<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body text="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff">
Sebastian, Giles, and jdd - thanks to you all for your useful
responses to my query about formats to which to convert for archival
storage of original camera images. In general, my questions derived
directly from reading the Digikam manual.<br>
<br>
Some responses - <br>
<br>
*** Sebastian wrote: "Why do you want to convert them to dng?"<br>
<br>
Well, at <a
href="http://docs.kde.org/development/en/extragear-graphics/digikam/dam.html#best-practice">http://docs.kde.org/development/en/extragear-graphics/digikam/dam.html#best-practice</a>
I read:<br>
"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate;
color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style:
normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing:
normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px;
text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2;
word-spacing: 0px; font-size: medium;"><span
class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif;
text-align: justify;">RAW are converted to DNG and stored away
into an RAW archive"... and<br>
"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"
style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant:
normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height:
normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; font-size:
medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
sans-serif; text-align: justify;">rate and cull, write-back
metadata to the DNG archive"<br>
<br>
So, DNG is spoken of as the archival format of choice for raw
camera files. Elsewhere (same page???) in the manual it is
mentioned that proprietary raw camera file formats come and go,
but DNG is more likely to be readable by software in the distant
future. <br>
<br>
I was therefore thinking that I should be converting my hundreds
(about 2000) of *.CRW images to DNG. I'm certainly open to other
good ideas, but that was what my reading of the manual led me to
believe.<br>
<br>
Sebastian, your comments lead me to think that camera JPG images
should just be stored as such. Of course, images produced by
digital processing I do are another matter...(see below).<br>
<br>
*** Giles -<br>
<br>
I looked at compiling the 1.7.0 release, but stopped when I saw
that not only must I compile it, I must also compile several of
the dependencies. I wish I had time to pursue this, but cannot
at this time. Thanks for the suggestion though.<br>
<br>
Thanks for suggesting I look at PGF, with lossless compression
option as an option for archival preservation. It looks like
this is what I should be using for image work.<br>
</span></span><br>
*** jdd and Giles -<br>
<br>
Your comments lead me to think I should keep camera-original JPG
files as such, but convert to lossless PGF for processing. For
archiving any processed images, should I also use lossless PGF
files, because of the metadata preservation? I am assuming so until
I hear otherwise.<br>
<br>
SUMMARY --<br>
<br>
My current revised archival storage plan is therefore -<br>
<br>
CRW originals: store as such until 1.7.0 is readily available (no
problem), then convert to DNG if file size is tolerable. Otherwise,
convert to lossless PGF (which, I'm currently assuming, would be
smaller).<br>
<br>
JPG originals: store as such, period. <br>
<br>
All originals: convert to lossless PGF for software processing, then
JPG for web use, retaining PGF for archival storage of processed
image, if desired.<br>
<br>
As a reasonably informed, time-poor, amateur image photographer, I'm
just trying to arrive at some simple rules for better handling my
images. Digikam has so far been a real help to me, and the manual is
a remarkable compendium of information and ideas. I especially
appreciate the workflow procedures. People like me really NEED to be
told what to do, as we have not the time to do a lot of thinking on
our own.<br>
<br>
Any and all comments are most welcome. Thanks for all the help!<br>
<br>
Tom C.<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap
a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character
and you reap a destiny." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom Cloyd, MS MA
Private practice Psychotherapist
St. George, Utah, U.S.A: (435) 272-3332
<< <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:tc@tomcloyd.com">tc@tomcloyd.com</a> >> (email)
<< TomCloyd.com >> (website)
<< sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health issues weblog)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
</pre>
</body>
</html>