Big booboo

[tarves57]

I have just sold a photo and the buyer wanted me to email the tif file (18MB) as it was nearing the deadline.

I had a search on the internet for ways of sending off such a large file by email but I didn't have much time and couldn't find anything other than compressing it to a JPEG which as far as I know, degrades the quality.

Therefore............ I sent the tif, and spent 40 minutes waiting for it to go and was late for work in the process........ouch!

Hopefully the recipient has a fast connection and can download the email quickly, otherwise I may just have lost a customer.

I know it's after the fact now, but how else could I have gone about it??

Any answers appreciated.
Thanks
Susan

[CyberDyneSystems]

I think you could at least send it "Zipped"... but if the client wants a tiff.. what can you do?

Convrting it to jpeg would be my advice.. but only if the client will accept a jpeg.

At highest possible quality you would be hard pressed to see the difference between the Tiff and jpeg.. but you'd easily shave a good 12 to 14 MB off of the file size.

[mvrekum]

You might have another problem, most internet providers have email programs installed that do not accept attachements larger than 2MB. My provider limits it at 8MB.

The best thing you can do is ask your customer if he has an FTP server where you can upload the image, or, setup your own FTP server and let your customer download the image.

Anyway I would sugets you get a faster connection. 40 min for 18 MB!!! That shouldn't take longer then a couple of minutes.

Martin

[tarves57]

Well I did ask....... and they wanted a tiff!
Thanks for the quick reply.

I'll find out tonight, when America wakes, and I'm cringing already!

I might be back for consolation..................

[stopbath]

Alternatively you could zip it up with a password, upload it to a directory on your own web site, let the user where it is, the password and how long the file will remain there for.

They could then download it at leasure, and unzip it.

Do NOT put any links to the file on your web site. Just put the file in some directory in public_html and let it sit. Delete it after allowing time for the user to down load it. Use a password zip program to lock the image against others finding it...

[IndyJeff]

FEDEX a cd, add the cost in your invoice.

Just wondering but, how long did you know they wanted this photo and how long before the deadline?

[tarves57]

Just wondering but, how long did you know they wanted this photo and how long before the deadline?

I knew about the general request for about a month now, but they entered a final request with additional subject matter that I happened to have, two days ago. I sent in samples of what I had and they liked one photo and asked me to supply it to them via email as a tif.

There is also the time difference between US and UK which meant an extra time pressure element.

If I could've I would've but I couldn't so I didn't................

[tarves57]

Originally Posted by stopbath

Alternatively you could zip it up ........

I think this is what I probably need to know.... is there a way to zip up tiffs without loss of quality?

[steven]

zip files are lossless by default.

[neil_r]

not 100% sure but I dont think you get any size reduction when you zip a tif.

N



<edit for spelling>

[robertwgross]

Zipping a TIF will get mixed results. Sometimes it saves a lot of file space. Sometimes it doesn't.

If you have a rather plain image with lots of solid colors, it can be Zipped and accomplish a little. If it is a rather detailed image, perhaps in 48-bit depth, then it gets really hard to Zip and accomplish anything.

Sometimes I try to Zip it, and if the result is about the same as the original file size, then I discard it. If Zipping it saves me 50%, then I use it.

The other option is to use a non-lossy JPEG. One editor program of mine uses this. I can take an 18MB TIF file, convert it to non-lossy JPEG of several MB, and then convert it back to the 18MB TIF. So far, I have never been able to find any loss at all doing that. I keep believing that there is some, but I can't find any. However, some programs do not support non-lossy JPEG.

---Bob Gross---

[Digital Prophet]

I have had situations like this happen several times. In my case it was all about engineering drawings in CAD that someone just HAD to have right then, right there.

My policy has always been two fold.

One: I can't work miracles. If you call me at 9:00 and tell me you need a set of files that are, oh lets just say, 400 megs then you need to understand that there may be a transmission delay. There should some understanding on thier part (but there never is).

Two: I cannot say enough times that redundancy has to be the order of the day. While one slow connection is spooling take a copy of a disk to Kinko's or a freind that has a faster connection. Send a copy via FedEx. I have almost never failed to find that when someone says "I'll die if I don't get it TODAY!" that they still have a pulse when it gets there at 8:00 the next morning.

That of course assumes they are long distance. I have driven files to clients up to 200 miles away. As stated above pass added cost onto the client. FedEx. Kinko's. Gas money. They pressed, you charge. If a client is really desperate they gladly pay. And trust me, you drive 200 miles to give a desperate man a disc when his DSL is dead and you got a client for life.

I know that over the years I have made a career out of hitting the mark no matter what it takes for my firm. I email. I FedEx. I drive. I work through the night. But if there is a deadline that I just can't hit or think that I have a very small chance of hitting, then I tell them up front.

Let it roll. Chances are you are going to catch the blame. Just because you are the guy that isn't in the office when your client's boss wants to know why. So you are easy to blame. That is just something you will have to overcome by being extra sure to be on time if not early on the next project.

But you should consider upgrading your connection if you are going to be dealing with files this size on a regular basis. It is just that if that is your market you need to make ever possible effort to go as far as you can to insure a smooth delivery 100% (realistically as close to 100% as you can get).

- Digital Prophet -

[robertwgross]

Originally Posted by Digital Prophet

... when someone says "I'll die if I don't get it TODAY!" ...

Then you tell them that you also offer photography services for a wake.

---Bob Gross---

[NILOLIGIST]

FTP...Would have worked fine. You might want to invest and get that program. Usually someone that accepts files that large would have a way for you to send it.

I hope it went well anyway.

Congrats on the sale.

NiL,

[tarves57]

Well, thanks everyone. I just got a message saying "it came in fine, looks good, thanks again"

SO...... big sigh of relief.

As Digital Prophet says, you can't work miracles, so why stress yourself. Exactly the attitude I decided to adopt.

I think I am already on Blueyonder's 512(kb?) broadband or maybe more (they keep upgrading me for free), so I think that's not too bad.

Well it's 6.30am and I'm off to get a few snaps for some competitions that finish soon - British Nature, Birds - etc. The weather's not looking too good, but then it never is, so I'm just going to get going!

Thanks all for your help!

Susan