Birdog9999 Loc: New Jersey

I would like to know how some of you handle your editing in PS. My question is how do you handle your photos after editing. Layers are great when playing with a photo but when I get done with a photo and wonder why I would ever want to keep the original it seems dumb to keep all that extra data. Do you save the photo with the layers or do you flatten the photo getting rid of the original. I just don't see any any reason to save something I have no reason to keep(these are personal photos not clients photos). Am I off base here?

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

One reason not to get rid of them:
Your skills will invariably increase as you do more.
You may find in re-editing that you can improve on the past.
I'm sure there will be other reasons posted.

gmcase Loc: Galt's Gulch

No doubt. Been there myself.

If you have made selections and/ or paths you may want to keep the layers, etc., to use to in another photo. There is always buyers remorse too.

:shock:

Las Vegas images Loc: Las Vegas

There is no hard-fast answer to your question. It comes down to more of a matter of storage and image management. Professionally, I keep all RAW images no matter what I give the client as their product. That way, I know I have what I need if I have to duplicate something in the future. If there is a lot of work that goes into a multi-layered file, I would keep that as well. Over time, much of the client work can be burned to disks for storage. We try to burn disks on an annual basis, so last-years work is not stored needlessly on active hard drives.
For personal work, I choose the best images that I want to keep and pretty much do the same-- keep the RAW files and for any complex images that were created through multi-layered work, I keep those complete files as well. If these are images that I need to keep more or less "handy", I use an accessory drive for storage. Otherwise, I burn older/less desired images off to disks for storage. Depending on what you are using for image storage, it is important not to bog-down your computer, storing endless amounts of image information on it.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I keep the RAW files...storage is cheap and RAW files are like negatives are to film.

The "picture" that results from your shot+post editing is only one interpretation of that data...

Birdog9999 Loc: New Jersey

Disk space is not an issue. I backup to a portable hard drive that I only use for that purpose. I just started shooting in RAW and would always keep them but I wasn't so sure about the jpegs. I just didn't see any reson to keep someting that seemed to be of no use. Thanks for your advice.

Donwitz Loc: Virginia Beach, VA

There is an old saying- better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. You obviously have a nagging doubt about deleting them, or you would not have posted your query. Am I right?

arphot Loc: Massachusetts

Keep your originals. Always work on a duplicate. You never know if you want to go back and change something. As we grow in our talent/skill, returning to the past has its advantages.

Birdog9999 Loc: New Jersey

arphot there's a lot of truth in what you say. One of the reasons for the question was that I learned some new tricks and while working on some photos they looked so much better then the originals that I couldn't see any reason to save the originals. Donwitz thats part of the problem being a computer nut my wife says I'm a pack rat or a horder. If you could see some of the computer equipment around here you might agree with her. Didn't want to continue with photos saving things I might never use again. So I just wanted to see what others do.

Dirtsurgeon Loc: Spokane

I'm with the majority.
It's not like there are boxes
stacking up in your garage.

Keep 'em. You won't regret it.

PNagy Loc: Missouri City, Texas

I save in Photoshop format only if I have not yet finished editing a photo. When I finish, I flatten to a single layer and save in lowest compression jpeg. It takes far less space on the hard drive and is more easily transferred to clients, the internet, etc.

tripsy76 Loc: Northshore, MA

Like many here, I save the RAW and collapse the edit. Then I back up to two drives and move on to the next. There's no need to keep a heavy pshop file if you don't plan on re-editing.

BOB Loc: Texas

best take you photo to wal mart process and get rid of computer!

marvin Klein Loc: upstate NY

I have 2 external drive one is where I keep all orginals.
The other I keep all retouched files. That are flattened I do not keep the layers unless like said before a lot of work went into it, I then place on the external with the orginals to keep.

OSusanna44

A good reason to ALWAYS save the original photo file of special shots you get just happened to me. I had a series of shots that I stitched together to make a panorama of the lake I live near. Originally, I divided the finished panorama into 3 - 12 x 12 inch panels and had them printed on canvases. A few months later, another client wanted a larger finished product. The only way to go about this was to open up the original picture files, resize and recompose. If I hadn't kept the original/unedited files, i would have not been able to complete the request and therefore I would have lost the job....... Just a thought to consider. :)