Buliding your own Photo Archive
Table of Contens :
I.) Outlook
II.) Hardware
III.) Software
IV.) Customizing
V.) Links
I.) Outlook
Murphy's Law ... Or Why NOW is the right moment
for buliding your own photo archive.
When did you check the air pressure of your tires last time ? Be honest, you don't even remember ! When did you visit the gas station last time ? Before
the car runs out of fuel of course. Some things only come to our mind with a big bang when it's too late. And believe me, a flat tire is annoying but still something that
can get fixed and after an hour or two you are up and running again.
Now, think about your photo archive for a moment. Is it really safe ? "Of course, I have my important files .... mmmh .... Probably most of them on DVDs .....". I
don't want to scare anybody, but it's time to think about some changes. The possibility of loosing the photographs of the honey-moon trip to Hawaii, the first steps of the daughter, or
loosing a client - who will not recommend you any further - after you had to tell him, that the photographs you took for him are .... somehow not available any more.
As data storage and archiving is so essential for everybody maintaining a large photo archive, I will to go a bit more
into detail on the Hard- and Software side of the business.
II.) Hardware
What do we need - Hardware wise ? This depends on three factors :
The *importance* of your data (Think for a moment on the consequences in case you
would lose files).
The *amount* of data (Are we talking about 200 MB, 5 GB or 500 GB ?).
And last but not least the *organization* of your data (Does a "file card system" do the job ? You need a database ?
With only the file names ? Or with meta-tags, thumbnails and keywords ? You handle everything form your laptop or do other people / colleagues / friends need access via the web?)
As usual, money plays also an important role. Professional storage and archiving solutions can cost thousands of Dollars, Euros, etc. But in most cases a decent investment will
bring the maximum amount of safety that will make you sleep much better.
1.) The DVD solution
PROs:
* Cheap, as a DVD/CD-ROM drive exsists in all computers today.
* No additional hardware needed.
* Easily expandable. You buy more DVDs ...
CONs:
* Medium to low data security.
* Slow in handling, depending on the total amount of data to be managed.
* No easy and direct access to specific data.
Conclusion:
Copying data on DVDs is only practical and recommended, if the total amount of data is in the range of a few GB. In this case thumbnail files of the
image data can be easily kept on disk and copying let's say 20 GB of images to a couple of DVDs is done within the hour. In any case one should
go for some better quality archival quality DVDs which come with a scratch resistant gold coated surface. Now
the first laptops are starting to be equipped with BluRay drives which offer 25 GB per disk. External drives are of course available
for everybody who wants to "pimp his computer".
» Archival Media - Just one example
» Delkin BluRay - The inventor of the BluRay system.
2.) The External Hard Drive solution
PROs:
* Little investment in hardware.
* Easy to maintain.
CONs:
* Medium data security. A hard disk crash happens rarely, but if ....
* Limited capacity.
Conclusion:
Having an external hard drive to copy image files to, is a good solution for smaller to medium size archives as even 1 TB external drives
are very interesting in price and offer a really "good value per MB". Buying more and more drives as the archive grows is not
really the way to go for, as at some point we are back at the DVD-situation: "I know it must be somewhere here on one of those DVDs/disks ..."
From the safety point of view only two drives, which allow
mirroring of the data, can guarantee a sufficient data protection. It has to be kept in mind, that a certain persistence is the key in this scenario, as all data
have to be copied to both disks on a regular basis. Keeping track on "which file is where ?" also requires some human input.
» Western Digital BackUp Solutions
3.) The Smart Storage solution
PROs:
* Acceptable investment.
* High data security.
* Scalable capacity.
CONs:
* Not made for huge archives.
Conclusion:
A so called "Smart Storage Solution" which consists of a stack of hard drives that are operated as a RAID (which stands for
Redundant Array of Independent/Inexpensive Disks) system is elegant and easy to use. Connected to the local computer or laptop via USB
or Firewire it offers a maximum data safety as data are always kept on several disks in a way that even the loss of one (or more) disk(s) still
allows the data to be safe. Systems that allow Network Connection even make it simple to share the data between several computers with in the
LAN. Common mid-range systems allow the use of 2,4 or 8 disks, which makes it possible to have several TB of data safe and sound.
» Western Digital BackUp Solutions
» Data Robotics
» Iomega StorCenter
» Qnap NAS
» Synology Cube Station
4.) The "I am lazy" solution
PROs:
* Minimal effort from the users side.
* Scalable capacity.
CONs:
* Rather expensive.
Conclusion:
There are several companies out there offering mass storage on the web. While one has usually a few MB together with
the e-mail account, or
a little bit more with the web space, Online Backup Services offer typically 250 GB for something like 100 Dollar per year. Via a SSL connection one can
up- and download ones data and has never to worry about crashing disks, etc. A fast broadband connection is of course essential in this case. If one
has a real semi-professional system in mind in the near future but does need something "right now" for a short time, this solution
can be a good one. I would compare this a little bit with buying a house versus renting an apartment.
» Memoplal - Just one example
» ImagePRO - Online Photo Gallery with unlimted storage space
5.) The "Do it Yourself" solution
PROs:
* Custom tailored to your needs.
* Probably best value for money.
* You learn a lot.
CONs:
* Only for people with sufficient computer hardware knowledge.
Conclusion:
Why not building your own RAID-system ? Many of us still have an unused PC at home. A few new disks, a network card
and two, three more other
things and one can built something oneself. Assuming that the knowledge hard- and software wise is there, there is nothing to say against this.
» Building the Ultimate RAID - Here you get a step-by-step explanation.
6.) The Professional solution
PROs:
* As safe as it can get ....
* "Unlimited" capacity.
CONs:
* VERY expensive.
* Professional hardware and software involved, which has to be operated.
Conclusion:
Professional Server and Storage solutions allow you to keep up to hundreds of TeraBytes protected. But NAS- (Network attached storage) and
other mass storage systems are more likely to be found in huge data-centers and IT-companies and don't pay off as we are talking about at least a few
thousand up to millions of Dollars, Euros, whatever you like to pay with.
» Netgear Ready NAS
» HP Server NAS
I would strongly recommend investing a few more coins into at least an overload protection socket or may be even a bit more in a
UPS (Un-interruptible Power Supply) unit, as sudden power cuts are still the most often reasons for computer failures and disk crashes.
III.) Software
Now it's time to look into the software side of the project. Depending on the size of the archive and the intended use there are a few points to be taken into account:
- Storage Solution only ?
- All-in One RAW converting, simple image manipulation AND archiving ?
- Local system ? Or assets reachable online for co-workers, clients ?
- All image data exist in one system ? Or offline media have to be included ?
A Google Search for "Digital Asset Management" will give you thousands
of hits. So which software to go for ? I want to have a closer look into the following
software solutions. They are representing a good overview of current products :
Adobe Bridge, Adobe LightRoom, PicaJet and Canto's Cumuls.
Adobe Bridge CS3 :
Adobe Bridge CS3 is a powerful, easy-to-use media manager for visual people,
letting you easily organize, browse, locate, and view creative assets. Main features are
listed here:
New Filter panel for faster file selection. Customizable workspace.
Image stacking, which is a smart way of keeping a group of similar
images on top of each other while in a main overview. With one click
this stack is "opened up" for further evaluation. Flat view
of nested folders and contents. Enhanced previews and Improved
support for XMP metadata. Centralized color settings.
For more details, please check the link in the links selction.
Adobe Lightroom :
Within Lightroom the workflow is divided into four steps: Import, Manage, Develop
and Present.
IMPORT :
Robust tools to handle large shoots. Import/export presets. Automatic
conversion to DNG.
MANAGE :
Multiple viewing options. Flexible organization of images.
Manual thumbnail reordering. Easy file renaming. Single or group metadata stamping.
Image versions without duplication. IPTC/EXIF/XMP metadata support. Metadata
stamping on output. Keyword synchronization. Offline image management. Easy
Library backup to CD/DVD. Simple keywording.
DEVELOP :
Easy-to-use white balance, exposure, and contrast controls. Simple yet
powerful tone curve editor. Full Integration with Adobe Photoshop. Advanced hue,
saturation, and luminance editing. Nondestructive editing. Fast zooming. Convenient
before/after comparison mode. Finely tuned black-and-white conversions. Synchronized
adjustments across multiple images. Explicit history tracking. Dust buster. Easy-to-use
crop and straighten tools. Red-eye removal.
PRESENT :
Fast, high-quality printing. Live preview of HTML or Flash based web
galleries. Single-click web publishing. Sophisticated slide shows. Signature stamps, which
allow you to include your personal business logo into the presentations.
For more details, please check the link in the links selction.
Both Bridge and Lightroom are of course perfectly well included in the Photoshop
workflow.
PicaJet :
For the rather low price of about 50 US Dollar PicaJet is offering a wide variety of
functionalities that make this software really interesting, as long as you are working on a
Windows system. I will just point up the most important features here :
Unlimited category-nesting levels. Fast photo indexing. Assign images to different categories
using icon sets. Dynamic categories. Works with huge databases . Offline-archive organization.
Hide private photos. Automated import process. Storage of image descriptions inside files (XMP, IPTC, EXIF).
Batch EXIF, IPTC, XMP editor. Batch resize, batch convert, batch rename. Support for more than 60 image
file formats. Support for video files. Powerful search. Manage images through several albums . View images
as timeline. Sorting and grouping by any criterion. The missing links problem. Automatically responds to
external file changes. Backup/Restore. Photo editor with Levels, Sharpen, Sepia, Red-Eye removal! . Safe
images adjustments: JPEG lossless transformations, on-the-fly effects, and more.... RAW Conversions.
Auto-Optimization of the images for email. Send your photo to a mobile phone. Creating an attractive
photo gallery using templates. The best photo slideshow software with Hollywood effects. Export data
as XML! Save photos to CD and DVD as a web-based photo-album. Digital Photo Burner and photo-gallery
creator. Various Print! functions. Network support / Multi-user database access. Interface in your own language.
For more details, please check the link in the links selction.
Canto Cumuls :
Clearly addressed to the professional user, Canto Cumulus digital asset management
software enables work groups to easily find, share and publish the files they need -
no matter where the files are stored, no matter what medium they're stored on.
Above all the standard sorting, naming, storing and archiving functionalities this software
comes with professional data distribution capabilities.
Especially if many people, not sitting all in the same office, are working on the same
files only dedicated software is able to "keep track" on changes, updates
and modifications.
As needs and wishes vary a lot, it's a good idea to carefully test a product before buying. This is
made easy, as free trial versions are standard today.
In the end any DAM software is better than having all files spread in thousands of folders on ten drives with an unclear naming
structure.
For more details, please check the link in the links selction.
IV.) Customizing
Depending on the requirements there are several options to be taken into account. Besides just serving as a secure storage solution,
there are other possibilities: Even in the "Home Office" category there are NAS systems on the market that include web server capabilities.
With sufficient space available and software that is already
pre-installed it's no problem to built one's own stock-image database - integrated in the own website - running on the web server at home. And this without being
a professional webmaster.
In some cases including a tape-drive might still be an interesting way of having a second copy of valuable data. Sony has the StorStation in the program. Worth having
a closer look. 80 GB tapes are a good value for money solution.
No matter which way one might chose, the only thing I can only repeat again and again: The moment to regret not having
implemented any kind of backup solution in one's personal workflow is when the laptop with ALL the family photos e.g. died
and everything is gone.
What will the client say, when after the wedding shot there are no photographs to be put in an album because the hard drive is not readable any more ? ...
There is no excuse for
not having a backup !
V.) Links
Hardware:
»
Archival Media - Just one example
»
Delkin BluRay
»
Western Digital BackUp Solutions
»
Data Robotics - NAS system
»
Iomega StorCenter
»
Qnap NAS
»
Netgear Ready NAS
»
HP Server NAS
»
Synology Cube Station
»
Sony Stor - Professional Tape Drives
»
ImagePRO - Online Photo Gallery with unlimted storage space
Software :
»
Adobe Bridge - Digital Asset Management Software (Win, Mac)
»
Adobe Lightroom - Digital photo management,
image database software (Win, Mac)
»
Canto Cumuls - Digital Asset Management Software (Win, Mac, Linux)
»
PicaJet - Digital photo management and image database software (Win)
Services :
»
Photoshelter - Online storefront and archive
»
Carbonite - Backup of your internal hard disk (Windows only, Mac beta version soon)
»
Amazon S3 - Store and retrieve any amount of data via the web
»
RapidoBackup - Professional Online Backup
»
StoragePipe - Complete and automated backup and recovery service.
These links represent only a personal selection of mine and are not sorted in any way. At the time of writing this article all links were
functional and lead to further information via the website of the company. In case you find any "dead link", I would appreciate a short message.
To contact me send a mail to the
>> info <<
© 2009, Fauland Photography,
all rights reserved.
Last update: 29.10.2008.
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