RAW files

pinco000

pinco000

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Edit My Images
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simple question on all of you;) do u keep your RAW files after post processing or do you delete them?
thanks for reading and your replies !
 
I always keep my RAW files. I recently bought a decent Eizo monitor and it was embarrassing to see the awful colours of my edits on my old monitor!
RAW is the equivalent of negatives from film, they are irreplaceable.
Another thing to consider is the constant improvement in what image editing software can do. It is quite possible that you could do something in the future that is impossible at present.
If you are concerned about file size, even though storage is relatively cheap, you could convert your RAW files to DNG - these files are a bit smaller.
 
Data storage is so cheap these days that there is no reason why you should want to get rid off them.

In total I have 5 copies of all images stored on and off site.
 
ALWAYS keep the RAW files! You wouldn't throw away your negatives and your RAWs are the digital equivalent of your negs :)
 
I always keep them (after getting rid of the rubbish), I recommend you do the same!
 
I always keep my raw files but always saved as dng. It's not a question of size (snicker) but longevity: proprietary raw formats are subject to change by manufacturers and so support for older formats may be lost over time. DNG is open and imo is more likely to pass the test of time.

I'm a bit of an evangelistic on this topic as the more support dng gets the more likely it is to succeed.

Andy
 
thank you all guys, for your replies :thumbs: I have listened to you and will keep the RAW files. They look soo amazing when presented on my 40" full HD SONY. Therefore I never really wanted to delete them, so I just upgraded my dvd writer to a blu-ray writer, so will keeep all the raw files on as few disks as possible. :thankyou:
 
Keep them. I should probably go through some day and delete all the crap mind. You know what it's like, you take 100 shots and come back with 5 keepers. So for 50 shots you end up with 950 RAW files that you're probably never going to use.

It's quite interesting though. Whenever I go back through them at a later date, I always find another...

So I don't like to delete anything. but I should.
 
pinco000 said:
thank you all guys, for your replies :thumbs: I have listened to you and will keep the RAW files. They look soo amazing when presented on my 40" full HD SONY. Therefore I never really wanted to delete them, so I just upgraded my dvd writer to a blu-ray writer, so will keeep all the raw files on as few disks as possible. :thankyou:
Click to expand...

Don't rely on DVD or Blue Ray disks for permanent back up. They DO fail over time. Personally I back up onto two external hard drives. One I keep at home, the other I keep at work.

Remember you only have a true back up if it's kept off site. Otherwise it's just a copy ;)
 
Pointless deleting them when gigabytes and terabytes are so cheap nowadays. Plus you may want to revisit them and re-process / re-export them for someone or something :)
 
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