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Is there a pictorial database app for one's own digital art?

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ScottR

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 11, 2007
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That is, to organize a couple of decades worth of digital art that's not based on photos. So I don't need features like facial recognition, name tags, GPS info, dates, place names, etc., and I don't need camera import or image correction or adjustment of any sort--i.e., not OS X's Photos (with photoanalysisd pointlessly grinding away).

I have everything organized into folders and subfolders, but that really doesn't capture a lot of descriptive info if I want to look for a specific subject/theme, especially when some images mix/cross themes. I need some of keyword or similar descriptor that allows me to narrow down the sort of thing I'm looking for, maybe with Smart Albums so I can use those descriptors to better organize the images.

I'd like something that's local, not cloud-based (an OS X app and not a website); my images are on a local drive (with backups).

I'm probably overlooking some factors, but that's what I'm coming up with offhand. Any thoughts?
 
In spite of you ruling it out, Photos seems to be the way to give you much of what you want. That's mostly what it does. Just because it's original art instead of photography doesn't mean it can't index it all, annotate it, etc.

Else, it's a Photos clone app.

What you basically need is an easy way to database a lot of images and those kind of apps do that.

If Photos or similar can work but you don't want this art mixed with actual photos, create a separate library for only this art. Photos easily works with multiple libraries. Features you don't want/like don't have to be used.
 
I've tried Photos (I have multiple libraries for different actual photos) but it's pretty unsuited--an added annoyance is when I'm trying to eject the external drive with the art on it and I get the error that it can't be ejected because photoanalysisd is using it, pointlessly trying to analyze stuff it can't ever successfully analyze.
 
A typical term for what you described is "digital asset manager". Such aps are often designed primarily for photo assets, but a good app can handle anything, including video clips, audio clips, etc.

The topic comes up occasionally in the Photography forum:
forums.macrumors.com

Photography

forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com

You could search that forum for asset or manager and probably find a number of app names.
 
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Unfortunately I cannot recommend any specifically, but a normal database program (I used Claris FileMaker back in the day) will dod exactly what you need. I would suggest searching for a home inventory app.
 
ScottR said:
I've tried Photos (I have multiple libraries for different actual photos) but it's pretty unsuited--an added annoyance is when I'm trying to eject the external drive with the art on it and I get the error that it can't be ejected because photoanalysisd is using it, pointlessly trying to analyze stuff it can't ever successfully analyze.
Click to expand...

Close Photos app first, then eject.

Or just leave it to futility processing while you sleep one night and when it is done, it "remembers" which images have already been reviewed.
 
A brief update: I did the searches I gave above, and this is one thread from 2022:

In that thread, I note that I added the tag photo organizer to that thread and others. If you click that tag at the top of the thread, you'll see a list of threads with that tag.

A list of some app names (may or may not be subscription):
DarkRoom
RAWPower
Adobe Bridge
Aperture (if purchased early enough)
digikam
Photo Mechanic
Lyn

Here's a more recent thread with app suggestions:
 
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Adobe Bridge is free if I recall correctly and is a solid digital asset manager solution that focuses on local storage and doesn’t have excess editing features. It supports keywords and other ways to catalog your art.
 
ScottR said:
That is, to organize a couple of decades worth of digital art that's not based on photos. So I don't need features like facial recognition, name tags, GPS info, dates, place names, etc., and I don't need camera import or image correction or adjustment of any sort--i.e., not OS X's Photos (with photoanalysisd pointlessly grinding away).

I have everything organized into folders and subfolders, but that really doesn't capture a lot of descriptive info if I want to look for a specific subject/theme, especially when some images mix/cross themes. I need some of keyword or similar descriptor that allows me to narrow down the sort of thing I'm looking for, maybe with Smart Albums so I can use those descriptors to better organize the images.

I'd like something that's local, not cloud-based (an OS X app and not a website); my images are on a local drive (with backups).

I'm probably overlooking some factors, but that's what I'm coming up with offhand. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Apple owns Claris with its Filemaker Pro database app that can be built to do exactly what you want and is 100% solid, much more solid than Photos. I have used FMP for decades. However it is pricey and you need to build your own database or pay someone like me to do so. I recommend against FileMaker and against other DAM as heavier/pricier than one-person operations need. I spent years evaluating DAM apps after Apple screwed its Aperture users by canceling Aperture.

Just try to make the crappy Apple Photos app work. Too bad Apple screwed those of us who built enterprise-critical workflows around Aperture, which was far superior to Photos.
 
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ScottR said:
That's to inventory physical items in your home (you can add pics/vids to document), not digital artwork on a hard drive.
Click to expand...
Agree that the original intent is for home inventory, but if all you want is to file/store your digital artwork (which I assume is in a photographic file format) it does everything you said you want (Store the file and allow tags/info identifying the file. nothing else). Given it has a 14 day free trial suggest you at least check it out.

And just for clarity I have no interest in the app, it is just in the 90's I made a database in Claris Filemaker for a similar purpose. You want a database, not a phot editing app.
 
Here's a small, free database app named iData Pro that I believe can "hold" images, as well:

It still seems to run just fine for me using Sequoia.
No promises as to how well it will work with future OS releases...
 
mmkerc said:
Agree that the original intent is for home inventory, but if all you want is to file/store your digital artwork (which I assume is in a photographic file format) it does everything you said you want (Store the file and allow tags/info identifying the file. nothing else). Given it has a 14 day free trial suggest you at least check it out.

And just for clarity I have no interest in the app, it is just in the 90's I made a database in Claris Filemaker for a similar purpose. You want a database, not a phot editing app.
Click to expand...

Except that if you read how it works it won't work for that at all. It can't even add a folder of photos--you have to create a new document (for an item in your home) and then attach a photo to it. One photo at a time. Doing that for several thousand would take forever, and it doesn't even directly hold the app, only as an attachment to the document for the inventory item.
 
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