Why Would Anyone Delete ALL Their Pictures?
People, don't do that! Photo organizing programs do not "contain" your photos. In a previous article on using Photoshop Elements Organizer, I described this issue using an analogy of library card catalog. This analogy applies just as well to other photo organizing software since most of them function in the same way. In an effort to quell this misconception, I will re-phrase the relevant portions of that article here:
Although we say we are "importing photos into [programX]," your photos don't actually live inside the photo organizing software. They are still files on your hard drive, just as they always have been. Your photo organizer only indexes them.You can think of your photo organizing software a little like a computerized card catalog that you would find in a library. The catalog is just an index or database, but the actual books still sit on shelves in the library. Part of the job of a librarian is to track everything that happens to each book. They do this by way of the catalog. Similarly, you are the "librarian" of your photo collection, and your photo organizing software is the "catalog" where you index and track everything about those photos.
Imagine if someone snuck into the library and removed a book without going through the librarian. That book would be gone, but the library would still have a record of it in their catalog. The same thing happens when you delete, rename or move photos on your computer outside of your photo organizing software. This results in missing files in your software. You may still see a thumbnail for them, but they will usually appear with a missing image icon.
Most software does a pretty good job of relocating photos you have moved, but it is best if you do your file management directly through the organizer software. Deleted files, of course, won't be found and you will need to delete them from the organizer software eventually.
The main point here is to understand that the photo files on your hard drive are not duplicates. Never delete a file on your hard drive thinking it will continue to existing inside your photo organizing software.
I think part of the confusion here is that many photo organizing programs use the terminology of "importing your pictures" into the program. I'm sure I'm guilty of using this terminology myself. This leads users to believe that the software "holds" their photos and that the files they see in their computer's folders are now duplicated. Sadly, most beginners won't realize this until it's too late. I think it's really up to the software developers to start making this clearer by warning new users or using better language.
Comments
I think that’s happened to me as well, using iMovie. Some of my movie clips disappeared, and I think it’s because I deleted them thinking they’d been added to iMovie. No other reason for their disappearance makes sense. And yes, the reason I thought they were safe was because they were “imported” into iMovie. I don’t know what term should be used, but that one is definitely misleading.
For some reason, I understood what imported means, maybe because I’ve been a computer user for almost 20 years. As I think of it, I can also understand why people might think that the photographs were being stored elsewhere. The term “imported” definitely implies that that the photo is being stored elsewhere.
Double yikes. I would never trust any online source with my pictures or my graphics. Personally, I recommend investing in a good external hard drive. My 250 GIG one cost around 60 dollars and it’s much more economical that constantly burning CD backups. I backup everything there, in addition to keeping things on my computer. If space is an issue, large flash drives are super cheap now and would hold an enormous amount of photos as a second backup. I always keep my photos in two different places (hard drive and external drive). Once lost, not regained.
I have 4 External Hard Drives from 160 GB to 500 GB, I also Make a CD and or DVD back upon all photos, I am in the process of making new DVD on Archival Gold, of my best Finish Photos, I keep all finish Photos in Photoshop, and the rest in RAW or JPEG. All of my photo negatives are in Archival Sleeves, with proof sheets, My CD’s & DVD’s are file by year (2008- xxx) and I am in the process of making proof sheet of CD’s & DVD’s.
Although I’ve never lost a photo yet, I am paranoid because I’ve heard such horror stories. My friends just lost 250 vacation photos. I have two drives in my PC, one for all the programs including OS, and the other to store data. Then once a month I back up to not one but two external hard drives (I got so much stuff DVDs were not big enough any more!). If something is really ultra important I backup at the same time as I download from my memory cards. Also, I never delete images from the memory cards until I have backed up at least on my internal drive and one external. It takes some time but it’s worth it. Sorry I sound like I have a halo, but…..!
Patty
I’ve been confused since I switched over to a mac and have imported the old pics into iphoto. I know that I didn’t import the picture, just the pointer TO the picture BUT: now when I download new pics from the camera, iphoto brings them down and they appear to be in an “imported pics” folder in the iphoto library. It IS confusing.
I have so far avoided using any of the photo management programs. Reasons:
1) I have my own management system - mostly strictly date/time sequential. But I move files from folder to folder at verious points - always having 2 sets (original and “processed” and sometimes extra sets. (e.g. web sized, scrapbook pages, and others). Then I periodically back them up on CD or DVD and delete the folders from my hard drive. I suppose a photo management system could handle all that, but transitioning seems overwhelming, and I’m not sure how good a job the program would do over the long haul.
2) When I have tried to launch any management progream (e.g. Picasa) it seems to go off on its own “importing” every image file on my hard disk with no reference I can see to my existing organization. I just didn’t have the patience to wait and see what it would do with it all.
iPhoto stores copies of your photos in the Library. For details go to Apple’s Software support section http://www.apple.com/support/iphoto/
or check with your local Apple rep.
The first thing to do is to copy your photos to your computer. The second thing to do is to make a backup of them onto CD or DVD, depending on how many photos you’ve got. Any other scenario is just plain asking for trouble and for losing your photos.
Don’t trust external hard drives anymore than you’d trust your main internal drive. CD or DVD. Especially if you’ve any intention of going pro or semi-pro.
There is great desire to start viewing or editing photos directly after loading to the PC. Don’t do that.
When I buy new software I generally play with it and test the various functions I think I would use out prior to committing to using the software for any critical applications.
I use Elements and it clearly states that your pictures are imported into a catalog. If people don’t understand what a catalog is there is not much else Adobe can do. I don’t know what other software says but this might be all that needs to be changed, clarify the pictures are going into a catalog, not being copied into the program.
Nice to see so many of you are diligent about backing up your photos! One of the things I’ve discovered I like about Lightroom is how it will automatically copy the photos into 2 different locations for you right off the bat. I have it send one copy to my home server and the other copy to my local drive for the working files.
I use photoshop7 and hp”s program and kind ha
like it but i am trying to learn how to copy or back them up on a dvd or cd so i can have
them off my computer so i can have room or free up space and my be my computer can run faster any idea”s or classes on this
Carl: Backing up your photos is a good idea. I can free up space, but it probably won’t make your computer run any faster. Just remember that if you copy your photos to DVDs and then delete them from your computer it is NOT a backup. Those DVDs can still go bad and then you have nothing. You should burn multiple copies of the DVDs if you truly want a backup.
Here are some articles you can read about backups:
http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/digitalimaging/qt/backupphotos.htm
http://graphicssoft.about.com/b/2008/01/31/hp-simplesave-photo-backup-solution.htm
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/digitalphotorescue/
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/picasa/ss/backup.htm
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pselementscourse/a/pse205backup.htm
If you need further help, please post a message in the discussion forum: http://forums.about.com/ab-graphicssoft
I see numerous references to backing up pics with CDs or DVDs. These deteriorate over time. An external hard drive is a much more reliable media.