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Hard disk space
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:52 pm    Post subject: Hard disk space Reply with quote
Nothing, I just wanted to say that I am desperate about hard disk space.
In spite of my 2 large HD + 1 removable, and in spite of my conspicuous pruning of photos, the RAW files generated by my two digital cameras, and the hires scans from film (these a real killer) have filled my available space completely.

I need a genial solution.

No, giving up digital photography is not a choice.


PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 11:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You can increase the HDD capacity virtually to infinity, but I guess this is also not a good choice.

Are you sure you need all your pictures store in Raw format ? In my experience I just keep the best ones in Raw.I store the less importan images in jpg. I always burn my images into DVD and make two copies. To use HDD as long term storage not a good idea, because it is harmful by viruses and many other reasons. DVD is very cheap and reasonable safe especially if you make duplicate copies and store them on different places. Once a month or a year I bring my archived DVD-s to my parent's house.


PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 11:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
What you say is the most reasonable thing, but the problem is, I like to get back to my older photos and browse them.
I'd need to make a browseable archive with thumbnails on the HD, and keep the referenced raw images on the DVDs - but who has the time to do that? I should not have to work...


PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 11:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
To archive them into DVD very important even if you have time or not. If your hard disk damage you will loose all of them. This is high risk! If you you use a good catalog program like "whereisit" you can browse thumbnails in the catalog program itself and if you have a well organized DVD storage you can get the big file easily. This program makes thumbnails with a simple DVD read not takes much time.


PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 11:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I keep all even the bad ones on DVD, afterwards i prune to have the good left and store them on a HD. Converting Raw tot 16 bit tif gives you more space and you loose not that much.

Guido

A good free program to keep a copy of you data is WINSIN and its free.


PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 5:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I archive onto DVD Two copies just to be safe. I also try to delete all pictures which won't ever be used, such as out of focus. I convert all my RAW to Adobe DNG and delete the originals. DNG Raw original camera shots are kept in one folder labeled for that day, month year. As soon as I have near 4GB or more I burn. I usually burn once a week.
Burning to DVD and keeping them in a box file also seems (to me) an easier way of finding some old shots. Searching through a hard drive takes a lot of time unless you have some auto file system that you can remember how to use.

I also archive what I call my Pint copies. Those are the finished photos I have worked on and printed. They are not on the same DVD or folder as camera originals. I don't keep posted photos, they can always be redone from the orignal or the Print copy. I don't keep images I have worked on but not thought worth printing.
I used to have one of those thumbnail browsing programs but it just got too much thousands of files to browse? it didn't work after a year or so.


PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Seymore wrote:
Orio... I see 2 feasible options, and a 3rd that you may want to consider.

1. Add more HDD space. Here in the States, drives are rather cheap. I just picked up a 320G SATA II for ~$150USD. 500G SATA II drives are ~$175-195USD.

2. Burn your old/backup images to DVD or CD. With DVDs holding ~4G, there's a lot of space you can store on. But just remember that CDs and DVDs are not considered permanent backups. There is considered a shelf life on burned media. I believe it can vary from 5-15 years based on many different factors.

3. (your choice) Shoot JPG. Your reason for bringing this topic up is specifically why I only shoot JPG any more. I shot RAW for about 6 months and saw HDD space getting swallowed up in what I'd call ridiculous gulps. At that time I saw that my drives would only last a few more months.. and this was not an option for me. So I just modified my work-flow to deal with JPGs better.

Good luck mate... Please let us know what you decide to do.


Ah it's an obliged choice - I will have to go for solution #2
I can not give up the RAW - it's 50% of digital photography fun for me! (the other 50% obviously is shooting)


PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Seymore wrote:
Orio wrote:
Ah it's an obliged choice - I will have to go for solution #2
I can not give up the RAW - it's 50% of digital photography fun for me! (the other 50% obviously is shooting)

OK... Well, how much drive space do you currently sit on? And how much is used by images?


I have three drives (two physical, one partition), but one is almost totally devoted to work stuff (my work produces some heavy data mass)

C drive = 155 Gb total, 56,2 Gb dedicated to photos

D drive = 114 Gb total, 89,5 Gb dedicated to photos

F drive = 123 Gb total, 6,34 Gb dedicated to photos


PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 11:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I shoot RAW too, but whenever I've processed the images from 1 shoot, I keep the JPEG's and lose the RAW files, unless it's something really important I might need to print later.


PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Orio wrote:
Seymore wrote:
Orio wrote:
Ah it's an obliged choice - I will have to go for solution #2
I can not give up the RAW - it's 50% of digital photography fun for me! (the other 50% obviously is shooting)

OK... Well, how much drive space do you currently sit on? And how much is used by images?


I have three drives (two physical, one partition), but one is almost totally devoted to work stuff (my work produces some heavy data mass)

C drive = 155 Gb total, 56,2 Gb dedicated to photos

D drive = 114 Gb total, 89,5 Gb dedicated to photos

F drive = 123 Gb total, 6,34 Gb dedicated to photos


I thought you had problems. You are only using about 160 Gb for photos and thts across three drives. Here in the UK you can get an external USB2 400G drive for ?90. I presently use an internal (drive D) 200Gb but will be buying a 400 external soon. However as mentioned HD is about the most unreliable means of achiving. So DVD for original is a must.
The idea of not saving RAW is like burning your negatives after you have a few prints. I'm sure some don't realise the real difference between RAW and JPEG. After 10+ years of using PS I am still learnng everyday so I am certain in another ten years I will be able to to improve my present day shots. As long as I have the RAW file.


PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi!

I can understand why you don't want to give up RAW, I never would give up RAW either.

What I do to save disc space is to split my photos into four "quality levels":

- bad photos: here I delete RAWs and JPGs
- mediocre photos: here I just keep JPGs
- good photos: here I just keep RAW-files
- very good photos: here I keep both, for flexibility RAW and for fast access JPG.

As you can see, I shoot in RAW+JPG mode.

I have just the latest photos on my laptop, but all photos on my desktop and an external hard drive, plus a backup on DVD.

Carsten


PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 1:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I would really like a software that makes a catalog of thumbnails, of two sizes (a small size for overview, like 120x120, and a larger size for verification, like 400x400). And stores it on the HD. Then, when you double click a thumbnail, it tells you in which DVD you can find the original (of course this is an info that you add personally each first time you add pictures to the catalog)


PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 1:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Orio wrote:
I would really like a software that makes a catalog of thumbnails, of two sizes (a small size for overview, like 120x120, and a larger size for verification, like 400x400). And stores it on the HD. Then, when you double click a thumbnail, it tells you in which DVD you can find the original (of course this is an info that you add personally each first time you add pictures to the catalog)


I'll check with a good friend of mine. He has a lot of experience with photo databases.


PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 1:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
LucisPictor wrote:

I'll check with a good friend of mine. He has a lot of experience with photo databases.


Thanks Carsten. Of course if it also has keyword search it will be perfect Smile


PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
LucisPictor wrote:
Hi!

I can understand why you don't want to give up RAW, I never would give up RAW either.

What I do to save disc space is to split my photos into four "quality levels":

- bad photos: here I delete RAWs and JPGs
- mediocre photos: here I just keep JPGs
- good photos: here I just keep RAW-files
- very good photos: here I keep both, for flexibility RAW and for fast access JPG.

As you can see, I shoot in RAW+JPG mode.


I have just the latest photos on my laptop, but all photos on my desktop and an external hard drive, plus a backup on DVD.

Carsten

I do almost the same but I don't shot RAW+JPEG only RAW and a few 'Snaps' with JPEG or on my PS Canon A80

I don't have a bad and mediocre. They are either bad or good or sometimes a maybe. Whatever shots I come home with get quickly looked at and half plus of them will be deleted straight away.

I look through my shots with a viewer called Infraview (Extra plug in to open DNG files) there I can quickly check focus, sharpeness etc and many get deleted there and then without having the bother of going through PS file browser and adjusting / Converting the RAW file.

In PS another few will get deleted. With good photos a sorted and finished image will be saved as a Tiff in my active Print folder, awaiting a print.

After years you have to be brutal with your work and delete whatever isn't up to scratch. there is no point keeping 'Mediocre' (You can shot them any day) Also if you have your RAW the only other file you would want to keep would be the finished adjusted photo at its best printing size. Web size, smaller prints or any other can quickly be done from your 'Print tiff' and improvements can latter be made with your RAW file.

I will keep Print tiff and RAW originals (After burning to DVD) on the hard drive till it looks like I'm running short then delete 60+ Gb of them. I work with folders for camera Original. A monthly folder with sub folders for the days shoot. then a print folder Active which is printing waiting to be done. A printed folder, prints done and they are labeled month and year. When burned my Camera original and printed folded go into a 'Burned' folder ready to be deleted whenever I feel I need the space. Manay times a shoot will be of such importance I have burned the originals to DVD as soon as downloaded and browsed I just add a 'B' to the folder name so they can be kept handy rather than going into my 'Burned' folder.
Finall all active work like recent originals, awaiting printing is kept on the right hand side of my desktop, so I can find it straight away.


PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Rob Leslie wrote:

I look through my shots with a viewer called Infraview (Extra plug in to open DNG files)


I can't see RAW files with my Irfanview. There is a newer version?


PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Himself wrote:

I can't see RAW files with my Irfanview. There is a newer version?


Sorin, actual version is 3.99, see http://www.irfanview.com/
You can find a plugin to see Canon raws on the plugins-site.

Michael
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