Recovering Deleted Image Files from a SanDisk SD Card
After a senior portrait session I was showing my wife previews of the photos on my Nikon DSLR when instead of hitting the zoom button twice; I hit delete twice on one of the photos that I had shown my client and identified as a keeper. I panicked for a short time and consulted Google on what I should do. I searched: Recover a file deleted from an SD card Nikon DSLR and quickly discovered it wasn't totally lost. That convinced me to share that information with others so that I might help someone in a similar situation.
What to do if you accidentally delete an image file or files form your camera.
1. Do not take any more photos on this SD Card. This can overwrite the old files.
2. Get file recovery software. I found a couple of free ones but hit a dead end with the first one that allowed the free download and to see your lost files but you had to pay upwards of $90 to actually recover them. That is a high ransom if you've only lost one image. If you use SanDisk brand cards; some packages offer a free 1 year of RescuePro Deluxe software.
3. Remove your SD Card from your camera and insert it into the computer you have downloaded the software on. Follow the software RescuePro instructions to retrieve the files. Note: I didn't follow the instructions but rather made a copy of their preview and opened it in photoshop. The file retained its quality.
I have never paid attention to this detail on the packaging and have always thrown it away immediately. I have purchased dozens of SD cards in the last few years as a photographer but alas, I didn't need recovery software until now. I ventured to Walgreens and picked up 2 SD cards to obtain the 1 year of free software and lucky for me they were both $20 off! woo hoo! The first package I opened didn't have the software offer and I know I saw it on at least one package in the store. I had to go back out to my car to retrieve the microSD that I also purchased and it did have the offer stamped on the upper right corner so I was in business and it didn't matter that the cards didn't match it was still able to retrieve the file for me.
Pay attention to the packaging here is an example of the 2 different packages I encountered. The bottom is the one with the offer included.
