Storing Pics?

[Antlershed]

I thought this was discussed before, but I couldn't find it through the search.

How are you guys storing all your pics, whether it be on your computer, external drive, cd, etc? I'm looking for ideas as I still have all the images from my East Coast trip just sitting on my memory cards. I used to just shoot in jpeg and then I would clear the card to my computer and have a backup cd made as well. Now that I am shooting mostly in RAW, I'm trying to figure out a good way to keep them stored, so I don't lose them to a computer crashing, and so I can keep them organized. Thanks.

[huntnphool]

Pick up a 1 terabyte hard drive and keep them all on that, I keep mine in my safe so I dont lose them in a fire. I can always take more critter pics but the kids pics would be a serious loss. I think Costco just had them for about $119.00

[boneaddict]

I just bought one for 119.00 at best buy.  I took over 30,000 pics this year.  Its impossible. 

[Antlershed]

So, I'm assuming you are storing them on there in RAW format and then converting when you want to share one?

[huntnphool]

So, I'm assuming you are storing them on there in RAW format and then converting when you want to share one?

Exactly. You can make more detailed adjustments in RAW than jpg. and you can make a jpg. from your RAW pic, not the other way around

[Antlershed]

Right, which is why I made the switch to shooting in RAW. When I shot the sheep a while back I shot in RAW only and not RAW+jpeg and it took me forever to sort through which ones were good beause I had to open them with the Nikon software. Maybe I need new software, or just go back to shooting RAW+jpeg so I can cull out the bad ones quicker.

[huntnphool]

It depends on the program you use. Photoshop CS series will show thumbs of RAW images so you don't need to do that, thats what I use.

[Antlershed]

It depends on the program you use. Photoshop CS series will show thumbs of RAW images so you don't need to do that, thats what I use.

Maybe I just need to look into software. Mine takes half a decade to simply open a RAW image so I can view it. Could be my computer too I guess. I'll have to pick up the external drive and go from there.

[popeshawnpaul]

I take a 3 step approach.  I have a raid system in my computer.  Basically the first hard disk is mirrored by another.  That way there is always 2 copies of my pictures saved on the drive.  If one drive fails the computer uses the 2nd drive until you can get the broken drive repaired.  Every couple months I back up my pictures on the raid drive to a 1tb external drive.  If you get one, make sure it has esata or external serial ata.  It is much faster than usb or firewire and an esata comes on many new computers or you can add a card with it so you computer has that output.  Backing up zillions of pictures takes time.  Then I store the external at work or off site from my house so if it burns down I have the images saved.

As far as storage within the comuter, I upload all RAW images at the end of the day.  I convert any to jpg and save that jpg on my drive for ones I share.  That way I have the original RAW and the jpg I worked up for the internet or someone.  I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.  It costs less than half that of regular Adobe Photoshop CS4 and is a more powerful way of storing and keeping a database of your images.  The program can be a storage hog though.  Hard disk space is cheap these days though. 

[Antlershed]

Thanks for the tips.