Getting the Drop
More from the Internet Tools I Can't Live Without front:
Dropbox.
This awesome online app allows you to really, truly, easily share even humongous files with friends and colleagues - and when I say share I mean just that. Not just download and mess around with them and upload, but truly work on the same file.
Here's how it work (and it works for both Mac and PC platforms): you download the free application and install it on your desktop. You create a username and password, and the application will install a dropbox folder on your computer where you specify. Any file that you wish to share you drop into that folder, perhaps in a subfolder. To share, you "browse" dropbox on a web browser (it locates your local file), and indicate which folder you wish to share with others; it will ask you to enter names and email addresses for these individuals.
In turn, anyone you plan to share files with will also download the app and install it. The one caveat is be sure to know which email address they plan to associate with the application.
When you've shared a file, you'll get notification, and you simply browse to the appropriate folder in your local folder, and voila - there's the file for you to view, edit, etc.
This is especially useful when I want to share video files with clients, as they are large and therefore, outside of an ftp site, can be difficult to move around easily at full resolution for review. Dropbox has virtually eliminated that problem. Designer friends tell me that they find it equally useful for sharing Photoshop or Illustrator files, and I know that I will use it as a repository for my voice over work.
The service is free up to 2 GB; if you plan to use it a lot you'll want a yearly subscription for a modest fee.
Even if all you plan to share is photos with friends and family, it's a great way to move files from here to there without them getting garbled (as I have to say Gmail sometimes does!), lost, or broken up into annoying chunks because of file size limits.
Drop on!
Dropbox.
This awesome online app allows you to really, truly, easily share even humongous files with friends and colleagues - and when I say share I mean just that. Not just download and mess around with them and upload, but truly work on the same file.
Here's how it work (and it works for both Mac and PC platforms): you download the free application and install it on your desktop. You create a username and password, and the application will install a dropbox folder on your computer where you specify. Any file that you wish to share you drop into that folder, perhaps in a subfolder. To share, you "browse" dropbox on a web browser (it locates your local file), and indicate which folder you wish to share with others; it will ask you to enter names and email addresses for these individuals.
In turn, anyone you plan to share files with will also download the app and install it. The one caveat is be sure to know which email address they plan to associate with the application.
When you've shared a file, you'll get notification, and you simply browse to the appropriate folder in your local folder, and voila - there's the file for you to view, edit, etc.
This is especially useful when I want to share video files with clients, as they are large and therefore, outside of an ftp site, can be difficult to move around easily at full resolution for review. Dropbox has virtually eliminated that problem. Designer friends tell me that they find it equally useful for sharing Photoshop or Illustrator files, and I know that I will use it as a repository for my voice over work.
The service is free up to 2 GB; if you plan to use it a lot you'll want a yearly subscription for a modest fee.
Even if all you plan to share is photos with friends and family, it's a great way to move files from here to there without them getting garbled (as I have to say Gmail sometimes does!), lost, or broken up into annoying chunks because of file size limits.
Drop on!
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