View Full Version : Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance!
Gave myself a wake up call this afternoon when I discovered an issue trying to copy a large number of RAW files from Adobe Camera Raw to my DVD burner to send in (the disc) for a magazine submission.
It would now appear that (and unbeknownst to me from never having tried this before) Windows XP is not capable and does not support writing files to higher capacity DVD+ or -R discs even if you have a DVD burner (File system error 16389) - nope 700mb CD's is all it will do :angry0:.
I have established that it is possible to copy to a DVD-R using Windows XP & Nero but it involves a slightly longer process which is inevitably going to result in me missing the post this afternoon and my deadline by a day.
The lesson here is know what your equipment will and won't do and keep at least one spare day up your sleeve. If I had checked this earlier in the week I could have made alternate arrangements - even as simple (but more expensive) as using a USB stick and mailing that in!
Oh well! We live and learn...
Dan Cripps
03-09-2010, 2:42pm
I'm interested in the reasoning behind sending RAW files to a magazine. Is that your choice or a publication requirement?
It was at their request Zeke. I guess it gives them the greatest scope for their intended result and layout.
Something strange there Paul, we use xp home and Nero to burn DVDs all the time.
Dan Cripps
03-09-2010, 2:47pm
It was at their request Zeke. I guess it gives them the greatest scope for their intended result and layout.
Thanks for the clarification, Paul. I'm not sure I'd be entirely comfortable with that arrangement, to be honest.
Dan Gamble
03-09-2010, 2:48pm
Hey Paul,
If they are RAW's then they should pack well into a zip file, -or two as you can span arcives over multiple discs- shouldn't they?
You have the option of lossless compression with most "zip" programs now and it's become a pretty universal way of packing large files for media storage. I like "7-zip" which is free and very very excellent for both packing and unpacking of ZIP, TAR, RAR and other archive formats.
Here's a link to the download page. (http://www.7-zip.org/)
Yeah I believe it can be done with Nero to DVD-R discs Andrew but from what I read earlier it seems XP won't copy and write straight from ACR to the DVD burner. It will write direct from ACR to a USB or External HDD but not to the DVD burner. At least I couldn't get it too!
Dan thanks for that link. I've never really used zip files so I'll check that out.
OK, I have never used ACR so I don't know but all I have ever done is to simply drag the files from whichever folder they are in to Nero and burn. Usually the unedited originals first as a backup as soon as they are downloaded from the card and then the final product when edited etc. Doesn't take long and it is a straight forward interaction between the windoze file directory and Nero.
JM Tran
03-09-2010, 3:03pm
Thanks for the clarification, Paul. I'm not sure I'd be entirely comfortable with that arrangement, to be honest.
standard practice for a lot of magazine and editorial shoots I might add, since its usually specified in the contract that you are hired by them hence all properties and rights belong to them in the end.
Yep that's what I'm doing now but because it's RAW files I'm sending in I'm having to keep Bridge open to see the files and cross reference the file numbers so I know which ones to drag into NERO. Not a lot longer to do I guess but with my little 'cranky' episode this afternoon and looking for an answer to the problem I've wasted some time that could have been spent writing the photo captions, getting to the post office etc. Newbie errors :o.
Dan Gamble
03-09-2010, 3:10pm
Dan thanks for that link. I've never really used zip files so I'll check that out.
A good test for your own piece of mind if you're concerned about loss of info or pixel data when compressing would be to zip one of your RAW files with a different name and then extract it somewhere else on your hard drive. Open it and compare it with the original RAW in ACR or Lightroom.
I would exopect that you'll see no difference at all apart from a significanly smaller file size when compressed. ;)
If the place you are sending them to says they can't unzip then you can create zip's with an EXE extension which they just run like any other program and it'll extract the files into a pre-determined directory for them automatically.
Good luck with it. Might save you time and media in the future.
Thanks Dan. I'm a bit 'green' when it comes to some aspects of this. Sounds like I have some homework to do.
soulman
03-09-2010, 6:05pm
...I would exopect that you'll see no difference at all apart from a significanly smaller file size when compressed...From what I understand, most if not all RAW files are already compressed. I just zipped a 38.4MB RAW (Canon CR2) and the ZIP saved only 900K. Another test on a 41.4MB file saved 1.1MB, so we're looking at around 2-2.5% which could be useful but isn't a big deal. On the other hand, a 126MB uncompressed TIFF ends up as 41.5MB, so I think we can be pretty confident that the RAW files are compressed already. And yes, there is no degradation in image quality - ZIP and all the other archive formats are lossless.
JM Tran
03-09-2010, 6:10pm
From what I understand, most if not all RAW files are already compressed. I just zipped a 38.4MB RAW (Canon CR2) and the ZIP saved only 900K. Another test on a 41.4MB file saved 1.1MB, so we're looking at around 2-2.5% which could be useful but isn't a big deal. On the other hand, a 126MB uncompressed TIFF ends up as 41.5MB, so I think we can be pretty confident that the RAW files are compressed already. And yes, there is no degradation in image quality - ZIP and all the other archive formats are lossless.
good point mate:)
another way to make your files smaller is to convert the native raw file ie. Canon CR2 to Adobe's DNG raw format
Steve Axford
03-09-2010, 6:28pm
Why not use a file transfer facility like yousendit. I came across this one for a US comp. You just register for free, then send the file via them to an email adress. The person at the other end gets an email, they have to register and receive the file. All quite easy and it is much better than sending a DVD. There is a charged version as well, which allows you to send multiple files up to 2GB.
Dan Gamble
03-09-2010, 8:45pm
From what I understand, most if not all RAW files are already compressed. I just zipped a 38.4MB RAW (Canon CR2) and the ZIP saved only 900K. Another test on a 41.4MB file saved 1.1MB, so we're looking at around 2-2.5% which could be useful but isn't a big deal. On the other hand, a 126MB uncompressed TIFF ends up as 41.5MB, so I think we can be pretty confident that the RAW files are compressed already. And yes, there is no degradation in image quality - ZIP and all the other archive formats are lossless.
Wasn't aware of that. I thought the nature of RAW was that is was a completely uncompressed and unprocessed format. Thanks for the info.
soulman
03-09-2010, 9:43pm
I thought the nature of RAW was that is was a completely uncompressed and unprocessed format.Yeah, I thought so too until I started exporting files from Lightroom to Ps for processing - which means they have to get converted to TIFF or PSD - and found that they were all 3 times the size of the RAW. This is not all due to the compression, but it's the main reason for the difference in size.
Yep that's what I'm doing now but because it's RAW files I'm sending in I'm having to keep Bridge open to see the files and cross reference the file numbers so I know which ones to drag into NERO. Not a lot longer to do I guess but with my little 'cranky' episode this afternoon and looking for an answer to the problem I've wasted some time that could have been spent writing the photo captions, getting to the post office etc. Newbie errors :o.
Paul, what sort of quantity (number of files) are you sending? Most major publishers now insist on FTP transfers. DVD has always been problematic for any serious work mainly because of time and security. Even the local rags insist on online transfer mainly for deadlines.
The local paper here setup an FTP account for me, they are owned by Fairfax, but they are a cheap ass lot who would probably get you to do the legwork with a DVD if they could.
Paul G
04-09-2010, 11:56pm
John they didn't mention FTP to me. It's a magazine from the ACP stable that I'm writing for for the first time so I guess I need to ask a few more questions but I'm guessing that a company of that size would have some sort of system in place. I'm submitting in excess of 50 images to give them a good choice and some latitude for their page layout. I've only used sites like MediaFire in the past when transferring large file sizes but that's only been between 4WD colleagues and other photography enthusiasts.
When I worked for APN (Newspapers) years ago Wayne they had a good internal file transfer system too but that was an in-house thing as an employee. I've never had one set up from home with anyone.
John they didn't mention FTP to me. It's a magazine from the ACP stable that I'm writing for for the first time so I guess I need to ask a few more questions but I'm guessing that a company of that size would have some sort of system in place. I'm submitting in excess of 50 images to give them a good choice and some latitude for their page layout. I've only used sites like MediaFire in the past when transferring large file sizes but that's only been between 4WD colleagues and other photography enthusiasts.
When I worked for APN (Newspapers) years ago Wayne they had a good internal file transfer system too but that was an in-house thing as an employee. I've never had one set up from home with anyone.
I'd give them a call but just watch the FTP cost and time with that many images in RAW format. National Geo is done by disk but like you that's lots of images. I do small jpg's initially on disk and only transfer perhaps half a dozen by FTP. And again, with local newspapers I only send what they ask for otherwise they use the lot and pay you for one. Magazines like Australasian Camcorder is more a personal relationship and they are happy with high quality jpg's. If I'm doing a cover I usually deal directly with the graphic artist and if I can't get post exactly how they need it we do it over the phone.
The first shoot is the hardest for a new publisher but eventually they trust your judgement particularly if you're doing the story. As you know there is a synergy between photo and text that many editors won't fool with.
gcflora
05-09-2010, 10:00am
Canon raw files are basically a modified TIFF with Canon extensions. They're compressed using LZW (lossless) compression, so further compression doesn't yield much reduction (if any) in file size...
kingwheatie
05-09-2010, 2:20pm
I supply images to ACP for "Auto Action" magazine using FTP.
Get in touch with the editor of the Mag and they should set you up with a username and password for the server
Another note they recommend to use a FTP client to access the server and not directly through a web browser.
Well they've set me up on their FTP at the eleventh hour and as I've mentioned above I'm sending a lot of pics and in RWA/NEF format. But gees, is the upload going slowly...
I am uploading pics via the FTP from my external drive via it's USB connection. Would this be the reason the upload is going so slowly or would it simply be a matter of my connection's upload speed? At this rate it's going to take all night.
Redgum
15-09-2010, 10:39pm
G'day Paul, if you're still up, yes. Feeding off an external drive will be slower.
Dan Gamble
15-09-2010, 10:50pm
Paul... You're a legend for working through this and sorting it out.
Nice work. I never said congratulations for your FIRST SUBMISSION either. So yeah. Great work Paul! :)
Hope it all brings you all that you hope it will.
Paul G
15-09-2010, 11:18pm
Cheers guys. Yeah I'm still up! I've had a really rotten last 10 days. Who was it that said, in regards to Murphy's Law, that Murphy was an optimist :umm:.
It's been one drama after another here. Missed the original deadline and am still plugging away doing stuff tonight as the magazine goes to print tomorrow afternoon and without my submission there will be a four-page hole and a big problem for one of their advertisers who has some sort of deal with the magazine for this issue pending my story being included. Don't ask me what or who as I know nothing. Gee I wish they had of told me about all this to begin with.
One things for sure my computer is going into the shop fairly soon for some much needed R&R as too many things have gone wrong and too many documents have been 'lost' this last week including most of my story which I've re-written tonight. Juggling various jobs is such great fun. I am still smiling though. Just!
:th3:
Paul, my heart goes out to you, mate. The good thing is we'll laugh about this in a few days. :)
I guess at this stage there's not much anyone else can do for you but standby and wait? Just yell if there's anything in particular you need. :umm:
Thought I'd resurrect this topic to ask others if they've had trouble being paid for work done for prominent national magazines?
My story and photography got there after all the dramas and the magazine hit the newsagent shelves the following week. ie Beginning of October.
Depsite numerous phone calls and emails I am still to be paid.
Today I sent off a firmly worded email and stated that my next step will be a letter of demand then legal action.
Is six weeks after publishing, and about seven to eight weeks after submission, not enough time to give them - am I expecting to much?
They don't even contact me - I have done all the following-up.
Longshots
22-11-2010, 4:39pm
I'm afraid that 90 days after publication isnt unusual Paul.
I know this might seem like a stupid question, but, ok you submitted your story and pics, but when did you actually submit your invoice ? Does your invoice contain all the right information ? Did they set you up as a regular contributor ? And did you check with the editor if you would need a purchase order ? And was that on your invoice ?
soulman
22-11-2010, 4:49pm
If I've learned anything about getting money out of people over the years, it is that it is imperative to be nice to them. And persistent. If they're used to being slow payers they will have heard it all and been strongarmed by people much better at it than you, so making demands will be unlikely to get you anywhere. Ringing them every day, politely reminding them that the account is overdue and asking when they are going to post you a cheque works much better in my experience - they get sick of you ringing and taking up their time.
Being heavy with people runs the risk of pissing someone off, who may then string it out just to bother you further, knowing you have very little control over the situation. Forget the fact that you're within your rights to hassle them, remember that you want your money. Ringing people is much more effective than writing or emailing.
I also agree with Longshots that a good invoice that clearly states your payment terms is imperative. I pay a lot of bills and tend to get behind on ones that are not straightforward and clear if I'm busy. I have one on my desk at the moment with no terms on it and no bank details. I've tried ringing the company a few times to get their details for a direct deposit but haven't been able to get through. That invoice might wait until they ring to hassle me about it simply because they've made it too hard & I've got plenty of other things to do.
JM Tran
22-11-2010, 5:50pm
Thought I'd resurrect this topic to ask others if they've had trouble being paid for work done for prominent national magazines?
My story and photography got there after all the dramas and the magazine hit the newsagent shelves the following week. ie Beginning of October.
Depsite numerous phone calls and emails I am still to be paid.
Today I sent off a firmly worded email and stated that my next step will be a letter of demand then legal action.
Is six weeks after publishing, and about seven to eight weeks after submission, not enough time to give them - am I expecting to much?
They don't even contact me - I have done all the following-up.
With my commercial clients, the majority of them takes up to and over a month to pay the fee, or remaining fee after deposits. So I dont expect them to pay me straight away from the moment of submission/hand-over. There are a few organizations that are very efficient with their payments - namely the universities I have shot for - must be their finance dept:)
I'm afraid that 90 days after publication isnt unusual Paul.
I know this might seem like a stupid question, but, ok you submitted your story and pics, but when did you actually submit your invoice ? Does your invoice contain all the right information ? Did they set you up as a regular contributor ? And did you check with the editor if you would need a purchase order ? And was that on your invoice ?
Gday William
As new contributor all my paperwork as well as the invoice was sent through on Oct 6. So I guess this sort of falls in the timeframe some of you are mentioning.
Will wait and see what reply I get tomorrow. It's frustrating as a freelancer when you meet their deadlines but the same does not apply to getting paid.
I should say that these guys have changed to an externally controlled pay process which I was told would take a little while longer while being set up but I was given an assurance that I would be paid about three weeks ago now and still nothing. It's tough when this is not regular work and you depend upon every cent to get by week to week.
Longshots
22-11-2010, 6:43pm
It's tough when this is not regular work and you depend upon every cent to get by week to week.
Hi Paul - yep welcome to my world of "mate, not my fault, I passed your invoice on" :) Yes I'm afraid that many organisations stretch it out - the worst time is when you're starting off. Once you're in the swing of it, you'll find that its sort of works, with that 90 day thing keeping you floating along. Just check that the invoice you sent isnt sitting on the recipients desk :) I'm afraid that there isnt much point in pulling out the big guns (ie threats of legal action), until after 90 days. Worst situations I've regularly encountered _ and I assure you that I'm on the ball with chasing payments - is 180 days (6 months). I chose not to do any future work for companies who do that :)
Redgum
22-11-2010, 11:56pm
Unfortunately that's pretty normal, Paul.Good luck.
Out of interest we raised this matter on the IT Journos forum the other day and some people have invoices going back to July.
Just keep on their backs.
OzzieTraveller
24-11-2010, 7:12am
G'day Paul
from experience - it does vary from mag to mag
over the past decade or so, some send the chq within 21 days of publishing, some take 6 months, one denied the article was to be a 'paid' feature and didn't want to pay anything.
Nowadays I deal with the first group for further submissions ... :D
Regards, Phil
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