How To Use PHOTO MECHANIC Like a Pro

Introduction

This tutorial provides a step-by-step guide on how to efficiently transfer photos from your camera to your computer using Photo Mechanic. By following this process, you can ensure that your images are safely backed up, organized, and ready for editing.

Chapter 1: Shooting to Two Cards

• Use a camera with dual card slots, such as the Canon 5D Mark III.
• Shoot with two memory cards (e.g., CF and SD cards) to create a backup of every photo.
• Utilize large capacity cards (e.g., 128GB) to accommodate a full day of shooting.

Chapter 2: Separate the Cards

• After the shoot, remove one card (preferably the CF card) and store it in a secure location, such as a box in your pocket.
• Keep the other card (SD card) in the camera until you are ready to transfer files.

Chapter 3: Use Solid State Drives for Backup

• Invest in solid state drives (SSDs) for fast and portable backups.
• Back up your photos onto the SSD as soon as you return home, even if you're tired after a long day.

Chapter 4: Transfer to Card Reader

• Carefully remove the memory cards from your camera.
• Insert the cards into a card reader connected to your computer.

Chapter 5: Copying with Finder

• Open Finder on your Mac and locate the connected memory cards.
• Be cautious when copying files that may have the same name from different cards.

Chapter 6: Avoiding File Name Conflicts

• To prevent confusion with files that have the same name, use Photo Mechanic for transferring photos.
• Photo Mechanic allows you to ensure all images are backed up without overwriting any files.

Chapter 7: Ingesting with Photo Mechanic

• Open Photo Mechanic and select the cards you want to ingest.
• Choose the option to copy all images from the selected cards into one destination folder.
• Ensure that you do not select the incremental ingest option, as you want to copy all images.

Chapter 8: Setting Destination Folders

• Create a new folder on your SSD for the current shoot (e.g., "YouTube Originals").
• Set a second destination on your external hard drive for redundancy.

Chapter 9: Renaming Ingested Photos

• Rename files during the ingest process to avoid confusion. Use a naming convention that includes the timestamp of when the photo was taken.
• Follow these steps to format the filename:
  • Year (4 digits)
  • Month (2 digits, use month zero)
  • Day (2 digits, use day zero)
  • Hour (24-hour format)
  • Minute
  • Second
  • Original filename

Example format: YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_OriginalFilename

Chapter 10: Start the Ingest

• Hit the ingest button in Photo Mechanic and wait for the process to complete.
• Monitor the progress bars for each card. Green notifications indicate success, while red indicates errors.

Chapter 11: Confirm Ingest Completion

• After the ingest is complete, check that all files have been copied successfully.
• Ensure that all images are backed up on both the SSD and the external hard drive.

Chapter 12: Online Backup

• Set up an online backup service (e.g., Live Drive) for additional security.
• Configure it to automatically back up the folder where your ingested images are stored.

Conclusion

By following this structured approach to transferring and backing up your photos, you can ensure that your images are safe and well-organized for future editing. Next steps include culling your images and editing them, which will be covered in future tutorials. For further assistance or questions, feel free to reach out or check out additional resources.