Unlike printed photos, which can be damaged by creases, rips and stains, we tend to assume that our digital snaps and videos are indestructible. But some Google Photos users recently found that pictures they’d uploaded to the service a few years ago showed signs of ageing like physical photos, including cracks, discolouration and blurring that looked like water damage.
Digital files themselves don’t degrade over time, but – as proved by the Google Photos flaw – other factors can make their data distorted and unreadable. Here, we explain how you can prevent digital decay to preserve the quality of your photos and videos.
"Digital files themselves don’t degrade over time, but – as proved by the Google Photos flaw – other factors can make their data distorted and unreadable."
