Out of curiosity, how do you do it?

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Jo Fisher
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I'm curious as to what process people go through when it comes to uploading what you have on your CF card, and managing them after editing.

I use a card reader to upload my images. From there I open them in the Canon Zoombrowser EX, where I go through each image and first mark the carp with a 1 star rating. Once I have gone through them all I then delete those. Then I go back through and mark the the ones I like most with 3 stars. From there I open each one in Corel Paintshop Pro Photo x2 and edit them to my liking, or ditch them if they don't work how I want them to. I then save any really good ones full size in a folder called 'Printables' , then resize the image to 800 pix on the longest side and save it to a folder called 'websize'. Once I have processed these shots I upload to Flickr the ones I am most happy with.

On average I would say out of 300 shots I will get maybe 1 or 2 that I am happy with, and maybe 5 or 6 that I think are OK. Obviously this varies, sometimes I get more shots that I am happy with and vice versa.

I keep all of the remaining images on Zoombrowser for 2 weeks. I then go back and have another look through what's left and decide which if any to keep and bin the rest. Once a month I burn all of my 'Printables' and 'websize' to disk and delete them off my hard drive.

So what process do you go through?
 
:lol: I'm usually the first to do that! Oh well. If a mod could make this one disappear that's fine :)
 
I would say they are different topics.

I copy all my pictures to a folder called.. wait for it... "pictures".. these are either RAW or JPEG format.

I have nearly every single photo I have ever taken with my camera, and as they are all stored in the same format they are taken, in folders going from 101CANON upwards its pretty easy to navigate and look for shots.

Then I just go through the folder and Open up in photoshop and convert for the web if needed.

I dont format the card but instead use the camera function to delete all the images.
 
:agree:

I would assume that simply deleting could result in a very fragmented file system on the card. This is likely to slow down write times with the added risk of corruption.

Bob
 
I upload my images to Zoombrowser. Close it and look at my images in Bridge. Delete the ones I don't like and open the ones I do in CS3 tweek the RAW if I need to then save the image as dng and open in CS3 to do any PP. I am planning to change this process and save the images as TIFF instead of dng files and save them to CD.
 
Canon Bob said:
:agree:

I would assume that simply deleting could result in a very fragmented file system on the card. This is likely to slow down write times with the added risk of corruption.

Bob
Click to expand...

Thta's precisley correct, happened to a good mate of mine at a sporting event, I've always ribbed him that simply deleting rather than re-formatting will bring him trouble and it did, = 350+ corrupted RAW's on a 4GB card.

Basic file storage for me goes a little something like this, import from CF Reader via lightroom to a folder that has name and date of assignment, folder contents is as follows:

RAW
PSD
JPEG

I used to store full catalogues in Lightroom but after a malfunctioning catalogue I store everything independently now, simply using lightroom as a viewer that has editing capability.
Any pants or bad shots getted trashed as soon as possible (erm most of the time, I should really trash more).
For all major editing I use CS3 with actions and droplets for batch processing.

PSD's are kept after main edits just incase modifications need to be made after the submission to an editor or client as JPEGS will degrade if you keep opening and saving opening and saving etc, I've had a few instances where client/editor has preferred my edit rather than the art directors and requested alternate colour space profiles as well, so I keep the PSD's and most of the time they will be trashed a month or so after deadline. JPEGS are kept for reference and RAW is my 'archiving' file.
I really love the way adobe camera raw stores your RAW adjustments in a side car file! Saves me loads of time:thumbs:
 
I use photomechanic to ingest the photo's as it re-names and applies my IPTC information at the same time.
They go into a folder called 'incoming'

If it's work, then they'll be Jpegs so I just go through, pick the ones i need, delete the rest, upload them to works FTP and then move them to a folder called 'work' that then stays on my drive for a month in case the agent needs/wants some different shots. then deleted for good. If it's an outstanding property then I'll keep a few for my portfolio.

If it's stuff for me then I go through, delete dross and work up the good ones over the next few weeks as and when I have time or feel the inclination. I save the edited .nef file as capture NX saves it's edits as part of the raw file so you can always go back and re-edit it or delete the changes to take it back to it's original state. I'll also save out a TIFF so it can go into qimage for printing or cs3 for for any cloning work that needs doing, the one thing capture NX doesn't do, allthough V2 has a touch up tool I haven't got it to work well yet.

The folder is then moved to another folder that's labelled 'selected & processed nefs'

So I generally have 4 folders....Work, incoming, tiffs and processed nefs. The last two get backed up onto a standalone drive and not DVD's

I used to use dvd's but I lost about 18 months of some of my old work when the discs I used became unreadable for some reason. So I don't trust them now.
 
I've seen this before but not asked about it....
I can just plug a USB cable into my 30D and then use Windows Explorer to copy the pictures to somewhere else on the system, no faffing about with any software like Zoombrowser or a card reader.
I get the impression other people can't do that for some reason. Is that true?
 
Copy them all onto a HDD, Format the card, go through them as and when in CS2, trying to use as little PP as possible.
 
Eau Rouge said:
I've seen this before but not asked about it....
I can just plug a USB cable into my 30D and then use Windows Explorer to copy the pictures to somewhere else on the system, no faffing about with any software like Zoombrowser or a card reader.
I get the impression other people can't do that for some reason. Is that true?
Click to expand...

Not true, folks can do it mate but it's not exactly the most ergonmic route.
Problem being, you have to move your camera close to your PC in order to plug it in via USB, card readers save alot of hassle, especially if you have more than one body. Not faffin like just quicker an easier :) Also, for example, if you were involved in any kind of shooting were moving the camera was going to disrupt the session, a card reader or file transmitter comes in serious handy.
 
err, being new to this photography lark all this sounds very complicated,
(when my computer comes back from being fixed). i need help
 
karate-ka said:
err, being new to this photography lark all this sounds very complicated,
(when my computer comes back from being fixed). i need help
Click to expand...

Don't worry, you've come to the right place!
We are just talking about work flow (how you import, store, organize and save you photo's on computer).

Workflow can be quite in depth and also very simplified, it really depends on the work your doing. Whether your a hobbyist or if you are a photographer by trade, work flow is basically your preference to managing and editing your photo's.

My advice is to try to be as organized as possible, especially if you take alot of pictures :thumbs:
 
I use a USB 2 card reader to import into Lightroom. It's quicker? than my camera and doesn't need me to worry about balencing/powering the camera, wear on the plugs etc.
I import the raw files into a folder based on date, sorted by year and use keyword tags in lightroom.

I go through and delete the absolutely useless shots, then grade, then when finished editing/correcting take the ones I want to keep and export to Jpeg in a folder structure based on subject/date i.e. main folder Family, sub folders by year, then subfolder by occaision.

This way I can quickly find any shot I want either by jpg or in lightroom.

The final jpegs are stored on one disk, the raws on another and the lightroom catalogue and backups on alternate disks. Each disk gets backed up frequently to external USB disks and DVD's.
 
Also uploading via USB attatched to your camera drains the battery like something else :eek: I used to religiously upload this way before I had a card reader. I didn't realise just how much this process was draining my batteries until I switched methods.
 
Always back mine up onto an external hard drive before I do anything else, and then reformat the CF card. I use a card reader, but i do worry that constantly taking the card in and out of the camera may cause wear on contacts etc?
 
I use a card reader to upload my photo's to the PC, and then open them in Canon's Digital Photo Professional to view the files (shot in RAW).

I then go through them and delete any that are completely doosh, then I make another pass through them changing anything that needs it ie. exposure etc. Once i'm happy, I then batch covert them into JPEGS for editing in photoshop.

I then open photoshop and edit the JPEG's one-by-one, re-sizing them to the correct sizes for the net, altering any settings as I see fit ie. contrast etc, boarder them, logo them and then save in the appropriate folder depending on what the photo is of.

Then, once i've finished editing and i'm happy, I delete the RAW files & move all the high-res JPEGS into a storage folder for keeping.
 
Copy content of card into a named folder for original RAW files. Copy same to another folder called processed and delete the carp from that one. Process from the 'process' folder with DPP and batch convert to TIF in same folder. Work TIF if necessary in PS. Copy RAW and processed folders onto DVDR. Don't waste time converting to JPG unless I need it for a particular reason.
 
Upload pictures to pc using internal card reader,
quick skim through pics , making notes of potential gooduns,
open potential gooduns in PS and save as copies
NEVER delete crap images from folder, its amazing what you can do with them a month later when youre feeling artistic.
Dean:)
 
Eau Rouge said:
I've seen this before but not asked about it....
I can just plug a USB cable into my 30D and then use Windows Explorer to copy the pictures to somewhere else on the system, no faffing about with any software like Zoombrowser or a card reader.
I get the impression other people can't do that for some reason. Is that true?
Click to expand...

I could do it,

But my firewire card reader is alot damn faster when I have to move several gigs of raw photo's from a days work.

Windows fax&picture thingy also wont let me IPTC caption at the same time, or all the other many splendid things that photomechanic does for me.

Try it, you wont go back.
 
Eau Rouge said:
I've seen this before but not asked about it....
I can just plug a USB cable into my 30D and then use Windows Explorer to copy the pictures to somewhere else on the system, no faffing about with any software like Zoombrowser or a card reader.
I get the impression other people can't do that for some reason. Is that true?
Click to expand...


:lol::lol:...have we met ?

I know, it's ridiculously over engineered.
Like no one can get their camera within 3ft of their pc:shrug:can't move the camera during a shoot ? chances are you're shooting tethered anyway.
Taking cards in and out and card readers are the definition of faffing imo.
I can't think of anything more ergonomic than jus pluggin the camera in and away ya go...simple.
 
Upload to computer via card reader.
Copy entire folder to 2 optical discs - either CD-R or DVD-R (not rewritable).
Copy entire folder to at least 1 external HDD.
Copy entire folder to a folder within the original folder called "Originals".
Check all backups.
Format card in camera.
Go through the original folder (NOT the one called "Originals"!) and weed out the carp.
Go through it again and be more selective!
Do any necessary work at full resolution and save over the original file.
Save full res editted files to optical disc and external HDD.
For printing, resize and sharpen as necessary and save in another sub-folder called "Prints [size]".

I realise that this is very much belt, braces and elasticated waistband BUT I haven't lost any digital photos since I started doing this, although I do have a lot of reundant files. HDD space is cheap - reshooting is sometimes impossible.
 
Dino f said:
NEVER delete crap images from folder, its amazing what you can do with them a month later when youre feeling artistic.
Dean:)
Click to expand...

You are so right there. Sometimes if you open a batch of photos you have just shot... there are half a dozen that really stand out as great... so you tend to get excited and work on those. But to be quite honest if you look back later... lots of the others are pretty good too!

Dont delete things for a while at least.

And as for keeping only big jpgs after converting fro RAW,, I have nearly all my RAW shots for the last 2 years. Its great to go back and do something different with them at later dates.
 
I use a card reader them into Lightroom. But before I download them I use the preview thumbs ob the right to untick the obviously bad ones. On import they get copied to an external drive at the same time as being copied to Pictures/Year/Date (Although I want to see if I can get Lightroom to change the file structure to Pictures/Year/Month/Day)

Then I leave the card and only format it when I use it in the camera next...
 
It's really interesting to read how you all do it. Thanks for replying folks ;)
 
step 1: transfer all RAW files (using CF card reader) to 'pending' folder on PC
step 2: use RAW editing prog to view and to delete all crud
step 3: remaining 'keepers' are categorised/named and filed in 'RAW' folder

I convert and edit for web or printing 'as and when' but the original RAW files are stored on HD and backed up to DVDs regularly.
 
I transfer using windows via a card reader to my hard drive. I use irfanview to view them at full size and delete the really crappy blurred/overexposed pics.

At the moment I then pick the ones I want to play with and save them in shared folders so i can go to my boyfriends pc to use photoshop (he lost my disc so can't put elements on my laptop) save back in shared folder and wait 10 years while I wait for photobucket to upload them if going on he web.

I have only had my camera a couple of weeks and that was the first time I have transfered my 'proper' photos.

On my hard drive they are organised (all as high res jpegs as they were taken) in subject so I have Pets, within that mice, rats, rabbits. I have landscape and within that sunsets, sea, foliage. etc

I don't even understand most of what everyone above has written. I do know however that the systems I use are pants but do not have the technical knowledge to do anything else. :D
 
Canon Bob said:
:agree:

I would assume that simply deleting could result in a very fragmented file system on the card. This is likely to slow down write times with the added risk of corruption.

Bob
Click to expand...

No need to worry about that Bob, solid state devices are completely imune from fragmentation problems.

To the OP - if you're only getting a couple out of keepers out of a hundred, get a cheap 35mm SLR off ebay - it will focus the mind a little!!!
 
I download, via a card reader, into a folder called the date followed by one word location.
then convert the raw files (i only have ever shot in RAW) to dng files using dng convertor.
then keyword the pics in bridge.
then import them into lightroom catalogue (containing all my digital camera pics) where i automatically add some brief copyright info.
when i finally get the time i have a look at them. if i like any i am trying to make sure i print them out through my epson r800 printer via photoshop.

i also make line drawing pics from my digital photos, i take a lot of pics of architecture for this purpose.

hope this info isn't as dull as it sounds.
 
I must be doing somethi seriously wrong as at the moment my work flow goes
1) take photos
2) format card
3) repeat from step 1 until bored.

I'm new to the DSLR world so I haven't really got a work flow yet,

With my compact I was mostly taking underwater Pictures work flow went,

1) upload to to pc in a folder titled with the trip. then into date if i was feeling really organised i would go into each dive.

2) go through and delete all the obvious bad out of focus half fish etc,

3) I would then go through and try tweaking in Photoshop and save under in an edit file in the trip folder then i would save for web use in another folder with in that.

After a couple of months I go through the folder and have another look for bad which I delete or good which I edit then save to cd, and a HDD

My compact didn't shoot RAW so I have never considered that as of yet, I also never took my laptop on the trips before so could find myself with 1000+ images to edit. I'm not the quickest with photoshop so i will probably have images that will never get edited.
 
I download mine (the whole folder with photos on the SD card used), rename the folder to reflect the date photos in it were taken on and sometimes I add the occasion as well.

After that I browse then either with Nikon ViewNX or Irfan View and delete those that are complete thrash.
Then I start picking the ones I like, which is about 5-7% of the photos taken on an occasion. After that, I convert them in RawTherapee or ViewNX to tiff/png and edit them in the GIMP if I feel the need to do so. After editing, I usually end up with a high resolution edit and a 680 or 450 px wide jpg for the web.
I tend to come back to some of the photos and reprocess them, especially when I'm bored and feel like slacking.
 
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