[Bruck]

Here's my workflow with regards to storage of my data. I was wondering if anyone else could critique it and point out some mistakes I'm making, or improvements.

Setup
- Powerbook G4 : 80gb hd
- Lacie FW800: 250GB hd
- Aperture

Step 1> Import Images into new project
Step 2> Edit images to my liking, categorize, rate, export
Step 3> Right click on project, choose "Relocate Masters" - Move Masters to Folder on Lacie "Aperture Files"
Step 4> Move Project into Current "Work Folder" ex: I place Sat Picnic into Folder called "Volume 3"
Step 5> Backup Raw Folders of Originals to DVD-R disks periodically

Sidenotes: I have a "vault" on my Lacie that I have not updated in a while.

I'm not sure if I'm doing this correctly. Maybe I simply need to add the unadded stuff to my vault? Then backup the Vault ?

Ideally, I'd like to get another Lacie (maybe 500gb) and sync Leopard using Time Machine to that. But I need to organize things better before that. I realize that my dvd-r's of my raw files would save my images if I were to lose everything. BUT i'd like to have a simple "place" that all of aperture's files and images are stored in. This way I could back up that particularly "thing" to a new lacie and literally not lose any changes/edits/organizations of my images.

Is this what the vault is? If i add things to the vault, they will become duplicate? Then I should move the vault itself to the other lacie?

I'm just curious how others handle their data management - as my library just keeps GROWING and GROWING eventually I will be storing data I rarely access in places that I need the space.

Thanks (I hope this was clear)

[CaptainHaddock]

You can change where Aperture stores your files right to begin with, when you import them. You can also tell it what kind of folder naming scheme to use. I keep mine in a master "Aperture Photos" folder on my external LaCie.

I'm still relatively new to Aperture, but I think Vaults are ideal for back-ups and saving to DVD.

[Bruck]

I know that you can choose where they initially go, but I wouldn't want to change that. This way my most recent unedited photo sets are always with me when I travel, and If i end up with time to kill, I can do some editing. I only move them as part of the "archive process"

[Goldfinger]

Maybe you could have two Libraries and a backup Vault. One library on your PowerBook where you keep your recent pictures. If you want to remove some pics from that "Recent" library you export your projects (contains all the XML data and RAW files). You then open up your "Main library" and import those projects you just exported from your "Recent" library. When that's done you back up your Main library to an other FW HD using the wonderfull Vault feature, automagically. If necessary do a backup to DVD as well. When all that is done you go back to your Recent library and you delete all the files that you just exported to your main library.

I would get a second HD tough. And you don't need Time Machine for this. Aperture can already do everything automatically using Vaults.

I use on main library on my iMac's hard drive + 3 Vaults on 3 seperate FW HDs + the occasional DVD backup (using the Export Project feature).

[mac128k-1984]

Why do you move the masters?

I defaults for the image placement and I have two vaults. One external drive, one internal drive and then I back up the vault on dvd.