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View Full Version : PC Magazine: "Digital Photography for Everyone: Manage, Share, Print"


Jason Dunn
03-02-2004, 08:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1538517,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1538517,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div>"If you're ready to buy a digital camera, you probably can't wait to enjoy the convenience of having your photos at your fingertips, share pictures with friends and family, and cover the walls of your house with your masterpieces printed off a photo-quality ink jet printer. But if you've owned a digital camera for a while, you know the reality of the situation: Windows' built-in tools for managing images are underpowered; sharing photos by traditional means such as e-mail is cumbersome, and printing off your ink jet printer means constantly buying pricey little ink cartridges.<br /><br />Fortunately, when the tech world has a problem, innovators turn up everywhere you look, from the familiar Adobe and Apple to newer kids on the block such as modgods and Snapfish. New image management applications let you sift quickly through thousands of images; photo-sharing sites and tools make setting up Web galleries and pushing pictures to your pals easy; and online photofinishers can give you great-looking prints easily and inexpensively (and they can even print your picture on a cake; don't try that at home). We've tested 24 tools and services that will help you and your PC keep up with your trigger finger."<br /><br />PC Magazine steps through a shoot-out of six different photo management tools, but the fact that they put a scant 100 words on a page and surround it with gobs of advertising and cross-promotional glop makes this a hard article to read. I use <a href="http://www.qksrv.net/click-703726-10286623">Picasa</a> (affiliate) for most of my photo management needs, augmented with <a href="http://www.acdsystems.com/english/Products/ACDSee/index?CMP=ILC-HomeLeftProdCentric1&CRA=ENmoreinfo">ACDSEE 6.0</a> for things that Picasa can't do (like re-naming files, batch re-sizing, etc.). I haven't used all of the products in this round-up, so I can't speak to all of the, but Picasa's ease of use and amazing user-interface make for a very potent combination - it's the only photo management program that I recommend to my parents and in-laws. That should tell you something right there. ;-) More on this topic later...

Mike Temporale
03-02-2004, 08:34 PM
I use Picasa (http://www.qksrv.net/click-703726-10286623) (affiliate) for most of my photo management needs, augmented with ACDSEE 6.0 (http://www.acdsystems.com/english/Products/ACDSee/index?CMP=ILC-HomeLeftProdCentric1&CRA=ENmoreinfo) for things that Picasa can't do (like re-naming files, batch re-sizing, etc.).

Your timing is excellent (as always). My wife and I were just talking about getting some sort of software to help manage our pictures. We have been storing them by event name, date, or subject matter. But lately it's been getting rather difficult to find stuff. Picasa does look good, but I am unable to download and test it out until I get home tonight. So in the mean time, can you answer a question for me? Can I assign multiple categories to a single picture? for example, could I set a picture to be a member of the following groups: "Smartphone", "Christmas", and "2003". Then if I asked to see all pictures from the Smartphone category it would display said pic??

Jason Dunn
03-02-2004, 08:39 PM
Unfortunately, Picasa lacks support for categories and filtering in the way. It filters based on album name and file name, but that's it. Once of it's weaknesses. ACDSEE is good at that though. :wink:

Gary Sheynkman
03-02-2004, 11:36 PM
Unfortunately, Picasa lacks support for categories and filtering in the way. It filters based on album name and file name, but that's it. Once of it's weaknesses. ACDSEE is good at that though. :wink:

:oops:


Maybe the programmers at Picasa will see this and integrate this feature into the next version??? :D

Mike Temporale
03-02-2004, 11:54 PM
Maybe the programmers at Picasa will see this and integrate this feature into the next version??? :D

Unless they have a new version right around the corner it will be too late. ;)

One more question, How does these work on a shared environment? I have a Windows XP Pro "file server" that we store all our files on. Can I install it on that machine but access through a light weight front end or something? So I could keep working from my laptop. I can always use Remote Desktop to connect and do things, but it would be easier if I didn't have to do all that. I know, not much chance of this but I have to ask. :D

Suhit Gupta
03-03-2004, 12:42 AM
Unless they have a new version right around the corner it will be too late. ;)
Agreed. Especially since it isn't one of those easy features to throw together quickly.

Suhit

Crocuta
03-03-2004, 05:58 AM
I'll have to check a couple of these out. I've basically used my folders as a filing system, but there are definitely times when I could use a database approach instead. Like Mike, I think the solution really has to have the ability to attach multiple categories and allow me to search on any of them. I use Adobe products for almost everything else; perhaps I'll look at theirs first. Does any one else here use it and have any opinions?

Gary Sheynkman
03-03-2004, 06:08 AM
I'll have to check a couple of these out. I've basically used my folders as a filing system, but there are definitely times when I could use a database approach instead. Like Mike, I think the solution really has to have the ability to attach multiple categories and allow me to search on any of them. I use Adobe products for almost everything else; perhaps I'll look at theirs first. Does any one else here use it and have any opinions?

If you are talking about Adobe product the general consensus is always this: its a great piece of software...maybe the best bar none, but a lot of people do not need or want the extra features that adobe incorporates for the digital pro

Suhit Gupta
03-03-2004, 09:12 AM
And several people find their prices prohibitive. :(

Suhit

Crocuta
03-03-2004, 03:16 PM
Thanks guys. I downloaded Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition and it really is excellent. The only thing that bugs me about it (limitations on categories) is one of the things they unlock in the paid version. Not only does it handle multiple categories per image, it's quite quick and easy to assign the 'tags'. I think I'll go with it. Suhit, I know that most Adobe products are very expensive, but the full version of PS Album is only $39.00 when you are upgrading from the free starter version. I can definitely handle that. Now this is what's great about sites like this. I've been meaning to do this for awhile, but just never got around to it, but this discussion gave me some basic info from the article that got me motivated to actually do it.

Suhit Gupta
03-03-2004, 06:32 PM
Oh, you are right, $39 isn't bad at all. But their other products like Acrobat, Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator and their other web development software are all fairly expensive. But, good luck with Adobe Photoshop Album.

Suhit