My entire gallery show almost crashed because of a corrupted PSD file.

I was setting up my digital art display at the Austin gallery last Friday when my main piece, a 200-layer cityscape, wouldn't open. I had to rebuild it from a week-old backup in the 30 minutes before the doors opened. What's your go-to method for backing up complex project files?

4 comments

4 Comments

jakewhite2mo ago

Cold sweats" is right, but a week-old backup is too old for a live project. I keep two backups, one from the end of every work day and a full archive from the week before. That way you only lose a day's work at most.

keith_bennett2d ago

People get so focused on the big picture that they forget the small daily habits are what keep you afloat. I see it in my line of work too, folks will spend a fortune on a fancy new roof but skip the simple yearly inspection that could have caught a leak early. The backup plan that saves your hide is the one you actually run, not the one you meant to set up. @the_terry probably knows a thing or two about that, those corrupted files don't care about your good intentions. A daily backup is just like locking your tools up at night, it's a simple step that keeps a small problem from turning into a big one.

the_terry2mo agoMost Upvoted

200-layer cityscape" gives me cold sweats, I've been there with corrupted files.

emeryj662mo ago

A friend at a print shop told me they do a local backup every hour and an off-site one at the end of the day. Losing a whole day's work would still be a disaster for them. That extra step seems worth the hassle.