how do you workflow

[lazaroonie]

I think that is what they call it - 'workflow', in that what processes do you use to get your images from your camera(memory card) to your permanent hard disk.

I have started shooting raw, and this is a bit different than before. I used to just copy the jpg images from the card into a folder on the hard drive, describing what they were. Now I need to get the raw files, copy them to a seperate hard drive location then process them using lightroom/canon utility to another final location. Then there is the question about what to do about edits etc.

As I have said I am still pretty new to this, and would like to start off properly rather than get 3 years and 30K images down the line and have to start changing the workflow....

 

[Effjay]

I'd be interested in the reply too - I'm in exactly the same boat as the OP.

 

[marky_h]

I have a dedicated partition for Photos on my laptop, onto which RAW files are imported, broken down by Camera Body/Year/Month/Date/Session (if required). These are then tagged and sifted in Lightroom, the unusables deleted, and then those worthy are exported as 16-bit TIFF's to a 'For Processing' subfolder below where the respective RAW's are. Further subfolders are then added for 'Processed', 'Print' and 'Web', and sometimes 'Gallery' if they're of a particular event for distribution to others.

The entire Photo partition is then backed-up after each shoot to an external hard disk, and then weekly to a separate networked hard disk, and to a desktop PC, using Microsoft Synctoy. The external hard disk is kept in a fire safe.

 

[cyclone]

I think it depends a lot on what you do, i.e. pro or amateur, go all out for one shot or a whole bunch such as a wedding.
These variables will dictate whether or not you batch convert your raw files to jpeg for proofs or just select a couple.
Personally I store my raw files in the same way as I would jpegs, then edit shots if I feel they are worth editing, I store the edits in a sub folder, either as a .psd if there's a load of layers or just the low res jpeg if it wasn't too involved to make.

 

[Effjay]

Do you guys edit the RAW files, or do you convert to 16bit tiff then edit the tiff? I've been editing the raw image staright from the camera (then exporting as jpg for web or whatever), should I be converting then editing?

 

[cyclone]

I do it the way you are doing it.

 

[Effjay]

ok, cool, I was beginning to think I was doing it all wrong!

 

[cyclone]

It's pretty dangerous to assume that I'm right

 

[Craikeybaby]

Have a search on the forum, there have been plenty of threads, with lots of useful answers.