File sharing has been a popular concept on the internet for sometime. SmugMug is one of the latest phenomenons, an online service that allows you to easily share digital photos. Experts and users having been raving about the service but does it really live up to the hype? This in-depth review will let you know if SmugMug is worth a closer look.
Features and Ease of Use
SmugMug offers a variety of ways to upload your photos to the internet. You can use the Windows drag-and-drop function, batch upload via Internet Explorer, batch upload for Mac OS X and batch upload for Linux and other operating systems. Each option offers a user-friendly process that gives you the ability to get your files online with ease. What separates SmugMug from many other photo sharing services is that is lets you upload MPEG video clips up to 8 MB in size. These clips are displayed in high-quality resolution and rival most of the videos you will find on YouTube.
One of the most unique features of SmugMug is the ability to order prints of your photos and have them directly mailed to you. This really comes in handy if printing them yourself isn’t an option. If you do have a printer, your photos can be accessed and easily printed out right at home. Additionally, SmugMug provides you with URL links so you can share your photos without users being required to set up an account to view them.
Customer Service and Technical Support
SmugMug towers over competing services by delivering exceptional support to its customers. Although there is no phone number to call, SmugMug does provide several ways to get the assistance you need. Directly on the website you will find step-by-step tutorials, an extensive FAQ page and an active community forum where customers help one another. Support is also available via email where the average response is very respectable. When considering that support is often non-existent with other photo sharing services, the help you get from SmugMug is quite refreshing.
Cost of Service
The SmugMug photo sharing service is available in three different variations. There is also a 7-day free trial period that allows you to test out the service before signing up. The Standard account is $39.95 per year, providing you with unlimited storage space, unlimited data transfer to compensate for traffic and a generous amount of pre-designed templates. The Power account is $59.95 per year, giving you the ability to brand your photo galleries by replacing the SmugMug header and default designs with your own. For example, you can incorporate custom colors, footers and much more. Keep in mind that advanced customization requires that you have a working knowledge of programming technologies such as HTML, Javascript or CSS. The Professional SmugMug account is available for $149.95 a year, allowing you to actually use the service to sell your photos online.
Conclusion
All in all, SmugMug is a quality service that makes it easy to share photos of various types and sizes. Because there’s a cost to sign up with SmugMug, this service is best suited for professional photographers and graphic designers who need to sell and share digital images with clients. If you simply want to share photos with family or friends, we recommend a free service such as Photobucket.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
smugmug coupon 07.22.09 at 4:32 pm
This is an excellent, comprehensive review, and pretty much echos my experience with Smugmug over the the last few years.
The insane gallery customization capabilities enable pro shooters to use their Smugmug page as their primary web site, saving them a lot of time and money. And Smugmug is always making upgrades, something that would be costly and time-consuming to do on your own site.
Smugmug gets two big thumbs up, IMHO!
michelle 08.10.09 at 12:16 am
aggghhh ! smugmug is closed for repair more often than they are open. Get flickr to run it.
Jen Weiss 04.30.10 at 10:44 am
I like smugmug I think its pretty good service,
Jen
Bill 08.22.10 at 8:42 pm
I have years of digital and film photography of entertainers (both performing and events) . What are the fours distribution sites I can evaluate for my use to sell this work.
Brian Golbert 09.27.10 at 4:16 pm
Smugmug is one of my favorite services for photo sharing, this is amazing product and everyone should try it,
Thank you
Brian
Tom 01.15.11 at 1:31 pm
I wanted to move/rename (etc) galleries in my Smugmug webpage and dreaded trying to explain and taking the time to get my desired outcome via emails, etc. Well, I did just a few minutes of research within the site instead…I was able to accomplish everything I wanted in a short amount of time! Now, I’m especially glad I researched photo-sharing sites 3 years ago when I started with Smugmug. It is the best! It is so intuitive. Looks clean and no spam or required registration for viewers…wonderful!