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).
I am currently writing a book for Adobe Press on composite artwork using Photoshop CS4.
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: 8/1/2007 Subject: Digital photography
Question I took some pictures the other day, and I wanted to get them into my computer, so I put the chip into my card reader, plugged in the cable, and uploaded them, I thought.
When I tried to find them in my pictures, all I could see was a page full of machine language, or whatever it is. Then it dawned on me that when I put in a new hard drive the other day, I totally forgot to re-install my digital
camera. Is there any chance I can retrieve those pictures
somehow, or did I really screw the pooch?rjf8x
Answer Hi John,
First, if you have not deleted the images, be sure to keep that camera card safe - don't add any pictures to it until you have been able to successfully retrieve those already on there.
As long as the files are there, you only need to get something that will read them properly. Most computers will be able to read the JPG format most cameras produce, so I'm not sure why this capability is missing on your machine.
Try installing the camera software, and also consider getting something like Picasa (http://picasa.google.com/) which is a free photo organizer for Windows. It should be able to read almost any image format, so that will give you a good indicator of whether the images can be recovered. If that doesn't work, try contacting the camera manufacturer directly and explain the issue.
Also, if the images are still on the card, try deleting those that you uploaded from the computer, install Picasa or something similar, and then grab the images again. That is kind of a last-ditch approach, but if there's any chance, that will do the trick.
If you have further questions, or would like to discuss this further, please provide more details (camera model/make, card type, software, etc) and I'll see if I can find additional information.
