Image Management applications?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dell Phinus
  • Start date Start date
D

Dell Phinus

Greetings,

Looking for some advice/experience on image management/cataloging
applications. I’ve been experimenting with Dell Image Expert
(understand it was bought by JASC, then dropped?), and ACDSee.
I’m getting ready to start a project and will need to enter a
fair amount of historical data on each image, so I don’t want to
start with a product that will not be transportable to the final
product (if I don’t start with the final). Kind new to this,
but I think my requirements are (in no particular order):
1. Automatic cataloging of directories (point it to a folder/CDROM,
and it gets all the images and adds them to the database).

2. Ability to track images by CD volume label (I select a thumbnail
to open, and the program tells me to insert CD blah blah blah)

3. Database size- this might be important, I’ve got seven peach
crates of albums and scrapbooks to scan/catalog, and a couple coat
boxes of loose snapshots and portraits.
Not to mention my current/ongoing photographic endeavors.

4. Transportability- If the application I put all this time and
effort into goes belly up, can I transport all the image info into a
new app without having to retype, or end up using the old app and some
new app.

5. Ease of adding image info. IE is pretty easy- select a thumb,
click on the info tab and start typing.

6. Sort/Search on multiple keywords, date, image info

7. Ability to link more than one file to a thumb/entry? I have
visions of storing all the raw scans on one set of CDs, and storing
finished/manipulated images on another set, and then completed
scrapbook/albums on a third set. WOrk process will be to scan all the
images /items, then come back and edit/cleanup, then come back and
assemble albums (not image man. program albums, elctronic versions of
photo-albums/scrapbooks) It’d be nice, I think, to be able to
see all files associated with a given image.

8. Centralized image info storage. If I need to transfer to a new
hard drive, or make backups, how hard is it to do.

DO any such beasts exist?

Any and all advice welcome.

Thanks,
DP
 
Dell,

You are describing IMatch. It is excellent software at a reasonable price.
Do a Google search or go to Photools.com. There is also a very active Yahoo
Group. I have looked at most of the other available image management
software available, and they are not in the same league.

Chris Luneski
 
Dell Phinus wrote:

I'll try to answer your questions for ThumbsPlus
(http://www.cerious.com). I'm not associated with the company, just a
happy user.
1. Automatic cataloging of directories (point it to a folder/CDROM,
and it gets all the images and adds them to the database).
yep.

2. Ability to track images by CD volume label (I select a thumbnail
to open, and the program tells me to insert CD blah blah blah)
Click to expand...

yep - can use either CD serial numbers or volume labels.
3. Database size- this might be important, I’ve got seven peach
crates of albums and scrapbooks to scan/catalog, and a couple coat
boxes of loose snapshots and portraits.
Not to mention my current/ongoing photographic endeavors.
Click to expand...

Max of 2Gb database size (this includes the thumbnail images, which are
stored in the db) using the default Access database engine.
4. Transportability- If the application I put all this time and
effort into goes belly up, can I transport all the image info into a
new app without having to retype, or end up using the old app and some
new app.
Click to expand...

The db is in Access 2000 format, but this isn't necesserily useful. You
can export it as a text file, which is useful, but you'd need to know it
was about to go belly up to do this!

A feature that a number of people are requesting on the support
newsgroups is the ability to transfer information from the database to
IPTC fields, which would solve this by backing up the info in the image
files themselves. It seems likely that this will appear either in the
coming service pack for v6, or in v7.
5. Ease of adding image info. IE is pretty easy- select a thumb,
click on the info tab and start typing.
Click to expand...

Pretty easy. There's a 30 day free trial, so try it.
6. Sort/Search on multiple keywords, date, image info
yep.

7. Ability to link more than one file to a thumb/entry?
Click to expand...

No. This is one of my big wishes. I have suggested it to Cerious, and
they said they'll look into it for the future, but I don't hold out too
much hope.

Anyone know of a program that does do this?
8. Centralized image info storage. If I need to transfer to a new
hard drive, or make backups, how hard is it to do.
Click to expand...

If the directory structure is the same on both, no trouble at all. If
there's a simple difference such as a different root to the photo
directories, it's simple. If it's very different (everything all over
the place) there will probably be hassle.

HTH.

--
"I still don't know why I told you that stuff"
"I'm glad you did"
"How's that?"
"You felt that you could"
-"Raw", by Chris O'Connell and Theatre Absolute
 
Looking for some advice/experience on image management/cataloging
applications.
Click to expand...

I'm a very happy iMatch user. I can't say that it meets all of your
requirements, but I can say it is the most flexible and most powerful of any of
the (many) image database programs I checked out.

John Moore
 
I use a combination of Thumbsplus 6 and PixVue.

If you could read German, I could send you a detailed description of my
system.

In short. Number your pictures like "2004-02-739-Mexico.jpg". Put the negs
and all stuff in boxes by date. Write the first and last picture on the
box. Do the same with your paper prints, slides and CDs.

Use Thumbsplus6 and put all information of the images into the IPTC tag.
Put all search information into IPTC keywords. PixVue is a powerful tool
to help you by batch writing. Creating thumbnails, TP6 will read the
information and the keywords from the original pictures and establish a
database, by which you may search. There is a small addition program to
TP6, which creates a list of keywords.

The main advantage is, that you can get rid of the programs without
loosing your cataloguing work. The same do Protfolio and Cumuls. IPTC can
also be written by Photoshop and numerous other programs.

Now have fun AFH
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Hello, Dell!
You wrote on 5 Apr 2004 11:53:00 -0700:

DP> Looking for some advice/experience on image management/cataloging

Go for IMatch at www.photools.com

DP> Kind new to this,
DP> but I think my requirements are (in no particular order):
DP> 1. Automatic cataloging of directories (point it to a folder/CDROM,
DP> and it gets all the images and adds them to the database).

Yes.

DP> 2. Ability to track images by CD volume label (I select a thumbnail
DP> to open, and the program tells me to insert CD blah blah blah)

Yes.

DP> 3. Database size- this might be important, I’ve got seven peach
DP> crates of albums and scrapbooks to scan/catalog, and a couple coat
DP> boxes of loose snapshots and portraits.
DP> Not to mention my current/ongoing photographic endeavors.

Unlimited. Here's a citation from the website
http://www.photools.com/imatchfaq.php#3:
+++
The largest database I know of is a 1.2 million photographic images database
running in the US. A Dual-2GHz machine with 2 GB of RAM and about 800 GB of
disk space is used to run this database.
+++

DP> 4. Transportability- If the application I put all this time and
DP> effort into goes belly up, can I transport all the image info into a
DP> new app without having to retype, or end up using the old app and some
DP> new app.

Yes. Another citation from website
http://www.photools.com/imatchfaq.php#50

+++
Exporting your data

All the data stored in the IMatch database can be exported in various ways,
either as XML or text. You can export your metadata (comments, annotations,
categories, and the schema database itself) at any time using the built-in
export functions.
Using the built-in scripting language, you can export your image database
contents in even more ways, to create custom output formats or to feed even
the most exotic applications.

Since IMatch scripting is COM-compliant you can access all ODBC-compatible
databases using the built-in database interface. Hence transferring data
from IMatch to an SQL database or another database system is no problem.


Importing data from other systems

IMatch contains built-in functions to import metadata from other systems.
This includes ACDSeeT description files, IPTC and EXIF records.
Using the built-in scripting language, other import filters have been added.
Currently IMatch supports import from the following systems:


a.. ImageAXS

b.. SmartPix

c.. FotoTime XML

d.. Photo Recall

e.. Portfolio


Since some of these systems allow you to customize what meta data is stored
in your database, you need to configure the import script to match the
contents of your input database. But this is easy, and fully documented
within the scripts itself.
IMatch allows you to import meta data like comments and annotations, and
automatically converts keywords, albums or similar concepts from the input
system into the corresponding IMatch concept.

+++:

DP> 5. Ease of adding image info. IE is pretty easy- select a thumb,
DP> click on the info tab and start typing.

Yes, however "ease" is somewhat subjective. From my point of view, IMatch is
a great and extremely convinient tool.

DP> 6. Sort/Search on multiple keywords, date, image info

Yes.

DP> 7. Ability to link more than one file to a thumb/entry?

Not in current version. Some great workflow improvement (like versioning) is
promised in next (3.5) version, out of production soon.

This question is answered in IMatch FAQ:
+++
(IMF0027) How do you recommend that versions of the same image
(different file formats, different edited versions) be managed in IMatch?
Would you catalog each version, or just the original while using subfolders
to hold the variations?
Most users store these images in different folders and/or media and
use IMatch dynamic categories to link the original image with the edited (or
customer specific) versions.
You may also want to use IPTC with your images to store the
informationabout your workflow or history information in your images, so
this information will be save in case you decide to switch to another
application.

+++

DP> 8. Centralized image info storage. If I need to transfer to a new
DP> hard drive, or make backups, how hard is it to do.

Yes.

DP> DO any such beasts exist?

www.photools.com
You can also check user forum at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/imatchuserforum/

DP> Any and all advice welcome.


With best regards, Dmitry Rybas.
 
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