Now that your files are safe, it’s time to copy the jpegs from your DVD to your computer. Now this next step is very important, and will save you hours and hours of future work, and endless frustration.
Ideally I’d like you to create two folders and copy all your files to each folder. When you’re finished you will have two copies of your wedding files on your computer. One folder will be your backup, you can name it anything you wish, I usually call it Originals or Backup. The second folder will be your Working Files folder, and that’s what I usually name it.
The reason this is important, and what most people don’t realize, is that jpeg files are COMPRESSED image files. What this means to you, is that every time you make a change to your file in a program like Photoshop, and re-save those changes, the jpeg is re-compressed and some data is lost. Most people don’t have much experience in Photoshop or other photography programs, so they make adjustments to their files two, three, even four times before they are happy with them. Each time you save these intermediate steps, you lose small bits of information. And, here is an important thought I’d like you to ponder. When you work on your wedding images, you generally pick your favorites, right? In effect you are re-compressing and degrading your best and favorite images. Now I don’t want to scare you, or stop you from experimenting with your images. After all that’s the beauty of digital, the ability to correct, crop, personalize and enhance your images. So by setting up two folders and having an second copy of all your files on your computer, you can always have instant access to new perfect copy of your original file.
Now that you have everything set up, here is how I want you to work with your images. Always work on files from your “Work Folder“. Never work on files from your “Backup/Original folder“. If you make a mistake, crop too much, lose a file, or need to start over for any reason, I want you to make a COPY of the file from the Backup folder, and move that copy to the Working Folder. Once you have a new copy in your Working Folder you can play with it all you want without fear. Again, make a copy of the file you need, and move that file to your Working Folder, before opening that file and making any changes to it. This way you will keep the integrity of your backup files.
Just to summarize, every time you alter an image in a photo program you are changing the underlying data. When you save that file as a jpeg, you lock in those changes and compress the file. Always work on a copy of a file. Always have an untouched original file in a safe place.
I hope this helps. If you take these few initial steps, you will be able to experiment with your wedding images without worry. Enjoy!
by admin
no comments