or videos directly to Google Drive, they will count against your storage quota (free 15 GB for all Google users) irrespective of their size. They will be uploaded in original quality. For professional requirements like printing banners, you will want to upload your photos as original quality (or to Google Drive).

4- Photos from Drive in Google Photos

If you have enabled the settings, you can see all your photos and videos stored on Google Drive in Google Photos library. To do so, go to Settings, find: 'Show Google Drive photos & videos in your Photos library', and turn it on. Editing your photos in Google Photos won't modify them in Google Drive. Deleting your photos/ videos either in Drive or Photos will delete them from both places.

5- Photos in Google Drive

Google Drive, in its left menu, has Google Photos, clicking on which displays your photos/ videos organized by date. You can rename and organize them in folders but that won't create album/s in Photos.

Note: Read more about points 3 and 4 here: How Google Photos works with Google Drive?

6- Archive photos

You can move the photos, you don't need often like receipt, screen-shot, scanned document, etc. to Archive. To do so, select a photo, and click on More: -> Archive. You can see them in Settings -> Archive and un-archive if you need to.

7- Google Album Archive

You can check all your photos used across different services on Google platform at Google Album Archive. The archive has Auto back-up folder storing all your photos/ videos backed-up automatically from your devices. It has limited functionality and you can't edit photos like in Google Photos.

8- Google Assistant

Google Assistant shows cards suggesting you stuff like free-up space when your device runs low on memory, move certain photos to Archive, add new photo to an existing album, etc. Choose the types of cards you are interested in from Settings -> Assistant cards.

9- Restore deleted photos

You can restore the deleted Photos from Trash up to 60 days. I have covered the various aspects of 'Delete' functionality in my article: Don't delete them accidently!