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All Forums > Tech Talk > Tech Talk Forum Page 29 > Storing photos on DVD/CD
AuthorPost
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Jan 9 2008 : 10:20PM
Lately, I've been trying to free up some space by storing some of my photos on DVDs. It seemed to work fine at first. I burned the DVDs and as soon as I burned them, I checked them to make sure all the files were there. They were so I went ahead and deleted the ones from my hard drive. I then made sure the DVDs were stored pretty well. The same way I always store burned dvds. Then a month or so later, I popped one of the DVDs in the drive and went to copy some of the photos back to the hard drive. Everything appeared to be going normally so I minimized the window and let it do it's thing. Then, I happened to notice it was taking a while and that the time remaining had shot up from a minute or so to 55 minutes. I went to have a look and the status bar wasn't moving and the time remaining was going up and up. So I hit cancel and it basically froze Windows Explorer. I finally managed to get Explorer to restart. So I then tried to explore the folder I'd been trying to copy to see what was up. The thumbs for some of the photos popped right up, while others didn't. I waited a good while and they never did.
so then I tried clicking on a photo. Bad idea. Explorer hung again. Restart. Eventually, I just got tired of waiting so I gave up. I've had this happen with a couple of DVDs. Always DVDs with lots of photos on them. It doesn't seem to happen with movies. I don't really think it's the media because I've used the same media for movie files and never had a problem. I don't understand why the files would be fine and then be corrupt a month or so later. I've been thinking of packing them into smaller zip files and seeing if that works any better. Would that make any difference? So far, I've only tried putting them into folders consisting of about 2500 files in each folder. That seems to be a bad idea on DVDs. Any ideas?
BigBobxxx
Senior Member

2681 Posts
5/04
Posted - Jan 10 2008 : 9:43AM
I doubt the files on your DVDs have gone bad.
Are you saying you .ZIPped the files before burning them to DVD?
If so, why?
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Jan 10 2008 : 4:27PM
No. I didn't zip them. I just burned them as they were in folders containing about 2500 pictures each. When I tried to access them again, some of them were simply inaccessible. And it was always the same ones. I know that zipping them won't save any space. I'm just wondering if it might be a better format for storage. I've had this happen quite a few times in the past. Photos stored on a CD-R would just inexplicably become unreadable. I dunno. Should I try and get a better drive?
conquistador
Deactivated User

Hellhamster.
2947 Posts
10/03
Posted - Jan 10 2008 : 4:39PM
I have had similar things happen. Just with moving around huge and disorganized folders full of photos. Some how my labeling scheme got screwy when I switched cameras but kept using the same folder to dump photos into (I have about 11 gigs of hamster pictures).
When I went to burn the pictures and look at them later I found that many of my pictures were now blank.
The solution for me was to divide things up better into folders and burn smaller batches of pictures at each session. Like instead of burning all of the pics I took in 2007 to a disc at once I'll start a disc in Nero with a multi-session tag and burn a folder for January and February. Then March and April, and so on. I found that burning huge numbers of pics works better in smaller steps for me and my hardware.
I realize we didn't have the same exact issue I just wanted to throw the idea out there.
Edited by - conquistador on 1/10/2008 4:40:21 PM
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Jan 10 2008 : 8:38PM
Well, I went and bought myself a new drive. It came with Nero and Power DVD so at least I won't be using the windows burning utility. It came with a few other utilities too so I guess we'll see. And it has LightScribe. Anyone used that? I don't have any discs for it yet but it should be a nice way to deal with labeling.
I think, possibly, with pictures, it might have something to do with the fact that the individual files are so small and you can put so many of them on a disc. Hard drives don't seem to have problems with them but in my experience, I tend to lose pictures with CDs and DVDs on a regular basis.
I also expanded my RAM from 1 gig to the 2 gig maximum. Not sure if that has anything to do with it but my system seems to run smoother.
Ummmm. You have 11 gigs of hamster pictures? Damn dude! That's cool, actually.
So unfortunately, it may be that you just can't count on removable media for storage without having them on a hard drive as well. Fortunately, hard drives aren't expensive but you can use a shitload of space before you know it.
Edited by - randomprecision on 1/10/2008 8:43:09 PM
 
conquistador
Deactivated User

Hellhamster.
2947 Posts
10/03
Posted - Jan 11 2008 : 1:03AM
Thanks. Lots of them are crap or unusable due to blur or focus issues. Almost every camera I have used has a default flash that is so strong that is washes out pictures of my white hamster. He looks like a glowing blob with eyes.
a year of hamsters.
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Jan 11 2008 : 1:28AM
Does your camera have manual exposure controls? If so, those are very helpful for that. My Olympus also has a control for lowing or raising the output of the flash. I find that pretty helpful for macro photography. This is one reason why external flashes are so useful. But even if you have a camera that supports them, they tend to be rather expensive. I usually find turning the exposure compensation control down at least 3 notches helps take a lot of digital noise out of pictures and helps a lot with the overexposure problem.
One thing you can do is use some sort of diffusion material. Just tape it over the flash with some scotch tape. a small piece of toilet tissue works well. If it has several plies, you can use that to your advantage. Just peel them apart if the diffusion is too much. There are many other things you can use. You can also use window screen for just a tiny bit of diffusion. You can use something as thick as white drawing paper but I found that cut my flash output down way too much. You can use assorted pieces of colored plastic for color effects but they can play havoc with the camera's white balance. Whatever you use, just make sure you don't cover up the camera's sensors or the exposure will be all out of whack.

Edited by - randomprecision on 1/11/2008 1:34:37 AM

conquistador
Deactivated User

Hellhamster.
2947 Posts
10/03
Posted - Jan 11 2008 : 1:47AM
I am using a Canon a95 right now and while it does have manual controls they are not sensitive enough to do what I want. The easiest work around is just covering the flash with something, just like you said.
Edited by - conquistador on 1/11/2008 1:48:23 AM
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Jan 11 2008 : 2:38PM
Another reason you may want to cut the brightness down on the flash is that it's probably not great for your hamsters to have the flash firing full intensity so close to their eyes. Although I guess if any hamsters were ever gonna go blind from a camera flash, yours already would have.
Sometimes you have to just use several techniques together to cut down the exposure. I looked up your camera. It looks like it has a great range of manual controls for a camera in it's category. I would turn down the exposure compensation and flash control (if it has one) AND use the diffuser. That should do it. If it makes the picture too dark, switch to Aperture Priority mode and open the lens up as far as you need to. That should help.
conquistador
Deactivated User

Hellhamster.
2947 Posts
10/03
Posted - Jan 11 2008 : 2:48PM
RP:
All of the stuff you mentioned has been done. I think the main thing thing is that a95 was not designed to shoot close ups of animals who weigh 100 grams and are pure white.
My exposure is at the very lowest (-2) and my flash intensity settings are way down but it is just too bright for precise close pictures.
I had much better pictures using a SONY CyberShot over my Canon.
The Canon is much more precise, I can manually set the focal point ot be 2-3 centimeters from the lens. The big problem is having a flash that really isn't geared to that kind of photos.
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Jan 11 2008 : 3:53PM
I see. Does it have a port for an external flash?
What kind of color do you get if you disable the flash and use incandescent lamps in clamp on garage fixtures? Some cameras give better color with incandescent lights than others. My Olympus creates a strong orange cast. I haven't tried lamps that are color-balanced for photography though. Those are available, I think. If you can get the color balance right, you can also get much better shadow detail with softer light than with a strong flash. Of course, you won't be as portable. You'll have to keep the hamsters in a confined area so they don't go where the light isn't.
conquistador
Deactivated User

Hellhamster.
2947 Posts
10/03
Posted - Jan 11 2008 : 3:59PM
Sadly the a95 does not have a "hot foot" for a better flash.
@RP: I try to stand on my writing as much as my pictures. The best write-up I have ever done is this one.
willywilly
Member

Activated Member
662 Posts
2/05
Posted - Jan 11 2008 : 8:03PM
Still got those DVDs?
Just for the hell of it, try this:
recuva
According to the description, it is not designed for your exact problem.
On the other hand, it is free. Won't hurt to give it a shot.
- edited to make clickable link
Edited by - BigBobxxx on 1/11/2008 11:32:19 PM
BigBobxxx
Senior Member

2681 Posts
5/04
Posted - Jan 11 2008 : 11:38PM
Just out of curiousity, are the file names on the CD/DVD completely intact?
Sometimes, file names can get truncated.
Try copying a single troublesome file back to the hard drive and ADD the .jpg extension to the filename by renaming the file.
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 1:56AM
As far as I know, they were all intact (I've tossed the disc). They all showed up as Irfanview files (The Icon) before they started (slowly) appearing as thumbnails. It's just that some of them seemed to be corrupt. It would show as like half or 3/4 of a thumbnail with the rest being gray. If I tried copying them, the first few would copy (the ones with the complete thumbnails) and then everything would just hang and the time remaining meter would shoot way up to an hour or something. If I hit cancel, Windows Explorer would hang and eventually crash. I have some more that I put into Zip files and burned to another disc (same batch/brand of media). So far, they all seem fine.
It just bugs me because I figured a decent name brand DVD-R should be OK for archival for at least a couple of years. There's not much point if I can't delete the originals off the hard drive.
 
Roger Herraw
Member

415 Posts
2/06
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 7:18PM
anything other than Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim discs are considered pretty iffy for archival use, some do "die" in a matter of months.
BigBobxxx
Senior Member

2681 Posts
5/04
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 8:33PM
Anything that matters to me, I have double backups when I take them to CDs or DVDs.
I figure that both disks won't go bad (or at least not at the same time).
Just to show you how sick I am, or what a professional pervert I am, here's my scheme.
On every movie, here's how I process them (always at 100% quality):
(1) Original
(2) Backup complete copy of original. Often, this results in two DVD disks.
(3) Harvest each individual scene and save them separately to 2nd internal hard-drive (not the "C" Drive).
(4) Create and harvest a cumshot clip from each individual scene and save them separately to 2nd internal hard-drive (not the "C" Drive).
(5) As the individual scenes and cumshots accumulate, I burn them to DVDs. These disks are numbered, and I track the contents of every "XXX Backup Disk" in a special database.
(6) After burning the scenes and cumshots to backup disks, I then copy the files off to external hard-drives, then clear them from my internal hard-drives.
(7) As the files build on the external drives, I make backup DVDs of individual performers, then clear the files from the external drives.
(8) If the performer is a girl I know I want to whack to, I create personal stroke-compilations too before I clear the files from the external drives. Two copies of the personal stroke-compilation movies, of course
(9) In addition, I keep a complete set of every cumshot on one external hard-drive for reference purposes. I need to start a second cumshot drive.
(10) I also harvest the opening title credits and trailers, and maintain another drive for these (sorted by studios).
(11) Finally (for now), I harvest all the extras (i.e. behind the scenes, photo galleries, menus, etc.) and keep them on yet another drive (sorted by movie).
Now, there's no question I'm "sick"... anal retentive, even.
I like to think I have a professional approach.
Keep one other thing in mind... all these organized files and information also serve me well as one of the IAFD administrators team of editors.
I keep telling myself, "more whacking; less tracking," but it's an addiction I tell ya!
P.S. Walter Burns is every bit as bad, but his poison is stills
Edited by - BigBobxxx on 1/12/2008 8:51:32 PM
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 8:34PM
Yeah. I read that Verbatim discs are among the best. Unfortunately, Taiyo Yuden is a manufacturer who sells their stuff to a lot of various companies so it's always hard to know Taiyo Yuden media when you see it.
willywilly
Member

Activated Member
662 Posts
2/05
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 8:44PM
What database software do you use?
BigBobxxx
Senior Member

2681 Posts
5/04
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 8:58PM
Nothing special.
I just created what I needed using the database application in Appleworks 6.
This also works on both Mac and PC.
I originally began on Mac, and this was the easiest way to bring everything over to PC (which I now use almost exclusively).
Bill All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5334 Posts
6/00
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 10:00PM
That's why it doesn't make sense to buy brand name discs. It's better to just buy unbranded Taiyo Yuden discs instead.
[ invalid url ]
When you consider that you can buy Taiyo Yuden discs for between $.26 and $.40 a piece (depending on what speed/features you want), it doesn't make any sense to buy brand name discs.
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 11:04PM
Yes but where can you buy them without ordering them?
Bill All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5334 Posts
6/00
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 11:51PM
I'm not sure what this question means. Are you asking what brick & mortar stores carry Taiyo Yuden discs? If so, you can get them at Guitar Center stores.
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Jan 14 2008 : 3:19AM
I'll have to check that out. There's a Guitar Center down the road. Only been there a few times. Their staff is usually snobby so I avoid them.
ninja1
Senior Member

2939 Posts
1/08
Posted - Jan 15 2008 : 1:19AM
Does the Verbatim / Taiyo Yuden recommendation apply to
Dual Layer also? At Rima.com, the Verbatim are VERY expensive (3-pack for $14), and there is no Dual Layer Taiyo Yuden.
 
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Jan 15 2008 : 3:44AM
I don't think dual layer has really caught on so much yet. Probably because of the price. By the time it does, Blu Ray will probably be the dominant format anyway.
Bill All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5334 Posts
6/00
Posted - Jan 15 2008 : 7:53PM
For dual-layer discs, +R's are far more popular than -R's are. I think that's because you can bitset some DVD drives to trick DVD players into thinking that these discs are DVD ROM's (the kind of disc that studio's press). This makes them far more compatible with DVD players. Even if you can't bitset the disc to DVD ROM, +R dual layer discs are more compatible with DVD players. Because of that popularity, they're far less expensive than -R's are.
Verbatim is, by far, the best manufacturer of dual layer discs. [ invalid url ] at 10 for 19.50, 20 for $31.99 or 20 ink jet printable discs for $48. So, depending on how many you want and which style you want, they are either $1.95, $1.60 or $2.40 a piece (less if you buy in quantity).
Ridata (made by Ritek) also has dual layer discs. They are less expensive, but they are not nearly as good as Verbatim. Testing of these discs consistently show far more errors than Verbatim discs written with same drives do.
Taiyo Yuden doesn't make dual layer discs.
Edited by - Bill on 1/15/2008 7:53:41 PM



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