Looking for image management and editor

[Jose]

I have been looking for image management and editing software. I haven't
found any, and I probably won't because of too many requirements, but I
thought the things I've been looking at would be of interest to others in
the news group.

Wish list:

0. Save data to EXIF (http://www.zoner.com/zme/tour.asp)

1. Current time inserted as EXIF data for images acquired from a scanner
(http://www.exifer.friedemann.info)

2. Files from camera named YYYY MM DD HHMMSS.extension, on import, using
exif date (http://www.picmeta.com/whatis.htm)

3. Files from camera or scanner named YYYY MM DD HHMMSS.extension,
http://www.storcksoftware.com/setnametotime.htm

4. Categories just like AcdSee implementation (you can hold down the CTRL
key to select multiple categories and choose images in any or all categories
at once. Almost makes search obsolete.
(http://www.acdsystems.com/English/Products/ACDSee/index.htm, iMatch at
http://www.photools.com/ doesn't use CTRL key)

5. Ability to export file name and category data to text file (iMatch at
http://www.photools.com/). This not just a program, it is a tool.

6. Simple editor with red-eye, rotate, crop to aspect ratio, and straighten
to line (http://www.zoner.com/zme/tour.asp, not simple but Ulead
PhotoImpact looks good http://www.ulead.com/pi/runme.htm and it can scan and
slice multiple images in one pass, also
http://www.microsoft.com/products/imaging/products/pipinfo.asp)

7. Preview support for Video (http://www.zoner.com/zme/tour.asp,
http://www.acdsystems.com/English/Products/ACDSee/index.htm)

8. Support for all file types as in AcdSee, including internet, program and
folder shortcuts, they botched this (can't copy program and internet
shortcuts to categories).

9. Support multi-page tif
(http://www.acdsystems.com/English/Products/ACDSee/index.htm)

10. Easy Copy to folder support for use for e-mail and printing (You support
Windows Send To)

11. mail support with file size reduction (Windows Explorer is fine)

12. Print equivalent to or using Windows explorer
(http://www.zoner.com/zme/tour.asp)

13. Simple uncluttered functionality, minimal UI
(http://www.zoner.com/zme/tour.asp)

Pet advanced feature: For each category (i.e. person, animal, house, etc
assign an anniversary date). Automatically calculate age of person in that
picture using exif date and anniversary date. Display categories an image is
assigned to along with the age of the category in that image. (good
scripting available in iMatchiMatch at http://www.photools.com/, I got this
working)

So right now I like the next version of iMatch in October because it will
support more file types, or AcdSee, but I will need an external editor. The
one in Zoner Media Explorer is just fine and it launches separately. But I
might splurge for Microsoft Picture It! Photo Premium, or Ulead Photo
Impact. I also will continue to need Exifer and SetNameToTime.

This is a hideous mess. Any Longhorn developers out there? You can fix this
!!!

 

[Yves Alarie]

Can you tell us how this one compares.
http://www.cerious.com/

 

[Jose]

I did try Thumbsplus and it was good in many areas. I
could check to see if I have more specific notes. It does
not have hierarchical categories.

The most important thing for me is being able to find
files and once you have seen the AcdSee categories in
action there is no return. It's a free download. If you
have not tried it you owe it to yourself to see what it is
about. Just ignore everything and try that feature. Drag
some images into several categories and then just click on
categories to see how the images are found
instantaneously. Notice how selecting a super category
shows all images in the sub categories. Remember to use
the Ctrl/Shift keys to select multiple categories.

The combination of categories and naming the images YY MM
DD - HHMMSS.ext provides all the searching and
organization I need for thousands of images.

-----Original Message-----
Can you tell us how this one compares.
http://www.cerious.com/
any or all
categories

(http://www.acdsystems.com/English/Products/ACDSee/index.ht
m, iMatch at

ratio, and
straighten

http://www.ulead.com/pi/runme.htm and it can scan

and http://www.microsoft.com/products/imaging/products/pipinfo.
asp) http://www.acdsystems.com/English/Products/ACDSee/index.htm
) internet, program
and (http://www.acdsystems.com/English/Products/ACDSee/index.ht
m) printing (You
support categories an image
is

http://www.photools.com/, I got

 

[Jose]

This is my current batch of people related categories. It
may be more than you want but it does let you zero in on
specific photos. It's a question of what you want to find.
You have to think of the type of picture hunting
expeditions you might embark on 10 years from now and then
make up a suitable set of categories.

.....

People - Family
----- Joe
---------- In Picture
---------- Good Picture
---------- Alone
---------- Reason for Event
----- Jane
---------- In Picture
---------- Good Picture
---------- Alone
---------- Reason for Event

People - Nearby

.....

People - Other
----- Jim
---------- In Picture
---------- Good Picture
---------- Alone
---------- Reason for Event
----- Sue
---------- In Picture
---------- Good Picture
---------- Alone
---------- Reason for Event

....

If you click on Family you will see all the files with the
Family.
If you click on Joe you get all the files with Joe
If you click on Alone under Joe you get all the files
where Joe was alone
If you click on Alone under Joe and hold down Ctrl while
you click on Alone
under Jane you will get all files with Joe or Jane Alone
unless you select
Match all where you would get none.

Reason for event is when Joe is the reason the Birthday,
Wedding etc. was
held.


I started using this feature in iMatch but I discovered
AcdSee works the
same way, but AcdSee also does video files, but the
default editor is too
simple (with respect to rotate and crop). Choosing a
viewer and simple
editor is tough.

-----Original Message-----
Can you tell us how this one compares.
http://www.cerious.com/
any or all
categories

(http://www.acdsystems.com/English/Products/ACDSee/index.ht
m, iMatch at

ratio, and
straighten

http://www.ulead.com/pi/runme.htm and it can scan

and http://www.microsoft.com/products/imaging/products/pipinfo.
asp) http://www.acdsystems.com/English/Products/ACDSee/index.htm
) internet, program
and (http://www.acdsystems.com/English/Products/ACDSee/index.ht
m) printing (You
support categories an image
is

http://www.photools.com/, I got

 

[Yves Alarie]

Thanks for doing all this research. Looks like you favor AcdSee for managing
photo files.
Will be interesting to see how the integration of photo file management and
photo editing comes out.

 

[Jose]

ThumbsPlus comments:

"Web site

http://www.thumbsplus.com

"

"Overall



"

"File types supported

Can be configured to show thumbnails for Word and Excel documents. Opens
text.

"

"Edit features

rotate to line, crop at fixed aspect ratio, red eye reduction

"

"Number of files in directory

Ok over 6000

"

"Thumbnail cache - do thumbnails display when fast scrolling

yes, completely smooth

"

"Scrolling through large folder, alows skip to arbitrary portion of pictures

yes

"

"Calendar view - if images are named YYYY MM DD why is this needed

no

"

"Maximum number of characters for filenames

204

"

"full file name visibility

Hover on Image OR Right-click, Thumbmnail, Annotate OR info pane

"

"ease of rename

click on name

"

"Auto rename function

Simple numbered sequence only

"

"Rename using date taken

no

"

"quality for a text document

good

"

"JPEG conversion compression ratio

View, Window, File menu, Save As

"

".tif thumbnail

good

"

"handles .tif

yes

"

"multi-page .tif

yes (Alt+Page Up/Down)

"

"handles .lnk (shortcut)

yes

"

"notices changes in Explorer

yes

"

"command line for slide show

no

"

"slide show image set can be saved

search results are saved

"

"slide show provides image name

yes

"

"video preview

not sure file types are very customizable, didn't see how.

"

"slide show for video files

yes but my install crashed after playback of AVI. WMV ok.

"

"fade transition for video slide show

?

"

"thumbnail sizes

variable

"

"switching thumbnail size

options menu, but current thumnail can be displayed at different sizes and
this change is intantaneous

"

"thumbnail quality

excellent

"

"Acquire from scanner

yes

"

"Exif date added to files acquired from scanner

no

"

"Rotate

yes, but not one click

"

"Red eye

yes

"

"Crop by aspect ratio

yes

"

"Crop shows size of result

yes

"

"wallpaper command

yes

"

"thumbnail access to Windows context menu

no, similar commands

"

"convert

yes

"

"batch convert

yes

"

"Slideshow from results of search

Right click on search result, Create gallery

"

"Slideshow can be saved

Right click on search result, Create gallery

"

"Searches can be saved

Right click on search result, Create gallery

"

"number of levels in category hierarchy

no

"

"number of top level categories in category hierarchy

no

"

"number categories under a category

no

"

"category hierarchy used for search

no

"

"selecting subcategory automatically includes image in category

no, galleries seem to be individual and just grouped for looks

"

"keywords selected from list in search

yes

"

"Search within results

no

"

"keywords asignment method

Right-click , Assign keywords, pulldown.

"

"Create keyword list from filenames in folder

yes

"

"Caption/Description as Exif data

yes

"

"Exif data - change date taken

no

"

"notes



"

"history

recent folders, search history

"

"favorite folders

no

"

"image ratings

user field can be created

"

"Settings to use other applications

yes

"

"Creates HTML page

yes

"

"Acquires multiples photos in one scan

no

"

"Display Sequence can be set manually (position pictures according to when
they were taken and then rename sequentially)

Select images, right-click, Create gallery, Manual order

"

"Manual sequencing remembered

yes

"

"Database location

one file

"

"Reads EXIF copied in using Exifer from a Kodak image

yes

"

 

[Jose]

That's it. I'm going to use Exifer, iMatch, PhotoImpact, and Windows
Explorer for now and re-evaluate in a year: My process:

0. Current time inserted as EXIF data for images acquired from a scanner
(http://www.exifer.friedemann.info), insert a template EXIF file, into image
file, date will be bogus, maybe year 3000?

1. Files from camera or scanner named YYYY MM DD HHMMSS.extension,
iMatch script, if EXIF year is 3000 pop dialog so user can correct date.

2. Rotate if necessary in iMatch.
- Add Rotate scripts and buttons to activate
- Next version (3.5 in October) will support many file types including video

3. More extensive editing in PhotoImpact (red-eye, rotate, crop to aspect
ratio, and straighten
to line + PhotoImpact http://www.ulead.com/pi/runme.htm can scan and
slice multiple images in one pass)

4. Assign Categories in iMatch

6. Print using Windows explorer
- Add iMatch script and button to copy files categorized "To Print" to
dedicated print folder, clear "Tp Print Category", open Windows Explorer to
print folder.

Pet advanced feature: For each category (i.e. person, animal, house, etc
assign an anniversary date). Automatically calculate age of person in that
picture using exif date and anniversary date using an iMatch script.

 

[Yves Alarie]

You can't go away for a year.
In the digital world a year is old, two years is senile!
Everything you posted is dead on. A great help.
Thanks for all the tips and evaluations.
You need to come back in three months.

 

[Jose]

When I have some time I go on a hunt for a particular type of software. Last
year it was video and would you believe I stuck with Movie Maker II, except
I'll use Ulead DVD Movie Factory if I have to make a DVD. I spent the first
part of this year on Media Center. Actually seeing a neighbor struggle with
Olympus Camedia? was what brought this on, so I figured I would find a
solution for both of us. While everything is not perfect, I feel like I'm
getting pretty much the best I can for now. So now I have to quit testing
and talking and actually get something done. I think Longhorn will be the
next big transition for photos, but I'll be back before then.

You really are helping quite a few people, keep it up!

 

[John Inzer]

Stick around Jose....you help lots of folks also.