I can't recommend them. I liked the product, but they constantly drop the ball then move to a new product. No update to M1 after a year with no plans to, etc. I can't stand companies that want you to constantly buy the "new thing." Fool me once...
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Looking for a Photo Library/ Organizer/Container alternative to Apple Photos, not an editor.
- Thread starter katbel
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Likewise. Experienced the same in my "Dump Adobe" exercise, and have successfully stepped away from the full CC but due to the upgrade policies - Affinity photo being an exception - of annual upgrades scavenging profits from their user base, it was actually cheaper to keep the Adobe Photographer $9.99 plan. Invariably, the freestanding programs were not a full replacement for Photoshop, lacking some simple features like multiphoto layering (not single photo tonal layering that they touted as layering) so you still needed Photoshop. The closest substitute was PaintShop Pro, but it is not Mac, requiring Parallels which has it's own issues and unacceptable for photo purposes. The biggest issue is when in a Windows environment, unable to read the Apple partition of the hard drive where photos are stored, and of course, would want to save to the smaller Windows partition. Totally unacceptable!
That brings me to a photo organizer - and my first preference is the Synology Photos program on the NAS I posted earlier. Understanding the upfront cost of a NAS (long term apps and everything are free) despite its flexability with the aps, brings me back to freestanding photo organizing software. First, I've used/owned Paintshop since was one of three "must have" shareware programs and was so powerful it did 95% of what Photoshop would do. With its successful transition from shareware to commercial, used it through JASC and Corel ownership until I switched over to Photoshop. While Corel never listened to their forum user and create a native Mac version, the did create a Lightroom alternative, AfterShot Pro in both PC/Mac downloads plus a 30 day trial. While it does have the editing capability, including a handoff to PaintShop - but not Photoshop or other program, its strength is in the photo asset management. On a hunch, I checkrd to see if Corel ever created a Mac version of PaintShop Pro, and to my horror they apparently now own Parallels.
For organisation, not editing, then remember Adobe Bridge is still free.
Which still blows my mind. I have no idea why they give it away. I prefer Photo Mechanic, as Bridge seems slower and bloated in that Adobe way. But it does what OP wants, and you can't beat the price!
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It’s a gateway drug. For those who can resist, AND do not mind sidecars, it’s an excellent product with greater file type capability than most photo centric DAM apps.
If you want to organize the photos by folders (like Year/month/event) yourself, wouldn't any program that just looks at a directory work for you?
You can use Luminar like that, or On1, or LR or CaptureOne. I think you can use DxO like that.
Of course, that leaves you on the hook for organization, but Finder or Forklift can go a long ways towards moving images around. You can add your keywords in whatever program you like, and go from there.
The only thing remotely close to being as fast as Apple Photos is Photomechanic. I want to separate and use photos for finished images, but I do miss the speed.
You can use Luminar like that, or On1, or LR or CaptureOne. I think you can use DxO like that.
Of course, that leaves you on the hook for organization, but Finder or Forklift can go a long ways towards moving images around. You can add your keywords in whatever program you like, and go from there.
The only thing remotely close to being as fast as Apple Photos is Photomechanic. I want to separate and use photos for finished images, but I do miss the speed.
Aperture is NOT available:
...yet if I click on my name in the App Store app I can still download it as I previously bought it. Best DAM I've ever used.
...yet if I click on my name in the App Store app I can still download it as I previously bought it. Best DAM I've ever used.
Yes, Apple dropped Aperture years ago. I'm using DigiKam for organization and simple edits like crops and adjustments. It is free and open source and does much of what Aperture did
For more complex adjustments to RAW files Dark Table goes a little farther than Aperture ever did. it is also free and open source
darktable
darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer
www.darktable.org
You can use both and don't have to choose, they can work together.
What Apple taught us with Aperture is that if you depend on Apple software, you always need to have an exit strategy because they can drop a product at any time. Apple's core product is iPhones and now EVERY other product line is secondary and could be dropped.
Yeah, Apple is known for its discontinuation of software. Remember OpenDoc?Yes, Apple dropped Aperture years ago. I'm using DigiKam for organization and simple edits like crops and adjustments. It is free and open source and does much of what Aperture did
For more complex adjustments to RAW files Dark Table goes a little farther than Aperture ever did. it is also free and open source
darktable
darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developerwww.darktable.org
You can use both and don't have to choose, they can work together.
What Apple taught us with Aperture is that if you depend on Apple software, you always need to have an exit strategy because they can drop a product at any time. Apple's core product is iPhones and now EVERY other product line is secondary and could be dropped.
So I fully agree, one cannot rely on Apple's software; one needs to be able to switch. This is one of thee reasons why some people use a referenced library for their photos (instead of managed). Just take a look at the switch from Photos in macOS 14 vs 15:
Let's hope they won't be doing that to my iTunes library(!)
But I digress: that you for DigiKam and DarkTable. These sure look promising, that I may very well check them out, even though I'm not in 'need' of it.
Cheers!
Why I’m always amazed at people recommending Apple Photos. Having an exit strategy is easy. Executing it is not.