I am going nuts!

(*calming myself*)

Last night, I started uploading a wedding to my very frustrating online viewing and ordering company and over 24 hours later, I am still uploading with no end in sight!!

I am currently using Lifepics and a DSL internet connections (not sure the DSL details). I was initially attracted to Lifepics b/c they were more my price range, but honestly you get what you pay for and I value my time. Looks like I am in the market for a new company!

I want to speed up the process....a new company, faster internet connection maybe, but I need some info first.

So I am curious, for those of you with online viewing I have a few questions:

Who do you use for viewing and ordering?
Do they offer bulk uploading?
What type of internet connection do you have?
How long does it take you to upload around 1500 hi-res jpegs?
Any other suggestions that might help?

Thanks again!!

my images average around 3.5mb it should take you 79:39 on a 150k upload connection, but if your computer goes to sleep, it might be stopping


i.e. only transferring when you get back on the computer

You rock! Did you actually time it or do some math?
Either way, I am taking way too long.

I am going to make sure my computer stops taking naps and get back to work. Maybe that will help.
Thanks!

DSL has very slow upload speeds (which is why I use cable), but there are some things you can do if the problem is on your end.

Save your images as Photoshop 10 or equivalent, which is 750K to 1.5M for a 6MP file - like from a 30D. If you are using a 5D, shrink your files to 6MP. No one will notice the difference at 8x10 - and for anything larger, you should be doing custom retouching anyway.

If you are on a PC and you have direct ftp access, try out Smartftp. It works nicely in the background and has a transfer queue which will restart if necessary.

I use printroom.com. One thing I like about printroom is that you upload just the thumbnails of your images (their free Pro Studio Manager software takes care of creating the thumbnails for you) -- and only when an image is ordered do you have to upload the full files. When an image is ordered, you get an e-mail to upload the files. Open the Pro Studio Manager software and click "upload missing full size images" and you're done.

I don't use my lab for back-up storage (I always burn 2 sets of discs -- one for on-site storage, one for off-site or safe deposit box storage) -- so that's a trade off. But having a 1200 image wedding upload in less than 60 minutes is a nice thing to have in return for that trade off. For 1200 image wedding I might sell 30-50 different image files online (quite often I sell multiple copies of one image so total sales is actually higher) -- which means that I save myself the hassle of uploading ~1150 full size files.

Printroom charges $99 a year to host your galleries (PM me if you want to give them a try -- I can send you a code to save 50% off that fee). Lab fees and commission are inline with most other online solutions.

Photoreflect also uploads only thumbnails. You can choose your lab (not use theirs like Printroom) and the fees are similar except there's no $99 a year fee for Printroom. (I just got someone OFF printroom and onto Photoreflect so I just went through all this like 2 days ago! LOL)

Photoreflect is a good solution for DSL users who don't want their computer constantly uploading. If you don't mind the upload TIME, you just want the little program out of your way, there are ways to make any program minimize to the systray instead of the taskbar.

Wait, does that mean photoreflect is totally free for online hosting but you have to do the printing? Can't complain about something that costs nothing!

Hi Kerri,

I recently upgraded from DSL to FIOS. HUGE difference. Don't know if it's available in your area, but I can upload a gig or more in about 20 minutes. I use Transmit to upload to my own FTP/website, but I use my online host's program to upload to theirs. I use Reed Photo Imaging. The client interface is so-so, and it's kind of a pain to organize images, but the print quality is great and it's FREEE! PS--I upload large resolution files just as fast as small ones.

Good luck!

Geneve

Yes, Photoreflect is FREE online hosting. You can either use them for your printing (choose from like 20 labs like Collages.net) or you can setup your own printing. It's easy either way.

Note: PR does NOT work very well on macs. But Photoreflect for PC users is like the no-brainer solution. It's professional, you can choose your lab or do your own, and you only pay fees on what you sell (like most of the others anyways).

M