iPhoto 6 and PSE 4.0 - Where to catalog?

[hveep]

I'm just about to take delivery of a new iMac G5 Intel with iPhoto 6 aboard. With earlier systems have I run Adobe Photoshop Elements for added editing while maintaining catalog in iPhoto.

Adobe PSE 4.0 for Mac just coming out and note they will be featuring a browser function that appears to overlap iPhoto 6 organizing functions. Are there arguments to matain the catalog in PSE 4.0 over iPhoto 6.

As I will be making a clean start, would be interested in any observations from experienced users.

This is my first posting to this forum so apologize if this has been addressed previously.

hveep

 

[Clix Pix]

I haven't seen PSE 4 for the Mac yet so don't know, but just off the top of my head I would say that since they're providing a browser function, etc., that is probably similar to their previous software called Photo Album or something, which was later integrated into versions of PSE. Because this would be an integral part of the overall program, I would think it would work smoothly and seamlessly and possibly would provide more flexibility than iPhoto? I don't really use iPhoto myself; I have Aperture, but I also set up a separate folder system outside of Aperture and iPhoto for various reasons.

 

[gibbon]

sorry if this is at all off topic, but how does one browse files in PSE4? I hate iPhoto's catalogue system and it stops me from using it. Does PSE4 import photos and do the same sort of thing with them or does it allow you to just browse for photos anywhere on the hard drive like good old acdsee used to do on a pc?

 

[Applespider]

I hate iPhoto's catalogue system and it stops me from using it.

iPhoto 6 no longer forces you to use its catalogue system; you can tell it to look at an existing file structure and not import them.

The file structure was also changed in iPhoto 6 to something that made more sense to most. Rather than Year>Month>Day, it's now Year>Name of Roll

I believe I read that the PSE4 browser is a cutdown of the one in the main version of CS without access to some of the features/information that they consider 'pro-only' but if you did have both on your machine, it would use the browser for the pro-app even in PSE

 

[bousozoku]

sorry if this is at all off topic, but how does one browse files in PSE4? I hate iPhoto's catalogue system and it stops me from using it. Does PSE4 import photos and do the same sort of thing with them or does it allow you to just browse for photos anywhere on the hard drive like good old acdsee used to do on a pc?

Adobe Bridge is Photoshop Elements 4.0 is a pain to use but it works. There was a file browser in version 3.0 but that apparently wasn't good enough. What was removed from the professional version of Bridge was the idea of a project manager. Now, it uses the folders that you already have in place--no importing necessary--but you need to right-click to do an Open With... to get to Photoshop Elements.

I would imagine that merely changing associations will make this easier, as double-clicking does not follow Finder/System's file associations and double-clicking a PSE saved file will open it in Preview instead of PSE.

 

[kiwi-in-uk]

The concern I have is integration with other Apple software (iLife, Motion) which is important to me.
IF the PSE 4 catalogue is better than iPhoto's, AND iPhoto's indexing of "other file structures" allows me to integrate the PSE4 cataloague with other Apple apps, then I would consider it (although at the moment I don't see the benefits for me in using the PSE4 catalogue in preference to iPhoto's)

 

[decksnap]

Applespider- can you confirm whether my other two major gripes have been sorted out in iPhoto '06 or not?

1. Inability to rename actual filenames from within iPhoto


2. Iphoto strips spotlight comments when importing images


But, since iPhoto no longer 'takes control' of your file system, I guess that means you can browse with both systems as you see fit. No more 'iPhoto or nothin'.'

Other benefits to the photoshop browser would be things like the ability to make contact sheets or run batch processes. It sounds like you can have the best of both worlds now.

 

[ChrisA]

Adobe PSE 4.0 for Mac just coming out and note they will be featuring a browser function that appears to overlap iPhoto 6 organizing functions. Are there arguments to matain the catalog in PSE 4.0 over iPhoto 6.

PSE 4 is so new not many people here would have used it. The way to decide is if
you like iPhoto's integration with other iLife programs. and spotlight. Adobe has it's own why to make slide shows and so on but iLife is a broader suite

One option is to keep the photos in iPhoto but specify PSE as iPhoto's editor so that when tyou click "edit" you get the photo insude PSE rather than iPhot's editor.

You could also keep the photos in Adobe and import then into iPhoto only as needed

Don't give up on iPhoto's catlogging system until you understand how photos can appear in several "smart albums" at the same time and how yu can put albums in folders and folders in folders the combination of these features along with a wel though out keyword and coments convention is powerfull because you can automatically maintain many different filing systems. Like a Libraries card catalog that has three cards for each book files by tital, author and subject. Librarie have three systems iPhoto alows you as many as you want. Most users don't take advantage of it.

My advice is to get about 200 sample photos and try several diffrent systems and find out what works for you. You will have to import and delete the photos 10 times before youf igure it out. it will take a couple weeks.

I'm currently experimenting with how to handle rAW format images, so far I have not found a solution I like.

Please do post here and tel us about PSE 4.

 

[ChrisA]

... I hate iPhoto's catalogue system and it stops me from using it. Does PSE4 import photos and do the same sort of thing with them or does it allow you to just browse for photos anywhere on the hard drive like good old acdsee used to do on a pc?

Maybe you don't know that iPhoto allows you to keep your image files anyplace on the disk(s)? There is an option in preferences that askes basically if the iPhoto library
should contain the photos them selves or if it should contain only pointers to where the photo are. This is much like iTune's "consolidate library" option.

It might be possable to keep the photos in PSE4 and have iPhoto index them but without moveing them out of PSE4. THis would work if PSE4 used a "reasonable" filing system.

 

[gibbon]

Maybe you don't know that iPhoto allows you to keep your image files anyplace on the disk(s)? There is an option in preferences that askes basically if the iPhoto library
should contain the photos them selves or if it should contain only pointers to where the photo are. This is much like iTune's "consolidate library" option.

Oh, really? in iPhoto5 or 6? What is this function called? I have iPhoto5 and can't see it.

 

[decksnap]

It is a new feature in '06 that is about five revisions too late.

 

[Applespider]

Oh, really? in iPhoto5 or 6? What is this function called? I have iPhoto5 and can't see it.

It's not in iPhoto 5 just 6. It lets you keep your pictures in any filing structure and view them from there. Or, if you import, creates a more sensible file structure that lists rolls rather than month/days

 

[gibbon]

It is a new feature in '06 that is about five revisions too late.

Hey, thats great - cos I like most other bits of iPhoto. Such a simple flaw just really irritated the hell out of me. Seems worth picking up for £35 edu price. However, I would still prefer PSE.......or better stil CS2.....

Thanks for the info.

 

[ChrisA]

Oh, really? in iPhoto5 or 6? What is this function called? I have iPhoto5 and can't see it.

It is in the new iPhoto 6 only. One other feature that is worth the price of the upgrade is that "6" is _much_ faster when you have many photos. the older versions would slow down after a few thousand images were loaded. Also "6" has a 10X larger limit. You can now store 250,000 photos per library. I couldn't fill it in 20 years. I have about 2,500 images in about 100 "rolls" on a 1.25Ghz Mac Mini and it's fast enough. I'm about 80% done with tagging all those photos with keywords and comments.