Visit MPB Visit MPB Visit MPB

Offlining photos with Photoshop Elements

Gwyn
Posted 08/08/2017 - 10:46 Link
My computer is full. My back-up disks are full. I need to offline/archive old photos.
Now PSE has a backup function which will save the catalogue to DVD or hard disk, which seems like the way to go, but it isn't clear to me if having done that I can safely delete the photos from the computer C drive, and also if the thumbnails remain in PSE organiser and PSE knows where the photos are.

I could of course stick some of the photos in the cloud, I have a Tb of storage on OneDrive, but I'm not too happy with that option certainly not as the only place to have those photos.

Does anyone have experience of doing this with PSE? Any other suggestions, in words of one syllable please, for offlining/archiving the photos?
JAK
Posted 08/08/2017 - 11:07 Link
Using the catalogue isn't essential in the use of Elements (unlike with Lightroom.)
Just transfer your photos to an external hard disk and use Windows Explorer to find the photo you want. Double click it and it will open in your program of choice, or right click the photo and select Open with...

If you love the elements catalogue system, just rebuild it at the new location.

Personally I hate the Lightroom/PS style system forcing one to use its catalogue as its really nothing but bloatware duplicating Windows own OS functions.

I use Elements and have a shortcut straight to the editor bypassing the (to me yuccy) catalogue system. I do have Lightroom installed and opening files in that causes it to start importing the whole directory, not what I want at all!

I'd only use the cloud for an off site backup, not the main storage of your files. The site may simply vanish without warning taking all your precious photos with it. BT's cloud backup systems have gone through several incarnations with the older ones no longer accessible.

As to the local hard disk storage, use a second hard drive to create a regular backup up of the main storage disk.

Using CDs/DVDs is also possible of course, but if you use raw files you'll need hundreds of them and some seem to have a relatively short life span before going bad, hence unreadable.
John K
Edited by JAK: 08/08/2017 - 11:16
johnriley
Posted 08/08/2017 - 11:53 Link
A USB external drive, maybe 1TB or even 2TB, that doesn't need an additional power supply would be very convenient. I use the drives as backup and so far there's been no problem.

However, it isn't a backup if it's the only copy of an image, so you might want to have two drives to make sure important images are stored twice.
Best regards, John
jeallen01
Posted 08/08/2017 - 12:55 Link
A few points about USB hard drives:
- External ones without PSUs generally have 5400rpm and not 7200rpm mechanisms, and so are likely to be slower to save to/retrieve from.
- Always get USB3 versions even if the current computer only has USB2 ports because that will probably be upgraded at some point to one that does have USB3 ports - and data transfer via those is MUCH faster
- Don't just buy "any old" USB 3 drive - try to get one that is designed for long-term storage and make sure it comes from a manufacturer that gives a long (3yr min) warrantee because you want to be sure it will last as long as possible (for me that means the WD "Red" range, or similar ones from Samsung, Seagate and so on).
- If you can't find a suitable complete external USB3 enclosure and decent disk, just buy the disk of your choice and fit it into an enclosure from another source because it's pretty much a case of just undoing a few screws to open the enclosure, slotting in the disk, and then screwing the cover back on again. Takes 10 mins max!
K-3 II, K-3 and a K-70 from SRS (having now relegated the K-30 /"K-50" to a backup body), & some Sigma and Pentax lenses (and a lot of old 35mm gear!)
Algernon
Posted 08/08/2017 - 13:24 Link
You can get excellent 7200rpm external drives and they run fast and cool.
http://www.firstpost.com/tech/reviews/hgst-touro-s-1tb-review-a-really-fast-exte...

I use one all the time permanently connected via USB 3.0 I duplicate it to another (same make/size drive) about once a month and keep the two as main + backup. I put a colour coded sticker on each drive. Right now I'm using the RED set

When the drive gets full I just plug another empty one in and move the other pair to my storage library. I only use 1TB 7200rpm drives, although the BUP could be 5400rpm.

The DEL button is handiest button on the PC

Handy Hint

2 of these non perishable synthetic rubber bands round an external HDD enclosure stop it slipping especially when stacking them. Also reduces shocks.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alliance-Antimicrobial-Rubber-Inches-42649/dp/B0017TI7O...

They come from the US..... don't know how Amazon do it so cheap. £5.13

I did post a heads up to the Touro 500 and 1000 drives on here when Tesco's were clearing them at £20 and £30..... I bought about 10

--
Half Man... Half Pentax ... Half Cucumber

Pentax K-1 + K-5 and some other stuff

Algi
Edited by Algernon: 08/08/2017 - 13:43
pschlute
Posted 08/08/2017 - 13:41 Link
If you want to be extra careful you can use the PSE backup tool in addition to simply copying/pasting all the files to a seperate file storage system.
jeallen01
Posted 08/08/2017 - 13:49 Link
Algi

Re those Tuoro drives - the review looks good.

However, I would have a reservation about using all exactly the same drives - it's that (seriously!) well-known reliability engineering concern of "Common Mode Failure", which means, you never use 2 identical components/assemblies in parallel to provide a "fail safe" solution because if one does fail then there is a relatively high probability that the second one will fail in the same manner (especially if they came from the same production batch)!
K-3 II, K-3 and a K-70 from SRS (having now relegated the K-30 /"K-50" to a backup body), & some Sigma and Pentax lenses (and a lot of old 35mm gear!)
Gwyn
Posted 08/08/2017 - 13:59 Link
Thanks everyone. I want to keep the backup away from the computer. We had a lightning strike a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully my computer and permanently attached backup drive survived, perhaps thanks to a surge protector. DH's laptop was hit, but revived after a rest, losing only it's HDMI out, but a neighbour lost everything, even with a surge protector.

I shall have to think some more about all this.
I personally like the PSE organiser and use it all the time, which is one reason I thought of using PSE backup. I'm still not clear though if I will still see the thumbnails of photos I have backed up and then deleted from the PC in the organiser . Adobe are useless when it comes to help for such things.

I have been going through deleting tons of photos already, but not enough to significantly free up space. I seem to have done nothing but throw out photos lately, whether on the computer or old snapshots from pre digital times which we don't want to lug to the new house.
Algernon
Posted 08/08/2017 - 14:27 Link
jeallen01 wrote:
Algi

Re those Touro drives - the review looks good.

However, I would have a reservation about using all exactly the same drives - it's that (seriously!) well-known reliability engineering concern of "Common Mode Failure", which means, you never use 2 identical components/assemblies in parallel to provide a "fail safe" solution because if one does fail then there is a relatively high probability that the second one will fail in the same manner (especially if they came from the same production batch)!

HGST drives are streets ahead of other makes for reliability

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-reliability-q4-2015/


--
Half Man... Half Pentax ... Half Cucumber

Pentax K-1 + K-5 and some other stuff

Algi
McGregNi
Posted 08/08/2017 - 14:51 Link
I would avoid confusion and use a catalogue programme only for workflow purposes oh the computer ..... So I'd say don't bother trying to backup with PSE. As you are already worried about, you will end up not knowing what is an actual image file as opposed to a thumbnail remnant from some file move you carried out long ago .....

If you have all you images in a single main folder, eg the default Pictures folder within your login folder in Windows, then a simple right -click drag copy operation will do it and make your backup onto a USB drive. I'd use an 'Algi-type" labelling system to keep the drives district and always know which one is the latest.
My Guides to the Pentax Digital Camera Flash Lighting System : Download here from the PentaxForums Homepage Article .... link
Pentax K7 with BG-4 Grip / Samyang 14mm f2.8 ED AS IF UMC / DA18-55mm f3.5-5.6 AL WR / SMC A28mm f2.8 / D FA 28-105mm / SMC F35-70 f3.5-4.5 / SMC A50mm f1.7 / Tamron AF70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD macro / SMC M75-150mm f4.0 / Tamron Adaptall (CT-135) 135mm f2.8 / Asahi Takumar-A 2X tele-converter / Pentax AF-540FGZ (I & II) Flashes / Cactus RF60/X Flashes & V6/V6II Transceiver
pschlute
Posted 08/08/2017 - 15:25 Link
Gwyn

The point of backing up with PSE to an external drive is that you can at a later date import all the files and the catalogue back into PSE and all your tags/albums/keywords etc will all be retained. This is what I do when getting a new computer for example.

If however you intend to then delete the picture files from your computer to free up space what will happen is every time you use PSE and double-click on the low resolution thumbnail it will try and find the missing files. You will be forever pressing the cancel button.

I would suggest you buy a big external drive (call it Picture Drive) with more than enough capacity for your picture files, and buy a second one as a backup (Backup Drive). Then use PSE to backup all your files to the Backup Drive. Then create a new catalogue in PSE, import your PSE-backup (files and catalogue) to the new Picture Drive. You can then delete your original catalogue and picture files from your computer.

This means if ever your computer blows up your picture files are not affected as they are on a seperate external drive. Periodically use PSE to do a new backup to your new Backup Drive, which ideally you should keep in a seperate part of the house when not in use.
pschlute
Posted 08/08/2017 - 15:30 Link
Out of interest what is the size of your picture folders ? I use an external drive for mine (500GB capacity) and the total used is 100 GB for 10-ish years of picture taking. And I save RAW files as well as the JPEG. I am very ruthless however when i edit new pictures. Anything that doesnt cut it is deleted immediately.
Edited by pschlute: 08/08/2017 - 15:32
Algernon
Posted 08/08/2017 - 15:34 Link
I import all my snaps into dated folders such as .....
Photos_2017_Part1
and then subfolders such as..
2017-07-25_Guest_Beers etc.

I just copy to other drives using Teracopy from Explorer. That does a byte x byte verify.

Using an external HDD means I can take the photos to anywhere without needing to transfer them and can browse through them from any file manager.





--
Half Man... Half Pentax ... Half Cucumber

Pentax K-1 + K-5 and some other stuff

Algi
Edited by Algernon: 08/08/2017 - 15:40
johnriley
Posted 08/08/2017 - 15:48 Link
Life can be difficult or very easy, and I tend to prefer very easy wherever possible. I still use this method, which requires no special software: https://www.pentaxuser.com/article/organising-your-digital-files-252

The only difference is that now I don't back up to CD, but to an external drive instead.
Best regards, John
Edited by johnriley: 08/08/2017 - 15:49
JAK
Posted 08/08/2017 - 16:13 Link
I have my cameras set up to create daily folders. These are named, say 100_0708. I copy these whole folders from the SD card over into an annual folder on the hard drive and rename the transferred folder to the date the photos were take, i.e. 20170708 for today, then add the camera and an aide memoir to that, e.g. 20170708 MX-1 London Zoo.
So everything gets filed in date order and I can see which camera the folders relate to. I may have several folders for the same date if more than one camera was used.
I've reset the default filenames in camera to also indicate which camera was used, so these appear as something like MX1_1101.JPG rather than IMGP1101.JPG
To view them the images I use either Windows Explorer, or sometimes FastPictureViewer which can handle raw files correctly or ThumbsPlus which is handy for keeping thumbnails of images on CDs including wmf files.
When I scan old negs and slides I incorporate them into the same system using similar folder names as close to when they were taken as my grey matter permits. If only I'd done as my pop said and written the dates and locations on them before I forgot!

If anyone has images backed up to CD, don't keep them there as home written CDs can go bad!
John K
Edited by JAK: 08/08/2017 - 16:16

Add Comment

To leave a comment - Log in to Pentax User or create a new account.