Do the claims of space-saving efficiency apply to graphics files, too?

For instance, if I add a layer or two to a 300 MB Photoshop or Painter file, will QRecall only back up those layers so that I don't end up with two 300 MB files?
Or if I make changes to an existing layer, are only those changes added to the back up file?

Is it practical to have QRecall back up these as files as I'm working?

When I work with Painter and, because I have had reason in the past not to trust their native RIFF format, I typically save iterative versions of a working file. At the end of the day, I might have an additional five or ten or fifteen saved files. I'll usually delete all but the last three or four and keep those until the next day when I start again, repeating this until the project is finished (which can be anywhere from one to six weeks after it's started), at which time the final version is archived to DVD and the iterative versions deleted.

So it might look like this:
----------
Working_001 ...to... Working_010
End of day:
delete all but _007 - _010
Next day:
Working_010 ...to... Working_020
End of day:
delete all but _017 to _020
etc
----------

I'm trying to figure out a back up strategy that will give me the protection I need without filling up a drive too quickly.

I did order a 2TB NAS drive which I intend to mirror as a RAID 1 and will be used to back up all my files as well as those on two other computers used by my wife and kids.

Mark Gerber wrote:Do the claims of space-saving efficiency apply to graphics files, too?

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say "it depends," but in your case the answer is "yes."

For instance, if I add a layer or two to a 300 MB Photoshop or Painter file, will QRecall only back up those layers so that I don't end up
with two 300 MB files?
Or if I make changes to an existing layer, are only those changes added to the back up file?

This is exactly why I wrote QRecall. In fact, Photoshop documents were used as the first test files for QRecall.

Photoshop and similar graphics applications tend to write the layer data sequentially in the document file. Inserting a layer tends to just "push" the data in the other layers to a new position in the document.

QRecall can detect this "shifted data," but by default it doesn't look for it. If you try QRecall, make sure you bump the "Shifted Quanta Detection" in the Archive Settings up a notch or two.

Is it practical to have QRecall back up these as files as I'm working?

Yes. Photoshop and similar applications write documents in their entirely when you save them, so the contents of the documents aren't in flux while you work. This means that saved documents are captured completely. The only potential problem would be if QRecall was capturing an item at the same instant that you were saving it. Regardless, the next capture would absolutely capture the current version.

When I work with Painter and, because I have had reason in the past not to trust their native RIFF format, I typically save iterative versions of a working file. At the end of the day, I might have an additional five or ten or fifteen saved files. I'll usually delete all but the last three or four and keep those until the next day when I start again, repeating this until the project is finished (which can be anywhere from one to six weeks after it's started), at which time the final version is archived to DVD and the iterative versions deleted.

So it might look like this:

(clip) QRecall won't have any problem with that at all. It will see most of these files as semi-duplicates of each other and store only one copy of the data.

I'm trying to figure out a back up strategy that will give me the protection I need without filling up a drive too quickly.

Given your work flow, I'd say that QRecall is perfectly suited.

But don't take my word for it. Try QRecall and see how it works for you. After using it for awhile, check the log and look for the capture action details. The log will record how efficiently QRecall is detecting duplicate data.

For the best performance, set up two archives. One archive to backup your whole system. Have that archive capture the entire startup volume every night. Then set up a second archive just for your working project files. The second one can be set up to capture repeatedly during the day. The small size of the archive and capture target ensure maximum performance a minimum interference with your work. And remember to set the Shifted Quanta Detection on the project archive.

This is exactly how I have QRecall configured. One archive backs up my entire development system once a day, and a second archive is set up to capture my QRecall project files every 20 minutes between 6AM an 9PM.