Image Cataloging Choices

[Kansas Ron]

I have been looking at different cataloging software. My needs are:

1. Recognize E-300 RAW files.
2. Include CDs & DVDs.
3. Keywords & ability to search on keywords, date, camera type, etc.
4. Ability to batch apply keywords.
5. Fairly fast.
6. Ability to recognize that images have been moved.
7. Versioning would be nice, but I can accomplish that with appending a digit code to the file name.

I have played with PSP Album (5 & 6) and it does not handle the RAW files. Have tried PS Elements 3 and find it way too slow and cumbersome. Tried iMatch over a year ago and need to go back to it.

I would be interested in your experiences with programs that fit (or mostly fit my needs list. Recognizing E-300 RAW files is an absolute must though.

[admin_old]

Mac or PC?
For my mac,
I organize everything by year and month... Then add metadata rename, in either PS, or Studio. (Or viewer)
Then I process files, and put them either on-line in a smugmug account, or in iphoto. (The only thing that I must keep organized is the .orf\'s. The jpeg\'s in iphoto I can search by keywords.
Smugmug gives me 1 more layer of protection for the jpeg\'s, but all I really care about are the .orf\'s.
T

[Kansas Ron]

Tony, I am a PC user.

[Bojan Volcansek]

I would vote wholeheartedly for iMatch.
I simply LOVE that program.

Sincerely yours
Bojan

[Kansas Ron]

It may be time to \"dust it off\" and start really exploring. I am sure that I can learn to use it in less time than it keeps taking me to cull through my pictures looking for something now - wife is working on a scrapbook from a trip earlier this year (actually just finished ones from 2003 & 2004 and still have another from 2003 to do). She has been doing the pages and I am the picture finder/cropper/print person. That is why keywords are so important. A lot of this need has come about since we have actually begun working on the scrapbooks (memory books). Now that I see my workflow (or lack of efficient workflow) I am ready to start using a program for real.

[marcof]

I tried a number of applications.

I use Extensis Portfolio 7 for some time as my main cataloguing application. It is not cheap, but very good featurewise. Has all the things you name above.

I tested MediaboardONE. Supports E300, but forces you into one workflow. Also a bit flaky performancewise, and Mac only, although a new version is coming up for windows as well.

Also tried MediaDex Pro.. based on the cumulus engine. Very good as well, lots of possibilities, support for E300 again, more complicated than portfolio, seems faster, looks uglier.

iPhoto.. only Mac, so out of scope here.

Picasa, free windows only. Quite nice, fast. Like iPhoto with more possibilities.

iView multimedia, the competitor to portfolio, according to many people. Same features, better web gallery generating.

hope this helps.

[jebir]

I wonder hoe these softwares manages the keywords and stores the data about the pictures?

I used Paintshop Photo Album for a while and added a lot of keywords etc. However, they were stored in a separate file, not in the actual picture files. So when I had to change computer, I made backups on CDs and forgot the extra cataloging data files. So now I have to start over from the beginning. If the data were stored in the files, then it would have been easy to just re-run the cataloging SW to find the keywords.

Does any of the mentioned softwares work in that way?

Cheers, Jens.

Post edited by: jebir, at: 2005/09/15 13:54

[marcof]

I only know for sure with portfolio.. the assigned keywords are stored inside the catalogue.
keep the catalogue, you have the keywords..
the list with master keywords you create yourself is a different file though.

I think iView multimedia behaves about the same, and mediadex. Not sure about mediaboardONE and picasa though.

[Bojan Volcansek]

Again, I\'ll raise my vote with iMatch and you dust it off. In my opinion and for me, it offers everything that I need and want.

And categorizing images is great, and I like the concept very very much. Also it is working greatly with read-only storage (CD/DVDs), so once when you want to move your photo files, it is really easy to remap them in iMatch.

And for the price, in my opinion, it is real bargain.

Give it a try, there is 30days fully functional trial download.

Sincerely yours
Bojan

[Kansas Ron]

I am not positive, but I believe they are all the same - create a \"catalog\" or database. I would not mind having modification to processed image, but am not sure I would want to do anything to the original, as I save that as my \"negative.\"

[laingjd]

I catalog using just regualr hard drive space, but I use Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Bridge to set it up. No problem recognizing and working with Oly RAW files.

I catalog by date and subject matter, or vice versa.

[Kansas Ron]

Reason I prefer keywords is because, for example, I want all of the following attached to a picture:

Maui
Whale Watching
Breach
Ocean
2005

That way I can search on one or more of them.

[First Light]

Greetings,

How about Adobe Bridge? It\'s a part of the Adobe Creative Suite 2 (which includes Photoshop CS2). I haven\'t upgraded yet (I have the original Adobe CS) but the impression I get about Adobe Bridge is that it serves as a sort of catalog/viewer for all of the Adobe programs. It would be really convenient if it could be used as a general-purpose catalog for media files.

[admin_old]

I like PSCS2 and Bridge a lot. I use that for my cataloging much of the time. I have the Meta Data stored in XML files, and if a person copies the entire folder to a disk, you will pick up those files. If you don\'t, and only copy 1 or 2 files you may loose the Metadata. So you need to make sure you back those up.
But they are good to have.
T

[laingjd]

Adobe Bridge also views and bridges other programs besides Adobe. It seems that anything that can be opened or viewed by CS2 is \"Bridgeable\".

[Kansas Ron]

Since I have it I guess I need to take a closer look at it. What I have read so far was complaints about it be extremely slow, so I just ignored it.

[source]

I just came accross Photo Organizer (http://www.k-i-s.net/article.php?article=6). I don\'t know whether or not all of your requests are supported (photograph versioning control certainly is). I don\'t even know whether it can be installed successfully on Windows (probably not), but allow me to mention it, because it can be a solution to other people.

Its Design Principles raise a few good points in favour of this program, and I think it looks really promising at the very least.