14.5. Beyond iPhoto Depending on how massive your collection of digital photos grows and how you use it, you may find yourself wanting more file-management power than iPhoto can offer. Maybe you wish you could organize 50,000 or 100,000 photos in a single catalog, without having to swap photo libraries or load archive CDs. Maybe you'd like to search for photos based on something other than just titles, keywords, and comments ”perhaps by file type, creation date, or the camera model used to shoot them. Maybe you have a small network, and you'd like a system that lets a whole workgroup share a library of photos simultaneously . To enjoy such features, you'll have to move beyond iPhoto into the world of digital asset management, which means spending a little money. Programs like Extensis Portfolio ($200, www.extensis.com), Canto Cumulus ($100, www.canto.com), and iView MediaPro ($160, www.iview-multimedia.com) are terrific programs for someone who wants to take the next step up (Figure 14-8). (All three companies offer free trial versions on their Web sites.) Here are a few of the stunts these more advanced programs can do that iPhoto can't: -
Create custom fields to store any other kind of information you want about your files ”dates, prices, Web addresses, and so on. -
Track graphics files stored in any location on a network, not just in a specific folder. -
Catalog not just photos, but other file types, too: PDF files, QuarkXPress and InDesign documents, QuickTime movies, sound files, PowerPoint slides, and so on. -
Share a catalog of images with dozens of other people over a network. -
Rename an entire group of images en masse. -
Customize the fonts, colors, and borders of the thumbnail view. -
Create catalogs that can be read on both Mac and Windows. -
Display previews of "offline" photo files that aren't actually on the Mac at the moment (they're on CDs or DVDs on your shelf, for example). -
Handle tens of thousands of photos in a single catalog. Some of the features in this list were obviously developed with professional users in mind, like graphic designers and studio photographers. But this kind of program is worth considering if your photo collection ”and your passion for digital photography ”one day outgrows iPhoto.  | Figure 14-8. iView Media, shown here, is one of several programs that do most of what iPhoto does ”and a lot more besides.
For example, it can "watch" certain folders on your Mac, so that when new graphics arrive , iView catalogs them automatically. Its photo limit is 128,000 pictures. | |
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