Cloud storage services:
If you already back up your photos with cloud-storage services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive, you can use these programs to create shared folders. While select groups of invitees can view and add to the contents of these folders, no outsiders get to access them. This option is simple and effective, but if you exceed your free quota of storage, you may need to pay for more space.
[Related: How to get the most space in your cloud storage—without paying to upgrade]
Dropbox excels at sharing folders. Start by creating a folder of the pictures you plan to share. Open this folder in the web interface, click Share, and enter other people’s email addresses to invite them to join. When they receive your invitation, they can sync the folder to their own Dropbox if they have an account, or view the pictures in a web browser if they don’t.
Google Drive works along similar lines. Open a folder in the web interface, click on the folder’s name at the top of the page, and choose Share. As with Dropbox, you can invite others via email, and they can then access the folder through their own Google Drive accounts or by viewing the folder in a web browser.
Windows or Microsoft app fans might prefer OneDrive. From the web portal, go into a folder, and then click Share to let the photo frenzy begin.
[Related: The one move that will select all the photos on your phone]
With Apple Photos, it’s best to do the sharing from your phone. Launch the Photos app, choose Select, pick the photos you’d like to share, and tap the share button in the lower left. From here, pick Add to Shared Album to create a shared folder of pictures that anyone with a device can join. Don’t see that option? Open the Settings app, tap Photos, and turn on the toggle switch next to Shared Albums. If you’re sharing pictures with people who use Android or Windows systems, you’ll have to hit the Mail option instead. This will send the photos to your recipients as email attachments.
Private Facebook groups:
You may be reticent to share photos with all of your Facebook contacts, but the social network does have tools for limiting the people who see your posts. And one of those tools is the private group.
Sure, these groups make a good virtual meeting place for your kids’ soccer teams and your old college friends, but you can also use them for private image sharing. Open the Facebook website, click Groups on the left of the page, then choose Create new group. From the Choose privacy dropdown menu, select Private. Name the group, add your chosen members, and only those invitees will be able to see inside.
This option works best when multiple friends and family members want to post pictures of kids as they grow up, or add images from special occasions like parties and weddings. It’s also ideal for a chatty group that enjoys leaving comments. As an added bonus, most of the people you’ll want to invite will already have a Facebook account.
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