Recommended best practices for digital photography

SYSTEM SET-UP

Hardware

* Invest in the best monitor you can afford, and keep it regularly calibrated and profiled in an appropriately illuminated area.
* Acquire lots and lots of hard drive storage capacity.
* Maintain your computer and operating system properly.

CAPTURE
* Shoot raw, if possible. This provides the highest image quality and the most flexibility for image correction and interpretation.

COLOR
* Embed and preserve the appropriate color profiles in image files.
* Use a large color space for image editing.
* For the best possible results, profile your camera and printer.
* When delivering image files, make sure all parties understand color profile requirements.

IMAGE EDITING
* Use parametric image editing tools fir as much image editing as possible.
* In order to enable non - destructive image editing in Photoshop, use and save layers, adjustment layers and smart objects to master files.

FILE FORMAT
* Use TIFF or PSD as working file formats.
* Use JPEG or TIFF as delivery file formats.
* Use TIFF os PSD as file formats to archive rendered master files.
* Use DNG to archive raw file data.

STORAGE AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES

File Management
* Assign unique file names to images in order to distinguish one file from another and to prevent overwriting of files.
* Create a naming convention that is easy to use and remember and that can be automated.
* Use folders to organize and store files.
* Use metadata and cataloging software to manage the content of your image collection and to stramline image searches.
* Design workflow according to image lifecycle phases: capture, ingestion, working and archive.

Metadata
* Embed credit, contact and copyright information in all image files.
* Add bulk metadata to describe the shoot and add keywords as necessary.
* Use the appropriate metadata field for more specific tags such as location.
* Be aware of programs and workflow steps that may strip metadata.

Backup
* Use a 3-2-1 backup (3 copies, 2 different media, 1 stored offsite) whenever possible.
* Clearly distinguish the primary and backup copies of your digital image files.
* Schedule system backups to occur at appropriate places in the workflow and image life cycle.
* Clone your system periodically to avoid lost time and lost data in the event of system drive failure.

PRESERVATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Archive
* Archive capture files as soon as possible in the workflow to protect your images.
* Archive layered master files to ensure projects can be re-created in their entirety.
* Migrate to new media periodically, to prevent loss due to media failure and to increase the speed of access.
* Migrate to new file formats as necessary to stay current technologically and to avoid obsolescence.
* DNG offers a secure openly documented and forward compatible format for image archiving.

Data Validation
* Validate critical file transfers to ensure the transfer has occurred without data corruption or loss.
* Validate both primary and backup storage regularly.
* A DNG archive can be validated with a much higher level of certainty than any other image file format.
* Use write - once media as part of your archive backup plan, since it can be validated with certainty.