All Shutterfly accounts are free and feature unlimited photo storage, as well as unlimited file sizes for photo and video uploads. Once you create a Shutterfly account, you can choose to upload files from a computer, mobile device, iPhoto, Facebook, Instagram or Picasa. If you have a very large group of images to upload, you can mail them to Shutterfly on a CD or DVD, and Shutterfly will then upload the images to your account for free. Shutterfly has a simple editing tool for uploaded images. You have the option to crop, apply a border, apply a color effect, rotate and fix red-eye. There is also a Videogram feature that enables you to compile photos and music into a shareable video for friends and family. Both of these tools are free to use with your Shutterfly account. The biggest benefit of using Shutterfly is gaining access to its keepsake and gift items. You can choose from photo books, cards, stationery, prints, calendars, home décor items, posters and many other photo gifts. Shutterfly offers templates and tips for items like photo books and stationery, so you'll be able to easily create appealing gift items even if you don't have any previous experience. Shutterfly has a Help Center in which you can search specific questions and find answers in the FAQs. Shutterfly does not offer tutorials but does feature some free design tips throughout the site. If you'd like to share your photos, you'll need to send notifications to friends and family members through Shutterfly. Shared albums and photos are not made available to the general public, however anyone who has received a share link can view, save or re-share the photos, as well as order prints and other gift items featuring those photos. You can also protect your photos with a password, so only those who know the password can see your images. If you'd like to get a bit more social, you can share your Shutterfly photos to Facebook or other social media sites - however Facebook is the only social network that can be linked directly to your Shutterfly account at this time.

thumb_down

The Bad

Limited storage
Limited accepted formats
No online community

A major downside of using Shutterfly for storage is the way it limits your download options. You can upload large or high-resolution photos to Shutterfly and the site will save them at full-size - however you won't be able to download them at full-size. If you're sharing with friends and family so that they can also use the images, a simple right-click won't let them download the photo at its fullest quality. This is somewhat of a security measure, however it could also limit your sharing capability - or the ease with which you can retrieve photo files if you don't have them saved anywhere else than Shutterfly. To get full-size copies of all your files on Shutterfly, you'll have to pay a small fee and have an archive CD created that will then be mailed to you. The CD will cost you $9.99 and up, depending on how many images you have. Photo files must be in JPEG format to upload them to Shutterfly. If you commonly have PNG or other formats, this may create an inconvenience for you because you'll have to convert the files to JPEG before uploading. Shutterfly may not be best for amateur or professional photographers, as it doesn't offer any online community, method for obtaining feedback or tutorial resources. In addition, the limited sharing options will make it difficult to showcase work. The highly-secure sharing and the ample gift item options make Shutterfly ideal for families looking to save their memories, though.

gavel

The Bottom Line

Shutterfly is okay: although we're a little bit wary of Shutterfly, the site seems to be a useful free resource overall. You'll be able to take advantage of unlimited uploads, decent editing tools, secure sharing methods and easy design templates for gift items. Remember that you won't be able to easily retrieve full-size copies of your photos, though; it may be best to use Shutterfly for sharing and creating gift items instead of as your sole storage location - be sure to back up copies of your photos elsewhere for quick (and cheaper) access to your photo files.

Was this content helpful?

thumb_up Yes thumb_down No

border_color Write a Review

User Reviews

Star Rating

3.7

star star star star_half star_border

43 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

44%

4 grade

23%

3 grade

2 grade

1 grade

19%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

star star star star star_border

Quality

star star star star star_border

Service

star star star star star_border

Trustworthiness

star star star star_half star_border

cancel

star star star_border star_border star_border

MindyV Lubbock, TX

I used to love Shutterfly. Until this past Christmas. I placed an order and they never did send what I ordered. They claimed that they sent it to the previous place that I had lived at, but I had updated my address and they had the right address. They're really picky about the quality of your pictures and when I have made scrapbooks from them, a lot of my pictures were blurry. I only have my cell phone camera. I don't have a fancy, expensive camera that I use to take pictures all of the time. It's very annoying!!!! But I really don't trust them anymore since they flat out did not deliver what I ordered last Christmas and I had to just cancel it.

5 years ago

star star star_border star_border star_border

Willo Oswald Portland, OR

The goal, the design of the shared site is great. The execution is not great. Full of links that don't do anything, links that lead to a gray screen, and the necessity of re-entering the urls, sometimes repeatedly, to get any page to load at all. What we wanted was a site where everyone could share their reunion pictures with a minimum of fuss. What we have is a site where one member was able to post, but no one else can. My computer is new, my experience vast. IT"S NOT ME!

8 years ago