Scanner file management

[froyd]

What are some good approaches for handling and archiving scanner files?

I don't have a scanner yet, but I'm wondering if the following approach would be a good way to go:

1- Scan neg/slide into the equivalent of a RAW negative suitable for PP
2- Save that file using my current archival system (yymm-event subfolders)
3- PP said "RAW" file into a "master processed file" and save that PSD in the same archive folder as above
4- Resize the "master processed file" as needed for print or screen display --discard those resized files unless there's a foreseeable future use.

Should I just discard the "RAW" digital negative after I create the "master processed file" in step 2? What's the average file size of a scan designed to optimize the optical resolution of a v700 or plustek 7600?

No need to reiterate the "storage is cheap" advice, as I'm not trying to save money on storage (a 3 tetrabytes HD would last me a very long time given my 2 rolls x month regimen and average keeper rate --assuming 100mb scans and 40 images scanned).

My goal is to streamline my workflow for amateur use. Lots of huge files might be cheap to store, but choke down my computer and make backups longer (I do triple back-ups), as well as add complexity to my catalog.

 

[dct]

hybrid workflow archive

hybrid workflow archive

Everyone has different requirements, so I cannot tell you which solution would be the best. But look at my hybrid workflow: Some ideas might work also for you.
It is based on exchangeable tool usage and is bound only to a simple folder structure: Session/roll folder for originals and year-month-event(if any) for the keepers on the media server or for further use.

Digital:
1. Keep RAW (if any) or camera JPEG or TIFF files as originals in a folder per session
2. If RAW, use in-camera or external converter to generate a working file
3. Post process the good images from (1) or (2) and keep the final result as a high resolution TIFF in the same session folder. Where needed adjust or add EXIF data.

Analog:
1. Keep film stripes (negatives) or frames (I did slides until 1990) as true originals
2. Scan (or use scan service) to generate a first "original" JPEG or TIFF. Keep this file in a folder per roll (if DIY scan only the keepers, depending on the service offering scanning the whole roll is cheaper)
3. Review the roll, post process the remaining good images and keep the final result as a high resolution TIFF in the same roll folder. Adjust and add EXIF data.

Hybrid:
4. Keep track of the rolls and digital sessions in a spreadsheet, which is also used for web and print order administration
5. Use the TIFF from (3) for a publishing post of the keepers to the home media server (JPEG 1920px width 95 % quality). No additional copy.
6. For further publishing use again the TIFF from (3) and convert the file accordingly for web or print requirements. Add IPTC data and watermarks if needed. Keep this working file for further use.

 

[Godfrey]

My film workflow. Post film development:

- Using VueScan when scanning, I output both a DNG encapsulated TIFF with 16bit per component quality and a VueScan raw file* (which is another TIFF without the VueScan image processing applied). In VueScan as part of the setup, I set the "capture date", nominally the date that I'm scanning the work.

- I use EXIFtool to add EXIF metadata regarding camera make and model, lens name, focal length, lens maximum aperture, and film speed (ISO) to all the files.

- The raw TIFFs are separated into a subfolder from the VueScan corrected DNGs. Both TIFF and DNG files are incorporated into my original file repository, and imported into Lightroom. I add IPTC annotation and sometimes adjust Capture Times to reflect activities more accurately using the LR tools. After doing that, I save metadata to the files and then remove the raw TIFFs from Lightroom, then quit Lightroom.

- My backup system runs, backing up the original raw, the DNGs, and the Lightroom catalog to twin backup archives.

- I shred and dispose of the negatives.

* The purpose to simultaneously outputting both a DNG and a raw TIFF file is that if I find the DNG I created from the first scan with VueScan could be better optimized for further processing, I can re-scan the raw data with different settings without need to have the physical media anymore. The raw TIFF basically captures everything that the scanner is ever going to get from the physical media, so there's really no purpose to keeping the media around after you've got the data.

...Lots of huge files might be cheap to store, but choke down my computer and make backups longer (I do triple back-ups), as well as add complexity to my catalog.

If you find that your original file repository is 'choking' your computer and making backups take longer, you should revisit how and what you are backing up. In a well-arranged backup system, the master files are written to the archives just once as they should never change with applications like Lightroom or Aperture as the primary workflow and editing environment. In particular, incremental backups can become particularly costly when you work with lots of large files and make changes to them that do not warrant keeping incremental copies.

My master files are all stored on external storage drives — one working copy, two backup copies, each on a separate drive. The free space on my startup drive changes only very slowly ... I can still fit everything there into a 128G drive, really, but I use a 500G or 1T now.

G

 

[nightfly]

This is my latest method since I started using Lightroom for file management:

1) Use Epson scan to scan the negatives I want to work with as TIFs.
2) Quickly crop edges and spot in Photoshop (like the tools better than Lightroom)
3) Save these to folders on an external drive that mimic how I store the negatives (year_foldler/roll_folder/year-roll-image#)
4) Import the TIFs into Lightroom in same folder structure but on my local hardrive.
5) Have lightroom convert the TIFs to DNG and discard the TIFs (just the local tifs, original scans untouched on external)

Now everything is the same as my digital workflow which I haven't really figure out yet but it's in Lightroom. Since everything is DNG no need to store multiple versions since all adjustments are just a sidecar file of instructions.

My whole local drive gets backed up every night to an external so two copies of Lightroom library exist plus separate copy of negative scans.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I take the scan, a 16 bit TIFF, edit it using adjustment layers in Photoshop, then save it on my archive drives. My archive is organized into folders named for the projects I have done (eg. Indiana, Fort Wayne, Doll House, Wells Street, etc.). Because I have thousands of scans, I also use Microsoft Expression Media (formerly iView Mediapro and now sold by Phase One under a different name) as a database. It catalogs the files where they're stored, gives a thumbnail I can see and brings in all the metadata in the file. In Photoshop, I use the FILE INFO command to input a title, date, keywords, copyright notice, etc. into the file's metadata. Expression media lets me search for files by name, keywords, etc. so I can quickly find an image in the database. It also has a button to push to instantly open up a Mac finder window with the actual file highlighted so I can get the original file if needed for printing or further editing.