If you scan & stitch OR HDR, do you keep the source files, or just combined?

[darlingm]

Wondering if anyone thinks it's worth keeping the source files when scanning in pieces and stitching, rather than just keeping the stitched file.  I've been hanging onto them, I guess so the stitching could be redone, but wondering if this is just a waste of space.

Also wondering opinions on keeping the source files when combining through HDR, to have the option to join them differently in the future.

[BartvanderWolf]

Wondering if anyone thinks it's worth keeping the source files when scanning in pieces and stitching, rather than just keeping the stitched file.  I've been hanging onto them, I guess so the stitching could be redone, but wondering if this is just a waste of space.

Also wondering opinions on keeping the source files when combining through HDR, to have the option to join them differently in the future.

Hi,

My (Raw) source files are exactly that. When improved new technologies emerge, I will be able to recreate the composites with better quality.

This goes for HDR exposure blending/merging where I used to work with Photomatix but now exclusively with SNS-HDR, Focus stacking where Photoshop occasionally screws up but Helicon Focus is superior (and recently has added a new method), Pano stitching, where the blending engines still improve and better resampling methods become available, and where the improved HDR blending can help a lot as well.

Cheers,
Bart

[sniper]

I always keep everything (except the rejects) those are your negatives so to speak, who knows what improvements will come along in the future, and hard drives are cheap enough really.

[mac_paolo]

Same as before. You have to have a very good reason to trash a photo (unless severe off exposures of off focus).
We really can't imagine what future technology is going to bring.
I just group the images together along with the "final" version, which could change with next Lightroom releases.

[sbay]

I always keep the source files as several times I have gone back with newer software and improved the output.

[darlingm]

I'm one of those people who tries to keep everything.  (Not just digital things.)  Trying to change that where appropriate, but my line of thought is along all your responses for the source files, so I'll continue keeping them.

[walter.sk]

I keep the RAW files, too.  Sometimes, months or years later I look at what I thought had been a good interpretation of a RAW file and am quite stunned about how much I no longer like it.  Whether it is because of better processing software or changes in my skills, I'm happy to have the RAW files on hand. 

Interestingly, I don't know of anybody that used to throw their film negatives away after making prints from them...