YouPic review 2020 by Jenny Cameron
Are you tired of all the usual social media platforms? Does it feel like climbing Mount Everest when all you want is to create beautiful images?
I very much have a love hate relationship with social media & often find it mentally exhausting, although on the flip side if I stay away I have a fear of missing out. Certain sites such as Facebook & ViewBug I do very well on but others such as Instagram & 500px are polar opposites. Recently I’ve discovered this whole welcoming community at YouPic it no longer feels a chore, no crazy emotions, for once I’m actually enjoying the experience & quite frankly a breath of fresh air. There’s a real sense of community spirit- interaction/discussions with fellow photographers rather than worthless one word comments usually from folks feeding their own egos for personal gain. It feels more organic, like you’re talking to another human rather than a robot. Most importantly for me as I’m not the most technically minded to say the least, the layout is user friendly & very clean interface.
I stumbled across YouPic several years ago, if my memory recalls someone invited me through Facebook. I joined the site but didn’t really put much time into it & quite honestly forgot about it. February this year an online article grabbed my attention which brought me back to the site. First thing I noticed was the community, everyone so friendly like they welcome newbies with open arms, none of the “if you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours” like some sites I won’t mention but we all know who I mean? Genuine interaction between everyone whether beginners or advanced professionals with no judgement whatsoever in all genres including those who aren’t necessarily in the spotlights of Instagram, Facebook, & such like. And here I’ve been ever since, posting regularly, thoroughly enjoying the experience, feels like my new home, it’s opened up a whole new world & already made some lovely friends.
This platform is like no other I’ve seen, there’s so much content I’m not sure where to begin. Let me show you some screen shots from my YouPic account.
Showcase your photos in high resolution- Go ahead you pixel peepers, zoom right in those deep dark shadows & enjoy the satisfying detail.
Academy- Explore the interactive courses available in all genres of photography including video tutorials & interviews.
Famous names- I was happily surprised to see a few famous names on YouPic including Steve McCurry, David Yarrow, Joel Meyerowitz & Adam Hinton.
Albums & Collections- For those of you nerds who love nothing more than organisation. Create your very own portfolio. See image below.
Shop- Sell your prints in the shop. YouPic allows you to keep all the rights to your work. “You” decided what price “you” want & get to keep any profits as YouPic has a zero % commission rate. Click here
Create a website- Using the YouPic website builder, including one custom domain name for your site or add your own. A choice of different themes to choose from. If you enjoy writing, create a blog post. Also connect your social media channels.
Workshops- Advertise your workshop or find one you may like to attend.
Statistics- View your personal statistics enabling you to watch your growth & abilities. You even have a personal score for your best photos. Don’t worry this is for your eyes only, nobody else will be able to see it.
Awards- YouPic award your achievements for different things such as popular photos-award requires you having 500 shares. You can see in the image below my awards so far.
Sharing is caring- Share other peoples photos, discussion, gain followers, follow others, receive daily stars from the inspiration flow personally chosen by the YouPic team & community, in other words real human beings not robots. Receive and give detailed feedback based on composition, technical quality, creativity and content as seen below. By the way, I believe this is one great way of learning too!
Support each other — Learn which photos resonate with others. What you think may be your worst work is inspirational to others & vice versa.
Exif data- Show or hide the choice is all yours.
Advertising- No adverts.
Apps & Plug-ins- YouPic App for Android on Google Play and iOS at the Apple store . Enabling you to show your work wherever you go.
For the ultimate viewing experience, see your photos on the big screen in high resolution there is now a YouPic App available for Apple TV.
Lightroom Plugin- Download available connecting YouPic with Lightroom, making it possible to upload directly from Adobe Lightroom to your YouPic account. For more in depth information click here.
Subscriptions- There are four subscription levels; Free, Enthusiast, Premium & Pro. View here to see which suits you best or simply stay with the free subscription like I did to start with where you can post one photo a day, interact & feel the love from the site.
To conclude- I find YouPic very easy to use, friendly/ inspirational community & best of all a great high resolution viewing platform. It’s free to create an account here & start connecting with others, so what are you waiting for?
I hope you found this blog post useful & enjoyable?
If you would like to see more of my work;
YouPic Facebook, Viewbug, Instagram, My website
“All rights reserved” © Jenny Cameron 2020
