Photo management software.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

I've tried a dozen packages, and while each has it's neat features,
none of them meet my needs.

Situation: School, with 15 digital cameras owned by students.
Problem: We want to start building a good archive that can be
a resource when writing PR publications, and the student yearbook.

1. Most packages store metadata either in separate files, or in a
database. This is a problem:
A: If an image is renamed outside the application, the meta data is
lost. Similarly if the image is copied, the copy no longer has
associated metadata.

What I would like is to have the meta data incorporated into the file
itself. For fast acces the database could be rebuilt as needed by
re-extracting the data from the image.

2. Several packages 'flattened' the hierarchy of my disk, showing a
bunch of folders, but not showing how they were organized. I tend to
work on the basis of:
SomeEvent:
\original pictures
\1_adjust levels & contrast
\2_crop
\3_dodge & burn

With a flattened directory structure I end up with forty-eleven folders
named original pictures.

The software has to reflect the directory layout of the disk.

3. I need the ability to quickly make ad-hoc albums. My writers tend
to search through the archives, pick 60 pixtures, then go through them
again and againe, winnowing it down to say, 20 pictures, print them,
narrow that down to 4-5 pix, write the story, then the editor choses
2-3. Since I may have 10-15 writers working at the same time, having
multiple pick lists or albums is important.


4. Some packages try to load the entire world on startup. (iphoto,
picasa) No! Bad dog! No Biscuit! This is unacceptable when the
collection is growing at a thousand pictures a month.

I think what would work best:
A: The meta data is stored in the original image.
B: Thumbnails and meta data can be extracted to a binary and a text
file in the same directory. This can be updated on a periodic basis by
a scheduled job on the server.
C: On start up the photo management software just reads the two files
in each folder, and reconstructs the database used for searching
pictures.
D: Original pictures are never moved or modified, except that the
owner or a photo-administrator can modify metadata.

Comments?

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

sgbotsford@yahoo.com wrote:
> I've tried a dozen packages, and while each has it's neat features,
> none of them meet my needs.


> 4. Some packages try to load the entire world on startup. (iphoto,
> picasa) No! Bad dog! No Biscuit! This is unacceptable when the
> collection is growing at a thousand pictures a month.
>
> I think what would work best:
> A: The meta data is stored in the original image.
> B: Thumbnails and meta data can be extracted to a binary and a text
> file in the same directory. This can be updated on a periodic basis
> by a scheduled job on the server.
> C: On start up the photo management software just reads the two files
> in each folder, and reconstructs the database used for searching
> pictures.
> D: Original pictures are never moved or modified, except that the
> owner or a photo-administrator can modify metadata.
>
> Comments?

ACDSee from www.acdsystems.com

I have well over 200,000 images on my computer's drives (and that's not even
counting the redundant copies of these--all of which ACDSee manages).
ACDSee handles them with ease, and the meta-data is stored within the file
as usual. You may be running into OTHER programs that are stripping the
metadata out. If that's the case, you'll have to solve that issue by
itself...

Back to ACDSee: You can browse folders, and dump selected files into an
"image basket" as you go along...but the files aren't actually moved...just
the reference to them. You can then do what you want with them, without
having to copy them to a new folder (if that's what you want). There are
literally hundreds of capabilities, but it's only as comnplicated as you
want it to be...with fully customizable menues, tabs, etc.

It is ICC aware, uses lossless jpeg rotation, has built-in CD and DVD
archiving features, and is an extremely powerful program all 'round.

I use it for all organization and image management...then edit in other
programs (Photoshop, and several RAW file programs).

There are free image managers out there that many seem to like, but none of
them are as powerful, versatile, or pleasing as ACDSee is, in my experience.

-Mark

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Hi!

I agree with you, that metadata should reside in the image file.
I use www.pixvue.com for adding/editing EXIF/IPTC metadata. Its a
shell-extension for Windows Explorer. It adds some powerfull functions
to Explorer. E.g. editing EXIF/IPTC data, copying EXIF/IPTC from one
image to others and creating EXIF/IPTC templates, which can be applied
on to multiple images.

After that I use Picasa for cataloguing and editing of the images.
Picasa is a great tool for quickly searching my images. It indexes all
the EXIF/IPTC meta data and makes them searchable.
Furthermore its easy to make albums in Picasa, and it's also possible
to select individual images and then do, whatever needed to them (E.g.
print or export).

As far as I remember it's possible to make contactsheets (Thumbnails)
from Picasa.

Also Picasa indexes quickly and doesn't change the original
image-files.

regards

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Patrick Kane <pat.kane@juno.com> writes:

> On 19 Sep 2005 20:28:18 -0700, sgbotsford@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> >I've tried a dozen packages, and while each has it's neat features,
> >none of them meet my needs.
>
> I'm a long time user of ThumbsPlus and believe that it would meet your
> needs. www.cerious.com. Good luck.

Thumbs plus stores metadata in an external database; however, if you
put your captions and keywords in the file using IPTC data (which
Thumbs Plus is very good at helping you do), those will be picked up
and indexed -- so the "renamed or moved photo" situation the OP
described won't be a problem.
--
David Dyer-Bennet, <mailtod-b@dd-b.net>, <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/>
RKBA: <http://noguns-nomoney.com/> <http://www.dd-b.net/carry/>
Pics: <http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/> <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/>
Dragaera/Steven Brust: <http://dragaera.info/>