Image Sizes / Format and Batch Resizing / Formatting

[superduperwesman]

So I've started shooting RAW all the time because I've had a few shots that I've liked but wasn't able to editing to the extent I wanted because I wasn't shooting RAW.

However, before shooting RAW I still often shot large pictures sizes.

I just bought a 1TB iMac but ideally I still don't want to take up more space then necessary because I plan on taking a lot more pictures, so while moving all my pictures over I was think I might also resize them. What picture sizes does everyone typically keep.

Obviously some pictures are strictly for "memories" and aren't the best composition, lighting etc. but I'd still like to keep them. What size would you keep these pictures?

Some I obviously like more and want to keep for potential wedding power points, framing / enlargements, etc.. What size / format would you keep these files?

For the files that I would like to reduce the size. How do I batch resize them?

Hopefully, everyone get's the jist of what I'm saying.

Basically, what size / format does everyone typically keep? How do I batch size / reformat?

Thanks

[i speak in math]

I keep the raw file for future editing if I need to as well as the developed full resolution jpeg with the least compression possible. I might have multiple jpegs if I process it in color, b&w or other effects. Disk space is cheap. Once you remove information from a shot (cropping, resizing, saving as compressed jpeg...) that information is gone forever. Why ruin the files by cropping and resizing or further compressing the file?

[BigFuzzy]

Any photo I keep, I keep the RAW images.. just in case, but that's now what you're asking for.. so:

Obviously some pictures are strictly for "memories" and aren't the best composition, lighting etc. but I'd still like to keep them. What size would you keep these pictures?
These ones, I'd think about what's the largest possible print can you imagine making of these and save it for that size. I can imagine I'd keep 20cmx30cm sizes for that.


Some I obviously like more and want to keep for potential wedding power points, framing / enlargements, etc.. What size / format would you keep these files?
For these, I'd always keep the RAW.. why risk it. Once you resize it and get rid of RAW, you've lost all that data.


For the files that I would like to reduce the size. How do I batch resize them?
I'd use Lightroom and select all the ones you want to resize and batch export them using the resize function.

My two eurocents.


PS might it not be best/safest to simply buy 100$ 1tb external drive and keep everything, then there's no risk of getting rid of something you might want later... but that's just me. I have 5xHDDs because I fear a failure and losing images haha.

[TheEagleSpirit]

I use photoshop to batch process my files to 8.5x11s and save as tif files which is very little compression if any. However I agree to the suggestion of keeping the original raw files also.

[Algernonep]

I keep all RAW files. I also convert them to DNG. I make full resolution jpeg files unless they are to be emailed or other. I have two external hard drives. I also have a 1TB iMac. One of my hard drive is 2TB.. The other one is 500MB. External space is essential!

[BCampbell]

It'll take a lot of shooting to make a dent in that terabyte.

#1 priority, get very good at self-editing and cull out the shots you'll never need.

Like others, I save RAW files and edited JPGs. I don't save very many RAWs that I don't edit, though.

Another terabyte of external storage is under $100. Keep your your recent "working" files on your main drive, and copy that plus everything older to the external. Preferably, also copy that external periodically.

[superduperwesman]

RAW it is I guess ahah

I'll have to look into DNG. Heard of a few people using this format but don't know too much about it?

[superduperwesman]

You can only do so much editing with a raw image so once you're ready to bump it to photoshop what do you save it as?

How much editing can you do on the raw file and how?

TIF / DNG... I'm not a fan of the xmp files that you get from photoshop. I think the idea is that these help you recover your layers but doesn't this use more space?

TIF and DNG you maintain a good file size for future editing but lose the layers?

Someone please fill me in. Time has passed and I'm still not quite sure what to do.

[RichardTaylor]

I use LR3 for preliminary editing.

"You can only do so much editing with a raw image so once you're ready to bump it to photoshop what do you save it as? "

I save it as a PSD file

"How much editing can you do on the raw file and how?"
By using the tools in the develop module you can do almost everything except use layers including localised adjustments.
Ie; Cropping, Exposure adjustment, colour adjustment, sharpening and lens correction.
Lightroom keeps track of the changes you have made to the file without actually changing the RAW file. However those changes take effect when the file is exported or printed.
You do not loose the changes when exiting from LR3

If I go into photoshop to do further PPing (layers), once I have finished I mostly do not keep the PSD files once they have been published..
If I do keep one, which is rare, it will be complete with layers intact.

[BCampbell]

Originally Posted by superduperwesman

You can only do so much editing with a raw image

For web, I do almost all of my editing on the raw file in RAWTherapee alone. There are very few images I need to pull into later pixel-level editing. Getting an image print ready is usually the only time I have to,

so once you're ready to bump it to photoshop what do you save it as?

Mot decent RAW editors have an "export to editor" function that obviates the need to save an intermediate file.

How much editing can you do on the raw file and how?

Again, as much as I need to for web; exposure and white balance adjustment, shadow/highlight recovery, tone and luminance curves, rotation, cropping, resizing, noise reduction, etc...

TIF / DNG... I'm not a fan of the xmp files that you get from photoshop. I think the idea is that these help you recover your layers but doesn't this use more space?

For very very important images I will have layers for many individual adjustments and it's crucial to keep that all intact so that if I need to do further edits later I have the exact product I was already working on.

For basic web editing, RAWTherapee outputs a 2KB text file with all of the processing parameters, which can be later applied to a RAW image to recreate the edited image exactly. I think ditch the jpgs after upload; much better to keep a bunch of 2KB files than 2MB ones.