Shoot Raw, Process, and now what?

[joseph_munro]

I tried researching this before I decided to post, had little luck

or couldn't comprehend answers. So, I generally shoot in JPEG with

my Canon 10D, recently have begun to shoot in RAW and process a

little better. I still like having the images in JPEG, easier for

everyone to read, but what do I do with the original RAW image. I

use Canon's File Viewer Utility and it spits out the JPEG along with

a .THM file. So for every JPEG I have I now have a file that

is .RAW and one that is .THM. Is there any thing I can do with

these, what do you do. Thanks for the help.

[bestactionshots]

I have 2 120BG disks for photos. Raw files are huge especially with 10D and 20D. I just leave them there and delete them when I'm running out of room.

[ozone42]

DVD Burner for Archival.

 

You can fit about 350-400 on a single layer dvd (assuming 20d.) A disc runs about $0.50, but I'm kind of a digital packrat. I hate losing meaningful data.

[michael_beckmann]

Buy a DVD burner and archive those raw files on DVD! You may want to go back to those files, they include the full image information.

[www.philwinterphotography.]

I load all the RAWs onto a CD, pop the CD into the computer and bring it up in BreezeBrowser. That way, I don't clutter the computer with a bunch of big RAWs that I won't use. BB lets me view the RAWs quickly (even though they are large), select the ones I want and convert to either jpeg or tiff. When I'm done, I back up the converted files. That's about it.

 

Phil

[wingedrabbit]

Wow, how to answer. I'm experimenting with manual along with different flash settings, so sometimes my shots are not exposed correctly. With RAW, I can tweek the exposure and white balance to make the shot perfect. I do this with Photoshop CS. I believe you can do the same with Elements.

 

In other words, I make the decisions about the image processing to create a JPEG file. If you don't care about the post process, why shoot in RAW?

 

Also, I write the RAW files to a CD so I don't have to store the image on a hard drive.

 

Tom

[joseph_munro]

Ahhh, so many answers. The overall theme seemed to burn them to a disc, I have both CD and DVD burner just never really thought about burning only the RAW files. So let me make sure you all have the same idea, burn the RAW files to another format, CD or DVD, and since it is me I will probably just keep the JPEGs on my computer for easier browsing until I decide to archive them. Honestly, I really do archive JPEG's to save space. Thanks all.

[jim_larson1]

Ah. . .but space is SOOOO cheap! $80 for a 160GB drive!

 

I used to save all my RAW's to CD, but CD's just don't have enough space.

 

I currently save all files on my HD, plus an active backup on a second, portable HD (this HD is generally kept in a secure location). When I fill up my HD (which will be sooner than I like) I will have then start saving all my RAWs on TWO (not one) portable HD's.

 

Over the holiday I picked up a DVD burner ($60). I will now burn all the RAW's to at least two DVD's. One set will be kept in my safe deposit box with other important documents.

[david_jones18]

Q - Are DVD's considered more reliable than CD's are is it simply the convenience of having a larger capacity disk and fewer of them to archive that is the advantage?

 

Cheers

[michael_mays]

The Raw file are your negs..the jpegs are your prints.. you cant do much with a print, but you can process a neg anyway want..so save them i have a 200gb external hard drive i store them all on..the .thm is just the thumbnail that loads to view the raw file dont get rid of it save it with the raw.....

[micheleberti]

When u shot film (if u actually shot film) do you trash negs?

So, do not trash your RAWs, buy an external HD drive and make an additional copy of your RAWs burning your files into DVDs.

[ecky]

Usually, I use Canon's DPP software. I don't know if it support 10D now or not. It

give me a very easy and quick work flow to convert multi processed RAWs into JPGs

with

one simple click. I use PS CS once a while if I want to edit a RAW more serious and

convert it to JPG inside PS.

 

Although I shoot with both jpg and raw together with my 1D. the jpg is only for quick

upload or if I need the pictures right after i shoot. I only keep jpg processed (because

not all pictures I took will be converted) from RAW and the RAW itself. Keeping them

in a

160GB hard drive and a 200GB portable backup drive. DVD backup is good, just

worry that I will have tons of unknown DVDs all over my work desk like my CDs now.

 

eric

[doug_landrum]

I'm not sure what your question is. Do you want to view the files, process the images or just save them. With Photoshop CS, the Camera Raw 2.4 beta plug in works great for fine tuning the image before you edit in Photoshop. The white balance adjustment is particularly helpful. I don't think Elements has the ability to read RAW files. My RAW files are .CR2 from the 20D, I think.

[michael_beckmann]

A - No, DVDs are not more reliable than CDs, but there is more space on them.

[theoldmoose]

You can solve the 'unknown CD/DVDs all over the place' by using something like Archive Creator, which keeps master indeces with thumbnails on your system, and helps you create an arbitrary volume numbering system, so you can quickly retrieve the CD/DVD of interest when you want to get at the original files.

 

If you manage, somehow, to destroy your master index, you can re-create it by inserting all your CDs/DVDs (an admittedly laborious process, but hey, at least you *can*).

 

Systems like this have been around since the days I used to keep track of hundreds (thousands?) of floppy discs and needed to know the contents of all of them without going through them one at a time.

[jim_larson1]

BTW: you can extend the life of DVD's/CD's by not using a marker on them. . .

[bestactionshots]

Reading advice on here with DVD and I just bought one. NEC 16X Dual Layer on Ebay for about $110 and 100 4X blanks. I like this solution better than my hard-drives.

[michael_beckmann]

Best Action Shot: You bought 4x blanks, so you will burn them at 4x. That will give you good results. Don't use the max speed of your burner, because the quality of the burn will be worse, even if the blanks are specified for 8x, 12x or 16x speed. Perhaps at some point 8x speed burning may be considered, but for the time being, you are on the safe side, especially for archival purposes, with 4x speed.

 

Jim Larson: Is that true? I hear this for the first time. I have special markers for CDs, but I don't use them for archival disks, simply as a precaution, not because of an actual recommendation I got. I only write on the cover.