6:10 PM
Create a Vacuum Photo Copy Rig From a Computer Case
Transferring photos and 2D art to the digital domain can be easily done by taking photos of the pieces with a camera. The tricky part is alignment and keeping the items flat. Sure, you could use a piece of glass and lay it over the items, but then you have all kinds of extra reflections to deal with. Wouldn't it be easier if you could just put the photos and art pieces on a device and have them sucked flat? In that case, you want a vacuum photo copy rig! In this tutorial you will learn how to build a vacuum photo copy rig for transferring your photos and 2D artwork to the digital domain.
The process is pretty simple, but you will need some supplies and basic tools. You also have to have a bit of that DIY/maker attitude! The parts and tools will depend on how large a rig you need and the strength of suction you want to create. In the video you will see how to build a vacuum photo copy rig out of a basic computer case, computer fan, AC-DC 12V 1A transformer, SPST switch, and a piece of 12”x12”x.125” perforated aluminum.
If you want to follow along with the project exactly, here is what you will need:
Computer Case
A computer case is a great place to start with this project because they are rectangular, strong and rigid, have holes for fans, have sides that come off, and you can find them used for very little money! For this project I am using a Sony VAIO mini tower that used to be home to a Pentium 3 computer with Windows 98. The main part of the case is 12”x12”x6.625” and then there is a plastic trim piece on the front. I chose it because it was sitting in my basement collecting dust, but also because it is a nice medium size for this project. If you are searching for used cases you will probably find that most of the cases are going to be bigger than this, because normal folk would have thrown out or recycled this dinosaur a decade ago. Bigger will work just fine, but you may need to beef up the fan or use two fans to create enough suction. Check your local computer recyclers, they may even be glad to give you an old case from free!
Fan
I recommend you get a 120mm computer case fan that is designed for static pressure. Depending on the size of your case and the particular fan, you might need two. If you look in to computer fans in detail, you will find that some are designed for airflow and others are designed for static pressure. Try static pressure first, and if that dosen't work super well, then try airflow. Static pressure fans keep pushing air when they air is restricted, so I interpret that to mean it creates more of a good kind of suck. Is that what I did? No. I used a fan that I bought in 2006 that was in my computer parts box. That particular fan is an AeroCool XtremeTurbine which is rated for 89CFM (but that CFM rating is in a completely unrestricted environment). I would guess that this is an airflow type and it worked fine. Again, I used what I had laying around but if I had a static pressure fan, I would have probably used that instead. If you want to buy one new you might try this:
- Corsair Air Series SP 120 LED White High Static Pressure Fan, or something similar.
Of course, there are other ways to create adequate suction for this rig. You could simply attach a household vacuum, shopvac, or air intake of a leaf blower to the side of your case, but that is going to be noisy and probably overkill. As always, experimentation is encouraged. You might find that the old computer case you bought for this project has a couple fans that work!
Power Supply
You fan needs power. Thankfully, this pretty simple. You will need a 12V AC-DC transformer or other type of power supply that can supply your fan with more amperage than the fan will draw. In most cases a 1-1.5A (1000-1500mAh) 12V transformer will work just fine. Like everything else in this tutorial, these are very easy to come by. If you are an electronics hoarder, like me, you have a box with several (or 30) of these in your basement or closet of all shapes and sizes. If not, you can find them used for cheap or on Amazon:
Switch
A switch to turn the fan on and off is pretty handy. This is not 100% necessary, but if you already have one or want to go the extra mile, this is a good option:
- HOT SYSTEM™ 12V/20A Red LED Illuminated SPST Car Toggle Switch (This switch is very similar to the one I used except it has a cool safety cover!)
If you want a non-LED version these will work too:
- 3-Position SPST Latching Mini Toggle Switch (and you will have left overs for more awesome DIY projects!)
Wiring Notes
Wiring the fan is not complicated. DC power supplies have a positive and negative. The fan will have 2-4 wires but you only need 2. You can check Allpinouts.org for more information on how to use the motherboard (CPU) four pin fan connector pinout.
Wire up the positive to the positive and the negative to the negative. If you are using the larger switch with the LED, connect the negative from the power supply to the ground from the fan together on the ground pin. It's often easier to twist them together and solder them first so they don't come apart. Connect the 12V from the power supply on one pin and the 12V wire that goes to the fan on the other pin. These are the 2 pins that are switched.
If you are using the smaller switch the wiring will be a little different. These small switches are actually on/off/on switches, so you only need to use two of the pins. For an on/off/on switch, connect 12V from the power supply to the one of the outer pins and connect the fan 12V wire to one of the middle pin. The negative from the power supply and the ground from the fan need to be connected together. Don't leave any exposed wires flopping around in the case. Tape the ends with electrical tape or use heat-shrink tubing.
Perforated Metal
A critical part of this project is the surface you lay your photos or art on. It has to have holes in it for air flow and it should be fairly strong so it doesn't flex. I went for a big hunk of aluminum:
This is 12”12”.125” and fit my case perfectly!
If you need a different size, check out this link:
1/8” (.125”) should be fine for small to medium projects. If you are going to scale this up a lot larger you might want to go a bit thicker. Any computer case will be fine with 1/8”!
Keep in mind that most of this stuff is “mill” finish and will have oil and probably some dirt on it. You will need to degrease it before you assemble your project. Aluminum is pretty easy. Warm water and dish detergent should work fine. If there are any sharp edges, and there might be, you may have to round them over with some sand paper or a fine metal file.
Other Parts
As you will see in the video I used four small screws to attach the aluminum to the case. The screws don't have to be industrial grade or anything because they are just holding the aluminum to the case. It isn't going to be stressed a lot and as long as it is tight, you should be fine. I also used a few large sticks of hot glue, solder, and scrap cardboard.
Tools
Tools are going to vary depending on how you build out your project. In the video, a soldering iron was used to connect up the wires, but you would also use wire butt crimp and crimp terminal connectors. You can find those at your local hardware, home improvement store, or online and you will need a crimp tool to do the actual crimping. Other tools that were used in the video included a drill, impact driver, wire strippers, hot glue gun, jig saw with metal blade, hammer (for pounding stuff flat), Phillips screw driver, scissors, solder, soldering iron, and eye and ear protection.
Happy DIY-ing!
Good luck with your project! If you have any suggestions, improvement, modifications, or you'd like to share your own rig, let us know in the comments.
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6:09 PM
The Camera Raw Filter: The Power of Raw Processing, The Precision of Photoshop Masks
In Adobe Photoshop, the Camera Raw filter allows you to use the tools in Camera Raw to filter a layer in Photoshop. This filter works with all types of image files and video files. It even works for layers that you draw, type, or paint on. In short, the Camera Raw filter brings its powerful slider adjustments and convenient tools to a whole new range of applications. This tutorial will introduce you to the Camera Raw filter and how to make non-destructive adjustments with it.
Parametric Adjustments for Raster Images
Before you work with raw image files in a raster image editor like Photoshop you must first process them through a parametric image editor like the Camera Raw Plugin or Adobe Lightroom. The parametric editor translates the raw sensor information into a pixel-based format Photoshop can read, like TIFF, JPEG, or PSD. Only then are you able to open them in Photoshop and work on pixel-level edits.
The Camera Raw filter is not a replacement for the Camera Raw plugin that is used to initially process Raw images. It does not turn a non-raw image into a raw image. A few of the options are not available when you use the filter. You will still get the highest quality adjustments if you do the majority of adjustments before opening a file in Photoshop.
The Camera Raw filter does let you to bring back the same useful Camera Raw tools at a later point in your workflow. The filter has some great features:
- Non-destructive image adjustments if applying to a Smart Object
- Available to use on non-raw files such as JPEG, TIFF, and video files
- Can be used on one individual layer or multiple layers
Convert to Smart Object
Select the layer (or layers) to which you want to apply the filter. Right-click on the layer name and choose Convert to Smart Object from the context menu. This conversion will turn your layer into a Smart Object and allow you to readjust the filter settings later. Click on the Filter menu again and choose Camera Raw Filter. This action will bring up the Camera Raw interface.
Once in the Camera Raw interface, you have almost all of the tools that you normally have in Camera Raw but the possibilities are endless because you have so many tools, adjustment sliders, and presets with which to work. Use the Camera Raw filter wherever you are more familiar with the tools and sliders available in Camera Raw. This way you will make your image adjustments faster and be happier with the results.
After you have applied the adjustments in the Camera Raw interface, click on theOK button in the bottom right. This button will apply the adjustments and bring you back to the Photoshop interface.
Let's look at a couple of my favorite tools that don’t have equivalents in Photoshop to provide several examples of where you can use the Camera Raw filter.
White Balance Tool
The white balance tool in Camera Raw is excellent. Photoshop simply doesn't have a white balance tool this easy to use.
Once you are in the Camera Raw interface, select the White Balance Tool from the upper left. You will see your cursor change into an eyedropper. Look for a neutral grey area of the image and click on it. Camera Raw will assess that spot and you will see the color balance change accordingly.
You can fine tune the white balance further using the sliders to right in the Basicpanel. Once the white balance looks correct, click on the OK button in the bottom right.
You will find yourself back in Photoshop. Look at the Layers panel and note that the Camera Raw Filter has been applied. You can click on the Eyeball icon to turn off the layer to see how the image looked before the adjustment. Then click it again to view with the filter applied.
Photoshop creates a layer mask for Smart Filters. The mask allows you to selectively apply the filter to areas of the image. Choose the Brush tool and select black as the paint color. Make certain the layer mask is selected. Now paint the areas where you want to remove the filter. You can paint with shades of grey, or lower the Opacity, to fine tune the effects of layer on the image.
Gradient Tool
While there is a tool to create adjustment in Photoshop, I prefer the Gradient tool in Camera Raw.
With your photo open in the Camera Raw Filter interface, choose the Gradient tool from the top left. My example image is too light on the left side, so I will drag an adjustment gradient from the left into the image. I can see it darkening my photo as I drag it. When I have it to the spot that I want, I will stop dragging and release the mouse button.
The sliders make adjustments to the gradient. Most often, I decrease or increase exposure with the gradient to make subtle adjustments. Once the gradient adjustment looks good, click on the OK button in the bottom right.
Make it Permanent and Reduce File Size
This step is completely optional but sometimes file size and storage space considerations are important. I don’t normally do this step because I like to be able to go back and make changes later but saving small amounts of data in each file can add up to a significant amount when done hundreds or thousands of times.
After you have applied the Camera Raw filter and are pleased with the results, select the Smart Object layer with the filter by clicking on it. Then right-click and chooseRasterize Layer from the context menu. This action will ‘bake’ the changes you made into the file: it will convert the adjustment layer from math into pixels. It also discards some of the Smart Object information and decreases the file size. It's a one-way change.
Video and the Camera Raw Filter
When I’m working with video, I love the Camera Raw Filter. I don’t use the Camera Raw plugin at the beginning of my video workflow so the Camera Raw Filter allows me to use all the tools that I am familiar with to make adjustments to video.
Open a video in Photoshop and scrub the playhead to a frame that is typical of the clip you are working on. Then, click on the layer with the video to select it and right-click on the layer name and choose Convert to Smart Object from the context menu. Click on the Filter menu again and choose Camera Raw Filter. This action will bring up the Camera Raw interface where you can adjust your video using the same tools that you use to adjust your still photos.
Once you have made all the adjustments that you need to, click Ok and you will be brought back to the Photoshop interface. Preview your video clip and look for portions of the clip that need further adjustment. If something does need more adjusting, just double click on the Camera Raw Filter name in the Layers panel. Because we applied the filter to a smart object, we can readjust the filter anytime we need to.
Conclusion
The Camera Raw filter brings its powerful slider adjustments and convenient tools to a whole new range of applications. I demonstrated how to use the Camera Raw filter to make non-destructive adjustments to still images, videos, and many other Photoshop layers. Now you’re ready to apply the Camera Raw filter to your Photoshop layers and enjoy the benefits of working with Camera Raw.
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6:05 PM
What's the Right Storytelling Platform for Your Pictures? 10 Questions to Help You Choose
We’re a storytelling species. I don’t know if other animals share stories in a way unknown to us, but we humans have been doing it pretty well since we began walking upright. Cave paintings—arguably our first evidence of storytelling—date back almost 40,000 years. Most religious principles are taught with stories. We inform each other and attempt to understand other cultures and events by sharing stories. Whether it’s cave art, cuneiform tablets, scrolls, pamphlets, books, glossy magazines, newspapers, or broadcasts, we cluster our information for sharing as stories.
The landscape for stories has changed over the last decade. Technology and social media have provided us with new platforms for storytelling. We don’t receive stories from authenticated sources as much now as we did over the last century. Established newspapers and magazine journalists are no longer our primary storytellers. Rather, we—millions of individuals speaking as individuals—initiate threads of information, which are collected together and knit into stories as we meet in social media.
This new platform for storytelling correlates to an increasing social interest in the nature and purpose of storytelling. Businesses, charities, and social movements are increasingly making deliberate use of storytelling to advance their causes. On a personal level, we are increasingly turning to social media and Internet-connected apps to build and share stories. Sharing a package of newly printed photos with a friend over coffee has been replaced by organized packages of text, photos, and video shared by Internet with friends and anyone else who is interested in looking.
The change—as with all changes—has both good and bad consequences. Photojournalists are being laid off and print publications are declining. But the vast reach of Internet-sourced stories, told to individuals using visually rich electronics, is igniting previously unseen engagement with stories told as mixed visual and textual narratives. Internet-based storytelling platforms provide photojournalists with new opportunities for sharing their news, photographers with new opportunities to profile their work, and all people with new opportunities to self-publish their personal stories.
“We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” —Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human
The question is no longer what will replace oral or printed storytelling, but do we want to use this emerging Internet-based storytelling platform, and if so, on which stage?
Should You Self-Publish Your Stories?
More people—professional photographers, hobbyist photographers, and family record keepers—elect to tell their stories on Internet-based self-publishing platforms. Facebook is the easiest, most accessible and widely-used personal communications platform. Judging by the number of personal stories, complete with photographs and videos, shared on Facebook, we’ve got a lot to say. Facebook is also, now, among the most limiting storytelling platforms. Take a look at some of the newer purpose-driven self-publishing platforms and you’ll find a lot of people saying what they want to say with creativity and control. Contributors range from high-profile photojournalists such as Steve McCurry to unknown neighbours telling the story of their vacation travels.
However, just because many are doing it doesn’t mean that you should do it. Before uploading your images and adding text for all to see—Oh, how heady is that?—consider the following.
Question One: Why Do You Want to Self-Publish Your Story?
There are many reasons to participate in Internet-based storytelling:
- To generate leads or promote your business activities
- To increase your social media following
- To share your experiences, big and small, with a limited or expanded audience
- To exercise your creativity in new ways
There are also reasons to be cautious about participating in Internet-based storytelling.
Self-publishing will increase your visibility in one way or another, but it also may make your work more visible than you intend. Consider who will see your stories and how they might respond to them. Also consider the impact of widely sharing creations that you might intend to one day sell as limited editions, licensed work, or with exclusive publishing rights. Remember that in any event, once your material is out there on the Internet, it’s out. You may remove your story at some point, but Internet trails can last a very long time.
As well, while self-publishing may increase your visibility, the increase may only be a minor or short-lived bump. If you’re keen to participate in Internet-based storytelling, you may not mind—and even enjoy—putting in time and energy to learn the basics and refine your craft. But if your time is limited, you might get better return on your efforts with other marketing or self-promotion practices.
Question Two: Is This a Personal Art Project or Do You Intend to Profit From Your Story?
Self-publishing stories may generate leads and attract clients, but it may also preclude you from publishing your work in other forums. Many publishers don’t want used news; they want first, and sometimes exclusive, rights to material. Your self-published story may have caught an editor’s attention, but it’s now old news.
Similarly, if you provide stories online for free—storytelling platforms don’t pay you for your work and some require that you pay to post your work—editors and publishers may well expect you to provide those and other stories to them for free as well.
Where Should You Self-Publish Your Stories?
If you decide that you do want to self-publish your story on an Internet-based platform, you then have to decide which platform you’ll use. The same features may be offered by more than one option, but each platform will handle in its own way. Choosing a platform is somewhat like choosing a new camera: you need to think about what features and functions you want, then test your choices to assess the fit and form for you.
And that leads me to an advisory note. In doing my research, I found I really had to hunt and poke around to get information about a platform without first signing up and creating an account. The general assumption seems to be either people don’t mind creating accounts and abandoning them if the platform doesn’t work for them, or people don’t need information and details up front, but only in context, once in the process.
That said, to help you assess functions and features, consider the next questions. I haven't caught every platform or feature—things on the Internet change too fast for that to be even possible—but I will have provided you with a start.
Question Three: Who Is Your Audience?
In my mind, the first and most important question to ask anytime you are preparing content for someone else to view is, whom do you intend to share your stories with?
Consider how your audience accesses the Internet and uses social media. Are they novice users with only a desktop computer? If so, they are likely to be frustrated by platforms that are built primarily for viewing on a smartphone. Conversely, if your audience is young and hip with smartphones replete with every social media app available, they will be frustrated with platforms that don’t resize for different devices.
Will your users need to sign up for a membership or purchase an app in order to see your work? This will be a non-issue if you’re planning to primarily share your content with a community sharing the same platform. However, if you’re targeting a general audience or potential clients, they may balk at having to commit to any platform just to check out your work. A need to sign up for a membership or install even a free app will also add another step between you and your audience. In this age of short time opportunities, any additional layer between you and your audience decreases your reach and your effectiveness.
Think about how your audience will view your work once they have accessed it. Will your audience be viewing your content on a small, low-resolution screen or on a large, high-resolution television? How much time will your audience have to view your content? If your audience consists of busy people with just minutes to spare, they are not going to take the time to read text-heavy content with only a few images. Conversely, an audience with slow Internet or low-resolution monitors are going to be frustrated by content that is heavy with high-resolution images. And if your audience will be viewing your content on large monitors or televisions, avoid storytelling platforms that compress your images to deliver low-resolution versions.
Question Four: What Company Will You Keep?
Thinking about your audience for a storytelling platform is also a question of checking out the company you keep. Some platforms are for both professional and casual users. Stories about the kids at the cottage live side by side with stories about the breakdown of a city neighbourhood. Other platforms target photographers—especially well-known, professional photographers—or are decidedly oriented toward family and friends.
If you’re planning to share stories about your recent cycling trip on a winery tour in France with family and friends, you’ll want to avoid storytelling platforms that profile charitable organizations and social causes. On the other hand, if you’re planning to use images and text to encourage people to contribute to land preservation for a community park, you’ll want to avoid platforms that feature social chit-chat with stories about dogs’ noses and paws. And if you’re intending to profile your work as an artist to entice potential clients to consider hiring you, you’ll want to avoid platforms largely populated with mixed quality media and narratives.
“There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories.” ―Ursula K. Le Guin, novelist
Storytelling platforms also seem to attract like-minded participants, which tends to give some platforms a social or political orientation. That may not matter to you, but if you’re using a story to raise your profile for business, you’ll want to check out the storytelling neighbourhood before building on your platform of choice. To get a feeling for the storytelling neighbourhood, take a broad look at the stories featured on the homepage of the platform. Take some time to review a few of the stories hosted past the homepage of the platform. The platform’s “About Us” information will also provide some clues about the users the host is attracting.
Question Five: How Do You Want to Combine Images, Videos, and Text in Telling Your Story?
Established photo-sharing websites such as Instagram are primarily designed for sharing single images. Some websites, such as Facebook, allow you to share a small album of images, but your control over how the images are presented is limited. Storytelling platforms are relatively complex and allow the user to take more control over how the material is presented; however, the amount of control and what you control varies site to site. Some platforms, for example, embed video with YouTube and Vimeo whereas other sites offer a seamless integration that plays video within your story structure. Some platforms are built primarily for text with options to add illustrative photos whereas other sites are built primarily for photos with options to add explanatory text. To determine what you need, think about what media you intend to use to tell your stories and prioritize the features you want to use.
Question Six: Are You Willing to Pay for Hosting?
Many storytelling platforms are free. They generate revenue through advertising, a partnered e-zine publication, or alliance with a larger brand. Other platforms offer limited use for free and require that you pay for anything more. If you opt for a free storytelling platform, consider your comfort level with the site’s revenue generating model. If you’re willing to pay for hosting, review the pricing options and opt-out features, and consider the return on your investment. A small monthly fee may seem attractive but not if your goal is to increase your web presence and the platform doesn’t offer site analytics.
Question Seven: Is Your Priority Social Capital, Artistic Product, or Profile?
No one says you can’t have it all, but storytelling platforms have their own priorities. Some platforms put their energy into helping users be found. These platforms tend to have good search features on their sites and be plugged into Internet-wide search engines. They may offer analytics and options for linking your story to other social media accounts.
Other platforms prioritize the quality of content. They may invite well-known photographers to contribute stories, maintain a feed of site-selected stories, or feature selected stories in an e-zine. If your intent is to market your story or raise interest in purchasing similar stories, you’ll want to choose a storytelling platform that attracts a regular trail of professional photographers and editors, features curated content, or has a rating system.
Question Eight: How Much Design Control Do You Want—Or Not Want?
Some of us are great with photographs and words, but are frustrated by Internet-based programming options. Others may be equally frustrated by the limitations of modular or drag-and-drop web design. Be certain to have a good look at the backend of your chosen storytelling platform before committing hours to a frustrating design experience. Regardless of your web designing experience, be sure to check out the range of design options offered by the platform. Some platforms offer very limited design options. Others offer design options only as packages, meaning you have a choice between a few packages and each package comes complete with set fonts, background colour, and page layout. This may be a relief or annoying, depending upon your needs and expectations.
Question Nine: What Kind of Help Does the Platform Offer?
In my research, I didn’t find any of the storytelling platforms difficult to use. In fact, most seemed very simple, but then I seem to have a lucky, intuitive sense for these things. You may not.
Before you commit to a platform, look for the help menu, blog, or list of frequently asked questions. Is any of it easy to find? Is the content searchable? Is there a users’ forum? If you’re a “dive in and make it work” kind of person, none of this may matter. However, if you’re most successful when you have a manual for reference, you’ll be frustrated if every option requires an in-depth search for guidance. If you’re a novice user of self-designed web platforms, you may also want to determine what, if any, one-on-one help is available to users.
Question Ten: What Are You Committing To?
Read the terms and guidelines. I know it’s boring reading, but this is your work you’re putting up on a platform maintained by an organization that has its own needs. Overall, I was impressed with how the various platforms strived to make the terms and guidelines approachable and understandable, so you won’t find the research too onerous.
You want to be clear about who owns your work once it is posted. What can be done with your work and by whom? Can it be redistributed by the hosting organization? If redistributed with credit, is this a bonus for you? What happens with your work when you delete it or close your account?
While reading the terms and guidelines, measure your content against the platform’s publishing guidelines. Some platforms, for example, offer an option to mark your story as “mature content” if your story contains nudes. Other platforms will not allow posting of even the most artistic nude photographs. Some platforms also make it clear that they will remove content that is discriminatory or fails in another way to meet the platform’s social ideology.
Tell Your Story
Telling stories—however you tell your stories—can be a way to connect with others, a means of influencing change, or a method of educating, but in all cases, telling stories stretches something within ourselves. If you decide to explore storytelling using an Internet-based platform, start your search by reading review articles listing the top ten or twelve or twenty storytelling platforms. When you’ve narrowed down your list, use the questions above to determine which platform is the best one for you.
I do hope you will explore storytelling in your own way. Earlier in this series we looked at how to create a story with Atavist, and in the rest of the series we'll continue to explore new and exciting options. If you are exploring new frontiers in visual storytelling in a way that involves sharing with others, do tell us about it and add a link in the comments below.
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6:12 PM
The Digital Shoebox: Minimum Viable Digital Asset Management
In our series on digital asset management, we’ve focused on building the best DAM system that works for you. We have offered solutions at various cost points and kept our proposed systems as simple as possible. However, for the average family record keeper or hobbyist photographer, many DAM solutions are more of an investment, more complicated to set up and run, and more expensive to maintain than many people can or want to manage.
I am convinced that DAM must become a normal way of doing things, not an exception, for every person who touches a camera or video cam. Without even basic digital asset management, we will lose track of what we have and, more worrisome, lose what we have altogether. Instead of building and preserving memories, we’ll drown in a meaningless visual sea.
In this article, instead of proposing the best DAM solution, I am proposing the minimum viable DAM system any and every person can use to organize and safeguard their pictures. “The Digital Shoebox” is meant to be the most accessible, least boring, and most minimal system our team could imagine. Whether you only take quick pics with your smartphone or shoot hundreds of hours of video with a sophisticated video cam, this system will work for you.
Essential Requirements
Our digital shoebox is meant to be a minimal, viable DAM system. “Viable” means that our digital shoebox must be consistently repeatable, reliable, and usable.
Repeatable
We believe that our digital shoebox is a pretty good DAM system, if for no other reason, because it is, first and foremost, a system. As with everything we want to keep and find again, we must have a methodical process that we can and will use. Digital asset management, no matter how simple, must still be systematic and repeatable. The digital shoebox is a simple system based on what we believe is arepeatable DAM workflow.
Reliable
It’s fine to have a system, but the system is useless if the end result puts what we want to keep at risk of being lost or destroyed. The purpose of DAM, after all, is to get your images into a safe digital space. While there is no such thing as an absolutely secure system, our digital shoebox complies with what we believe are the basic golden rules of digital asset management.
Usable
If we want people to use a system, the system has to be user-friendly and practical. That means that the system has to be widely available, free or low cost, and easily understood. Given our mobile, global society, we also wanted a system that could be accessed from almost anywhere on almost any computing device. We also designed our system to be software-agnostic. Our digital shoebox does not require any software beyond your computer’s operating system or services available to you with cloud storage.
The Digital Shoebox
Before working your way through the following steps, download and print the one page document included with this article. The document contains the following diagram, which will help you see the flow as you go along.
Equipment
To get started with your digital shoebox, you need the following equipment:
- A camera, videocam, or smartphone
- A computer, or mobile device and storage cloud
- USB flash drives or external hard drive
- Key tags, labelling machine, or another labelling system
- A cooperative friend or family member
- A shoebox (or any small box)
1. Take the Pictures
Smartphones and compact cameras have made photography easy and as automatic as we want it to be. Still, if you want to keep your images, you need to get into the process and start your digital shoebox when you press the shutter release.
a) Get the best quality image or video possible.
Typically, this means shooting RAW files when possible, and when not possible or practical, shooting the largest size JPEG your camera will allow. Read your camera manual or look online for information about the quality of image your camera can produce. Set your camera to take and save the highest resolution image possible.
There may be times when you have reason to take something less than the best quality image. If this is the case, make your compromises deliberately, fully informed about the choices you are making.
b) Ensure you have enough recording space on your camera.
Check the storage space on your camera or smartphone and monitor how much space you have available for new images. There’s nothing worse than getting to a once-in-a-lifetime event only to discover that your smartphone or memory card is full.
If you’re using a camera with a memory card, consider always carrying a spare memory card. Cards can fail. And keep your memory cards in good shape. Avoid deleting images with your camera, which leads to card failure. Instead, for good memory card health, after uploading images from your memory card, format the card in your camera.
2. Name and Save the Pictures
a) Move or copy your original images to a safe storage space.
Your original image file is digital gold and needs to be treated as such. If you have a computer, the simplest option is to upload your original images to your computer’s hard drive. If you do not have a computer or don’t want to use your computer, you could save your images directly to a cloud storage service.
If you do use cloud storage, ensure you are using storage and not a syncing service. Google Drive, Google Photos, Apple Photos, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive are all examples of cloud syncing services. With a syncing service, if you remove an image, deliberately or accidentally, from any single access point, the image will be removed from the syncing service and will no longer be available on any device. That’s not safe storage for original images.
A syncing service is not a safe storage place, but it does have its merits. If you are using a syncing service to automatically upload images from your smartphone, think of the syncing service as a massive, virtual memory card for your smartphone. Just as you need to upload images from a camera to a safe storage place, so do you need to upload images from a photo syncing service to a safe storage space.
b) Name your image files.
Naming your images with essential information in a consistent format is the simplest and one of the most important things you can do for safe storage of your images. Image files that are systematically named can be located and identified in the most basic file management system without any special software.
You have a few options for renaming your files.
If you are using a computer, once you’ve uploaded your images, you can rename them by using batch renaming options in your computer’s operating system. The option may not be immediately obvious, but searching the Internet will quickly lead you to directions for your version of operating system.
You may also want to look at some of the downloadable bulk renaming utilities. Most are small stand-alone utilities that are specific to operating systems, but not dependant on any other software. Some utilities offer more options than others. A valuable feature, if you’re looking at options, is the ability to use information from the image’s metadata for renaming.
If you are using a syncing service right from capture, explore options for renaming your image files before you store a set of original images. This will ensure that your image files—original, synced or working copy, and any published versions—all have the same name.
How you name your files depends upon your needs, but here’s a commonly recommended template that keeps your images in good order in just about any circumstance: YYYYMMDD-Photographer-Shoot-HHMMSS.
“YYYYMMDD” is the date the image was taken; for example, 20150901. By using the year-month-day order, your photos will line up in sequential order in any file management system. It’s web-friendly to use four digits instead of two for the year.
“Photographer” is the name of the photographer. By including your name in the file name, you are identifying the image as yours—a valuable piece of information should you and your images become separated or should you need to identify the image as yours. By placing your name after the date, images from two or more sources (for example, if you and your partner both share an archive) will still flow in chronological order.
“Shoot” is the name of the event, place, or, if doing portraits, the person photographed. Adding shoot information to the image name is not essential but it does help you to identify photos that belong together.
“HHMMSS” is the time the image was taken, using a 24-hour clock; for example, 130923. Using time to identify individual images within a shoot is a simple option that ensures no two images are confused or one image over-written by another as a result of accidental or irregular numbering. Some renaming options draw this information from the image’s metadata. If you do not have this option with your renaming system, you could number your images sequentially starting with 0001. If using sequential numbers, be sure to keep the zeroes so your files will line up in sequential order.
c) Organize your files in folders.
Depending upon the size of your image collection, you may not need a folder structure beyond grouping images by year. If you’re a prolific shooter, you may want to break down your annual folders into folders by month or shoot. Your goal is only to make your images manageable. Creating a folder structure of more than two levels deep often complicates rather than simplifies navigating images.
3. Edit Your Pictures
a) Duplicate your original image files, then process.
The key to successful DAM at this stage is to work on a copy of your image files. Never, ever manipulate your original image file. This is especially true if you’re working with JPEG files: every time you open and re-save a JPEG—even if you didn’t do any image editing—you compromise the quality of the image.
If you are using a syncing service from capture, you may already have a set of working images if you copied, rather than moved, your images into your safe storage place. If you aren’t using a syncing service from capture, this is the time you may want to use one. You can edit, move, and share your images without having to make numerous copies or lose track of where you stored your files. Many cloud syncing services for photos even have image editing software in the service.
If you are not using a syncing service, you can carry out everything you need to do on your computer using your operating system. Simply place the copies of your original images in a directory that is fully separate from the originals. Your duplicate files are your working files.
You do not need any special software or cloud service at the editing stage, especially if you are a “shoot and go with it as it is” kind of photographer. If, however, you’d like to use a management and editing service or use editing software, take the time to read two articles written by Andrew Childress for the DAM series:
- How to Choose Asset Management Software for Your Digital Picture Archive
- Free DAM! 5 No-Cost Programs to Manage Your Digital Image Collection
Both articles consider combined online services and stand-alone combined and single-purpose software.
b) If you are photographing with JPEGs, add a code to the filename of your working image file.
If you use JPEGs for shooting and final images, the odds are very high that you will, at some point, overwrite your original image with the final version. To avoid this disaster, I strongly recommend that at some point while you are working with an image, add a code to the filename of the working copy. Use a code that means something to you; for example, “FV” for final version or “Ed” for edited. The image filename would then become: YYYYMMDD-Photographer-Shoot-HHMMSS-FV.jpg
c) Consider whether you need to make a backup of your working image files.
If you are looking for a super simple DAM system or you don’t edit your images (or edit them only very little), you probably don’t need a backup of your working image files. Remember that you’ve got your original files tucked away safely so if the worst happens and you lose an image in the editing stage, you only need to go back to your original image, make a new copy, and start again.
If, however, you do significant work on your images, consider maintaining a backup of your working files. This backup need not be anything complicated or permanent. Keeping a current copy of your files on a USB flash drive or external hard drive may be sufficient. If you think you might need something more automatic or comprehensive, then re-consider your plan of using a digital shoebox and have a look at the other articles in the Digital Asset Management for Everyone series.
d) Sort.
Before leaving the editing stage, consider how you will tell your story. Sometimes, a single photo or video will suffice. Often, a story requires a few or more images. Think about organizing your images into albums or catalogues either using an online or software option, by making copies of your photos and grouping the copies in a folder, or by organizing collections to be printed in photo books.
4. Share Your Pictures
We take photographs and make videos so we can share them with others and look at them again. Share them on social media or in an online photo service. If you’ve included your name in your image file name, you have taken at least one step to mark the image as yours. Print your photos to frame or organize them and print them in a photo book. Share your memories in whatever way makes most sense to you, except never, ever pass on your original image file. Those original image files stay tucked in your digital shoebox.
5. Archive and Backup Your Pictures
a) Add your final edited image to your archive.
Your picture archive is the final, safe, storage place for your original images and the final version of any edited images. You will keep at least two copies of your archive. The golden rule for backups is to have three copies of image files, but I’m assuming you have an active copy of your images somewhere—in an online photo album or syncing service, or printed in a collection.
You placed your original images in your archive when you uploaded and saved your original image files in a safe place. If you don’t make any changes to your photos or videos, you won’t need to add anything more to your archive. But if you do make changes, add one (only one) copy of your final working version of your images to your archive. (If you’d like to learn more about archives—and why you would only save one copy of your final working version—have a look at The Anatomy of a Digital Asset Management System.)
If you use JPEGs for shooting and final images, remember to add a code to the filename of the working copy of your image. You may want to also store the final versions of your images in a folder that is clearly distinct from the folder you’ve used for your original images.
b) Back it up and get it off site.
If you do only one thing to manage your digital images and videos, this is the most important thing to do: make a copy of your image files and store that copy somewhere other than where you keep your primary set of images. I don’t mean just use a separate folder structure. I mean make your back up onto a separate storage device, even if you’re using cloud storage and the storage service makes their own backups. You want a second physical copy tucked away in a safe place.
USB flash drives are ideal for physical backups. They’re small, stable, and relatively inexpensive. Because there are no moving parts in a flash drive, the risk of mechanical failure is small. And because you are using the flash drive for long-term storage in a safe place, you don’t need USB 3.0 or encryption, which reduces the cost by about half. Do not, however, sacrifice quality for cost. This is long-term storage we’re talking about, so stick with the tried and true brand names. A warranty won’t rescue lost image files, but a warranty is a sign that the manufacturer stands behind their product.
If you are a prolific photographer, shooting RAW and generating a large file size, flash drives may be impractical. In that case, consider using external hard drives, but shop for a reputable brand made for travel. These hard drives typically withstand bumps and knocks better.
Do not use CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs for long-term storage. For an explanation and alternatives, have a look at the quick article “Choosing Data Storage Media for Photos and Video: When Not to Use Optical Media.”
Whatever storage media you choose to use, once you’ve made your backup, label it. You can get a lot of USB flash drives and even a few external hard drives in a shoebox, making your shoebox a potential chaos of digital data. Adding tags or labels to your storage media will make it easy for you—and for whoever follows you—to find the right images.
Now get your copied archive off site. Make a swap with a friend or family member: you store their backup and they store yours. Once a year, make a point of checking your backups. Plug the storage media into your computer and check that the files are there and readable.
Your Own Digital Shoebox
The very best digital asset management system is the one you use. It may seem labour intensive or tedious to build your digital shoebox, but really, a rainy weekend worth of work should get you well on your way, if not finished. Once you’ve got your DAM process in place, maintaining your digital shoebox is a matter of a few extra steps that takes no more than a few minutes after each shoot. The reward is years of being able to review memories and a legacy that you will leave for those who follow you.
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