Video workflow comes first
Editors should consider how footage moves between storage, editing computers and collaborators before choosing hardware.
Proper photo and video storage keeps your working files accessible, protects the originals and provides room for your library to grow. Video editors usually prioritise smooth access to large project files, while photographers need dependable backup and practical ways to organise and retrieve images. A NAS, or network-attached storage device, connects to your router and gives every device you use access to the same files.
This guide is for photographers, videographers and small creative teams whose external drives, laptop storage or consumer cloud photo plan can no longer keep up.
Start with the work you do rather than a particular storage brand. These three points narrow the choices quickly.
Editors should consider how footage moves between storage, editing computers and collaborators before choosing hardware.
Photographers should plan for original RAW files, edited exports, catalogue data, and a backup held separately.
Size the system for your current library, upcoming projects, backups and realistic growth, not today's files alone.
Choose the situation closest to yours, even if your household or studio eventually needs elements from both paths.
Best for a video editor tired of juggling project disks; the video-editing NAS buying guide is the next step.
Best for editors who need shared project access and should assess high-resolution workflows and network choices before buying.
Best for a photographer who needs a central archive and repeatable protection; continue to the photography NAS buying guide.
Best for a photographer or family seeking more control, with migration and photo-management software guides as the next step.
Once you know your path, size your capacity and bay-count needs before comparing models.
Turn your library size, growth rate and backup needs into a practical capacity and bay-count plan.
Open the tool →Check usable capacity once you've settled on a drive layout.
Open the tool →Every guide below is grouped by where you are in the decision, covering both the video-editing and photo-management paths.
AI-powered photo search on a NAS lets you find images by content. Faces, objects, scenes. Without …
InformationalData retention clauses now appear in most AU commercial production contracts. And most editors absorb the …
InformationalGoogle Photos ended free unlimited storage in 2021. If you're hitting the 15GB limit or don't …
InformationalIf you have 10 years of phone photos, how much will you pay to store them …
InformationalThe answer depends on three things: your codec, your weekly shooting volume, and how long you …
InformationalYouTube creators face a footage management problem that grows with every shoot. External drives pile up, …
InformationalMost professional editors arrive at a NAS the same way: too many unlabelled drives, one trigger …
Immich vs Google Photos breaks down into a single trade-off: pay nothing and trust Google with …
VS ComparisonFor Mac video editors, the QNAP vs Synology decision comes down to one question: do you …
VS ComparisonSynology Photos vs Google Photos compared for Australian users. Covers storage costs, privacy, AI features, mobile …
VS ComparisonChoosing the wrong NAS connection speed is the most common. And most expensive. Mistake video editors …
NAS-rated drives are not optional for professional video editing storage. They are the difference between a …
Buying Guide4K and 8K video editing demands NAS speeds that typical consumer units can't provide. This guide …
Buying GuideRunning AI workloads locally on a NAS is possible in 2026. But only on the right …
Buying GuideThe best NAS for creatives in Australia depends on your discipline. Photographers benefit from Synology's photo …
Buying GuideThe best NAS for Mac users in Australia in 2026. Covers Time Machine backup, Synology Photos …
Buying GuideThe best NAS for photographers in Australia in 2026, covering Synology, QNAP, and Asustor models suited …
Buying GuideThe best NAS for video editing in Australia is the QNAP TS-473A at $1,369-$1,489 for most …
Buying GuideUGREEN NAS hardware covers the photography use case well once you know which model tier to …
Buying GuideDrobo ceased operations in 2023, leaving Mac-based editors and drone pilots with ageing hardware and no …
Buying GuideIf you're a video editor, drone pilot, or photographer in Australia dealing with a shelf full …
How to automatically back up Android photos to a NAS. Covering Synology DS Photo, QNAP Qfile, …
How-ToUGREEN NASync devices make home backup straightforward. Here's how to choose the right model in Australia …
How-ToUGREEN NASync devices offer serious hardware for video editors in Australia. This guide matches each model …
How-ToMost editors assume collaborative DaVinci Resolve editing means putting a project file on the NAS and …
How-ToFCP library corruption on a NAS is almost always caused by the same small set of …
How-ToHow to install Immich on a NAS using Docker Compose. A self-hosted Google Photos alternative with …
How-ToHow to use Adobe Lightroom with a NAS in Australia. Covers Lightroom Classic catalog placement, Smart …
How-ToHow to configure a NAS for multi-editor shared video storage. Covering SMB share structure, user permissions, …
How-ToHow to migrate from iCloud Photos to a Synology NAS in Australia. Step-by-step guide covering Synology …
How-ToSynology Photos turns your NAS into a self-hosted Google Photos alternative with AI face detection, shared …
Need to Know IT uses a documented evaluation process, cross-checks claims against official documentation and keeps guides updated for Australian pricing and availability.
There are no sponsored rankings and no paid placements in editorial recommendations.
Advice is framed around the products, prices, retailers and risks Australian buyers encounter.
Product and software claims are cross-checked against vendor documentation rather than repeated from listings.
Guides in this hub are revisited as products, prices and the underlying decision-stage taxonomy change.
Affiliate or advertising relationships do not determine the order of recommendations.
Usually the emphasis differs rather than the basic idea. Video workflows place more importance on sustained access to large working files, while photo workflows focus more on backup, organisation and convenient browsing. If you do both, the broader creative NAS guide helps you compare the shared requirements.
It depends on your recording formats, project length, number of active jobs, archive policy and backup plan. Add up a representative project, estimate how many projects you retain and allow for growth. The NAS Sizing Wizard can turn those inputs into a practical starting point.
It can be, but resolution alone does not answer the question. Your media format, editing method, number of simultaneous users, storage layout and network all affect the experience. Use the 4K and 8K editing guide and Thunderbolt versus 10GbE guide to assess that workflow.
Yes, provided it is sized around the combined library, simultaneous access and backup requirements. Separate shared folders and permissions can keep projects organised, while the video-editing guide and photography guide cover the priorities for each person.
Start by comparing the storage you already own, the capacity you need and the cost of maintaining a separate backup. Read the photo-storage cost guide before using the iCloud Photos migration guide or comparing Immich with Google Photos.
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