Edit RAW Files From Anywhere and Clean Up Duplicates With Ease Using Mylio Photos
If you’re anything like me and have hundreds of thousands of files taking up terabytes of space on multiple RAID arrays and cloud services, finding specific photographs or figuring out where I might have duplicates can be an absolute headache.
Full Disclosure: This story brought to you by Mylio.
While there is no shortage of RAW processing engines out there for photographers to choose from, finding the right system to sort, store, catalog, organize and backup all of the files stored on multiple devices can be an absolute nightmare. Thankfully, Mylio has made some impressive improvements catering specifically to this niche of photographers’ needs.
Revealed in the application’s recent updates, the company is taking a transformative new solution to backup and organize photos and videos of creatives by creating a private image library that securely connects all your devices into a personal network that offers several advantages over depending solely on cloud-based photo apps.
With this latest update, Mylio Photos can connect to your computer (Apple or Windows), phone (iPhone or Android), tablet, online sources (Flickr, Facebook, Google Photos), external hard drives, and even NAS RAID arrays, to create a centralized photo library that users can connect their computers and mobile devices too with no “cloud” required.
Since the system creates a “linked” library, users never have to choose what files they bring with them on their mobile devices and laptops when on the road. Creatives can easily access any images or videos they have added in Mylio using a personal network that securely connects their electronic devices. The part that is important to reiterate is that Mylio isn’t offering or leveraging any cloud storage services at all, as the platform is about organizing and editing files while providing the option to connect to cloud storage platforms. With these “linked” sources, all of your images are cataloged in a single library that is accessible across any device with the Mylio Photos app.
The Mylio Photos app for desktop and mobile makes it easy to fetch original or Smart Preview files as needed. It offers a standard develop module that’s convenient and non-destructive for on-the-go editing. But a real bonus to Mylio Photos is seamless integration to edit your images in a plethora of external applications. When you’ve selected an image you want to work on, simply select the “Open With” section under the “PHOTO” Menu to choose from your installed processing applications. You can also use the Share menu on your mobile devices to connect to almost any mobile app that’s designed for photo editing, content creation, or social media.
Mylio Photos doesn’t want to replace your processing tool of choice. Yes, users can do some edits within the application, but the application’s true strength lies in its ability to work across multiple platforms (Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOs) and helps keep your image library organized. Mylio Photos allows users to search, sort, share, edit, and export, but what I found most useful was the ability to easily find and remove duplicate files.
After more than a decade of professional work, I have amassed well over 30 terabytes worth of videos and images stored across multiple devices and hard drives on my home network. Given the amount of time and number of hard drives, I was positive there were duplicate files buried in subfolders of folders, yet I could never easily find them to clean up.
Thankfully after adding everything to Mylio, I was able to find and sort out over 50 gigabytes of duplicate RAW and JPEG files with the system showing where each version is on each device, as well as which one was the “original” and which were copies/duplicates. The system provided a bunch of options for removing the duplicates like prioritizing the older/original files over copies freeing up a ton of space on my hard drives. Additionally, when you delete the duplicate files, Mylio Photos allows you to merge the XMP sidecar information into the final copy.
This is where Mylio shines — Managing a photographer’s entire library across all of their devices and living up to the product’s name origin by keeping “My Life Organized.” Hobbyists and professionals can use this tool to sort their entire image library (including images on Facebook, Flickr, and Google Photos) by keywords, metadata, ratings, time, geo-location, and even facial recognition. All of which runs on the local device (without need for an internet connection) and can be used by other photo apps.
Given how the system creates a smart preview and loads incredibly fast, Mylio can even be used for culling large photo sessions, making the process much smoother than from within apps like Lightroom and Capture One. Just be aware, some RAW file types (like some Hasselblad and Fuji cameras) may not be fully supported yet, requiring those systems to be shot using RAW+JPEG. Be sure to check the supported cameras and file types as the team is constantly adding support for additional cameras.
Mylio Photos is available as an annual subscription for $99.99 USD or monthly for $9.99.
Full Disclosure: This story brought to you by Mylio.