 Dawn M. Dorland |
Best Way to Back Up Raw Files When I travel, I download my Raw files to my laptop so I can convert the good ones to JPEGs. When I get home I like to put the Raws on my main desktop to keep them there. (I planned on deleting them off the laptop.) I was using a memory stick to to this. Now the files appear to copy to the memory stick (of course you can't view them in Raw), but when I copy them to my desktop and try to open them in Canons DPP, they don't open. The first 10 percent are OK, then the rest are just an X. I tried to go back and delete the files, but they were all corrupted. Everything worked fine for the JPEGs. Is there a better way to transfer the Raw images from one computer to another? And I would like to keep the Raws backed up so I can delete some of my 1000's of old photos off my desktop. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Randy A. Myers |
That should have worked fine. I use USB flash drives and CF cards to move files around all the time. I've never had a problem. Make sure you give the files time to completely transfer before removing the memory stick.
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hello Dawn, I had a laptop hard drive fail after downloading 1200 images taken at the Northwest String Summit in 2006 (bluegrass festival in Oregon) and even after paying a bunch of $$ to a PC recovery shop, they could not get them back as the drive was fried & I lost them all. After downloading them, I intended to back them up to another external drive but I had another shoot, so I deleted my CF cards and then my laptop failed. I lost about 1200 photos. They were very good photos and they are gone, gone, gone. I will never see them again. If and when this ever happens to you, will learn quickly to back up everything as soon as you can. I have an Iomega 320GB & an older Lacie 120GB portable hard drives that I carry with my laptop (MacBook Pro) and they are fast (firewire) & do the job until I get home and add them to my 2 Iomega 1TB hard drives attached to my 24" IMac. I have 1 drive that looks exactly like the other drive as any hard drive can fail so if one does, I still have the other. I also burn DVDs of my raw images and keep these at a friend's house in case there is a fire & I have a book of his DVDs for the same reason. I have lost lots of images over the last 10 years due to corrupt CF cards (be sure to always power down the camera before inserting/ejecting a card from the camera). I am happy to say that since losing those 1200 photos in 2006, I have not lost one since :) I also use Photoshop and in Bridge (File>Get Photos from Camera,) it launches the Adobe Photo Downloader and I select the folder and name and direct them to a folder in one of my portable external drives. I don't have that much space on my internal HD anyway and afterwards, I burn the raw images to DVD in case the HD fails. Hard drives (both portable and desktop external HDs) have gotten so cheap and they are easy to use. I also have an 8GB Sandisk thumb drive but I never use it for transferring images as I can just plug my portable external drive to my IMac and copy them over to my other drives. I don't have read/write problems and have not experienced your issue with some images being readable and others aren't, so as Randy stated, make sure they are completely transferred. Hope this helps!
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Dawn M. Dorland |
Thanks Carlton and Randy... I did try to transfer the pics from my laptop to my desktop using another flash drive and it worked ok, so we think the original flash drive is corrupted. I did go out today and by an external hardrive and will start using that. I also bought Photoshop since it was on sale at Staples for $599. I put it on my laptop first, since I am leaving tomorrow for 2 weeks. Now I just look at it, since I am clueless about Photoshop. I kind of figured since I am not that bright about learning programs, why waste my time learning something else now, when I knew eventually I would buy Photoshop. Wish me luck :)
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hello Dawn, There are tons of books, DVDs & tutorials and I have tried them all over the last 10 years and I highly recommend looking at some of the Photoshop classes offered here as they are taught by photographers who will get you up & running in no time. I have taken a few and Jim Zuckerman & Lewis Kemper's Toolbox classes will teach you the fundamentals quickly. Control-L for Levels, Control-M for Curves, Control-Alt-I for image size, Control-Alt-S for Save as, Cntrl U for Hue/Saturation, Cntrl B for Color Balance, - these are a few keyboard options I use a lot. Part of Photoshop is Bridge and this is a way to view, rate and select images you want to open in Photoshop. Bridge also has the Adobe Photo Downloader which will save the images the drive you select and will also save duplicate files to another drive. Dont hesitate to email me if you have a question and I will take you through my processing steps. ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) will do most adjustments you will need and I do 90% of my editing in ACR, then save the edited images as .tif files. I only size down and save as jpegs for images I am posting on the web. Congrats & Cheers, Carlton
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Dawn M. Dorland |
Thanks Carlton... I do plan on taking a photoshop class, but may not be until later. I am finishing a class now, and then finally got into Drager's Light and Comp class, which I dont want to drop since my pics need help. I may track you down in the future with questions. I have not even been able to find ACR yet. Do you convert all your RAWS to .tifs? I have only been converting pics I used online to JPEGS, then saved the rest as RAWS (will be putting on external hardrive soon.) Thanks, Dawn
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
When you open a raw image in Photoshop (CS2 & above) it will launch in ACR. It is a separate window that says Camera Raw at the top. I am trying to do a screen capture to show you. It starts with White Balance at the top followed by Temp & Tint and then you have Exposure, Recovery, Fill light, Contrast, Saturation, etc... Its designed to work from the top down and after I tweak Clarity & Vibrance a bit (if needed), I am usually done with the image. I dont save all my rsw files as tifs - only save my preferred images. I usually use Bridge and label the good ones with a 3 (command 3) which will place 3 stars on the image. I only label the ones that are sharp, focused, etc as a 3. If it has even better composition, etc - I may label it a 4 and if it is superb - 5 :) This is my method but do whatever works for you. You can then sort the images in Bridge by "rating" and then you can select that group of images and launch them all in ACR to start editing. Hope this helps - let me see if I can include my screen capture... Carlton
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Mike Johns |
Dawn: Iam going to assume that you have a newer Canon camera, that said, One of your options for shooting is to save the images in the camera as Raw + large JPG. If you do that, you do not have to convert to jpg. I always keep all of my original .CR2 (raw) files as they came out of the camera. These are representation of what the processor in the camera saw at the time that you snapped the picture and if they are changed,you loose the original. I only convert to another format when I do what I call my ARTISTIC work on the image. I take my images from the camera and as soon as they are on my desktop PC, they are burn to CD or DVD. As a computer Systems Administrator, I will let you know that there is not any problem with moving your RAW files to any type of media that you can save other files to. RAW files are just stored bits and bytes, the same as any other file type.
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Randy A. Myers |
In response to backing up files, I have two external hard drives. I have a backup program that backs the computer hard drive to the first external drive, then the second external drive backs up the first external drive. I know if I go check the files on the second external drive and they are good, then that means the first external back up is good since that's where the files came from. It takes up no time since it is done automatically. The price of external hard drives is now cheap enough to make this a feasible option. I then burn "special trips or outings" to DVD. Good luck.
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Steven Irwin |
Dawn, If you don't have a wireless network at home, get one! This easily connects all home computers together very cheaply. Also, get an NAS (network attached storage) device to be accessed from the wireless network. I bought a BuffaloTech Terastation that has 2 terabyte of storage. The most important aspect is that it is a RAID system. The Terastation has 4 500gb harddrives that work together as one. I have the Terastation mapped to my pc as a network drive "T" (for Terastation). So, I can just copy straight to the Terastation from my pc by accessing drive "T". Very easy!! Actually, every pc on your wireless network can use the NAS device and backup to it. Now about the RAID system, the raid system allows for recovery if any of your hard drives die. It has happened to me twice in the last 4-5 years that I have had mine. I just had to buy another 500 gb drive, pull out the bad hd and put the new one in. The raid system is able to look at the other three good drives and determine what was on the one bad drive. It rebuilds the data to the new drive and you are back to normal!! It is SWEET!! ALL photographers should have an NAS device with RAID. It still allows you to backup to USB hard drives and DVDs (that you can take offsite). Also, you can pool multiple NAS devices to appear as one. It is very flexible and powerful. I have not lost one photo since I have had the Terastation with RAID. Without it, I could had lost almost everything twice. I think the 2 terabyte Terastaion cost me about $800-900 years back. The replacement drives are only about $70-80 each. What would you pay to get back photos off of a bad drive? I know I would had paid $800 easily to get them back. That price has saved me twice now and I know it will save me again sometime. Remember, hard drive never last forever. Plan for their failure. I did this for a living as an IT software consultant! I hope this helps!
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Pamela Njemanze |
Dawn: as for photoshop, it can be intimidating at first, but I just took a workshop with Jim Zuckerman and it helped a great deal. I will learn from your exp and back up. I'm gonna be sorry someday as others are if I don't start to back up. Pam :)
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Kathryn Wesserling |
This is a simplistic question, but after downloading, do you delete the images from your CF card, or do you format the card? I was taught from the git-go to always format a brand new card before shooting the first images, and always to format, rather than delete all sets thereafter. Even if this has nothing to do with your specific issues, it can't hurt to mention it (might help someone else.)
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hi Kathy, I dont touch my cards after downloading the images until I have them all backed up to at least 2 drives & raw files burned to DVD, then I put the cards back in the camera that I will be using and delete all images and then format. Since I am bouncing between 3 different camera's I always format the card in the camera before I start shooting. Maybe overkill but it works for me and I have not had a single problem doing it this way :) my .02 Carlton
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Kathryn Wesserling |
Same here, Carlton - especially, since my dvd-burner is acting spacey! Of course, the one exception is when I recently erased my CF that held nearly 200 images of my great-niece's very first dance recital! I'd swear that I had edited just a couple (meaning they were at least on my laptop.) It wasn't until going home after an ensuing camping trip that I couldn't find the dance pictures anywhere! arggggggggghhhh!!
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Dawn M. Dorland |
Thanks everyone for the great info... and Carlton, I definitely will make sure I dont delete any photos off the memory cards until I have backed them up. I never thought of that until I read your post. I also do format my memory cards when I delete the images. I guess I will invest in a few more memory cards as well. I will start with the external hardrive and then research some of the options posted here. I am still at the stage in my photograhpy where I only get a few pis worth keeping for a lifetime. But I am working on that. Thanks for all the help !!!!!
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Dont discount the photos you have now as you will treasure them more later. I look back at some of my early photos when I was still learning to use a DSLR & photoshop and there are some real gems which are still my favorites. Plus, I have a bad habit of making a run through my images and selecting the obvious ones I want to work on and have gone back through them a year or 2 later to find a couple more gems that I had completely overlooked. One example was a shoot I did of a Butch Trucks/Susan Tedeschi concert at the Oregon Zoo. I had taken a few pics of the elephants as the stage is close by before the show and later when I selected the images from the show, I ignored the elephant shots only to find this one 2 years later. Blessings, Carlton
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Steven Irwin |
Everyone, Based on 12 plus years as a Software Consultant with a Computer Science degree, I want to make a suggestion that differs from a suggestion a few of you have made. I do not think reformatting your CF or memory cards after each use is beneficial. It may actually cause damage or at least cause them to wear out quicker. Drives or cards do not need to be reformatted unless you have had corruption issues. Deleting the files off of a drive/card leaves it blank and formatted. If it has been working without an issue, then you know it is formatted correctly. Based on years of experience, if you try to reformat each time, you are only opening yourself up to negatives, in my humble opinion. If it ain't broke... Steve Irwin
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Kathryn Wesserling |
Nuts, Steve! I'm really really really inclined to listen to, and follow, your knowledgeable comments. However, it' so darned hard to break a belief of years. This is the first time someone has offered an opposite viewpoint.
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Kathryn Wesserling |
Steven - I posed the 'Format vs Delete' question on two other competition sites. I'm bringing the results back here because many newbies may accept your expert opinion without researching it further. Please believe that I'm not denigrating your knowledge or experience, but your stand is so opposite to anything I had learned in the past (from IT people as well as photographers.) After reading the comments in the other forums, yours still is the only one with this opinion.
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Kathryn Wesserling |
Contiinuing (ran out of room.) I found an article that is easy to follow as to the Whens, Wheres, Hows, and Whys of the subject... http://www.digicamhelp.com/accessories/memory-cards/erasing-and-formatting-a-memory-card/
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Randy A. Myers |
Notice that it didn't say to format everytime. I erase both ways, on the computer and in camera. I've never had a card fail and that's even switching between brands. I think everyone needs to decide what they are comfortable with and as long as they have no problems, that's what they should stick with. I think most people answer that you should format each time without any knowledge of why it should be done. My 2 cents on the subject.
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Steven Irwin |
Relax, I am not anybody's enemy here! I am just trying to provide a different point of view or different perspective on the issue. Kathy, I do agree with your article. low level formatting is quite different than a full format. I would not have any issue with a low level formatting a card a from time to time especially if it is used alot or if you were experiencing issues. Low level formatting appears to be a batch process for deleting files from different directories. I never had any issue with deleting files or using a formatted drive/card. I do not even have an issue with full formatting if you are experiencing issues. That is the correct time to format. I am just saying there is nothing to be gained by formatting (full) after each and every use. You have to understand at the lowest level in the pc what formatting does vs. what deleting files does. The article is exactly right in defining the difference at a high level. A formatted disk/card is prepared to add/delete files/directories as often as you wish. How often do you format hard drives on your pc? Only when you experience issues as corruption, crashing, ... Cards for cameras certainly are easier to format. That still does not mean you should or need to do it all of the time. If you feel more comfortable doing it, no problem. I am only telling you it is a myth that you should format it everytime. I have cards that I have not formatted in over 5 years. Never an issue. An analogy... When you hang or switch out different framed photos on your wall at home, do you remove all photos, plug all nail holes, prime and paint, put up new nails and rehang every photo in room? I would assume you hang pics, swap out with new ones from time to time until you start seeing issues with the paint on the wall, then you repaint, maybe once every several years or longer. What I am suggesting is not crazy or radical. Think about this... what hard drive would last longer? Two identical hard drives, one is installed in a drive bay at a data center at Ebay (I was responsible for data center for major Telecom companies) while one is used by a granny who checks her one email once a month. The drive with the least use (assuming no issues with power surges, loss of cooling,..) will generally last longer. If you read the article, which process (deleting or formatting) will cause less wear to the card? Less wear to me means the card (or a hard drive) will last longer. I do not have any issue with painting a room from time to time either. Cool? I hope this makes some sense. If you remember one thing at all from what I have written related to this question, remember to get an NAS device that has a RAID system. That has saved me ALLL of my data/photos twice because the 500gb drives will fail eventually. The RAID system allowed me to recover ALL of my digital photos (and pc backup data) from my NAS device twice at a cost of about $80 for the replacement drive each time. That is very cheap insurance for your bulk storage location. The impact of formatting a card (or not) everytime is inconsequential in comparison. I don't consider, either, that my suggestion (or stand!) is really tantamount to being opposite to others in here. I would be shocked if most photographers really reformatted card each time photos were deleted from card. If you prefer to continue to reformat, I can even help save you time with that. There is no need to delete all photos before reformatting. Just reformat card with all photos still on the card, formatting will delete them anyway, that is part of it's purpose. Hence the terminology of low level formatting. It is not really a format, just a part of it. So, are we talking formatting everytime or low level formatting (automated deleting/writing) after every use? I would not have an issue with low level vs full reformatting. As I had said, I do not have a problem with using a formatted disk/card as often as necessary. That is basically what the definition of low level is in the article. Full format certainly does more. I am only saying to limit complete formatting unless required. Have a great day! ...and do not forget to get an NAS (Network Attached Storage) device and back it up often. And thanks for not denigrating my knowledge!! Just a joke!! Steve P.S. Maybe I will go format my oldest cards. You have made me think! Five or six years is a long time with no format. There is probably a good compromise from always to never! Out of curiosity, how many people have had a card die with photos on it? I wonder what the manufacturers (Canon, Nikon,) recommend? They are the ones who have the time and resources to actually fully test this topic. Who knows!
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Kathryn Wesserling |
Awwww - I went for the deepest meaning, but it might have been a good thing, eh? I remember from the old days of formatting discs that you had to choose between a format that contained all the commands needed to run a program (?) or just a format capable of preparing the disc for files. Formatting the memory cards is similar to the latter, I'm thinking.
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Steven Irwin |
I started my career on a 286 pc with DOS 2. At that point, you could edit the command.com files to change the DOS commands so nobody could use your pc. I changed the command to look at files in a directory from "dir" to "dur", the change directory command from "cd" to "dc", etc. That was my security, make all new commands. It was sweet! Everything was at the DOS prompt, if you remember. Windows was not even imagined yet (except maybe by Bill Gates). Raise your hand if you remember 1993! I don't even want to admit I had a Commodore 64 before my official career started. Well, I won't bother everyone anymore on this issue. I think we beat it to death. Good shooting ALL! It has been fun....
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hi Steve, I appreciate the different perspective but I know from experience when I was working for a production company in 2003 we needed to download images from my CF card to someone else's Macbook and were unable to because the CF card was not formatted before that shoot. Although it had been formatted previously, I just erased the images and did not format each time and this time it cost us. I also bounce between 3 different camera's and I cannot remember which camera the card had been used in last, so I format every time and have been doing so for years. I have yet to wear out a cf card doing so. I am off for a 4 day festival and will go through several CF cards and probably shoot about 36GB worth of images and I will also be using these pics and writing an article for a magazine. I will be formatting, downloading and backing up everything to avoid any problems. my .02 Carlton
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Steve Jolicoeur |
Try another program , its to old or not compatible even tho it`s from the same company . jpegs will be fine but the raw will be an X in a blue bak or whatever,
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