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11/01/2010 04:52:15 PM · #1 |
I've recently read that digital files only last a few years on your hard drive, and every time they are opened, they are corrupted. Is this actually true? Should your best pics be put on negatives?
Thankyou!
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11/01/2010 04:57:09 PM · #2 |
Someone can surely answer this better than me, but I might get there first.
I think that what you have heard about is the degradation of reopening a jpeg, working on it, and saving it again....and repeating the process over and over. This will degrade the quality of the jpeg.
edit to add: I don't think that there is any degradation of data on a hard drive otherwise with the exception of a total failure which has happened to me. Most people believe that pics should be backed up in multiple places like DVDs, additional and/or external hard drives, or even online storage sites.
Message edited by author 2010-11-01 17:00:09. |
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11/01/2010 07:35:31 PM · #3 |
Yes, degradation *only* happens each time the file is opened and re-saved. No degradation occurs if the file is just opened to view it.
There are other advantages to using RAW files, a.k.a. "digital negatives" but using them means bigger files, and you have to "convert" them to a format like JPEG for viewing or printing, which creates an extra step, and another set of files (the JPEGs), requiring even more space. There may come a time when you'll want to consider shooting in RAW format. Google "RAW advantages" and you will come up with a wealth of information. |
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