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: 1/27/2008 Subject: Picture Storage
Question 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.
-Scott
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: hi scott,
thanks for the warning which i will heed. ok so i have already loaded all my photos on a kodak gallery website. worse comes to worse, i can order the backup cd from them in the event of a catastrophic event with my laptop. i would just like to do it myself and save money. when you say i should save them to a dvd, are your referring to a regular disc or would you recommend a particular kind of disc to save them to? also, my husband purchased a memory stick and was wondering if that would be an option. is that what you mean when you refer to an "external hard drive?" do you have any recommendations as to the the type to use of either a "dvd" or "external hard drive?" please forgive my ignorance and thanks for the help!
christy
Answer There's nothing to forgive, Christy :)
It's great that you have your collection backed up to an offsite storage solution. For local storage on DVD, you will need a special DVD burner, and some blank, recordable DVDs. There are several models from which to choose, but I recommend one that supports several types of DVD (e.g., an "all format" burner). I've had luck with models from LiteOn, and you can find them at bargain prices if you are willing to hunt around for deals. The least expensive way to go is to buy a drive meant to be installed in a computer, and then purchasing an external case. This will allow you to only hook up the drive when you need it, which can be an important consideration with laptops.
You can do the same thing with hard drives. A memory stick is considered temporary removable media, not a true hard drive. Visit your local computer store for more information, but be sure to check online for reviews and good prices.
Unfortunately, I do not have the space here to give you thorough instructions for setting all of this up, but in general it should be very easy once you start digging for information. If you can, I highly recommend using both an external hard drive and a DVD burner; both can be purchased for under $250 total, and blank DVDs are very reasonably priced.
If you have a chance, visit some digital photography forums, like dpreview.com which should be a great source for ongoing discussions about digital storage solutions. And of course, you are always welcome to ask here!
