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Photo Cataloging Software – Recommendations?
pe2smugmug
Registered Users Posts: 53 Big grins
So I have been using PSE 4.0 for about a year right now and have really enjoyed it. However, I recently discovered (much to my dismay) that adding a caption to a photo resulted in the data being immediately written to the file. Which violates my number one rule of non-destructive edits.
My requirements are based off of my usage habits. I’m am amateur shooting primarily family events, trips, etc. I tag all of my photos the moment they are loaded onto the computer (probably the most important feature). I am almost never editing photos, and if I do touch them up before printing, I tend to load it into the full Photoshop and not use PSE’s built in editor. In this way, I really like the fact that PSE integrates with photoshop and saves all changes as version stacks. Lastly, I’m paranoid about my data, so I want to be able to get it out of the system at any time. I took the time to go through PSE’s database structure before committing to it, and I know that I can pull the data out as needed.
So my requirements:
1) Non-destructive edits/tagging/captions
2) Easy access to all meta-data / edits.
3) Ability to load my existing PSE database (I don’t mind scripting, but I need to be able to get it in)
-Ability to edit the photos in the software is not that important, as long as it will integrate with an external editor and save versions.
Right now the couple pieces of software I have looked at:
PSE:
Pros:
-Most actions are non-destructive
-Known database structure, easy to access all the edits and meta-data (access compatable)
-Good cataloging features
-Easy upload to SmugMug with metadata (I’ve also got syncing 90% working, which is how I discovered caption changes were destructive)
Cons:
-Adding captions are destructive
-A little slow as my catalog grows
-No way to save a bulk time change (for timezone shift) to the files w/o saving tag information as well (the one destructive change I want to be able to make…)
Lightroom
Pros:
-All actions are non-destructive
-Very fast
-Good cataloging features
-Can upload to SmugMug (only from within lightroom, no external access)
-Database structure is readable, but not well documented (sqlite3), can probably get metadata and original filenames, etc.
Cons:
-No way to access final image from outside the software; major problem for me (if anyone knows how to do this, let me know)
I’ve read some old posts on lightroom v PSE (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=76941) , but much of it tends to be dedicated to photo editing, not cataloging.
Any advice or suggestions out there? All advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
My requirements are based off of my usage habits. I’m am amateur shooting primarily family events, trips, etc. I tag all of my photos the moment they are loaded onto the computer (probably the most important feature). I am almost never editing photos, and if I do touch them up before printing, I tend to load it into the full Photoshop and not use PSE’s built in editor. In this way, I really like the fact that PSE integrates with photoshop and saves all changes as version stacks. Lastly, I’m paranoid about my data, so I want to be able to get it out of the system at any time. I took the time to go through PSE’s database structure before committing to it, and I know that I can pull the data out as needed.
So my requirements:
1) Non-destructive edits/tagging/captions
2) Easy access to all meta-data / edits.
3) Ability to load my existing PSE database (I don’t mind scripting, but I need to be able to get it in)
-Ability to edit the photos in the software is not that important, as long as it will integrate with an external editor and save versions.
Right now the couple pieces of software I have looked at:
PSE:
Pros:
-Most actions are non-destructive
-Known database structure, easy to access all the edits and meta-data (access compatable)
-Good cataloging features
-Easy upload to SmugMug with metadata (I’ve also got syncing 90% working, which is how I discovered caption changes were destructive)
Cons:
-Adding captions are destructive
-A little slow as my catalog grows
-No way to save a bulk time change (for timezone shift) to the files w/o saving tag information as well (the one destructive change I want to be able to make…)
Lightroom
Pros:
-All actions are non-destructive
-Very fast
-Good cataloging features
-Can upload to SmugMug (only from within lightroom, no external access)
-Database structure is readable, but not well documented (sqlite3), can probably get metadata and original filenames, etc.
Cons:
-No way to access final image from outside the software; major problem for me (if anyone knows how to do this, let me know)
I’ve read some old posts on lightroom v PSE (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=76941) , but much of it tends to be dedicated to photo editing, not cataloging.
Any advice or suggestions out there? All advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
0
Comments
Take a look at acdsee pro 2
http://store.acdsee.com/servlet/ControllerServlet?Action=DisplayPage&Locale=en_US&SiteID=acd&id=ProductDetailsPage&productID=78701700
and don't forget picasa2 from google, it's free!
http://picasa.google.com/
http://www.idimager.com
I am currently evaluating it myself, so far I like what I see.
It will do destructive edits if you use the built-in image editor, but you can easily have it open in an external editor of your choice, then save as a different file, you can then tag the new file as a version of the original.
For example, I use Canon DPP for editing my RAW files (which is non-destructive), then I save out a JPEG of the image and tag this as a version of the RAW file. They are tracked together in IDImager, and (I think) metadata cascades DOWN from the original to the versions. (Need to test this though).
It is very good about allowing you to get your metadata out easily if you decide you want to use a different program, you can embed the data in the image, write it out to .xmp files, or write it out to a text file.
What I really like about IDImager is that you can set up the database on a seperate computer or NAS, then access it from multiple computers, so I am able to access it from my desktop or my laptop.
I don't know if it imports from PSE. I think it may read in XMP files.
They have a free 30 day evaluation.
Edit: IDImager also has an upload to smugmug utility in the latest version. I have not tried it though yet.
Does anyone else have any experience with it?
One thing that is bothering me a little bit, is that it seems that only the pro version supports image stacks; and $120 is a bit more then I wanted to
spend.
If I start using it, I'll probably try and make up my own uploader, base it off of the one I wrote for PSE, all I would need to do is rewrite the section that deals with the database and make it compatable with IDImager's. But I want to make sure its the right tool before I dive in.
http://www.chrislaudermilkphoto.com/
it's shareware - tagging features and such, some image correction features
I've ben using IDImager for several years now. The Pro version is fantastic, and the support is superb. The developer responds to questions often within minutes, and but I have never had an email I sent to him with a question go more than an hour without a response.
Highly Reccommend!!
Regards,
Ianm: I had not heard of Jet Photo Studio. Do you know if it uses a DB backend and if it does non-destructive taging?
After a bit more reseearch, I guess what I am really looking for is DAM, and I guess the field is still developing. I found a very long thread over at dpreview comparing iDimager and iMatch (http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1004&message=18242028).
The only consensus I can draw is that both are very powerful programs, and both interfaces leave much to be desired. Between the two, I am drawn to IDIMager because of its open storage format and the high praise for its developer. From just looking at the software, the interface seems less then 100% intuitive, and I'm a little worried that if I'm not using the software with great frequency, I will end up relearning it every time I use it. Its also a little frustrating to shell out $120 on software that I'm not really thrilled with (primarily the interface).
In the meantime, I actually wrote up a little script that makes a backup of all my images the moment they are downloaded off the camera, yet associated with the ones that PSE points to. (major thanks to Omar Shahine for his photolibrary) This way I can always have the original file and grab the proper tags for it from the database.
My girlfriend is starting to make fun of me (rightly so), that I have been obsessing about this, testing and scripting all weekened... I need help :cry
Which version interface were they comparing? Hert just recently released version 4 that made a lot of welcome updates to how the interface works. but to each his own! good luck in your search!
The thread starts off with the interface from 3.?, but it does end up including the interface for version 4, which is what I have evaluated. I looked at version 3 briefly (the free version is still around 3.6 I think) and agree that version 4 is a huge improvement, but I still don't find the new version to have the most intuitive interface.
OK, then I can recommend my preferred DAM: IMatch.
I've mentioned before that I have strong reservations regarding the base db engine in IDImager. It's a significant reason why I went with IMatch instead. BTW, there's a hugely improved version in the works; I am expecting it to probably hit sometime this year--though there's no official word yet (he's learned his lesson there).
http://www.chrislaudermilkphoto.com/
Are you talking about the version that Hert released in December? It was a very large release to v4. He is now using SQL Server as the database engine. I could be wrong on this, but as far as I know the major release has already happened.
My understanding is that the current version can either use the sqlite3 DB backend, or MS SQL (either express or the full version). I consider both of these to be quite reliable DB's and I'm comfortable with the requirements to back both of them up. Or is your reservation more with regards to the DB structure rather then the actual engine? At the same time, what kind of db engine is iMatch using, I didn't see any quick documentation on it?
I looked at IMatch recently and didn't see any information on the engine. However, the developer states that all photo information in the DB is accessible through scripting, which is done using a VB clone. The object model is documented and there are some canned scripts you can download and use or tweak. I wouldn't be concerned about being locked into the product if you go that route.
I'm sure Chris can tell you more about the DB. Also, check out the IMatch user forum. Mario (the developer) is quite responsive to questions as are a number of other experienced users.
Cheers,
The IDImager site still lists Access for the low-end version, while SQLite and SQL server for the fancier ones. Having dealt with Access & SQL Server a lot at work I've seen a lot. My main reservation is with the Access engine--it behaves VERY poorly when that filesize limit is hit. Funky errors with incorrect descriptions and lost data with no warning. That has left me wondering about SQL Server a bit, though as a general database it's behaved well. I'm not familiar with sqlite. So as with any comments on the 'net, take mine with a grain of salt.
One of the things that attracted me to IMatch was the numerous ways your could import & export data from the database. Accessing all that hard work if I chose to change products in the future was a primary concern.
http://www.chrislaudermilkphoto.com/
As far as I know the Access database has been done away with in all the latest versions of IDImager.
I just looked at their Web page...the free edition (3.5) still uses Access, the personal edition uses SQLite and the pro version can use either SQLlite, MS SQL Server Edition or SQLExpress.
That's right, I had forgotten about the free version. From my understanding I don't believe that the free version is coninuing to be developed, so that is where it will stand. The personal and pro versions though shouldn't have any of the problems associated with Access.
Thanks for the clarification!
Can anyone tell me how well iMatch and IDImager integrate with other editors? ie. In PSE, when you can right click on an image and choose to edit it in photoshop. At this point it will "lock" the image, and open it automatically in photoshop. When you save and close the file in photoshop, it will automatically give it a new filename (XXXX-Edited1 or something) and create a version stack with the new file on top. Makes it very easy to keep track of things, yet keep a record of major changes.
Is there anything similar in either of these programs? I know idimager has versioning, but I don't know how well it integrates and how much user involvement is required.
Thanks again
-Evan
I'm probably confusing the issue! LoL
You can set IMatch to open files into an editor you define. I've linked PS, so I can right-click on the thumbnail & select "Open in Photoshop CS..." which it does. I would expect PSE to be well-integrated since it's the same guys publishing both apps.
http://www.chrislaudermilkphoto.com/