Author Topic: Do you keep all your old RAW files? (Read 1598 times)

jc36 · « **on:** July 29, 2012, 10:26:14 AM »

Hi, do you guys keep all your old raw files for future use? I am quickly running out of space on my hard disk (lot of games and full HD movies too), and I would like to know if I am likely to need them in the future. I shoot with a 550D and the raw files are 17-24mb, and can quickly eat up space. Hard disk prices are still very high after the hike last year.

crazyscientist · « **Reply #1 on:** July 29, 2012, 10:44:30 AM »

I have canon 40d and shoot raw only when i feel that i need to pp a lot later on. Mainly is landscape photography. for other casual shoots i shoot in jpeg. And after processing I always keep the raw file too. I usually don't delete them.

Anirban Brahma · « **Reply #2 on:** July 29, 2012, 11:01:17 AM »

YES!!! always!

jc36 · « **Reply #3 on:** July 29, 2012, 01:27:43 PM »

Looks like another HDD then

toofan · « **Reply #4 on:** July 29, 2012, 01:50:37 PM »

i only keep keepers rest/ similar shots get deleated every month , then every 6 months.

Soam · « **Reply #5 on:** July 29, 2012, 01:55:46 PM »

Only the commercial assignments and keepers.

Others only HQ JPG.

itsme_soumya · « **Reply #6 on:** July 29, 2012, 02:31:13 PM »

yes i keep everything and spend a lot of money buying hard disks

cheers!
soumya

kaushik_s · « **Reply #7 on:** July 29, 2012, 02:36:55 PM »

Always keep almost every RAW that I've shot (except for totally blurred/OOF or the total loss ones

).. Hard Drives are bit costly these days but photographs are priceless

Anirban Brahma · « **Reply #8 on:** July 29, 2012, 02:38:18 PM »

Right now i have around 14 TB space in my home

aniltulsi · « **Reply #9 on:** July 30, 2012, 08:08:01 AM »

and your HD should be duplicated, as it will crash one day...

theqca · « **Reply #10 on:** July 30, 2012, 10:17:19 AM »

The problem is that ur processing skills as well as what u feel is a "good" pic or a "keeper" will change over a period of time. So pics u decide have been processed properly may not be the best that u can do...the same goes for some photos discarded as "not good enough"

I'm not saying save everything...however use a bit of caution while deciding.

Unless ur not really keen on holding on to ur photos...I'm not so I delete stuff as and when I run out of space...I just hold on to photos which have some sort of a memory for me.

Hellwrath · « **Reply #11 on:** July 30, 2012, 10:33:31 AM »

Off late I have been deleting far more photos than I used to. If I am not happy with the photographs, they get deleted because I know I'll never go back and edit those, so might as well make some space for other photographs.

Prashanth · « **Reply #12 on:** July 30, 2012, 10:40:12 AM »

Quote from: theqca on July 30, 2012, 10:17:19 AM

The problem is that ur processing skills as well as what u feel is a "good" pic or a "keeper" will change over a period of time. So pics u decide have been processed properly may not be the best that u can do...the same goes for some photos discarded as "not good enough"
I'm not saying save everything...however use a bit of caution while deciding.

I agree. I just did a clean-up this weekend. I deleted loads of RAW. I am still very new to photography. started seriously abt a year ago. But realised what was keeper a year ago, is not anymore. similarly even regarding PP, i realised, I can do improver & understand little better now. So it makes sense to keep RAW.

dutta.debasish · « **Reply #13 on:** July 31, 2012, 02:24:33 AM »

my workflow is, as soon as I downloaded the RAW from memory card, I make 2 DVD copies. and store them to different places, then start working with PP work on HDD. before printing I make another copy of PSD file on DVD. So I get the chance for rescue the work on different stages.

Hankosaurus · « **Reply #14 on:** July 31, 2012, 07:28:50 AM »

I suppose that if the raw file may be thought of as the equivalent of the negative in film imaging, then one should keep any raw file from which he has ever made a keeper finished image ... or from which he even thinks that he will make a keeper finished image.

But keep known duds? Why waste time and space with them? The sooner out of the way the better, methinks.

There is also the issue of keeping up with all the shots. How many of us could find any and every shot we ever took out of twenty thousand taken in the past several months/years/whatever? How much energy is going into cataloging and sorting and grouping and linking and whatever else it takes to make our images easily found?

It seems to me that the new digital paradigm wherein we often shoot first and ask questions later lends itself to overload in the image management and storage arena.

clickbaby · « **Reply #15 on:** July 31, 2012, 02:24:57 PM »

I had the same issue but I got a formula now.

I visit my pics thrice to delete them.
The first time (within 2-3 days of shoot) I delete only the duplicates. Restof the pics go into 3 categories Keeper(around 30%), Not Sure(around 20%), Duds(around 50%).
2nd visit is around 2-4 weeks later Here I only visit the Not sure and Duds. Here I delete the duds which I still feel are duds.
3rd visit is around 3-4 months later. Here I delete what I still don't like. I delete a few from the keeper as well.

Though this plan isn't full-proof, because with better equipment and experience the Keeper rate is going up as well.
And again it takes a bit of time, Some of my folders are waiting for a year for the 3rd visit

That may also be because of my new 2 TB drive

iamsomnath · « **Reply #16 on:** July 31, 2012, 02:34:15 PM »

I take tremendous pleasure in deleting the raw files which does not stand out , my pleasure lies in the fact that how many hours will be freed for actual photography & processing of worthy shots if i dont have to review tons of rubbish every time i go back to older folders .....

regards

somnath

Image · « **Reply #17 on:** August 02, 2012, 06:04:48 AM »

I Keep all files until End of October and then when Winter begins, I mercilessly delete the ones that don't pass the test. I keep only those that are needed.

toofan · « **Reply #18 on:** August 03, 2012, 06:22:53 AM »

Ram need a like button below your post.

manoj · « **Reply #19 on:** August 27, 2012, 10:04:54 PM »

OP probably got the answer already, but just want to share what I do.
I always keep RAW files after all the initial culling on the days following the shoot. As time goes by, your PP skills improve, the PP softwares improve, your thinking changes as you mature as a photographer. Lots of things happen. What you thought was good or bad initially will change and the RAW file is the best thing to have at that time. Besides storage is getting cheaper by the day.

So keep those RAW files. I have gone on trips and taken upwards of 700 shots a day 4-5 years ago. Now that number has come down to about 150-200 on a good day. Every time I revisit these folders, I delete a lot of the older files just to get rid of that "cholestrol" clogging my catalogs as well. So storage is really not that concerning. And as someone has already said, storage is cheap, photographs are priceless.

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Author Topic: Do you keep all your old RAW files? (Read 1598 times)