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No_Name's avatar
No_Name
New member | Level 1
2 days ago

Questions on how to share photos and videos with others

I made this account ONLY to get some real help.
I had a few questions before making an account & used the Contact Sales link on DropBox's webpage.
I received a canned response with links that did not help.

When I tried to reply, all I received was a bounce back.

So here is my question:
I have a few pictures & videos I took with my phone that I want to share with family & friends.
I usually move pictures & videos to my computer so I can folder, edit & rename them.
So the sharing will be done from my computer most of the time.

Will DropBox work with my recommendations below:
1. I don't want to automatically sync anything from the start.  If everything goes well, I might in the future.
2. I don't want the pictures & videos to be compressed.  Original sizes are always better!
3. I want to be able to select who can see & download the pictures & videos.
4. I'd like to have multiple folders of different pictures & videos for different groups-
     Example: a folder of pictures & videos for group A, a different folder for group B, etc.
5. I want to be able to add & delete pictures & videos when needed/wanted.
6. Can I find out when someone looked at/downloaded the pictures & videos?

The canned response with links only mention working with Teams & Co-Workers.
I just want to use this for personal use, free-basic account, nothing more.



  • No_Name's avatar
    No_Name
    New member | Level 1

    As a few tests, I added a folder of pictures & a video to my Dropbox.com (not sure if I am going to use the desktop app just yet).

    I then:
    1. Used the Share button, for 'Anyone with this link:', I selected 'Can View' & clicked Share Folder
    2. Used the Share button, for 'Anyone with this link:', I selected 'Can Edit' & clicked Share Folder
    3. Used the Copy Link button & sent the link to an email address of mine

    When they all arrived:
    Both numbers 1 & 2 above, have an Add to Dropbox link that opens to a Dropbox login page
    Number 3 above opens the folder of files & lets me download them without logging in

    Is this the normal way it works?
    I don't know if the people I'm sending files to have Dropbox, so it seems that I'll be using the Copy Link button most of the time.

    • Jay's avatar
      Jay
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Him No_Name, this is normal behavior, since sharing a file directly to an email address requires them to have a Dropbox account. 

       

      Sharing a link to a file doesn't require a Dropbox account, unless there are other security measures on the link (such as within a Dropbox team).

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

    Hey No_Name, thanks for posting to the Dropbox Community and welcome!

    With Dropbox, there are a few different ways of sharing files.

    If you don't want to sync your files to Dropbox to share them, you can upload them to your account through our website.

    Once in Dropbox, you can create your different folders, as you prefer, and then create and share links to each folder, depending on your recipients.

    The links are live, so they'll get updated if you add/delete files.

    Regarding knowing when someone looked at your files, you can take a look at our viewer info feature.

    Let me know if you have any questions.

    • No_Name's avatar
      No_Name
      New member | Level 1

      So when I'm in Dropbox, I can either Create or Upload/Drop a folder (or files).
      Once I have the folder/files in Dropbox, I click either the Share, Copy Link or More Options selections & enter the information needed; correct?

      If I select Share, there's a "Anyone with this link:" drop down that has 'can edit' & 'can view' selections.  How do I give people I share with, permission to download the folder/files?

      • Rich's avatar
        Rich
        Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
        No_Name wrote:

        If I select Share, there's a "Anyone with this link:" drop down that has 'can edit' & 'can view' selections. How do I give people I share with, permission to download the folder/files?

        View access includes the ability to download.

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