Posted by Kent Staubus on September 14, 2006 at 12:04 AM
I've been using the Canon S80 for the past two years for family photos, plus scanning and saving a number of slides for magazine submissions etc. I've been using the photo album package I got with PS Elements 3.0 to handle the images. Now that I'm on the verge of actually buying a DSLR (and am piling up processed scans,) something has begun to dawn on me. I shoot 3-5 rolls of slide film per week, which is 90-150 images. Obviously not of of these are keepers by any means, but still I could have maybe 20-50 I do want to keep. Maybe more, I don't know. Right now, 35mm slides are piled up in my house, mostly inside of a 12 cubic foot chest. If I maintain my current shooting rate with a DSLR and don't increase any (not sure why I would increase,) it looks like I will be piling up photos in a digital way. Right now that "way" is to archive them on a dual set of gold CDs with an index from the Adobe Elements software. So far, this has been working, but what about when I really start pouring images in?
It seems to me that images are no good if you can't find them. What software is out there that will allow me to catalog and access tens of thousands of images over say, the next ten years? I just don't think the Adobe software I have at the moment is going to hack it. Some of you shoot as much or even more than I do. What software do you use? What software does a place like Getty Images use, or did they pay to create their own? How do you manage ever increasing image bases? What storage medium do you use?
This is something I've begun thinking about. Note that camera files are quickly increasing. A few years ago people got excited about the D2H and it's 4 MP file. Now the $900 D80 puts out 10 MP, the Canon Mk II has 16 MP, and there was just announced a Hassy back with 39 MP. My point is the file sizes are rapidly increasing with no end in sight from what I can see.
And then there's the capatibility issues. Lets say I start using an image management software system and load it with NEF files from the D80, Five years from now, that species of NEF might be extinct and unsupported by the software. What software out there seems to have the capability to cope with searches for changing file types? Is the answer to save as a tiff? I can see big headaches ten years from now if I have to go back and resave images to a new file type.
Digital was being sold as "cheaper than film," but the reality seems to be it's the most expensive format yet. So, what image cataloging software/system will allow me to save tens of thousands of images rather quickly, provide meaningful tagging, and easy retrieval of them for future use? What does Getty etc. use, or the smaller stock agencies, or small magazines, or full time stock photographers? How much does it cost? How long is it likely to last?
With slides, I simply label and date the images, and store in archival sleeves. I control the storage method and retrieval. With digital, the control is given to a software maker with NO guarantees you won't have to redo everything 10 years from now.
Posted by Bill Chambers on September 14, 2006 at 11:13 AM
Take a look at "The DAM Book" on Amazon. Great book for what you're talking about.
BTW, I can just about assure you that the quantity of images you take will increase with digital. When you think about it, why wouldn't they? Extra images cost nothing extra - digital allows you the freedom of playing, trying new things, extra bracketing, et al. If you don't need/want the images, just erase and re-format at the end of the day. On average, I will shoot between 200-250 images/day with digital, some days more. I could never afford to do that with transparencies. I sat down a while back and semi-figured up the savings with digital vs. film and was shocked - the savings paid for my 2 ea. 4GB memory cards real quickly, and will pay for the camera over a period of a 2-3 years. That's pretty cheap shooting in my book. The difference with digital is that the more you shoot, the cheaper it is - just the opposite of film.
Posted by Leo Doucet on September 14, 2006 at 2:42 PM
I have slides from 40 or so years ago, kept them in a dark and cool place (steel filing cabinet) but now all of them have faded to some degree, some worse than others but I have over time scanned them and brought most of them to almost normal in Photoshop and have them backed uo on a large external HD and duplicated them on CDs and DVDs. How long will they last ?????, my lifetime anyway.
One colour photograph I have on a wall is 30 some years old and barely has any colour left but 10 years ago I went completely digital and I will never touch film again and like you I have not yet completely solved the problem of archiving, naming and finding what I am loking for. ...Leo ...
Posted by Genny K. on September 15, 2006 at 9:45 PM
How did you catalog your slides? If it was something that made sense to you, and worked, then try to apply that approach to your digital images. Above all, make it as simple as possible, I say, because I believe you will shoot more and more images with digital!
I do all my labeling of images by date, because that's how I've always done my pictures, and it fits my style. I shoot outdoor landscapes and animal shots, so those things are based on the time of year. I don't shoot for stock, though, and it you do, I suspect you need a system where you can readily use keywords for image retrieval.
Discussion
4 repliesIt seems to me that images are no good if you can't find them. What software is out there that will allow me to catalog and access tens of thousands of images over say, the next ten years? I just don't think the Adobe software I have at the moment is going to hack it. Some of you shoot as much or even more than I do. What software do you use? What software does a place like Getty Images use, or did they pay to create their own? How do you manage ever increasing image bases? What storage medium do you use?
This is something I've begun thinking about. Note that camera files are quickly increasing. A few years ago people got excited about the D2H and it's 4 MP file. Now the $900 D80 puts out 10 MP, the Canon Mk II has 16 MP, and there was just announced a Hassy back with 39 MP.
And then there's the capatibility issues. Lets say I start using an image management software system and load it with NEF files from the D80, Five years from now, that species of NEF might be extinct and unsupported by the software. What software out there seems to have the capability to cope with searches for changing file types? Is the answer to save as a tiff? I can see big headaches ten years from now if I have to go back and resave images to a new file type.
Digital was being sold as "cheaper than film," but the reality seems to be it's the most expensive format yet. So, what image cataloging software/system will allow me to save tens of thousands of images rather quickly, provide meaningful tagging, and easy retrieval of them for future use? What does Getty etc. use, or the smaller stock agencies, or small magazines, or full time stock photographers? How much does it cost? How long is it likely to last?
With slides, I simply label and date the images, and store in archival sleeves. I control the storage method and retrieval. With digital, the control is given to a software maker with NO guarantees you won't have to redo everything 10 years from now.
Kent in K.C.
BTW, I can just about assure you that the quantity of images you take will increase with digital. When you think about it, why wouldn't they? Extra images cost nothing extra - digital allows you the freedom of playing, trying new things, extra bracketing, et al. If you don't need/want the images, just erase and re-format at the end of the day. On average, I will shoot between 200-250 images/day with digital, some days more. I could never afford to do that with transparencies. I sat down a while back and semi-figured up the savings with digital vs. film and was shocked - the savings paid for my 2 ea. 4GB memory cards real quickly, and will pay for the camera over a period of a 2-3 years. That's pretty cheap shooting in my book. The difference with digital is that the more you shoot, the cheaper it is - just the opposite of film.
One colour photograph I have on a wall is 30 some years old and barely has any colour left but 10 years ago I went completely digital and I will never touch film again and like you I have not yet completely solved the problem of archiving, naming and finding what I am loking for. ...Leo ...
I do all my labeling of images by date, because that's how I've always done my pictures, and it fits my style. I shoot outdoor landscapes and animal shots, so those things are based on the time of year. I don't shoot for stock, though, and it you do, I suspect you need a system where you can readily use keywords for image retrieval.