Marturo Loc: Western North Carolina

I ask because we all know that Tiffs are a better format to save our pictures, However
where do you store them? Tiffs may well be forever but they are larger than Jpegs.

So whether you shoot RAW or Jpeg, you have to store your work so
what do you use. The JPEG or Tiff for storage? I know what happens
when you try to post a Tiff anywhere, so you have to keep two a JPEG
& a Tiff.

Should I buy a 1 tera byte drive to hook up, just for my photos?

How do Y'all do this? I have been shooting Both Raw & jpeg learning
how to PP my Raw files. The jurys out on shooting both however for now I will just try both.

I have all my past work on DVDs that have repaired slides & negs
all saved in Tiffs. I would never think of saving all my work in Jpegs
only Tiffs will not degrade.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Store raw. Easy enough to convert for sharing.

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

I don't want to lose my RAW files so I have those as well as Tiffs of the ones I've processed. Yes, they take up more space but I think it's worth it. I'm using a couple of large-capacity external hard drives for storage.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

I have several multi-terabyte drives for storing my images. I always save the "final" form as a TIFF. Then, also as JPEG for uploading to my website, printer, etc.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The concern that JPEGs will somehow deteriorate in storage is just flat wrong.

The difference between TIFF and JPEG is the compression applied when the file is saved or re-saved during editing, JPEGs being compressed and TIFFs not compressed. The method for JPEG compression is unique to different software vendors and / or the user-specified parameters, so one can make only generalizations about the impact of JPEG compression. In general, re-saving a JPEG loses a little bit more of the image data as the file is reprocessed during the compression. But where exactly that small loss becomes visible to the eye is hard to forecast. Several of us have experimented with the re-save question, failing to find a visual difference at 10x or even 100x "resaves" of editing the edit of the edit. File actions that do not re-save and recompress the JPEG do not impact the file. You can view and copy JPEGs always and forever with no risk of detrimental impact.

Regarding RAW vs anything else, this question is more dependent on your digital editing tools. Do you use a non destructive editor like Lightroom? If yes, you need to be concerned about storing the original RAW image, or the JPEG, where storing the original unaltered image is the key point, not the format. The next point is to assure you have the edit instructions stored. Then, you just export an edited version of the image on demand. Whether you 'store' exported edited versions of the images is your own personal decision. Exporting TIFFs when you have both the RAW (or JPEG) files and the edit instructions is an unnecessary waste of storage space, particularly if you have limits on your available storage.

If you do choose to save a TIFF version of an image captured in RAW, make sure the format is 16-bit.

jeweler53

I keep the RAW. If I have prcessed it, I store the output as processed. JPEGs do not degrade while they are stored, You can open them and close them indefinitely without loss. When you "save as" they will compress.

NikonRocks Loc: Sydney

I think you have the wrong handle on whether its better to store your photos as JPGs or TIFFs. As far as storing anything digital, as long as you do not edit the data (your photos in this case) or use any app on them that changes the data in any way and then writing the changes back to the storage medium, the data stays unchanged "forever". Reading the data from whatever media it is stored on doesn't change the data on the medium. Data does not "deteriorate" if that's what your worry is about - assuming the storage media itself doesn't deteriorate with age.

The quality of the photos if converted from RAW to TIFF is higher than if converted to JPG. If you shoot in JPG then store in JPG. Converting JPG to TIFF gains nothing but lost digital storage space

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

JPEGs won't degrade either. The JPEG format was designed to be an archival format.

As to your original question, I save my raw files. My editing work is saved as parametric processing instructions for the raw files. Every once in awhile if I need to do some raster editing of an image and want to save that work then I save a TIFF file.

Joe

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

JPEGS won't be going away for a long time, there are billions out there.
It's currently the most common format for sharing and web display.

I work with (edit) the RAW files and use the JPEGS to peruse in Windows Explorer (I don't use a cataloger).
If I modify an image, I convert and save it as a JPEG.
I print JPEGS and/or send them out for printing.
I don't save TIFFs.
But, that's just my methodology.

lsimpkins Loc: SE Pennsylvania

Brian S. Loc: Oak Park, MI

To store all of your inactive photos you should use at least two separate drive with identical copies of your photos.

All of your in-process photos should be stored on at least 2 two hard drives also.

You archives should at least be all Tiffs because you can make new Jpegs from a Tiff but Tiffs made from a Jpeg will be of poorer quality.

With the low prices of hard drives anymore 3 to 4 TB hard drives are a pretty inexpensive insurance policy.

jeweler53

Unfollowing

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

I save my digital photos as uncompressed and lossless 16-bit TIFFs. (But you won’t die if you don’t copy me!)

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

I save my raw files.
The ones I think I need, I export as jpgs and save them with low compression.
With the raw files, if I need a tif (unlikely but not impossible) I can easily generate one.
The jpg is quite sufficient for my purposes.

And I disagree with the premise that tif is a "better way to store our pictures".

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Boy Howdy!!!!!!