Synology Photos vs Moments vs Synology Photo Station
Synology Photos is a full-scale photo management product/application developed by Synology that operates off DSM7.x. For your information, it is the third version of Synology Photo Management tools. The previous version was called Synology Moment which works for home users. As far as Synology PhotoStation is considered, it is developed for professional photographers and is a successor of the second iteration tool rolled out by Synology. This blog will specifically discuss Synology Photos vs Moments vs Synology Photo Station.
In other words, we will be highlighting the key differences between these three packages. You will also get to know which items are migratable and which items have been dropped.
Prior to Differentiating Synology Photos Tools
Before we start discussing the differences between these Photo Management tools, we would like to tell you that you can find Synology NAS drive through the find.synology.com URL. The condition is that your NAS drive and the computer utilized must be connected to the same WiFi network. As we’ve talked about the Synology NAS drive, we will now be shedding light on DSMs of HDDs compatible with the Photo Management tools that we are going to distinct in the upcoming part of the blog. With their help, you will also come across the similarities between these Photo Management utilities.
Similarities Between Synology Photos, Moments, PhotoStation
The DiskStation Manager version DSM 7.0 is compatible with these Photo Management utilities and you can migrate the following package versions:
- Synology Moments tool with version 1.3.0-0691 or above
- PhotoStation utility with version 6.8.0-3456 or more
Note: You can use these Photo Management utilities on Android as well as iOS mobile platforms.
Synology Photos vs Moments vs PhotoStation
After the similarities, let’s straightforward have a look at the features that make these three photo management tools different. The following table will help you out.
| Tools Parameters | Synology Photos | Synology Moments | Synology PhotoStation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iteration | Third | First | Second |
| Target users | Professional photographers plus home users | Home users | Professionals |
| DSM 7.0 | Supported | Not supported | Not supported |
| Display style | Folder as well as timeline view | View only in Folder view + Timeline view | Folder view only |
| Search features | Search via keywords and quick filters | Keyword plus advanced search | General and advanced search both |
| Virtual albums | Works | Supported | Shared and smart albums supported |
| Conditional albums | Supported | Supported | Albums equivalent to Smart albums supported |
| Collaboration approach | Shared space and albums | Shared Photo Library | Album Permissions required |
| Metadata info display | Supported | Not supported | Supported |
| Auto-created albums | Supported | Supported | Not supported |
| TV cast | For Apple TV/Android TV, Airplay, and Chromecast through mobile app | Not supported | DS photo for Apple/Android TV, AirPlay and Chromecast using mobile app |
Now that you’ve gone through Synology Photos vs Moments vs PhotoStation, we would like to discuss about the migratable items and dropped features in these iterations of Photo Management tools.
Migratable Items: Synology Photos vs Moments vs PhotoStation
Items That are Migratable on PhotoStation
You can migrate Photos and video metadata, the structure of folders in PhotoStation plus Personal PhotoStation, Album permissions, Location tags, and settings that allow you to exclude some file formats from indexing. Shared albums and smart albums are also migratable in Synology PhotoStation. However, they will be transformed into conditional albums.
Items That Can be Migrated on Synology Moments
The metadata of photos and videos are migratable. You are also allowed to migrate the albums that are created manually or are shared. Furthermore, permissions to migrate edited facial recognition results and groupings are also there.
Dropped Items or Features: Synology PhotoStation vs Moments
Featured Dropped on Synology PhotoStation
The account system of PhotoStation including the personal one is dropped. Apart from this, descriptions, hit counts, and watermarks of albums have also been removed from the Synology PhotoStation tool. The list is so long that we have mentioned it below:
- Map view
- Portfolio
- Theme and logs
- iFrame embedding
- Settings to prevent users from public sharing
- Location tag editing
- Results of Facial Recognition and photo ratings
Items Dropped from Synology Moments
Synology Moments has dropped the integration with the Synology Drive server and the direct viewing of files. Furthermore, Moments Select and Similar Photos have also been removed from the tool.
The Final Note
Our post discussing Synology Photos vs Moments vs PhotoStation is now about to end. We would like to tell you that you might notice a slight change in the contents of migrated shared and smart albums. This happens because of changes in package design. You can also expect some of the removed features to be redesigned so that you can make the most of these Photo Management tools in the future.
