What is your workflow ? (file wise)

[5 Type]

Hi guys,

We all know that the “easy” part is taking the picture, but when you get home and start playing around with your pictures it can get tricky. I’ve putted on paper the way I do things, and I would like to know how you do it.

First, do I shoot RAW or JPEG?
- I shoot RAW only when it’s something really important to me, or when I get paid for it otherwise I don’t botter and shoot JPEG.

Where my files are?
D:\digipictures\2004\...

So, If I shoot JPEG
I transfert the files in a folder name something like : 20040915 – Karting Orford
Rename the original with this syntax : 20040915 – Karting Orford - ###.jpg (### are replaced with sequencial numbers)

At the end it looks something like : D:\digipictures\2004\20040915 – Karting Orford\20040915 – Karting Orford - 126.jpg

What if I modify some files
When I modify only several files I put a “-m” at the end of the file.
Exemple : D:\digipictures\2004\20040915 – Karting Orford\20040915 – Karting Orford – 126-m.jpg

What if I modify all the files
Lately I had to modify all the files (sharpen, levels and +10% of shadows). What I did is, I putted an “-m” to all my modded files. And ZIPPED all the original for archiving.

What if I put some files the web
I resize the files, put them on my web hosting whitout keeping them on my computer. I realized that it takes way too much space.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::

So, If I shoot RAW
I transfert the files in a folder name something like : 20040915 – Karting Orford\raw\
I don’t rename ANY of the RAW files.

Developped jpeg/tiff
I transfert the files in a folder name something like : 20040915 – Karting Orford\

All the rest stay the same.

My questions
For those who want to take the time, what it your workflow? How do you deal with files you make changes on a one by one basis? How do you backup your files?

FYI
I use the following software to help me : Adobe photoshop, ACDSee and Capture One.

[Jesper]

RAW or JPEG - I shoot RAW 99% of the time; I only use JPEG if I know I need to have the images ready quickly and/or if I'm not going to have my own computer available with all the software needed to process RAW images. When I shoot JPEG, I think about the camera parameters more (white balance, sharpening, contrast, saturation etc.) because I want the image directly out of the camera to be as good as possible.

Where I put my files - I copy the contents of my CF cards to the computer using an USB 2.0 card reader. I'm using Windows XP. In the "My Documents\My Pictures" folder, I have a folder "EOS10D", which contains a subdirectory for each month: "200407", "200408", "200409" etc. Each of these folders contains folders for each day of the month that I made photos, for example "01", "02", "03" etc.

The "EOS10D" folder is my folder with originals. I never modify the originals or save edited versions in that directory. I like to keep the originals and modified versions completely separated. For modified versions, I have a separate "Work" folder under "My Documents\My Pictures", which also has subdirectories for the months with subdirectories for the days.

I backup the "EOS10D" folder on an external harddisk and also on DVD.

Processing the RAW files - I go into Capture One and first of all I tag (Ctrl + T) the images I want to process. For each tagged image I do some adjustments if necessary (white balance, brightness, contrast, curves). I develop the images to a new folder in my "Work" directory. After Capture One, I process each of the images in Photoshop. What I do in Photoshop depends on the image, but usually I look at the histogram, do Levels and Curves adjustments, run a script to convert it to a size suitable for the web, apply Unsharp Mask and save it with Save for Web.

If I just want to work with one image, I sometimes load the RAW file directly into PS CS and do the conversion there.

I often use IrfanView to quickly browse through the RAW files (it displays the embedded JPEG image in the CRW files).

[maderito]

I've recently made MAJOR modifications to my file saving workflow. I shoot mostly RAW, perform post-processing on 16-bit TIFFs, and save the final edit as a JPEG while usually discarding the TIFF.

1. Keep good original RAWS and backup on external HD

2. Process RAW files (Capture 1) to 16-bit TIFFs.

3. Edit TIFFs in Photoshop.

4. Save final edit as JPEG - high quality (10) - and backup on external HD.

5. Delete TIFF (unless it required some unusual editing).

I use the final edit JPEGs for prints or downsize them for web display.

-----

I stopped saving TIFF's:

1. Too large (18 to 36 MB).

2. My skills at post-processing improve over time and software changes. I find it better to go back and reprocess an original RAW file rather than use a TIFF that I edited months or years ago.

File organization on main computer HD:
1. One directory for saved RAW files - by image number.

2. One Work folder with subfolders for C1/Photoshop processed and edited TIFFs.

3. One directory for date-sequenced subject files (e.g. 2004 family) for final edit JPEGS.

All files are catalogued/databased in Thumbsplus using IPTC keywords and annotations. I put in the metadata on the RAW files before doing any further processing so that it carries through on subsequent TIFFs and JPEGs.

I don't think I've ready any posts about discarding post-processed TIFFs. At first it was painful. Now, I don't think twice about it. :) The saved JPEGS serve my needs 99% of the time.