Convert RAW to JPEG in same folder and delete RAW

[judophotos]

Kirk,

I am trying to speed up my work flow and incorporate a task that sometimes does not get done because currently it takes a while to do.

After a day's shoot I have a lot of images that are purely for reference such as names and scores recorded on a competition clock. Because I shoot RAW they are quite large from 5mb up to 19mb (depending on the use of Nikon's digital zoom) and currently I convert them to lo-res jpegs in the same folder using the "Save ....As" function and put a watermark on them so that they are easily recognisable. Then manually I delete the original RAW files.

As a feature request is it possible that the "Save......As" function menu could also include "Delete the Original"? Or is that already available and I haven't found it?

David

[Kirk Baker]

Kirk,

I am trying to speed up my work flow and incorporate a task that sometimes does not get done because currently it takes a while to do.

After a day's shoot I have a lot of images that are purely for reference such as names and scores recorded on a competition clock. Because I shoot RAW they are quite large from 5mb up to 19mb (depending on the use of Nikon's digital zoom) and currently I convert them to lo-res jpegs in the same folder using the "Save ....As" function and put a watermark on them so that they are easily recognisable. Then manually I delete the original RAW files.

As a feature request is it possible that the "Save......As" function menu could also include "Delete the Original"? Or is that already available and I haven't found it?

No, it doesn't exist, and it is unlikely we would support an auto-delete function.  Imagine the irate support calls we would receive from the feature.

-Kirk

[judophotos]

Thanks Kirk for the quick reply.

The "Copy Options" already has a "(delete originals)" option with the "Move photos" tick box. However, it doesn't allow you to convert the image file.  It then has a safety feature with a tick box marked "Always clear "Move photos" option when showing the dialog".

Don't worry if it is not something that has a wide appeal.

Best
David

[Hayo Baan]

Don't worry if it is not something that has a wide appeal.

I don't think there are many people who would like to throw away their raw originals. I see in your case why you do though.

Personally I wouldn't bother converting these files at all though. All that hassle for only a couple of megabytes of savings. Heck, I keep my HDR files as 32-bit smart objects these days, those files are >700MB each so I wouldn't worry about a measly 10MB  . Oh, and to make matters worse, I also maintain a 16-bit flattened version of those files as PM can't view the 32-bit files... (this is overkill, I know). Adding up to almost a GB per image (not forgetting about the 5 to 9 raw input files either). Hmm, guess I must be glad I don't yet own e.g., a D800

[judophotos]

Thanks Hayo, that is interesting but we are photographing different subjects.

However, I have just downloaded and used the extraordinary freeware XnView 2 and converted one day's 182 RAW time clock images to Jpegs in 7 mins including adding a watermark so that I know they are converts. The Jpegs replaced the RAWs immediately, retained the metadata and were reduced to around 350 KBs each saving nearly 800mb of storage on my Drobo. I don't think that is a wasted 7 mins. Obviously I made a reasonable donation to XnView.

Originally I would have completely deleted the time clock pictures after captioning but at 200 to 350 kbs they make good and obvious contest breaks when quickly spinning through thousands of images from a week's competition.

I still think it would be a nice feature on PM though.

Now off to convert hundreds and hundreds more.
David

[Hayo Baan]

Hi David,

Yeah, in your case, I would probably have written a script to automatically perform the task you described too. I have already automated many other image “maintenance” tasks via a script. For instance, I

• automatically check for similar ratings, keywords, etc. on related images (e.g., a pano),
• maintain a similar directory structure between my edited images and their untouched originals (apart from a backup, I also maintain all images in their original form),
• automatically generate resolution optimised images for my iPod and iPad,
• etc., etc.

Have fun,
Hayo