WIX Archives
Re: Some Answers...
Posted by bdk on Wed Jun 18, 2003 10:06:18 PM
In reply top Some Answers... posted by AndyG on Wed Jun 18, 2003 03:41:15 PM
Excellent advice! I use Webshots only to "deliver" photos over the net to avoid overloading when sending via e-mail.
For storage purposes, I have the Sony drive that does +/-RW and +/-R formats. I just back up my entire system (including all my digital photos) periodically with a re-writeable DVD (under $250).
Don't forget though, for archiving you could just get another hard-drive (many gigabytes or about $100). It should be just as reliable as a Zip drive I would guess. Either way (Zip or another hard-drive) it is magnetic format versus optical with the DVD.
: For cheap large capacity storage you can't go much better
: for the price than a cd writer. There are all sorts of fla
: vours available for example cd-r (write once) and cd-rw )
: re-writeable) which have a capacity of about 700mb which i
: s an awful lot of pictures. These drives don't cost a lot
: ?100 or less these days. The -r discs are very cheap (get
: them free in cornflake packets these days!) and if you go
: for good branded ones they are rated for donkey?s years.
:
: Digital data doesn't deteriorate like analogue data does,
: on analogue audiotapes for example. The 0?s and 1?s stay i
: n those states as long as the media that they are saved up
: on remains intact. (Though, you are probably talking decad
: es for a cd to get a bit iffy) You can still copy the file
: at anytime onto a new disc and on you go again.
:
: I?m not sure if I would rely on an online ?free? storage f
: acility as a reliable back-up service.
:
: I use cd?s, cheap and easy.
:
: Image handling
:
: If you want the absolute best quality images from your cam
: era, set the files to an un-compressed format in your came
: ra eg a tiff file. The downside to this is that the file s
: izes will be large and you won?t be able to store many ima
: ges on your smart media or whatever type of removable stor
: age you have in your camera. The advantages are that you h
: ave a perfect uncompressed master image, which you can mak
: e a copy of so that you can edit a copy. Make as many chan
: ges to the copy as you wish and save it in any format, you
: still have the master tiff! You won?t lose any quality wh
: en you save after editing an un-compressed tiff file. You
: can then save the modified file to a compressed format suc
: h as jpeg and reduce the resolution for net usage or what
: ever without losing any quality. Each time you modify a jp
: eg, which is already compressed by a variable user set amo
: unt) and re-save, the lossy compression effects become mor
: e apparent.
:
: BTW: If you only have a particular image in a jpeg format
: and wish to edit it, save it as a tiff or bmp first, then
: do the editing. Save as jpeg again after sorting the image
: out if you require.
:
: Having said all that a 2mpxl image from your camera set fo
: r a high quality low compression jpeg format will be more
: than adequate quality for most purposes including printing
: . (You?ll still be able to save heaps of files on the memo
: ry card too) Remember though if you want to edit, save to
: an uncompressed format first then re-save after to your ch
: osen format.
:
: Best to try a couple of trials and print them/view them on
: screen in detail to see the difference yourself.
:
: Ps there are also DVD writers to consider as well, they ar
: e not just for movies as they can store huge amounts of da
: ta as well. Unfortunately, there is a bit of a format war
: ongoing like Betamax/VHS/V2000 of old. The formats are DVD
: -r, DVD-rw, DVD+r, DVD+rw and DVD-ram, from memory. There
: are a few drives which handle four of these formats fortun
: ately so no real worries about dipping your toe in the mar
: ket. Media a bit more expensive than cd?s though soon to a
: ppear in a cornflake packet near you. ;-)