I've taken advantage of the holiday slow-down to revisit my image handling workflow which is still in the process of being developed!!
I was thinking today, that as I have MC cataloguing image files burned to a regular data DVD, I think I'd like to go a step further and keep original .tif files on DVD. The idea being, that I can use layers to track the edit history in the tif file, and keep an exported .jpg file on the hard drive for general consumption.
So, if I used packet writing, I would be able to save changes to the tif files back to the DVD and all would be good. MC keeps all tif tags "database only" so I'd have nothing to worry about there, and I have the view scheme in place to list the .tif files along side any .jpg versions that exist to make tag syncing reasonably a reasonably simple affair.
Which brings me round to the various packet writing software options available. The two I'm familiar with are the offerings from Nero and Roxio, but have neither installed. I've avoided them like the plague so far because over the years, it seems like all I've ever read about are regular burning problems caused by having packet writing software installed, and I've never really recognised any need for it. Now, in recent times, packet writing software conflicts have been pretty much non-existant. Is that because no-one uses it, or because all the niggling issues have now been ironed out?
If packet writing software is no longer a problem, is there anything to choose between them or are they all much of a muchness?
EDIT:
Will MC even be able to read files from a packet written disc?
It's been a long time, but, IIRC, the only thing that can read the disc is the software that wrote it, is that right?
In which case, this whole idea could be a non-starter, or a feature request!!
I'd want MC to be able to read and catalogue the packet written disc.
I'd want to be able to select a file from that disc, and use MC's 'send to..' to open it in a 3rd party editor.
I'd then save the changes as a jpeg to HDD, which Otto would catch.
I'd then save the changes to file on the DVD by hitting 'Save' in the 3rd party editor and expect the changes to be saved to the DVD
I've really no experience with packet writing software, and as I've meandered up enough cul-de-sacs already with this, perhaps someone would be kind enough to tell me if I'm way off beam with this or not?
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I know that hard drives are cheap and all that, but 'cheap' is something that's directly related to the state of your bank balance. Also, in the past, I've had hard drives die on me, more than once, and backup DVDs were my saviour, which is why I tend to lean in that direction
-marko.