Any collection of records — digital or physical — is only as safe as its most recent copy. A binder of hand-written recipe cards can burn or get lost in a move; a phone full of years of painting logs can be dropped, stolen, or simply replaced without anyone thinking to move the data first. The format doesn’t matter nearly as much as whether a second copy exists somewhere else.
A common shorthand for this is the “3-2-1” rule: keep three copies of your data, on two different types of storage, with at least one copy somewhere other than where the originals live. For a painter’s records, that might mean the live data on your phone, a backup file on a computer or external drive, and a third copy in cloud storage or emailed to yourself. None of this requires special software — it’s just a habit worth having before you need it.
Why this matters more as a collection grows
For a miniature painter, a recording tool isn’t just a list; it’s a repository of hundreds of hours of creative effort — custom color mixes, project milestones, and paint inventory levels. The more of that history lives in one place, the more expensive it is to lose. A lost, stolen, broken, or simply replaced device can erase an entire hobby history if no external copy exists.
What a backup should include
A useful backup captures more than just a spreadsheet of names. For a miniature painting log, that means:
- Miniature records — names, series, build status, and cumulative painting time.
- Paint library data — brands, color names, hex codes, and stock levels.
- Recipes — titles, linked paints with mix ratios, and process notes.
- Photos — thumbnails and before/after shots, which a plain text export can’t carry on its own.
Text-only exports (like CSV) are good for reviewing or editing data in a spreadsheet, but they can’t carry photos. A full backup needs both the text data and the image files together.
How BrushLog handles this
BrushLog is built “privacy-first,” using local-only storage on the device rather than requiring an account or syncing to a central server. That protects privacy, but it also means the responsibility for keeping a second copy falls on the user — which is exactly what BrushLog’s export tools are for.
| Export Type | What it includes | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| CSV | Text data for miniatures, paints, and recipes (including their paint links). | Reviewing or editing hobby data in spreadsheet software. |
| ZIP | All CSV data, a restoration manifest, and the photos folder. | A full device-to-device restore or a comprehensive long-term backup. |
Importing a backup is additive, not a destructive overwrite — it adds the records from the file to whatever’s already on the device, so you can combine records from different periods or devices without losing current work. General records (miniatures, paints, recipes) restore in full for every user; restoring project groupings specifically requires Pro, though a free-tier import of a ZIP containing projects will still restore the miniatures and recipes and simply skip the project groupings.
Both CSV and ZIP export/import are free for every user, regardless of tier — data portability isn’t gated behind a purchase, since a tool meant to hold years of hobby history shouldn’t be able to lock you out of your own records.
Download BrushLog on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brushlog/id6763442950
Summary
Any single-device collection — miniature painting logs included — needs a copy that isn’t just sitting in one place. Applying a 3-2-1 mindset to your recipes and paint library, and using both CSV and ZIP exports to capture text data and photos together, keeps years of painting history from disappearing with a single lost or broken phone.
For a deeper look at the various methods available for managing your hobby data, see our comprehensive guide: Notebook, Spreadsheet, or App? How Miniature Painters Should Track Recipes and Progress
To learn more about the project-level organization you can restore with a Pro upgrade, visit our article on army management: Beyond a Single List: Organizing Your Miniatures Into Projects
This article organizes information from a recording and organizing perspective. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us. Last verified: July 2026
