Beginning Aperture

[kazarau]

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I am now using Aperture as part of my workflow which is :

 

1. Copy SD card to 'Digital Negative' folder on external hard disk. My Aperture library is also on this hard disk.

2. Import files in folder into Aperture. Do the necessaries and create versions.

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My question is: Do I now have two copies of master files, one in the original folder and the other in Aperture?? where would the other file in Aperture be??

 

Regards,

 

Ungku Razak

[wbarker]

Yes, you will have two copies of the files. But that is not a bad thing. I actually have three. One is a folder where I store a copy of original pictures on the SD Card before I do anything. The second is the downloaded files into the Aperture Library, and the third is a back up on an external HD, which in fact will have both the SD card BU and the Aperture Library on it.

 

When you import the files into Aperture they will appear in your library's project folder and identified as a Raw file, but the versions you adjust are jpg. The Raw file is a hidden file in the Aperture Library and is never touched by any adjustments you may make. One of the commands, if you need it, is to create a new version of the jpg for a different set of adjustments. Or you can create a new version of the Master (Raw or jpg if that is what you shot).

 

Bill

[Eoin]

We need to qualify exactly what you're doing at import time before we can be sure.

 

In your import routine, you can "File, Import, Images" and point to the location of the folder or "File, Import, Folders into a project". Both ways bring up a window in which you select the images or the folder location. But more important is the "Store Files: " setting.

 

If you have "In the Aperture Library" selected then yes you'll have your originals and another copy within the Aperture Library.

 

If you have "in their current location" selected then no, you only have the files made in the original copy to your hard disk and only reference markers and jpg previews to these files original files within Aperture.

[Mike Rawcs]

I wouldn't have my Aperture Library and my backup Digital Negative on the same hard drive. If the drive fails you will lose everything.

[Guest joewehry]

Ditto the backup recommendation.

 

3 Copies, 2 different media, 1 offsite

 

(ex one hard drive, one dvd, one online server or hard drive taken to another safe location)

 

i've had pro photographers loose years of work when electrical problems fried not only their computer, but the attached backup hard drives. so the different media and offsite recommendations are well-heeded if you do this for a living.

 

Also, when traveling with a computer and external backup hard drive, keep them in separate places. If the luggage gets lost , stolen , damaged, then both the computer and your backup are gone. In separate places, hopefully at least one will survive.

 

Aperture is great for this, for example, you can import everything into the computer (copy one), backup file vault or export projects/masters to external hard drive or DVD (copy 2), and create a gallery or images or website with .Mac or web server (copy 3). (granted the gallery is JPG and not raw originals, but in an emergency...). Of course you could also archive the original memory card if the data is important. Technology changes so quickly, be sure to update the backup devices as technology changes. Think of all those images on floppy disks, ZIP drives, etc...