AboutScott Valentine Expertise Most anything about digital post processing (Photoshop, etc), effects, and image restoration, some technical information about digital imaging systems, light and electron microscopy, optical physics and image analysis. I can help with shooting basics, lighting setups, and getting the most out of your digital camera. I am also an 'expert' here for Photoshop (Computers/Technology > Software > Graphics Software > Photoshop).
Experience I've been an image analyst and advanced amateur photographer for over 6 years. I run an Adobe user group, focusing on digital media, and have lectured on digital image capture systems. Currently, I am an administrator for a rather large instructional Photoshop forum
Organizations Adobe User Groups, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, Advanced Imaging Specialists
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Physics, University of California, San Diego
Awards and Honors Winner: Best in Show and several category first place awards - Imaging Professionals of the Southwest Print Competition (multiple years)
Expert: Scott Valentine Date: 1/26/2008 Subject: Picture Storage
Question hi,
i am very much an amateur and have questions about storing photos on my laptop. i have accumulated many photographs which are stored on my laptop and i think it is slowing my computer down. is there a way to comress photos before loading them onto a disc without having to buy software to do so? thank you.
Answer Thanks for your question, Christy. I'm having a little trouble understanding your question, though... Are you asking about compressing images before they are recorded to your hard drive, or are you asking about compressing images that you will save to an archive like an external HD or DVD?
If it's the first, then there's really no option except to shoot lower resolution images from your camera (small, medium, large, etc. from the camera settings).
However, if you are looking for a way to compress photos so you can save them to a DVD or other medium, I highly recommend *not* doing so because of the potential for file corruption. A great way to clear up some space on your laptop would be to use a DVD burner and move your collection over. If you do this, be sure to make two copies and check them immediately after you make them to see if there were any problems during the burning process.
You can also try compressing your images on your hard drive, but again, I do not recommend this path. If you do choose this approach, you can use archiving software like WinZip or WinRAR to make collections and compress the images.
Do note, though, that these applications are not free, and you may not get the amount of free space you are hoping for. Please consider backing up your images to DVD or an external hard drive. I know these are not free solutions, but after years of shooting digital images, you do not want them all to disappear because your drive crashed.
I hope this helps - please let me know if I can provide any more detail or other information that will be of use to you.
