Backing Up Then Importing Fixed & Original Photos
I've been using Windows Live Photo Gallery to fix/edit my photographs. I know that the program keeps a copy of the original in case I want to undo the changes. How do I backup both of these before I do a clean install of Windows 7? Then how do I import them back into my profile once the install is finished?
2 people got this answerI do too
Answers
- Hey Wes!
Yes, if you use Easy Transfer and select Pictures, all the related important files should be backed up too by default. Always make sure you backing up 3 things (either by easy transfer, another back up software or manually):
1. All your photos (My Pictures or the folder where you have them stored)
2. The original copies of your edited photos (C:\Windows\Users\%Username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Photo Gallery\Original Images)
3. Windows Live Photo Gallery's database (C:\Windows\Users\%Username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Photo Gallery\Pictures.pd#
1 - Should be pretty simple since you should know where you have stored your photos and you're in complete control of it.
2 - We store an original copy of any photo you edit inside Windows Live Photo Gallery in this folder and they should be safely there unless you have activated a setting in Photo Gallery's options to delete them after a certain amount of time to save disk space. The relationship between those and your photos in kept in our internal database (#3)
3 - We always do our best to store all the information in the files themselves so you have the freedom to move them away without loosing data like the tags you took time to add, when we can't (I.E. for videos or some file types) we store that information in our database. You may see different numbers (I.E. Pictures.pd4, Pictures.pd5) in the folder, this just means there are different versions of the database in there, we keep the previous version handy for backwards compatibility but you should be safe if you just move the latest one to your new computer since that will have the most up to date information and features.
This blog post has great info on how we handle metadata and "your milage may vary" explains some cases when we rely on the database: http://blogs.msdn.com/pix/archive/2006/08/16/702780.aspx
Hope that answers all the questions and helps. Thanks for using Windows Live Photo Gallery!
- Analy Otero Windows Live Photo Gallery Team Member- Marked As Answer byManny S. Jr. - Microsoft SupportMSFT, ModeratorSaturday, October 31, 2009 5:52 PM
All Replies
- I'm curious about the answer to this question, too. I've been using the program for quite some time, but never thought about how originals vs. edits made with WLPG are stored. I do know that when I copy an edited photo, it is only the edited version and there is no revert option when viewed in WLPG on another machine. I assume that the changes are being stored within a database and not the actual original photo, but I could be wrong.
-steve
Microsoft MVP Windows Live / Windows Live OneCare, Live Mesh, & MS Security Essentials Forums Moderator I ran across the originals by accident one day. They seem to be stored here:
C:\Windows\Users\%Username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Photo Gallery\Original Images
The filenames are different, but at least I know that I can backup the originals from there.
But I'm with you Steve. There must be a database somewhere that links the edit to the original. During my search for an answer I found this page:
http://aaron-kelley.net/blog/2008/03/migrating-vistas-windows-photo-gallery-database/
He mentions a database file Pictures.pd4 in the Windows\Users\%Username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Photo Gallery folder. But it's not there. However there is a Pictures.pd5 in a different folder, Windows\Users\%Username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Photo Gallery. I figure it's the updated database file for the updated program.
But the blog entry is more about backing up tags and not about edits vs. originals. So I have not tried it. Plus I'm hoping there is a better way.
-Wes- As far as I know the .pd# files are the database where tags and the listing of the gallery photos are stored. However, it makes sense that this database may also keep track of where it put the originals and what edits were made between the original and the final that is being displayed in the Gallery and is stored in the location where the image actually resides.
Thanks for the information on the location of the originals - that's a big help until we learn more about how this works.
-steve
Microsoft MVP Windows Live / Windows Live OneCare, Live Mesh, & MS Security Essentials Forums Moderator - The following KB article will also help.
How to revert to the original, unmodified version of an image in Windows Photo Gallery or in Windows Live Photo Gallery
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/944370/ - Thanks, CraigPo. That does indeed answer the question about how it works, but it doesn't answer the question on what steps would be needed to insure that all photos *and* the originals have been backed up so that if a restore is performed to a new drive, the linkage from changed photo to original remains valid.
-steve
Microsoft MVP Windows Live / Windows Live OneCare, Live Mesh, & MS Security Essentials Forums Moderator - One way to ensure all the photos, their originals and their relationship are backed up for a later restore is to use Windows Easy Transfer. That process will back up important app data like Windows Live Photo Gallery's database and the original copies of your photos.
Hope that helps,
- Analy Otero [MSFT]- Proposed As Answer byVladimirnov Friday, October 16, 2009 3:42 AM
- Hello! I want to know more about possibility to revert changed photo to its original version. How long is it possible to revert photo to original? Is this possibility exists permanently with each photo?
- Merged byManny S. Jr. - Microsoft SupportMSFT, ModeratorThursday, October 15, 2009 2:29 AMsame concern
- As long as the original copy is still available you should be able to revert the changed photo to the original version. There's a setting on the options menu to delete original images after a certain amount of time, if you select "Never" then you will always be able to revert the photo to the original version (as long as you don't mess arround with app data and remember to move that information when you change machines)
Hope that helps!
- Analy Otero Windows Live Photo Gallery Team Member- Proposed As Answer byVladimirnov Wednesday, October 21, 2009 3:34 AM
Thanks Analy,
First, allow me to apologize for taking so long to reply to your post. Time just keeps slipping away.
I thought about using the Easy Transfer Wizard, but I'm more of a clean install kind of guy. That's why I was looking for a way to get that raw data.
Anyway if I was just interested in moving my Windows Live Photo Gallery Edits, Originals and any database linking the two; will just selecting "Pictures" in Windows Easy Transfer accomplish this? Or, do I need to check some of the other options? Like I said, I'm a sucker for a clean install. :)
Also this is not as important to me, but I am curious, will just selecting pictures also backup the Tags database?
Again thanks for your help with this. And thanks for your work on Windows Live Photo Gallery. Please tell your team that I enjoying using it and I look forward to trying out any new features you have planned for the future.
-Wes- Hey Wes!
Yes, if you use Easy Transfer and select Pictures, all the related important files should be backed up too by default. Always make sure you backing up 3 things (either by easy transfer, another back up software or manually):
1. All your photos (My Pictures or the folder where you have them stored)
2. The original copies of your edited photos (C:\Windows\Users\%Username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Photo Gallery\Original Images)
3. Windows Live Photo Gallery's database (C:\Windows\Users\%Username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Photo Gallery\Pictures.pd#
1 - Should be pretty simple since you should know where you have stored your photos and you're in complete control of it.
2 - We store an original copy of any photo you edit inside Windows Live Photo Gallery in this folder and they should be safely there unless you have activated a setting in Photo Gallery's options to delete them after a certain amount of time to save disk space. The relationship between those and your photos in kept in our internal database (#3)
3 - We always do our best to store all the information in the files themselves so you have the freedom to move them away without loosing data like the tags you took time to add, when we can't (I.E. for videos or some file types) we store that information in our database. You may see different numbers (I.E. Pictures.pd4, Pictures.pd5) in the folder, this just means there are different versions of the database in there, we keep the previous version handy for backwards compatibility but you should be safe if you just move the latest one to your new computer since that will have the most up to date information and features.
This blog post has great info on how we handle metadata and "your milage may vary" explains some cases when we rely on the database: http://blogs.msdn.com/pix/archive/2006/08/16/702780.aspx
Hope that answers all the questions and helps. Thanks for using Windows Live Photo Gallery!
- Analy Otero Windows Live Photo Gallery Team Member- Marked As Answer byManny S. Jr. - Microsoft SupportMSFT, ModeratorSaturday, October 31, 2009 5:52 PM
- Thanks again Analy! This will be a big help. I can't wait to give it a try. Keep up the good work!
-Wes
