GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

Here's what I'm having a problem with. Quite often I have a nef, dng, psd, tif, & jpeg of the same photo. I have deleted all the jpegs but why do I need a nef AND a dng? I made the tif for printing, should I delete it? What the heck is the use of a psd?

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

It keeps layers intact.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

I will tell you what I do but workflow is very personal and I make no claim my way should be your way. I shoot raw and save them. I used LR to organize them and do basic editing. I export jpegs for web use or sending to some print services, then I delete those jpegs. I don't fool with DNG at all. If I edit a photo in another application I save the PSD to keep the layers intact or the TIFF if it wasn't a layered file, and bring it back into LR beside the original so I'll know where it is. Those TIFFs created from a raw or PSD just to send out for printing, I usually delete like I do the jpegs. My home printing is done directly from LR or Photoshop.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I have Photoshop Elements 12 and learned layers (and layer masks) last year. As mentioned, a psd file keeps your layers available to change later, if you wish.

I sometimes go back to tweak an image or play with it (Nik, Topaz) by changing a layer, deleting it, adding new. Once I'm finally bored with an image, I delete the psd :)

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

There's a debate on whether you need both a nef and a dng. Some people say that the dng contains the nef, and that's true for the image data, but not necessarily true for all the metadata in the nef. There are two flavors of dng: the reduced size dng and the dng with the nef embedded in it (increases the file size). If you embed the original nef in the dng you can probably delete the nef. If you have the reduced size dng you should probably keep the nef.

Personally, I ignore dng. I don't consider it a useful format at this time. I think it has potential, but it's not there yet.

A psd is a photoshop file with all the layer information intact. They can get pretty large. You can save a tif with layers (also large). Note that tif comes in two flavors: 8 bit and 16 bit. If you save the 8 bit tif you might as well be saving a jpg at low compression since you are only using 8 bits of the 12 or more in your nef. If you ever want to re-edit a psd, you might want to save your nef also since that's the original file without edits.

The jpg is the smallest file and the least valuable for long term storage.

My opinion:
jpg: delete
nef: keep and backup
dng: don't generate one (as I said, this is my opinion; YMMV)
psd: keep and backup
tif: if it has layer information, keep it. Otherwise it's easy to regenerate from the nef.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Right on Minnie
:thumbup:

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

I only use three different file formats: raw, .psd and .jpg.
I shoot .jpg + raw, especially for snapshot type photos: the grandkids can be very impatient and want their picture "now!!!"
My workflow usually is: Download the .jpg's and raw files to both my computer and one external hard drive. Disconnect the external HD.
Check all the jpg's at 100%, keep the "good-out-of-camera" ones and delete the rest.
Edit the raw files, not necessarily in the order taken. Open those images, do more editing if needed, then save as .psd file. This format preserves any layers I have introduced, and is the "native" file format for Elements.
If I then want the photos printed, I select "Save As" and save as .jpg - without flattening or merging the layers of the psd.
The things I like about the .psd files is that I can quickly check what a photo looks like with or without a certain adjustment; I can copy certain adjustments to other photos without having to set it up all over again; I can include several adjustments on the same image but not include all of them in the final print.
I have on occasion, pulled up "old" photos (like last year's) when I have learned something new. Adding a new layer to a .psd file is a cinch, and when saving again, the new and what I did with it, also stays.
And that's why I use .psd files.

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

Thanks for the concise answer to what the psd file format does. Do you do all of your edits in Elements? Do you make a preset of the adjustments you like in order to apply them to another image?

I have Elements 13 but since learning to use Lightroom, I haven't used Elements in a while. I used to do all my edits in Elements 8.

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

It sounds like everyone dislikes the dng format!!! From the answers I got, I think most folks keep the raw and a psd.

So, is it best to save the raw with it's edits in LR before going to PS or Elements and saving the edited PS version as a PSD?

Is a psd as good or better than a tiff (16 bit)?

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

You're welcome!
I use Elements 12, am planning to maybe upgrade to 14 when it is released this Fall, depending on the new features.
I did download LR some time ago and gave it (read: myself) a good workout, but I didn't like the program, found it difficult to learn and after some three weeks abandoned it.
I can open my raw files easily with ACR within Elements, and while it doesn't have as many sliders as the full-blown version in LR, it suits my needs.
As I am heavily into scrapbooking, I use layers all the time, and just couldn't do that in ACR alone.
As to the organizer, I don't use it at all, I have my own filing system using the Windows Explorer, and it all works for me.

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

I, too tried LR on my own and just made a mess of my good organizing system in Explorer, but now that I have followed Hal Schmidt's videos, I understand LR and like it very much.

I'll have to try adding layers to some of favorite images. I, too am heavily into scrapbooking.

Kuzano

I believe Richard Taylor has the point on this. I think most of the other formats collapse the layers together where-as PSD allows editing of the file in Photoshop with the option to return to layers. It seems to me however, that TIFF format may also allow retention of edit capabilities of layer. DO NOT quote me on that, and use PSD if you are going to revisit your layers.

Kuzano

I read an interesting article about four years ago about a professional photographer who uses Photoshop and may often reach 300 to 350 layers in his images. Massive Files, but he can edit those images and address every layer because he saves the files in PSD??? Wow, is that possible, and when does he shoot images?

Toolking Loc: Pacific Northwest

The only reason that I can see for DNG is if you have a version of Photoshop that can't be upgraded to recognize the newer NEF's of the latest cameras. Ie. I have CS5 and it cannot be upgraded to use NEF's from D610 and later.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

They are equal. Both save all the image data and are not lossey. Often, the PSD will be slightly smaller that the TIFF file. Most photo editing SW will read TIFF files or PSD files.