It’s crazy how easy it is for the average smartphone user to produce movies, podcasts, music, and beautiful images these days — and with little more equipment than can fit in a jeans pocket.
Of course, as the hardware has generally gotten smaller, the files have gotten much bigger.
Cloud storage and streaming solutions have swooped in to rescue us from running out of local storage for these big media files. But when it comes to transferring these ginormous files back and forth between users (and not just sending a link to where they’re hosted on YouTube, Spotify, etc.) things can get surprisingly difficult.
If you have to collect large media files regularly, it can be even trickier. Without a good system in place, your files will end up scattered across a variety of places, programs, and formats — some more secure than others. And good luck explaining to senders exactly how they should get their files to you. If they’re not used to handling big files (or aren’t computer lovers, in general), you’re in for an adventure.
So here’s a little more about your options for accepting large media files, whether you’re
- Collecting videos from family members for a special movie
- Soliciting audio clips for your podcast
- Gathering high-resolution design files from a global team of freelancers
If you’ve ever tried to email a large media file before, you’ve probably run into a file size limit error message. For example, Gmail won’t allow users to email more than 25MB at once.
Senders can still technically use email to send large media files if they’re willing to “zip” or “compress” the files to get them into meet the correct size limitations.
Of course, this adds a few extra steps to the process. Whomever you’re soliciting files from has to use a third party app to compress the file, which can tricky on its own (especially if the user isn’t particularly tech-savvy). In some cases, files will still be too big to email even after compression.
Finally, whenever email is used, there can be potential security compromises. (For more on this topic, check out our article Why You Shouldn’t Email Sensitive Files and What to do Instead.) For all of these reasons, it’s best to forget using email to transfer big files like recordings.
Cloud Storage Software
Cloud-based storage programs like Dropbox and Google Drive strive to make it easy to send large files.
In many cases, sharing is as simple as sending the recipient a link to the files you want them to download. As we mentioned in our post How to Choose a Cloud Storage Solution, popular programs also often have fancy sharing features, such as permissions levels, download notifications, and expiration dates. They can also integrate directly with your email to make sharing a little easier.
The problem with using cloud-storage programs to collect large media files is that senders have to use their own accounts. Creating a new login and password just to send a few big files can be annoying for anyone, but it’s especially tricky when you’re asking for files from people who are unfamiliar with file-sharing.
Even senders who already have a compatible file-sharing account may not have the space available to upload the kind of large files you’re hoping to collect. This can create additional headaches for them as they work to clear out space in their account to send your file.
Free Versions of File-Sharing Programs
The simplest, cheapest solution for senders may be to use the free versions of web-based apps that are dedicated specifically to sending large files.
With programs like WeTransfer, Jumpshare or DropSend, senders can simply type in the recipient’s email address, attach the large file, and press “send.” The recipient gets an emailed link that triggers the download.
Companies generally make these free options available because they also have paid versions with additional features, additional storage, or the ability to send more files each month.
When you’re using these basic options, though, the files aren’t always stored or sent anywhere in the cloud for later access. This can make things simpler, because there are no worries about the sender needing to create an account or having files take up unwanted space. But it also means that the receiver must download each file sent to them, then upload it to their own storage system and organize it manually. That can be a chore if you’re collecting lots of files. And when files are getting thrown into your inbox amidst tons of other email, it can be easy to lose track of them.
Plus, asking senders to use a random free app to send you files can come across as a bit unprofessional, especially if you’re collecting the files for business. You won’t have any control over how these apps brand themselves, or changes they might make to their design or functionality at any given time.
Business Software With File Sharing
Some business-focused software has impressive file-sharing features built in, along with other features such as cloud storage, project management, and workflow management, and collaboration tools.
Some of these programs are compliance-focused and come with extra hoops for receivers to jump through (such as document-specific passwords and mandatory expiration dates) before they can download their files.
Other file-sharing options were developed with creatives in mind, letting users add backgrounds to files they send, preview the sent files visually before they’re opened, and make it more pleasant to browse through sent files.
File-sharing solutions that are part of a more complex software system can be great for businesses that have more specialized needs. But the extra features can be overkill for the average small business or user. They can clutter up the user interface, make sending files annoyingly complicated, and–most importantly–cost more of your hard-earned money.
Form-Based File Sharing Apps
What most file sharers really need is something in between the free apps and the more complicated business software. They need a solution that prioritizes the recipient’s experience as well as the sender’s.
That’s why form-based file sharing apps like Fileinbox work so well. With Fileinbox, users create a custom upload page and embed it on their web site. Sending a request for large media files is as easy as sending link to that form. Because the upload page is part of your web site and can be branded appropriately, file senders will feel confident that they’ve come to the right place. There’s no need for them create an account, or even fill in your email address. All they need to do is drag their large media file to the upload box and they’re done.
Fileinbox users can choose where the uploaded files are sent, whether it’s to an email account, Google Drive account, or Dropbox account. This means that the files stay organized. You can even set up different folders for each sender, if you’d like, or choose to protect your upload pages with an access code.
And because Fileinbox integrates with powerful cloud-based storage solutions, users can also leverage features like collaboration, versioning, visual previews and more for super-affordable rates.
Are you ready to try Fileinbox yet? You can upload the first 20 files free. Head over to our site and get started!