Could anyone tell me exactly how long the original images need to be retained after a challenge has completed? I had thought it was 30 days but I think I've seen some people get DQed after that point. Do we need to keep our originals forever?
I usually apply tags to my images to aid with sorting them, since that is altering them I believe it makes them non-original. I also may make required adjustments such as white balance or contrast when it is obvious the result is better than the original. Mostly tagging however.
There is no definitive "statute of limitations." Technically, we can review any photo at any time, but in practical terms, most photos get reviewed within the two or three weeks following the closing of the voting.
In some pretty unusual circumstances, photos have been reviewed/DQd some months afer the challenges were over.
That said, I've never been able to understand why anyone would throw out originals anyway, especially if it's just one file, where it's known it's possible it will be needed. At least burn it to a CD or something -- at current storage prices a high-resolution RAW photo should still cost less than five cents to keep forever. I copy all of my files to a hard drive and burn them to CD/DVD before I delete them from the camera card.
I usually apply tags to my images to aid with sorting them, since that is altering them I believe it makes them non-original. I also may make required adjustments such as white balance or contrast when it is obvious the result is better than the original. Mostly tagging however.
You could put a copy of the files in a separate folder -- when you have 600MB or so burn a CD and delete those files, keeping only your tagged files on the hard drive.
PS: Yes, tagging them would make them "non-original" for DPC validation purposes -- sorry ...
I usually apply tags to my images to aid with sorting them, since that is altering them I believe it makes them non-original. I also may make required adjustments such as white balance or contrast when it is obvious the result is better than the original. Mostly tagging however.
You could put a copy of the files in a separate folder -- when you have 600MB or so burn a CD and delete those files, keeping only your tagged files on the hard drive.
PS: Yes, tagging them would make them "non-original" for DPC validation purposes -- sorry ...
General, I have had a number of photos validated in the past, and have submitted the RAW file that has been through either DPP or RAW Shooters Esential (?); I have now switched to Lightroom, and tag my RAW files - does that now make them ineligible for validation purposes?
Because then they are no longer "original, exactly as they come from the camera" ...
Are you so short of disk space you can't set aside room for a folder of "DPC Originals" where you keep a copy of the "true originals" until you can archive them on optical media?
That doesn't stop you from tagging away on another copy in your usual folder system.
General, I have had a number of photos validated in the past, and have submitted the RAW file that has been through either DPP or RAW Shooters Esential (?); I have now switched to Lightroom, and tag my RAW files - does that now make them ineligible for validation purposes?
Possibly -- I don't work with RAW files myself, so you'll have to check with another SC member. I suggest you submit a ticket (under the Help Menu) describing your process as precisely as you can, and attach a sample "original" which has been through that process.
I have to check out now -- I have to be at work in six hours and I haven't been to bed yet ... :-(
No, not low on disk space... yet... it is amazing how fast raws consume disk space though lol, not that most are in raw format.
I was just wondering since neither tagging nor renaming technically alter the image or exif data, especially renaming and on a camera like the D300 the default file naming can be changed so if the format of the filename is a deciding factor then original images with a different naming scheme might be disqualified anyway. Just a thought.
Next you are going to tell me that marking the files read-only is altering them also. ;)
