Finding RAW file
I seem to have lost the original RAW file of one of my best images. I have looked in the recycle bin (I have not deleted anything from there since I took this image) A computer search comes up with just TIFF and Jpegs. I know I converted it to a TIFF - is it possble that I saved it as a TIFF and thus the RAW file no longer there. Any ideas? Very frustrating! Any way of searching ACR to see if it has a memory of this file.
Thanks Tom
Why not pull it from backup? You do have a proper backup procedure, don't you?
Chris
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I have a high sarcasm rate. Deal with it.
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Looked on my external hard drive and it is not there - I must have lost it before I backed up.
Only one backup? What happens to your data when you return home and the house has burnt down, flooded, been destroyed by a tornado, or you've been robbed? (and I'm an optimistOriginally Posted by Tom Rambaut
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My strategy:
1) I carry enough memory cards to never reuse them during a trip. If not a big trip, then I just keep adding to the cards and only erase once I complete a full cycle of all cards (I currently have 336 GBytes of cards so they last quite a while before getting erased). This way I can go back to the card to get a file if needed.
2) All files from the cards go on a USB hard drive before serious editing/deleting. (backup copy 1). When this hard drive fills, I put it on a shelf and never reuse it. I buy a new drive. Currently I buy 1.5 TB portable USB3 drives so I backup in the field on a trip. On a big trip like an African safari, I'll bring 3 drives so I have 4 copies of my data in the field.
3) Then I copy the USB drive to my local hard drive and edit/delete (this is my main working directories.)
4) backup to another pc in my house (backup copy 2)
5) Rotating backups to USB drives, at least two of which are kept off site (backup copy sets 3, 4, and 5).
So 5 backups, and possible original cards plus the active disk. So a minimum of 6 copies exist and a possible 7th and on big trips a couple more backups. (No I'm not paranoid--but I've seen my share of disk failures.)
Roger
From the sounds of it I'm living on the edge. I need a bunker out in the desert somwhere to put a second harddrive in. Putting a lot of faith in technology. I have neglected this part of my photography. Just bought a 2 TB hard drive and this has everything to date on it. So if my computer does die on me then I should have all my files on the external HD. May get another just to be safe so I will have a back up back up - The lost file - I do have a large TIFF file that is unedited I have just duplicated it a couple of times so one will be my master file. It is nice to be able to go back and re convert from the RAW though.
Roger - you have got me thinking about my work flow!
Hi Tom,
I was in Alaska photographing bears a couple of years ago and met a photographer who told me about his house burning down while he was on a (photo) trip. He lost decades of slides. At least with digital, we have a choice to do a low cost backup with no loss of image quality. Disaster recovery is cheap and relatively simple. One just needs to find the off-site storage. I keep mine in my office. After I retire, I'll see if a relative would store them, or rent a safety deposit box. Cloud storage might be another option but is a continuing cost that is pretty high at the moment.
Roger
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