# Best way to sync raw files with jpeg keepers



## AceCo55 (Apr 14, 2016)

I have been using a couple of nikon d300 - these have only one card slot, so my issue hasn't arisen before.
I have pre-ordered a d500 which has two card slots.
I would like to save RAW files to the xqd card and JPEG files to the SD card.
I would only use the RAW files if I couldn't get a decent result using the JPEG files.
I use Photoshop and Bridge CS6 - do not have Lightroom and not overly interested in getting it (grumpy old man comfortable with what I have!)

Now to my workflow problem.
At the moment I regularly take 2000+ photos (JPEG) on a shoot (sports).
At the end of the day, I would normally download them to my computer and then cull.
I usually keep 35%-45% of all the shots.
I would then place the keepers from each team or sport into their folders and rename them (date-sport-grade-file number). The JPEG keepers then get processed the next day and uploaded to various galleries on my website and select some for local newspapers.
ie I need to process the JPEG files quickly and I need to have them renamed before I start.

The problem is how do I efficiently also delete the unwanted RAW files to match the JPEG keepers?
I would rather not have the JPEG and RAW files in the same folder when going through the culling process - I often have to make a decision about which version in a sequence I', going to keep. Have both files of each image will maybe slow that process down quite a bit?

My clumsy plan at the moment is to have two Windows Explorer windows open - one showing the JPEG keepers and the other showing all of the  RAW files.
Then go through and manually find the corresponding RAW file so that the JPEG files match the RAW files.
Then do batch renaming so that the JPEG files have the same name as the RAW files.

This is going to add a bit of extra time at the end of a long day.
Is there a simple way to get the RAW files to match the JPEG keeper files?
(I know when I'm in Bridge, I can rename the JPEG files I can choose the option to preserve the original file name - but I can't find an easy way to show a list of those original files names).

I don't need to do anything with the RAW files on the day after the shoot - they are there only as a backup in case of card failure or for when I need the extra editing capability. My present plan however necessitates that I have to do the culling and renaming of the RAW files at the same time as I do the JPEGs - and that is going to be at the end of a long tiring day.

Sorry for the long explanation.
Thank-you for reading and any insights into have to best restructure my workflow.
If I don't response quickly it may be because the time difference between you and me (Australia) - and I will be shooting all day tomorrow (leave home at 7am, start shooting at 9am, finish shooting at 5pm, get home 7pm)


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## robbins.photo (Apr 15, 2016)

Ok well I haven't searched to see if there is program that will do this, but working with just explorer and a freeware utility here's how I would probably do it.

Sort out your keeper jpg files into the subdirectories first, do not rename yet.  Go into the first directory of jpgs you want to keep and copy all of them to another working directory by themselves.  Remember copy, don't move.  You should still have a second copy of these jpg in your other directory you plan to keep because these will be getting destroyed, we just need the file names.

Use a bulk rename utility to change all of the file extensions on these files to .nef so they now have the same file names as their raw counterparts.  Then copy them into the directory where the raw files are stored, so that the jpg files overwrite the larger raw files when the filename is the same.

Once you've done this for all your jpg keepers, open the directory where the raw files are, sort by file size.  Delete all the files that are too small to be real .nef files, the real nef files will be much bigger.  By sorting by size all the jpg files that are renamed .nef will be together at the top so you can delete them enmass.

Move what's left after deleting your jpgs to wherever you store your raw backups

Then go back to your keepers directories for your jpg and rename them as desired

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk


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## AceCo55 (Apr 16, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> Ok well I haven't searched to see if there is program that will do this, but working with just explorer and a freeware utility here's how I would probably do it.
> 
> Sort out your keeper jpg files into the subdirectories first, do not rename yet.  Go into the first directory of jpgs you want to keep and copy all of them to another working directory by themselves.  Remember copy, don't move.  You should still have a second copy of these jpg in your other directory you plan to keep because these will be getting destroyed, we just need the file names.
> 
> ...



WINNER!!!!! 
THANK-YOU - You are hereby inducted into the "Primate Hall of Fame"!  
Perfect - great solution!


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## manaheim (Apr 16, 2016)

I was going to suggest writing a script to compare date/time on raw vs date/time on JPEG and if the JPEG is the same as the RAW, delete it.  That... however... would require some scripting skills.


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## AceCo55 (Apr 16, 2016)

manaheim said:


> I was going to suggest writing a script to compare date/time on raw vs date/time on JPEG and if the JPEG is the same as the RAW, delete it.  That... however... would require some scripting skills.



Thank-you very much for the suggestion.
Scripting would require a substantial learning curve for me but I can see it as an elegant solution.


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## robbins.photo (Apr 16, 2016)

AceCo55 said:


> WINNER!!!!!
> THANK-YOU - You are hereby inducted into the "Primate Hall of Fame"!
> Perfect - great solution!



Primate hall of fame eh?  Well hopefully there isn't some sort of awards banquet involved.

Truth be told I look terrible in a monkey suit...

Lol.

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk


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## dennybeall (Apr 16, 2016)

Why not just shoot in raw, do the culling and then do a batch duplicate to jpg. Then you'd have the keepers in raw and jpg.


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## Watchful (Apr 16, 2016)

I like number 7 as well. I would probably do a script myself and that way you just do it once and hit batch script.
But if you're not software literate (as in writing your own) suggestion 7 is easiest.


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## Watchful (Apr 16, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> AceCo55 said:
> 
> 
> > WINNER!!!!!
> ...


*rimshot*
Moan.   
(don't give up your day job)


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## robbins.photo (Apr 16, 2016)

Watchful said:


> robbins.photo said:
> 
> 
> > AceCo55 said:
> ...


Crap.  That is my day job.  

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk


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## Dave442 (Apr 16, 2016)

I so much prefer doing it in LR as noted in #7. On the Export to JPEG the files are renamed automatically using metadata that was applied to all the photos from that set. I just let the RAW files keep the base yyyymmdd_filename that I gave it at the start. 

As for a Window program that I use a lot to do all sorts of file management, is Xporer2. I usually have multiple panes and multiple tabs open and you can make a flat search across different directories. Also very good at batch rename. 

The problem I have with all the file renaming and deleting is the chance of deleting files by mistake. The solution given is nice, but I know I would screw it up at some point.


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## AceCo55 (Apr 17, 2016)

dennybeall said:


> Why not just shoot in raw, do the culling and then do a batch duplicate to jpg. Then you'd have the keepers in raw and jpg.



Now that I'm getting the D500 with two card slots, I thought I would write RAW to the qxd card and JPEGS to the SD card ... I have read a number of times that this is insurance against a card failure.
Do you think this is the best way to use two cards ... or maybe write RAW to both cards??


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## AceCo55 (Apr 17, 2016)

Dave442 said:


> I so much prefer doing it in LR as noted in #7. On the Export to JPEG the files are renamed automatically using metadata that was applied to all the photos from that set. I just let the RAW files keep the base yyyymmdd_filename that I gave it at the start.
> 
> As for a Window program that I use a lot to do all sorts of file management, is Xporer2. I usually have multiple panes and multiple tabs open and you can make a flat search across different directories. Also very good at batch rename.
> 
> The problem I have with all the file renaming and deleting is the chance of deleting files by mistake. The solution given is nice, but I know I would screw it up at some point.



really appreciate your thoughts/opinions on this - I will certainly look at Xporer2
Thank-you


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## Watchful (Apr 17, 2016)

I would only use the XQD, using the SD limits your shooting to the lowest common denominator which is the SD and then what's the point of have a much more capable storage like XQD anyways?


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## dennybeall (Apr 17, 2016)

If I had the camera with two cards I would do raw in one and jpg in the other for casual shooting. I just wouldn't use the jpg unless I needed something up front prior to post-processing.
If I was shooting a wedding or other non-repeatable event then both would be raw and one would go into storage until I was finished with post-processing. It could then be formatted and retuned to the rotation.


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## AceCo55 (Apr 18, 2016)

dennybeall said:


> If I had the camera with two cards I would do raw in one and jpg in the other for casual shooting. I just wouldn't use the jpg unless I needed something up front prior to post-processing.
> If I was shooting a wedding or other non-repeatable event then both would be raw and one would go into storage until I was finished with post-processing. It could then be formatted and retuned to the rotation.





Watchful said:


> I would only use the XQD, using the SD limits your shooting to the lowest common denominator which is the SD and then what's the point of have a much more capable storage like XQD anyways?


 
Thank-you both for sharing your thoughts.
For my situation I think I will start off writing RAWs to the XQD card and JPEGs to the SD card.
I will use the suggestions kindly provided throughout the thread to adjust my workflow to suit shooting to both cards - I like the thought of a backup.
I will then see how the workflow pans out to see if I continue with it ... or , with experience, modify it to best suit my situation.

I am very appreciate the contributions made by so many - forums can sometimes descend into chaotic and adversarial "banter", but I am very grateful for people giving up their time to make an effort to help me.


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## Dave442 (Apr 18, 2016)

Sorry: Xplorer2 and not Xporer2.
Also, I am interested in the D500 and I have thought my workflow will be RAW to XQD and small JPG to SD. Reason is that there is a strong demand to provide photos during events and if Snapbridge to the phone work good then I would send out JPG photos that way. 
However, I plan to keep my normal RAW workflow that is based around LR and I'll just add a tag to cross-reference the JPG files that were sent out.


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