Input/Output/Workflow - - E-mailing large files

Benny · #1 06-11-2005, 05:23 AM

Hi, I'm pretty new to all this and this is probably a pretty basic question. I'm looking at maybe getting fairly competent with photoshop and then possibly trying to get some freelance re-touching work. My problem is I live in a small seaside town with not much work for a re-toucher, can large digital files be e-mailed from a re-touching agency to a free-lancer and back again? is this practical? Any suggestions?

Benny.

Vikki · #2 06-11-2005, 07:32 AM

Yes, you can email large files, but that's probably not how an agency would do it. FTP is more likely.

Benny · #3 06-12-2005, 01:41 AM

Thanks Vickie, FTP???

Vikki · #4 06-12-2005, 08:06 AM

I believe that stands for File Transfer Protocol, but you should Google it to learn how to use it.

PamSav · #5 06-12-2005, 03:39 PM

If you don't want to use FTP the best way to email large files is via YouSendIt. You upload your file to their server then they send a message to the recipient with a link for them to download it. It can be quite slow to upload large files but it works well.

http://www.yousendit.com

Just another option

Benny · #6 06-12-2005, 09:35 PM

Thanks, I'll look into it.

Kraellin · #7 06-29-2005, 01:52 PM

in general, and this does vary, so check around, most internet service providers (isp's) allow for file sizes up to 10 megabytes in email. or rather, they give you a space on their email servers that is 10 megabytes for your use. thus, if that server space is half full then a 10 megabyte file would be rejected.

google, and now some others, have been experimenting with MUCH larger email servers. i dont know the current status of google's; it was in beta and not open to the general public yet, but it gave you 1 gigabyte of space and thus could handle much larger files. check with google for current information on this. it is called g-mail.

ftp is short for file transfer protocol and is the standard way of sending or receiving large files over a distance, but it requires a server and a client. it is not email. the client program is basically for sending and receiving files to and from a server. programs like wsftp and cuteftp are some of the more common clients. there are many more. the server is generally a holding space on some computer, somewhere. a client sends to the server and another client can download it from the server. the server must have the appropriate software to handle all this. most any web hosting site will have ftp capabilities. when you upload an image to retrouchpro, i believe you are using an ftp upload client on the server side, which is similar to you uploading with your own client. generally, the only limits to file size with ftp is the amount of space which has been allocated by the server, and this is usually quite large.

some instant messengers allow for file transfers. icq, aim, msn messenger, and so on. there are a cross between peer to peer transfers and client to server to client. in some cases, you will get a direct peer to peer, if both you and the other person are logged into the same messenger server. icq, for instance, uses many different servers, so even if someone is on your 'buddy list', they wont necessarily be on the same server. and when not on the same server, then the file is sent to a server and the other person receives it on this via. generally, there are no file size limits to this.

there are also peer to peer networks. things like napster, kazaa, and bit torrent to name a few. on these, you upload your file to their servers and they are there, in plain view, for anyone to download. not great for retouching business, but it would work and there are generally no limits to file sizes.

another method for getting a large file to someone is to break up the file into smaller chunks and send each one individually. the recipient then pieces these back together to make the original larger size. i believe programs like winzip and winrar can do this. they can also both compress larger files into smaller ones to make it easier to send. the recipient then uses the same program to de-compress them or piece them back together.

all in all, i'd recommend getting a web hosting site where you can advertise your business with web pages and have ftp capabilities for sending and receiving digital files for customers. these are not very expensive any more and some offer some very good capabilities.

Craig

byRo · #8 06-29-2005, 08:07 PM

Pam, that's the second time today I hear of YouSendIt.
I had a look around there. So much capacity, all for free, so easy, no hassles??

What's the catch?

Rô

faustina · #9 07-03-2005, 01:57 PM

www.dropload.com is also another great place to use if you can't use FTP and don't have the email capacity on either end. It's totally free and you can send files up to 100 MB. I have used it for several months now without any trouble.

This is taken from their site:

"Dropload is a place for you to drop your files off and have them picked up by someone else at a later time. Recipients you specify are sent an email with instructions on how to download the file. Files are removed from the system after 7 days, regardless if they have been picked up or not. You can upload any type of file, mp3, movies, docs, pdfs, up to 100MB each! Recipients can be anyone with an email address"