handling all this data

[marty1776]

I'm new to ap and quickly learned how much data is used up in photos and processing...and I haven't even come out with one good image yet, still learning.  Any suggestions on storing data?  I mean do you make folders by date?  and everything for that date goes there?  Do you make folders by object you are photoing?  and then all processing files go in there?  I'm already running into confusing situations where I'm working on stuff on different dates and can't remember what is what.  Thanks!

[rockyraccoon]

Marty,
I store all the raw (i.e. not yet reduced) data in folders that have a common naming convention like:

YYMMDD_TARGETNAME_SCOPETYPE
 (for example: 150121_M42_SVQ100)

usually each of this folder has subfolders for Lights and Flats (which are specific to the night). I keep libraries for darks and bias, so those don't need to be in there.

Once I do the calibration and stacking, and I end up with master frames, I store those too in an appropriate subfolder.

To do the actual processing I use "projects" in PI. This is quite useful, as in the course of a project I usually end up creating dozens, sometimes over 100 files... I keep the project files in another drive altogether.

Hope this helps

[marty1776]

Ok, I didn't know about the "projects" area.  That all makes sense.  Right now I'm still learning basic processing and all the processes and crazy amounts of space.  Good thing hdd's are getting cheaper.  Thanks very much.