[Digikam-users] Re: need advice re: format conversion

[Tom Cloyd]

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.

Some responses -

*** Sebastian wrote: "Why do you want to convert them to dng?"

Well, at 
http://docs.kde.org/development/en/extragear-graphics/digikam/dam.html#best-practice 
I read:
"RAW are converted to DNG and stored away into an RAW archive"... and
"rate and cull, write-back metadata to the DNG archive"

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.

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.

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).

*** Giles -

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.

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.

*** jdd and Giles -

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.

SUMMARY --

My current revised archival storage plan is therefore -

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).

JPG originals: store as such, period.

All originals: convert to lossless PGF for software processing, then JPG 
for web use, retaining PGF for archival storage of processed image, if 
desired.

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.

Any and all comments are most welcome. Thanks for all the help!

Tom C.

-- 

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"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
<<  tc at tomcloyd.com>>  (email)
<<  TomCloyd.com>>  (website)
<<  sleightmind.wordpress.com>>  (mental health issues weblog)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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