There are countless benefits of digitizing your family memories. You can protect delicate photos from damage caused by sun and humidity while also making old photos easier to organize and share. With a few clicks on your computer, you can easily pull up photos from your college graduation in 1992 and your grandaughter’s first birthday in 2022. 

When you contact Memory Fortress to digitize your files, you can choose to save them on a variety of different options for digital photo and movie storage, including USB drives, DVDs, and in the cloud. What is the best place and format to store these digital photos, videos, and other files? Spend some time reviewing your options so you make the right choice for your needs.

Cloud Storage 

The Cloud is a form of internet storage that allows you to access media from anywhere. It is considered safer than storing files on your desktop because it isn’t tied to a single device and is one of the best places to store digital photos, videos files. For example, if your laptop is stolen or breaks to the point where you can no longer turn it on, you could lose all of the files saved on it. However, with cloud storage, the media is saved on the internet and can be accessed from any device. 

If you have a Gmail account and use your Google Drive, you are using a form of cloud storage. All you have to do is log into your Gmail account from any device to access your files. Dropbox is a similar cloud storage service. 

At Memory Fortress, you can receive your digitized files as soon as they are ready through our cloud services. We charge a flat $10 fee regardless of the file size and you can download your files immediately. This is the fastest and most secure way to receive your digitized memories. This is why we often recommend the cloud to customers as the best format to save digital files.  

Regardless of the type of deliverable option you choose, we will always return your original prints, slides, and tapes to you. After you access your digital memories on the cloud, you will receive your physical copies back within a few days.   

Flash Drive

For many customers, the best format to save digital files is on a flash drive. This is another way to protect your files without keeping them on a single computer or digital device. You can copy the photos from your flash drive onto other computers or keep them on this single device. Flash drives are often called thumb drives because of their size and shape. If you have enough space in a drawer to fit your thumb, you have enough room for a USB drive. 

The vast majority of our photo and slide orders can fit onto a single 8GB flash drive. Only five percent of all orders need more storage. For reference, a 16GB USB drive can hold around 10,000 photos, which is far more than most people have. 

Our flash drive pricing is based on how much storage you need. If you only need an 8GB flash drive, you will only pay $12. A 16GB flash drive is $20. The largest flash drive we offer is 256GB and costs $65. A flash drive of that size can hold more than 150,000 photos.  

Flash drives might not be the best format for video content. A 16GB USB drive can hold about 10 hours of video (or four DVDs of information). Video content takes up much more space than photos do. If you have a lot of videos, you might need to look into other storage and organization options.

DVD

A DVD can hold 4.7 GB of data. This option is typically better for smaller orders if you don’t need a flash drive to fit all of your files. On average, 75% of total Memory Fortress photo and slide orders will fit on a single DVD. The main concern with choosing DVDs as the best format to save digital files is that not all computers have DVD readers anymore. You might update your laptop and realize that you no longer have a place to view your files. 

However, if you want to move forward with DVDs, we can help you save on your order. The first DVD is included in your purchase. Any additional DVDs that you need will cost $9. 

DVDs are often the preferred format for scanning VHS tapes. Customers want multiple DVDs to better organize their family videos over the years. Consider this option if you have a lot of video content and want to view it on your home DVD player.

 

External Hard Drive

The last option for evaluating the best format to save digital files is the external hard drive. This option can hold one Terabyte of data (otherwise known as 1,000 GB or four of our largest thumb drives). This is one of the best places great choice if you want to store all of your digital photos or video footage on one device. A single external hard drive can hold 300 camcorder tapes

You can request an external hard drive from our team for $145. We will mail this device separately from the rest of your VHS tapes and other original recordings

Choose the Best Format to Save Digital Files at Checkout

Once you review the different devices and deliverables for storing digital photos, choose the best option for your needs. When you place an order with Memory Fortress, you will provide an estimate for the number of photos and videos we can expect. (It’s okay if you don’t have an exact number, our team can figure it out once we receive your order.) When filling out the order form, tell us the best format to save digital files. We will then make sure all of your memories are placed on a thumb drive, DVD, or in the cloud. 

If you are ready to take the first steps toward digitizing your photos, place an order with Memory Fortress. Click Order Now so we know to expect your shipment.

We digitize everything right here at our facility in metro Atlanta, processed by US citizens.

2180 Satellite Blvd Suite 400 Duluth, GA 30097
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday, Sundayclosed
+1-678-579-2249

Local Atlanta walk-in customers MUST have an appointment for prompt service. This applies to both dropping off materials, and picking up materials as well.