Will .PDN files save copies of every PNG image layer used in a project? Or do I need to keep the original PNG files saved separately too?

[jgk381]

Let's say I have a .PDN project with 100 layers of PNG image files imported from a folder on my computer, and I save the whole project as 1 .PDN file but then the folder containing the original PNG files gets deleted by accident.

 

If I still have the .PDN file, will all 100 PNG images still be saved within the project when I open it?

 

I'm trying to backup my projects and basically want to know if I need to backup every PNG file separately, or if I can just backup the .PDN files?

 

 

 

[BoltBait]

First, I would backup everything!

 

Second, .PDN files can be saved as lossless, that means each layer will be a perfect copy.

 

If you have the ZIP Archive plugin, you can use it to recreate all of your .PNG files if you have one stored per layer.

 

However, what you lose by doing this is the .PNG metadata (so, your camera settings per file, etc.).

[jgk381]

Just now, BoltBait said:

First, I would backup everything!

 

Second, .PDN files can be saved as lossless, that means each layer will be a perfect copy.

 

If you have the ZIP Archive plugin, you can use it to recreate all of your .PNG files if you have one stored per layer.

 

However, what you lose by doing this is the .PNG metadata (so, your camera settings per file, etc.).

Thanks. Are .PDN  files automatically saved as lossless in paint.net? I never see an option to save as lossless, I just select Save As and then chose .PDN from the dropdown file type list and it saves it as a .PDN  file. Then when I open the .PDN file, it contains all the PNG layers, but I wasn't sure if that was because I have those PNG files still on my computer, or if it actually creates new copies of the images within the .PDN file. 

 

I know some audio software requires you to have every original .wav file to your project saved in the original folder or it won't load your project. So I wasn't sure if Paint.Net worked that way too. 

 

I plan to backup everything eventually, but right now I just need the quickest solution as my computer has been acting up and I'm concerned I might lose everything. So if I can just backup the .PDN files and be sure they will contain all the necessary PNG images to each project, that will work for now, and then I can backup all the PNG files later if I'm able to.

 

 

[BoltBait]

Yes, sorry, they are always lossless.

 

And, .PDN files are self-contained.  They don't require the original files to exist in order to open them.

 

Please note:  If a .PDN file gets corrupted in any way (by a bad HD read during a copy operation, for example) the entire contents will be lost.  Please be careful and verify your copies.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

PDN are lossless <edit: beaten by @BoltBait>

 

Put your source images on their own layer and save, save, save (i.e. make multiple copies). A good method is to date stamp the filename so you keep up-to-date and can see the history of the image at a glance.

[jgk381]

Thanks for all the info  😀