Imagen's Cloud Backup for RAW Files: The Ultimate Solution for Pro Photographers?
try it out here - https://bit.ly/45g2XS2
tl;dr - this is dead simple raw file image backup that's essentially system spec independent.
Onto my thoughts about Imagen Cloud...
FINALLY.
Those of you that have been on my patreon for a while probably remember these posts earlier this year about my image workflow and backup process.
Well, in the middle of writing the final part of that post I found out that Imagen might be working on a backup solution targeted specifically at photographers... and I was intrigued, and hit pause on the rest of my article (Part 1 should still be very helpful for file management and Lightroom speed!)
Because, while using Imagen you literally upload low res DNG raw files of you images to get everything edited, I always thought it would be so cool to have the option of sending them high res raw files too (assuming internet speeds were fast enough).
Well, they've launched exactly that. Even if you don't use Imagen for editing and culling you could use them for backup, but if you already use Imagen for editing... ummm this is a no brainer.
Now, I think a lot of photographers will raise eyebrows at the fact that the recommended option for backup are "Optimized" raw files that offer ~ 4:1 file size savings, while not losing any resolution. How is that possible? Well, compression algorithms have become insanely good these days (my review of rawsie/dotphoton), and it's virtually impossible to tell the difference between the Original raw file and the Optimized DNG raw file. I plan to do some "real" tests to confirm this, but my run and gun quick tests proved to me that I could not tell the difference between them.
As demoed in the video a full video with this post... a nearly 9,000 image wedding of RAW files would only take up about ~45GB of storage, vs the ~192GB of the original captures. 45GB is totally reasonable to backup over most modern internet connections.
Starting the test with an 8000 image wedding catalog in Lightroom - 0:12
Massive improvement in loading and opening time for Lightroom catalogs - 1:20
Desire for an effortless process to import and distribute photos automatically - 1:36
No longer needing a temporary catalog method for importing specific images - 2:02
Having a few slots available for access to AI editing profiles - 4:08
Three different size options for storing photos, including optimized and original files - 4:18
Surprise that it took a long time for a cloud-based product for high-resolution raw image uploads - 5:07
Difficulty in explaining workflow due to tools requiring time and practice to become familiar with - 7:10
Recommendation of Sync Thing app for syncing files across multiple computers - 9:02
Excitement and peace of mind about the solution provided by Imagine - 9:34
If anyone gives it a try then I'd love to know it! It massively simplifies a cloud based backup solution, and I plan to use this for all of my undelivered raw images. After I deliver the edited galleries to my clients, I will remove the files from Imagen, and just keep them on my massive 80TB external thunderbolt drive that entirely backups to Backblaze for $7/month. - Simple.
Ongoing education for photographers
► / samhurd
DVLOP Workshop & Presets for
Wedding & Portrait Photographers
► https://www.samhurdphotography.com/pr...
Subscribe:
► / samhurdphoto
Website:
► http://samhurdphotography.com
► https://fb.com/samhurdphotography
cloud backup, RAW files, pro photographers, Lightroom catalog, AI editing profile, workflow, Sync Thing, import photos, backup workflow, editing process, low resolution backup, cloud status icon, file names, redundancy, pricing, peace of mind, intuitive solution, image corruption, data loss, optimized photos, original photos, storage usage, upload and download tests, backup solution, online backup, DNG smart previews, dynamic range, compression algorithms, uploading process
