Not long ago I spoke with a PrPhotographer & writer of some note who told me since I was using a PC that I should consider this:
If you are a Windows user and cannot use Aperture, then I would use iView Media pro to edit, store, and catalog and Photoshop CS or Essentials with camera RAW to process files.
Either you'll need Pro software or not. And you should mention if you are Apple or PC.
brendo234 wrote:
I'm on a PC - I have been considering getting an apple just for Aperture, but I can't see buying an entirely new computer just to manage my pictures.
Is Aperture really all that its cracked up to be?
Not really...I'm a loyal Mac user. I will probably use Aperture soon, but won't use it exclusively. Its got some great featrues...auto albums, versions, stacks, etc. But iView is a much more coplet DAM (digital asset management) tool. Download the trial of iView. I think you'll find its a very good way to manage your photos.
If you want more information, search here or google DAM. Its a very common topic.
Yes it really is all it's cracked up to be. I've been using it for the last year. It is not in fact, nor is it designed to be a replacement for photoshop but having shopped around and played around with lots of solutions over the last several years, it is by far the best designed. BUT, you can't really get a good handle on it from just using it a few minutes or hours. The ap is much deeper than you'd think and there is room for you to tailor Aperture (and other software) to match your workflow better.
That said, there are plenty more reasons to buy a mac than just organizing pictures so if that is the only facet of it that attracts you, you may wish to think it over some more.
I am using iView Media Pro v3 for my photo organization and cataloging. I am using Photo Mechanic for sorting through images from my camera(s), deleting bad shoots, identifying RAW images to develop, and quickly viewing the results of my RAW conversions. But, when I rate a photo in Photo Mechanic this info is not being transfered to iView when I finally upload my images into the catalog. If I can't solve this problem, I may need to replace Photo Mechanic with another front-end browser. Anyone using an iView based workflow with a front-end browser that they are happy with and can transfer information directly into iView. I know tha that Adobe Bridge and Lightroom work, but I am using Phase One Capture One and DxO Optics Pro for RAW conversion. I do not like the reduced resolution images in Bridge.
brendo234 wrote:
Is Aperture really all that its cracked up to be?
Well, yes and no. I have used it for a while, but actually went back to my old way of doing things until there are a few more improvments - and hopefully speed is one of them.
It's not designed to replace Photoshop - that's for sure, but it does attempt some things, like spot clean up etc.
The problem for me was that I am still on a Dual G5, and Aperture was not fast enough in every day use for me. HOWEVER, I think this is actually a matter or perception, rather than reality. Here is why:
In bridge, iView et al you see a thumbnal and you know that when you click on it it will take some time for your editor to open. In Aperture this all happens within the same program, but the delays are now very obvious and anoying, but in reality are no longer (and are probably much shorter) than opening ACR or C1 from bridge.
At least they fixed the file database to use files from where ever you want....
I have played with Aperture on Intel Quad MACs in stores and the delay was still anoying. However, this may be down to limited RAM installed on them too. I WILL have another look at aperture once I upgrade my MAC to an Intel Quad, but I am not holding my breath at this point.
I'll definitely check out iView, thanks for the suggestions! Any tips on folder/directory structure? Would you guys recommend something like this guy talks about in his article: Tips to Organize Your Digital PhotosTips to Organize Your Digital Photos? Or is there a better way that I'm completely overlooking? I suppose it really depends on application - I'm just a weekender, usually taking pictures of friends, family, vacations, etc. so this chronological folder listing seems like it'd be a great option for me.
Thanks again!
Hey, UCSB - do you go to school there now, or did you graduate from there? Class of 2000 here!!!
To the people knowledgable about iView - is there any way to have it do the following:
1) Span media for backups - i.e. you highlight 25GB to back up and it wants to put it all on ONE 4.7GB DVD! Even Photoshop Elements knows how to span media.
2) Have it automatically tell you what media the backup file is on - if all you currently have is the thumbnail?
I have played with Aperture on Intel Quad MACs in stores and the delay was still anoying. However, this may be down to limited RAM installed on them too. I WILL have another look at aperture once I upgrade my MAC to an Intel Quad, but I am not holding my breath at this point.
I think Aperture used the processor on the Video Card. I have an Intel IMac and Aperture fly's. I have the 24" IMac with the 2.33 processor, 2 GB ram and I went for the 256 MB video card. I keep all my images on a seperate storegae device and do not have any problems with lag time.
Would Lightroom be considered a replacement for IView? Or in other words, if I buy Lightroom, would I still need a program like IView or does Lightroom offer the same or similar DAM functionality?
brendo234 wrote:
That'd be a great option for Picasa to add too.
I still can't believe that nobody uses Picasa... is it because it's for rookies?
The main problem I had with Picasa was not really the program's fault. The 1DMkI and 1DsMkI use a hacked up TIFF file for their RAW files, which means all the shots from those cameras are stuck with tiny (in the 200x300 pixel range) previews. I don't know if it can process RAW files, but that killed it for me. This isn't exclusive to Picasa, iView has (had?) the same issue. I would venture to say that any program not built around a RAW converter will have this problem. While it isn't an issue with more recent DSLRs I still use my 1D for quite a bit of work, so the tiny previews were a killer.
The other issue I had when I tried it out was that it started to really choke once I got over 50GBs of images into it's library. Before that it was fine, but with a large library (for a "consumer" product) it was more of a pain.
Personally I've been using Adobe Lightroom and will be purchasing 1.0 when the student pricing comes out. Beta 4.1 is quite useable, but from the reviews, 1.0 seems to be the best integrated DAM/RAW solution (at least for me). I didn't love the earlier versions that used ACR3.x but the newest version uses ACR4 which seems to have built off of a lot of the strengths of RSP (my current RAW processor of choice). For me, the integration with Photoshop is key. I do some event (mainly theater) photography that needs the speed of an all in one solution, but most of my work is in the fine art realm, where I may look though a few hundred shots from a shoot and only use one or two of them. The direct integration between LR and PS makes this easier.
Patrick Cox wrote:
Would Lightroom be considered a replacement for IView? Or in other words, if I buy Lightroom, would I still need a program like IView or does Lightroom offer the same or similar DAM functionality?
Thanks!
As for question 1. Not to the people from the forums I've been reading. For example scroll down to the 2nd post from the Author of The DAM Book, on the link below & you'll see that he will continue to use iView for the present, but will be choosing between Bridge w/ACR/4 or LightRoom. But the whole column is a good read. You may find yourself about as frustrated when you're done as you are now. But you'll know more. As for me, these guys are so much more knowledgeable in DAM work I feel as if I'm entering the 4th Grade among University Proffs.
I used to use iView for image management, but I have switched completely over to Lightroom. While I liked iView, there is nothing about iView I miss now ;-)
Lightroom is in no way a direct replacement for iView. iView can do things that are critical to many people that LR 1.0 or even 2.0 can't (they have said its a feature for down the road...someday)....off line file storage. iView can keep track of DVDs, CDs, External HDs, even other computers. Lightroom will only manage files on your computer.
iView also has much deeper cataloging, many more labeling and sorting options. Essentially, if you are ok with a simple folder heirarchy type of catalog, Lightroom will do. If you want to sort photos by locatin, rating, date, and person...you are out of luck with Lightroom, but iView can do that with 4 clicks.
CTYankee wrote:
Lightroom is in no way a direct replacement for iView. iView can do things that are critical to many people that LR 1.0 or even 2.0 can't (they have said its a feature for down the road...someday)....off line file storage. iView can keep track of DVDs, CDs, External HDs, even other computers. Lightroom will only manage files on your computer.
iView also has much deeper cataloging, many more labeling and sorting options. Essentially, if you are ok with a simple folder heirarchy type of catalog, Lightroom will do. If you want to sort photos by locatin, rating, date, and person...you are out of luck with Lightroom, but iView can do that with 4 clicks. ...Show more →
Actually, LR 1.0 can track offline files, on DVDs, CDs, HDs, etc. They show up in the library as red.
I agree that iView has deeper cataloging, but you can sort by rating, date, lens, and much more in the new Metadata browser. It's Library is much more powerful than Beta 4.1. It's definitely more than just simple folder hierarchy.
