Keeping pictures, what format ?

[spada]

Hi
This might be a lame question ,i've read but unable to find out a method of keeping picture.I am not a pro or an experience shooter, just get some snaps on my way, from now on I will keep all the good pics, and I would like to know how do you keep your pictures , in Raw ( if shoot raw I normally shoot Jpg ), Tiff , Jpg , BMP, adobe PHD or the new adobe DNG?
Thank.

[the foto fanatic]

The most important thing is to keep a permanent master file.

I shoot RAW and keep the RAW files with their original file names, carefully backed-up as well. If you shoot JPEGs, then you should keep those originals the same way.

When you do any post-processing, then you can keep the results from that separately, with a different file name. These will be the files that you print or display.

[Yi-P]

I store them in my Hard Drives.

Like Trevor said, keeping original is what you may want to do. Making an original set and then the 'retouched' set for displaying or printing.

When I have to give my photos to friends and family, I burn them into DVDs. Otherwise, I keep my file in the HDD, yeah it fills up alot, but I think this is the way to keep them safer (if not safest) for the long run. Optical formats (CD/DVD) are great format to make backup, but they are more likely to get physical damage over time compared to a safely stored magnetic drive. They are easier to access as well.

[digitor]

I shoot in RAW, and always keep the RAW files - I also keep processed versions in subdirectories under the RAW. I duplicate this storage on two seperate hard drives, with each one having "Current" and "Backed Up" areas. When "Current" gets to 4 gigs or so, I burn it onto DVD(s) and move it into the "Backed Up" area. This way I've never got less than two copies of everything.

Cheers

[Matt. K]

Spada
First of all....dump anything that is sub-standard. Only keep your very best work otherwise you will end up with a huge number of pics. Burn your best RAW images to a second hard drive and a DVD or CD. Post process a copy and when finished put the copy into a folder called something like ArchivePP. Back this Archive up every so often onto DVD and a hard drive. In effect you back up the RAW and the processed JPG and keep them in seperate places.

[spada]

Thank everyone , From now on I will shoot raw , and keep unprocess raw, in folder sorted by date and even. The reason I ask because my picture now grow up to near 600 + and very hard to sort out, they everywhere in my picture folder, and to a piont i don't know which raw file to go with its associated jpg file .Thank again , your help is highly appreciated.
Edit :Yes Matt I will dump everything substandard, and from now on I wll have to sort in oder, thank Matt