What format do you use for archiving image files?

[Frodolives]

Well, I finally ordered what I think should be a decent mid range scanner for my closet full of pictures and slides etc. (new model Epson Perfection 3170) and have a few decisions to make. All opinions kindly welcomed.

I understand that jpeg can be a lossy format, but then it's still prevalent, probably sufficient for my stuff and of course takes up less space than bmp. Some of my archives are suitable for potential pro use, but in all likelihood the main purpose will be for my personal usage and sharing for decades to come (if I'm lucky, heh).

Anyone think I should consider other formats than jpeg?

Thanks for opinions on this and any general comments regarding your experiences with archiving slides and other images.

 

[gsaldivar]

I vote for JPEG.

If you are using Photoshop, keep the resolution high and the "JPEG quality" setting low.

The "artifacts" produced by the lossy JPEG format are better concealed with a higher resolution rather than a higher quality setting.

Good luck!

 

[Frodolives]

Good info, thanks

 

[Jeff7]

If I need totally lossless, I use BMP and then compress it using WinRAR or Winzip.

 

[Frodolives]

thanks for your good recommendations guys, sounds right on the money for my purposes :camera:

 

[RickH]

Save them as a non compressed Tif. Storage is cheap, you can't go back in time and redo the image. Also store it on non-magnetic media--DVDs. DVD RAM is the best, it's read/writes like a hard disk and the media is protected in a carrier.
R

 

[Frodolives]

That's a good idea, but money is a big factor. For now I'm lucky to have a nice cd burner.

 

[clicknext]

High quality JPEG is good enough for me.

 

[NEVERwinter]

try PNG or TIF, i think those are not lossy and can be compressed.

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: gsaldivar
I vote for JPEG.

If you are using Photoshop, keep the resolution high and the "JPEG quality" setting low.

The "artifacts" produced by the lossy JPEG format are better concealed with a higher resolution rather than a higher quality setting.

Good luck!

Not a good idea, in my experience. Keep JPEG quality at least on Medium, but also use high resolution. Low quality JPEG sucks, no matter how you look at it.

Oh, and I'd suggest TIFF for the stuff you want to keep at the highest quality. You can store 16 bits per channel in TIFF images, which can be important if you want to go back and retouch in the future. Note that BMP is very limiting in this regard (no unusual or fancy stuff, like 16bits/channel), and whoever thinks that you'll get anything by losslessly compressing a photographic image is silly. Lossless compression only works reasonably on repeating patterns, such as are found in web graphics (these are stored in PNG or GIF files).

P.S.: If you use the "real" Photoshop, use its import function to scan, so you can scan at 16 bits per channel directly into PS with minimum hassle. Do you levels and color curve adjustment, then convert down to 8 bits / channel (Image > Mode ) and save as JPEG, or leave at 16 bits/channel and save as TIFF.

 

[Frodolives]

Thank you all for the thoughtful comments. Very informative

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: gsaldivar
I vote for JPEG.

If you are using Photoshop, keep the resolution high and the "JPEG quality" setting low.

The "artifacts" produced by the lossy JPEG format are better concealed with a higher resolution rather than a higher quality setting.

Good luck!

I do that but I didnt know about the resolution thing! Thanks!

-Por