Hey folks! I'm a photographer and I constantly work with a ton of RAW files. The speed of transferring, editing, and backing these files up is really slowing me down, especially when I'm using regular external hard drives which have pretty slow read speeds. This is driving me nuts! I'm on the lookout for ways to boost my efficiency with these tasks. Has anyone got any suggestions or experiences they can share to help improve my workflow? Thanks a bunch!
4 Answers
If you're serious about this, investing in a NAS (Network Attached Storage) with a good RAID setup (6-8 drives) is a game changer. Set up 10 Gbps networking for insane speeds. Plus, consider having a second offsite location for backups—going professional means your equipment should be top-notch!
First off, what kind of drives are you currently using? Just saying 'external hard drive' doesn't give much info. Are they SSDs or traditional HDDs? Also, what kind of connection are you using—USB 2.0 or something faster like Thunderbolt? That really makes a difference!
To really speed things up, make sure you have the latest USB standard for your machine. I recommend getting a SanDisk Extreme Drive. Just keep in mind, if there are any weak points in your setup—like outdated cables or hubs—it'll slow you down. If you don’t have at least USB 3.2, consider adding an expansion card. Just make sure it's a reputable brand!
How about avoiding RAW files altogether? Consider using formats like PNG that are compressed better. Also, upgrading your drives might help with the transfer speeds!
Thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely look into the USB version I’m using.