Archive File Formats

What formats are best for preserving your images and the work you do to them?

Data Validation

Data Validation is the process of confirming that your digital image files are all accounted for and that they are not corrupted.

Backup

Backups should be created at various stages in the workflow to ensure that image files are preserved. We discuss the best strategies to keep your image files safe.

Metadata

Digital image metadata is textual information embedded or associated with an image file and it has become an increasingly important attribute of a digital file. There are several types of metadata formats and schemas, some technical, and some descriptive.

File Management

File management describes the fundamental methods for naming, storing and handling files. It is a large part of how we keep our digital workflow organized.

File Format

What is a file format, what are the various types of formats, and how can we use that knowledge to make our workflow more efficient?

Image Editing

image editing is a central part of digital photography. Editing the pixels in Photoshop is one way to do it. Parametric image editors, such as Lightroom and Aperture  edit images non-destructively with instruction sets. Is one better than the other, or do we need to use both?

Computer

The computer, monitor and printer have replaced the analog darkroom. What are the best cost effective ways to set them up for reliability, best performance, and ease of use?

Data Transfer

Moving digital images from one place to another can, in rare cases, result in missing or corrupted files. These are avoidable problems if you use validated transfer.

Data Validation Details

Periodic validation of your stored image files is a recommended practice. We outline best procedures for image files that are not DNG or on write-once media.
Last Updated September 22, 2015