Best practices for working with pictures?

[DualPlatform]

Any "best practices" tips for working with photos since they're just a link to a file elsewhere? I'm using Aperture.

Does renaming the image in Aperture break the link? Probably not, since I don't think the file name changes when you change the image name (title).

Do changes to the image automatically appear in Reunion? (e.g., cropping, color correction, etc.) Probably not since in Aperture at least those are stored as functions, not actual changes to the image.

[tomk]

Re: Best practices for working with pictures?

I use Aperture and Reunion, but Reunion is not linked to the Aperture database or reference files. To use an image in Reunion, I export from Aperture to a jpeg file.

In Aperture I have the full sized image - which could be RAW, TIF, PNG, JPG, etc. I don't use full sized images in Reunion since I also export from Reunion to my genealogy website.

For those images that I wish to use in Reunion, or on my website, I use Aperture to do the cropping, adjustments, etc. Sometimes make a special version just to include the area interested in.

I also make sure to set the Aperture "Version Name" to the name I want to use in Reunion.

Then I export a version of the image from Aperture and place that exported image in the file structure I use in Reunion for media. I have several "Export Presets" that I have set up such as 800x800, 1200x1200, etc. and set for 72dpi and save as jpeg. Note as part of the export you can specify the exported custom name. But I prefer to set the Version Name since if I later adjust the photo further, I can just export it again to replace the image Reunion is linked to.

Since I export my Reunion data via Gedcom to my website, the file structure of images that Reunion uses is the same one I use to export my images to my website - this way there is no confusion on what the image's name is.

Not sure you could call this best practices, but it is what I use.

If you are going to use the images for a printed Reunion report, then you probably want to size the exported file for print medium - e.g 300dpi, etc.