Memory Card Quantity Planner
Turn photo count, file size, video bitrate, cameras, and recorded slots into a card-kit quantity.
Plan camera cardsCapture-to-copy workflow
Field Media Offload Planning
Pack enough camera media, finish verified copies inside the available window, and release cards only when the evidence says they are safe to reuse.
Media Offload Time Planner
Model parallel readers, destination write limits, workflow efficiency, and verification time.
Plan the copy windowField Backup Drive Planner
Allocate trip data to separate physical copies with usable capacity, reserve, and spare drives visible.
Pack field drivesMemory Card Rotation Planner
Calculate how many cards must remain out of service while verified copies and hold rules finish.
Test card reuseCapacity is only the first field decision
A card-capacity total does not reveal whether several readers can empty the day before the next call time, whether both portable copies fit on distinct drives, or whether yesterday's cards can be formatted. This cluster treats those as separate decisions linked by one measured payload.
Read the field media offload and verification workflow, then keep the copy-status checklist with each handoff.
Recommended workflow
Move from capture estimate to releasable media
Where to start
Start with the Memory Card Quantity Planner before a shoot when the camera count, photo volume, video duration, or dual-slot policy can still change. If the cards and expected payload are already known, begin with the Media Offload Time Planner. Use measured card-reader and destination speeds whenever possible; interface labels are ceilings, not sustained workflow evidence.
Recommended workflow
Estimate primary capture first, multiply only for actual in-camera recorded copies, and add deliberately unassigned spares. Next, calculate the offload window for the readers and destinations that will travel. Allocate two independent field copies to separate drives. Finally, test the card rotation against verification duration and any policy that holds source cards after copying. Save every result with the same payload assumption.
What to prepare
Bring a camera test file or known average photo size, a documented video bitrate, realistic record minutes, formatted card capacity, reader count, measured transfer speeds, destination count, verification method, daily ingest, trip length, and the number of cards and drives already owned. Also write down who controls each copy and the event that permits a card to be formatted.
What to do next
Benchmark one full card through the exact laptop, hub, cables, readers, software, and destinations. Label working and backup drives by copy role rather than treating all disks as interchangeable. Run the checklist before ejecting a card or separating custody. After the field handoff, continue to the Creator Media Storage Planner for working and archive capacity; a portable field copy is not the finished archive.