What is the best program  for backing up your pictures?

I use adobe photoshop cs2 or lightroom to process the photos then use photoshop cs2 to burn them to disc dont know if it's the best but it works for me, the program that came with my camera is pretty good and very simple (canon 40d)

If you balk at the price of Adobe Photoshop CS2 check out Adobe Photoshop Elements. It's a slightly stripped down but still very powerful version that's fine for non-professional use.

You should be using a disc.......................seonau.!! Anything to help!! Now that you've ripped your hair out...........let me say: Actually.......it's not a bad idea doing it the way you are doing it!! I actually think the memory sticks will last longer than discs.

Gary........If you just want to back them up......windows has the ability. I personally use Nero 7. For photos.....make sure you buy good discs as you want them to last.

I use CS4 sometimes                usually  just put the memory card in lappy   and burn using Nero

I use Nero7.......Gary.......works for me..... Dave

Re Delta 18's comment about videos.  We videoed our first trip through Qld and NT and I have put it together in a series of 30 minute movies (only because the DVD memory will not allow me to burn more that that on each video)  I have used the Window Movie Maker program which came with my laptop and it is great!  Am able to add titles at the beginning and end of each movie as well as subtitles on video clips and can also add music.  Very easy to use once you are familiar with the program.  So far I am up to Disc No. 14.  Nearly finished with maybe two more to go.  We have a lot of fun watching the movies, much better than photos!

I found that it's the format rather than the software, save them as JPEG files without any compression. I have a 500Gb USB hard drive that I got from ALDI which is great. On special next week again for $99. Also they have 8Gb USB thumb drives for $19.90. These are good because you can plug them in to any computer to view then and the are very portable. If you are saving to CD or DVD make sure it is "Archival" quality.

Delta18 wrote:

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I've found that, for us, we hardly ever look at the photos again

-- Edited by Delta18 on Thursday 3rd of December 2009 07:36:03 PM

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I'm pretty much the same, but Kerry likes to look at them now and then.
I do like seonau's idea.
We also have them backed up on a external HD

 

seonau wrote:

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Hi Ya
I dont know quite why i did things this way but it works for me, i hope it is safe.
Every Calender year i buy a new memory stick and regularly back up my pictures to that. Its quick and easy.

So far i have three, each one represents a single years memories.

Now someone will tell me i should be using a disc aarrrrrrr

seonau

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Ok these memory  sticks have a limited number of cycles and they would last a lifetime under normal use. You should however say once a year fire them up just to keep them "charged" I think is a good word just to make sure they don't loose their "memory"

 

I've had a few of them fail Basil for no good reason they just simply "cease to function", tried all sorts of brands cheap and dear and so far I've had five fail, thankfully it's only backup files that are lost but if you are just burning to disc then a free nero program should do it fine, I have hundreds of them and a swag of photos that I have to get around to putting on disc but as has been said once burnt to disc and stored then I never look at them again

seonau wrote:

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Hi Ya
I dont know quite why i did things this way but it works for me, i hope it is safe.
Every Calender year i buy a new memory stick and regularly back up my pictures to that. Its quick and easy.

So far i have three, each one represents a single years memories.

Now someone will tell me i should be using a disc aarrrrrrr

seonau

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     The memory stick is a electronic device & can fail;

     Don,t know alot about pc yet , i  was advised to just copy pics to DVD+R  
     Only takes a few minutes & holds 100s.

 

just as a footnote to the cost of a very good photo processor, if we were to put it in perspective just a little

our last trip up through the centre (twice) this year cost us around $5,500, we have had a week on a houseboat out of echuca some $3,000, also two weeks in Tasmania, $3,000, plus a week to tassy on my own, plus a week in new Zealand, around the $6,000, this was only some of the trips we have had this year,

my camera gear is valued at very roughly $4,000,

we spend many thousands of dollars on holidays every year, but only had to purchase the adobe photoshop once

the photoshop cs2 from memory cost me somewhere between $1500 and $2,500, I cant remember, a small price to pay for what it is and for the length of time we have had it and what it does

our memories in the form of beautifully reproduced photos are in safe hands once placed into the care of the cs2, some are irreplaceable as some area's has changed that much and many areas have closed to the public

I would recommend the purchase of a good quality photo processing program if you are serious about your memories, then a very good archival disc to save them to and a good burning program, then stored in a very secure area, once gone they are gone forever

I would love to update to the cs4 and a canon 5d but cant substantiate the cost, maybe one day! when I win cross lotto

just to add to the money well a little we also have an epson r1900 a3 photo printer which produces magnificent photos that we sell, 

the printer cost around the $1,200 mark, and we only use archival photographic paper and top quality professional framing, each costing around the $150 to frame

we also use our local printer who can print up photos up to 6 feet long by four feet wide, these cost around the $250 to print and about $400 to frame but are magnificent

we sell these for upwards of $1,500

I find it a very good hobby and very relaxing with a small income generated from a holiday, I am not a proffesional in either photoshop or photography in general but have been well and truly bitten by both bug's, travel and photography



-- Edited by dave06 on Friday 4th of December 2009 11:20:27 AM