--- Forwarded Message from eric eubank <[log in to unmask]> ---
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>References: <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2002 11:35:09 -0600
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]>
>From: eric eubank <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #6498 Photo album / media organizers
------------------
>--- Forwarded Message from Don Sundheim <[log in to unmask]> ---
>
>>Date: Sat, 02 Feb 2002 14:20:30 -0600
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>From: Don Sundheim <[log in to unmask]>
>>Subject: Photo album / media organizers
>
>I've tried many photo album & media organizer software (IBM PC) packages
>but have come away disappointed from all for a variety of reasons. Either
>the software creates a proprietary "album" file that doesn't allow easy
>transfer of media or is very hard to use. I'm most interested in being
>able to easily sort, store, & manipulate large numbers of photos.
>
>I might be mistaken, but I haven't noticed photo slide show or organizing
>modules in the major photo editing programs. It would be logical to
>include it but even JASC software has it's Media Center Plus as a separate
>package.
>
>Two good packages that I've used but which come up short in my opinion are:
> CyPics (www.cywarp.com) and JASC Media Center Plus (www.jasc.com). The
>first seems the most powerful since it does create mdb files that allow you
>to use an Microsoft Access database if you wish but I frankly found it a
>little confusing to use.
>
>Any other suggestions would be welcome! Thanks.
Hello,
The obvious consumer and semi-pro choice, from the MacOSX world,
is Apple's iPhoto -- aimed at end users on the same general level as
educators. The software handles images only and is not intended as
a full service media mgmt tool. (For general asset management with
various media types, our department uses a commercial media
db/cataloging tool called Canto Cumulus).
In iPhoto, you can batch import directly from USB storage-class
digital still cameras, and you can organize and manipulate large
numbers of photos .. which includes the ability assign and search
by keywords.
You can export photos directly to a photo collection, to a local
photo album website, and to a QuickTime slide-show .. or, you have
the option of storing photo albums on Apple's iTools server space.
You can even order commercial prints, on-line, directly from
within the software.
Speaking for myself, I find it useful to manage web-based photo
album output locally. iPhoto does a good, basic job of producing
photo album HTML, although other tools (such as the photo
album export in Dreamweaver-Fireworks) are more sophisticated
in terms of being able to customize web templates and output.
You can always edit the basic iPhoto HTML output after the photo
album has been assembled. One advantage of iPhoto's HTML output is
that it is simple and clean; you could easily change the size of
caption text across a photo album site, for example, with batch
find-and-replace in a text editor.
---
Add basic photo editing software --which you can launch by
double-clicking on photo thumbnails in the catalog-- and you've
got a relatively robust image management system.
Image editors to use with iPhoto might include a powerful,
easy-to-use freeware product such as PixelNhance
<http://www.caffeinesoft.com/products/pnh/> or Photoshop 7
.. when it supposedly arrives on OSX, sometime in spring 2002.
iPhoto is easy to use and integrates a lot of functionality in a
single package. If you're from the Apple world, you probably
already know about the potential advantages of the suite of "i"
applications. iPhoto is good at what it does, and it will no doubt
continue to be improved. Apple's bottom line these days is tied to
integrating digital media hardware and software for entry-level
producers and producer-consumers.
E.Eubank, Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services
University of Texas at Austin
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