lost RAW photo file recovery question (process, photoshop, camera, memory)

[blueflames50]

I know there are other forums for this but I think this photo forum is best as it deals with just photo not other computer issues....I uploaded photos to photobucket to post here and the link broke and I lost the whole dang file on my hard drive!!! Even lost the backup file in PhotoShop Lightroom!!
anyone recommend a program to try and recover these RAW/NEF photo's??? I've tried a free trial and all I am seeing is badly damaged images that can not be reconstructed.

Is best to make a separate folder with photos that are to be uploaded to Photobucket!! live and learn the hard way. thanks

[Old Man Winter]

I dont know how to recover the lost Raw data, but I would use an external hard drive to store all your Raw data.

[MtnSurfer]

Hmm,

This sounds like a very strange situation. First of all RAW files don't post online. Normally you take a picture in RAW then convert to jpg using a RAW converter. Both Photoshop and Lightroom have such RAW converters. Once converted the jpg image can then be transferred to web hosts like photobucket. So I'm not quite sure what you started with and what you actually are trying to recover.

Was the image downloaded from your camera's card to a folder on your computer first? If so the issue has nothing really to do with the upload process itself. An upload doesn't change the original image. Rather it just sends a copy of it to the host.

If you provide more specifics about your workflow process it might help in troubleshooting this problem. I have recovered RAW images before. But it had nothing to do with the web host I was using.

Derek

[RUNYYfan]

Originally Posted by blueflames50

I've tried a free trial and all I am seeing is badly damaged images that can not be reconstructed.

Like MtnSurfer noted, normally the RAW/NEF files are not the files uploaded to a site like PhotoBucket. The JPG is the file being uploaded.

I may be off regarding this, but it sounds more like a disk hardware issue rather than anything to do with PhotoBucket. If you don't mind my asking, what was the software package you were using the try and find the files?

[blueflames50]

sorry I was not specific enough....downloaded RAW photos from camera card to file on hard drive (now backed up on 1T external hard drive!) imported into PSLightroom2, manipulated then exported as JPEG into same folder as original with folder created for processed in lightroom...then uploaded JPEG from the folder to Photobucket....now is where the "indecent" happened! one photo did not go into the folder on Photobucket so I dragged and dropped it...a warning box came up and stated that the link to the photo could be damaged...first time I have every uploaded to Phototbucket so....I ignored the warning and continued...when I went to check the file the photo areas were blank so I deleted (PBucket) folder....then went to go into the file on my hard drive and photos were gone even the originals...went into Lightroom to redo them and that catalog was just blank gray spots where the images were!! sucked into cyberspace never to be seen again it seems!!

[MtnSurfer]

Wow, that sounds very crazy, like photobucket's elves were up to no good. But more seriously I have never seen a web host like photobucket remove anything from my computer. Although I've not used that particular host myself.

So then I guess the big question for you at this point is what are you left with in your original folder prior to the photobucket fiasco? Are they RAW images, jpg, what? That is what really matters. Lightroom has little to nothing to do with these images at this point.

Worst case scenario you accidentily deleted the entire folder with the original RAW images. Better case scenario you still have the RAW files somewhere on disk, although they may have gotten corrupted. Best case scenario they are hidding somewhere else like your Recycle Bin awaiting permanant deletion.

So figure out what you have left first. Then you will know better how to procede.

There are disk data recovery tools out there for such a thing (eg - accidental deletion of important files). The ones I have used have been primarily for my CF cards. They can recover old images previously deleted by accident. Then there are similar tools to 'fix' corrupted files which you may be left with. Some of these tools are free while other cost $.

Derek

[blueflames50]

thanks Derek! the whole folder with RAW originals....poof gone... not just the photo's...whole folder...I am very good with computers and this is a first for me...as is Photobucket!! hahaha...I have been everywhere in this laptop that files can mysteriously move to..no go...I am hoping I put them on another laptop but will not be able to get home for another couple weeks to check that laptop...fingers are crossed that I did indeed leave a copy of them on it!
I tried a free program to "fix" corrupt files with no luck...there are some badly damaged RAW files that come up but no luck in it fixing them....ahhh well live and learn...thanks

[MtnSurfer]

Ok,

Chances are pretty good that if the entire folder was deleted it can be recovered. Do some google searching on Data Recovery. The data recovery tools scan your disk for old/deleted/lost files.

Since you say the RAW files which are there are damaged they may still be recoverable as well. Some tools I have found work better at recovery than others. You have to experiment a bit with the various offerings. Sandisk gave me a free recovery tool with my extreme cards which I have used on several ocassions and it worked well.

Derek

[Old Man Winter]

I just started shooting raw files maybe 3 weeks ago. Im wondering if what I did is causing your issue. The first time I copied raw files to the folder i was shooting raw only and not raw+jpeg. When I converted them I lost all my raw data and then didnt save the collection due to my theory of I can salvage these . So i ended up losing 2 days worth of pictures. I know what I did wrong now, perhaps it was a similar error ? Or am I the only one this handicapable when it comes to raw files

[RUNYYfan]

Derek is right. There are several types of recovery agents out there. The Sandisk one is pretty good. To try and get back multiple types of files, I use Data Rescue from ProSoft Engineering. It's a bit pricey at $100, but weighing the price to the value of the data, it's usually a bargain.

I haven't heard of files being deleted or damaged by an uploader unless there was some type of disruption on the hard drive during the read process as the file is copied into memory before being uploaded. Very weird!

For reference, when I do any editing of files, I'll set up several folders to keep the RAW files from the edited files like this:

[Date of shoot - Name of shoot]
-> [Edited]
-> [Unedited]

All my files from the camera are saved in the folder "Unedited" and all processed photos go into "Edited." It's a couple of extra steps, but it goes a long way in keeping the files organized.

Originally Posted by Old Man Winter

I just started shooting raw files maybe 3 weeks ago. Im wondering if what I did is causing your issue. The first time I copied raw files to the folder i was shooting raw only and not raw+jpeg. When I converted them I lost all my raw data and then didnt save the collection due to my theory of I can salvage these . So i ended up losing 2 days worth of pictures. I know what I did wrong now, perhaps it was a similar error ? Or am I the only one this handicapable when it comes to raw files

What was the program you used to edit the files?

It sounds like the program edited the RAW files and replaced all data with the edits. Instead of using the "Save" command, you may want to try the "Save As..." option which will cause the program to create an entirely new file, thus preserving the content of the original.