Production · documentary production cards and drives
documentary production: check a backup size mismatch
Why is the backup from the documentary production smaller than the source?
Short answer
Usually because the totals compare different things: hidden sidecar files, macOS ._ files, a skipped clip too large for the destination or a copy filter can all shift the numbers. On a documentary with many shoot days, compare per-card manifests by filename and byte size, not folder totals, and leave card and backup untouched meanwhile.
The situation
A copy exists, but byte totals or file counts do not match the recorded cards.
Different totals on card and archive usually mean the two sides are counting different things. Hidden sidecar files, macOS resource entries and a single clip the destination quietly refused all shift the number without a scene actually being absent from the archive.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
A documentary archive is copied repeatedly: laptop in the field, portable drive, studio array. Each step can drop the invisible parts, and each volume reports size on disk differently. A file of 4 GB or more is also silently skipped on a FAT32 destination, which matters because long interviews are exactly the files that reach that size.
Hidden sidecars, failed large files, filters and allocation errors can all change totals. For documentary production, this matters because the documentary production combines several sources, takes and handoff steps that must be reconciled as a set
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Leave the cards and both copies of the archive as they are until the comparison produces a list of real differences.
- 2
Build a manifest per card with file names and exact byte sizes, then compare it against the matching offload folder.
- 3
Check the file system of every destination drive, and move anything still on FAT32 to an exFAT or NTFS volume.
- 4
Copy each genuinely missing file from its card again and record it in the shoot log with its verified size.
Do not treat a matching folder size as confirmation and start clearing cards for the next shoot block. And do not delete the older archive copy to free space; while both copies exist, a file missing from one may still be present in the other.
03 / Choose the method
Match the tool to the source
For stable, readable exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 or uncompressed IMG, DD, RAW and BIN images.
Unconfirmed exports are marked .UNVERIFIED.
Nothing here needs recovery software as long as the cards are intact. A scan is only for material already deleted from a readable exFAT, NTFS or FAT16/FAT32 volume, and File Recovery Hero never writes to the source or repairs a truncated file.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
The archive is verified when every card manifest has a full counterpart by name and byte size, including audio and metadata folders. Play the longest interview of each shoot day to its final minute; a skipped or truncated large file shows up there and nowhere else.
Keep the source until two verified copies exist. One working preview is not enough.
Sources and technical references
FAQ
Questions about this recovery case
Can documentary production cards and drives be recovered in this situation?+
Different totals on card and archive usually mean the two sides are counting different things. Hidden sidecar files, macOS resource entries and a single clip the destination quietly refused all shift the number without a scene actually being absent from the archive. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not treat a matching folder size as confirmation and start clearing cards for the next shoot block.
Does scanning write to my memory card?+
Your memory card is only read. Nothing is saved to it.
How do I know whether the result is complete?+
The archive is verified when every card manifest has a full counterpart by name and byte size, including audio and metadata folders.