Need to Store Photos

[motox424]

I NEED to burn a bunch of full size image files to CD's to store and free up some disk space. Is there a way to compress the files first, so I can get more per CD, and then when I need them again(if that need ever arises?) can un-compress the files?

I wish the funds allowed me justt to purchase an external HD, but.......

Thanks

[Rense]

zip them first.

[Take12]

Zipping JPGs is no use, as JPGs are compressed already.
Zipping TIFFs is very useful though, they can be compressed a lot. And lose nothing of their IQ in the process.

BURNED DVDs and CDs (as opposed to PRESSED DVDs and CDs) start degrading by osmosis the minute they were burned, and become UNreadable in 5 to 10 years, max.!

So DON'T USE DVDs OR CDs FOR BACKUP! unless you replace them every few years with completely freshly burned ones.

Have fun!

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by Take12

Zipping JPGs is no use, as JPGs are compressed already.
Zipping TIFFs is very useful though, they can be compressed a lot. And lose nothing of their IQ in the process.

Some backup programs have compression options but it still won't have much of an impact on JPGs. Once compressed, a file simply can't be compressed much more.

BURNED DVDs and CDs (as opposed to PRESSED DVDs and CDs) start degrading by osmosis the minute they were burned, and become UNreadable in 5 to 10 years, max.!

So DON'T USE DVDs OR CDs FOR BACKUP!

Long term, I agree. Short term backups, about a year or so, are a perfectly viable option for burned CDs or DVDs. It does require a good backup management plan, though.

[motox424]

All the pic files I need to store are JPEGs, and I seriously doubt that I will ever need them after 2 years

The CDs I have are 700MB, and the pics are anywhere from 3.5MB to almost 7MB per file. I would like somehow to put a complete folder (a lot of MB!) on one CD

I am a complete idiot when it comes to thie "zipping" or compressing of files to store, so IF you can explain it to me like a 5 year old(They probly know how to do it)

Thanks

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by motox424

All the pic files I need to store are JPEGs, and I seriously doubt that I will ever need them after 2 years

The CDs I have are 700MB, and the pics are anywhere from 3.5MB to almost 7MB per file. I would like somehow to put a complete folder (a lot of MB!) on one CD

I am a complete idiot when it comes to thie "zipping" or compressing of files to store, so IF you can explain it to me like a 5 year old(They probly know how to do it)

Thanks

What operating system are you using?

[Take12]

Originally Posted by motox424

All the pic files I need to store are JPEGs,

Then you don't need to compress them (they can't be: they're compressed already).

and I seriously doubt that I will ever need them after 2 years

Then why store them?

The CDs I have are 700MB, and the pics are anywhere from 3.5MB to almost 7MB per file. I would like somehow to put a complete folder (a lot of MB!) on one CD

You can if the total does not exceed 680MB, for a CD, or 4.3GB for a DVD.

I am a complete idiot when it comes to thie "zipping" or compressing of files to store, so IF you can explain it to me like a 5 year old(They probly know how to do it)

OK, in big letters then:
JPGs don't need to be zipped! They are compressed already!

Have fun!

[motox424]

PC Windows XP

[motox424]

Originally Posted by Take12

Then you don't need to compress them (they can't be: they're compressed already). OK



Then why store them? If I need to print anymore for the wife



You can if the total does not exceed 680MB, for a CD, or 4.3GB for a DVD.

Thats the problem, and how many MB in a GB?



OK, in big letters then:
JPGs don't need to be zipped! They are compressed already!

Have fun!

Answered in red, and I found out that IF I use DVD's I can fit the entire folder on one DVD. The folders are from 1.5 to 3 GB

Thanks for the replies though! I LOVE the Camel for the insight!!!!

[Take12]

The CDs I have are 700MB, and the pics are anywhere from 3.5MB to almost 7MB per file. I would like somehow to put a complete folder (a lot of MB!) on one CD

You can if the total does not exceed 680MB, for a CD, or 4.3GB for a DVD.

Thats the problem, and how many MB in a GB?

1,000 MB in 1 GB, so DVDs hold 6 times as much data as CDs do. Therefore DVD's are cheaper per MB (and you need 6 times fewer of them for your short to medium term storage).

[brian.austin]

Open your My Pictures folder and select the images you want to back up. Use Shift-Click to select a bunch in a row or CTRL-Click to select individual images. To select ALL of the images in a folder (including sub-folders), use CTRL-A.

On the left side, under Picture Tasks, will be a "Copy all items to CD" task. Click it. This copies "temporary" files to the CD. It's NOT burned yet.

An icon will pop up in your System Tray, near your clock at the bottom right corner. It will say "files ready to be written to CD" or something similar. Click it when you're done (you can continue going through multiple folders until you're finished). The temporary CD folder will pop up. Again, on the left, will be a task that says "Burn these files to CD" or something similar. Drop a blank CD into your burner and click that task.

Follow the wizard that pops up.

Once completed, take the CD to ANOTHER computer and confirm that you can read the images. Spot check them, including navigating to sub-folders if you have them. If you don't have another computer, check them on the computer you just used.

After everything is confirmed, you can go back and delete the images you backed up to CD.

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by Take12

1,000 MB in 1 GB, so DVDs hold 6 times as much data as CDs do.

Depends on who you ask. Marketing folks use 1,000Mb. Your computer sees 1,024Mb per 1GB, however.

So the number on the label of a DVD will not match the space the computer sees. The larger the capacity, the more this number is off.

[Take12]

Originally Posted by Take12
1,000 MB in 1 GB, so DVDs hold 6 times as much data as CDs do.

Originally Posted by brian.austin

Depends on who you ask. Marketing folks use 1,000Mb. Your computer sees 1,024Mb per 1GB, however.

So the number on the label of a DVD will not match the space the computer sees. The larger the capacity, the more this number is off.

Yes, officially 1,024 KB is 1 MB, 1,024 MB is 1 GB, 1,024 GB is 1 TB (TeraByte), etc. etc.
So for convenience' sake consumers assume that 1,000 KB is 1 MB, 1,000 MB is 1 GB, 1,000 GB is 1 TB (TeraByte), etc. etc.

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by Take12

Yes, officially 1,024 KB is 1 MB, 1,024 MB is 1 GB, 1,024 GB is 1 TB (TeraByte), etc. etc.
So for convenience' sake consumers assume that 1,000 KB is 1 MB, 1,000 MB is 1 GB, 1,000 GB is 1 TB (TeraByte), etc. etc.

Except that if someone who doesn't know any better sees a 700Mb CD in a store and he can only fit 680Mb of data on it, it doesn't make any sense to him.

Just like DVDs are labeled 4.7Gb but only see 4.3Gb on the computer. It's the same AMOUNT of space, just measured in different ways.

[Take12]

Originally Posted by brian.austin

Except that if someone who doesn't know any better sees a 700Mb CD in a store and he can only fit 680Mb of data on it, it doesn't make any sense to him.

Just like DVDs are labeled 4.7Gb but only see 4.3Gb on the computer. It's the same AMOUNT of space, just measured in different ways.

In any case, it makes sense to NOT fill a CD or DVD to the very limit of its capacity. Leave a a few percent blank.

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by Take12

In any case, it makes sense to NOT fill a CD or DVD to the very limit of its capacity. Leave a a few percent blank.

I agree. Errors tend to crop up for some reason when they're maxed out.

[FishStu]

Shop around a little and maybe you can get a deal on an external hard drive. I just bought two I/O Magic 320g hard drives at Target for $24.95 each. That's cheaper than CD's or DVD's. They were marked "Clearance" so don't know if any are still available at that price. You might also consider an on line storage option.
There are some sites that limited free storage and you can purchase added space very reasonably.

[tharper]

Wow 25 bucks for a 320gb external? Man that's cheap :O You can't even get a 320gb HDD for that cheap, and then slap it in an external cage. Have to dig around more I guess, I need a better way to store my pictures.

[Take12]

Originally Posted by tharper

Wow 25 bucks for a 320gb external? Man that's cheap :O You can't even get a 320gb HDD for that cheap, and then slap it in an external cage. Have to dig around more I guess, I need a better way to store my pictures.

Sounds like you translate "better" with "cheaper", tharper. I submit that with photo storage "better" means "more reliable" loooong before cost is even an issue.