TMG-L Archives

Archiver > TMG > 2003-01 > 1041781950


From: Richard Brogger <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] Image Management (outside TMG) OT
Date: Sun, 05 Jan 2003 09:52:30 -0600
References: <FFEBLNNBNENFDKOPJEBPIELCDCAA.paulharris@nc.rr.com><3E18262D.1000202@swbell.net>


Symonds wrote:
>
> I have recently purchased Photo Collector <http://photocollector.net>; by
> LifeStory Productions, and it has been a *great* help in managing photo
> collections. It is extremely easy to use and very fast. Version 2.0 will
> be released soon and LifeStory has stated it will have many new
> features. Cost is about $80 and in my opinion, as a user only, worth
> every penny.
>
> Marilyn Symonds

Hello Marilyn,

Many image management programs have been mentioned on this list. I
have gone to many sites and read the information given. If a demo or
trial copy is offered, I have downloaded and tested the program. I
have seen good programs but, so far, NOTHING I have seen is comparable
to IMatch that Paul Harris mentioned.

The software I have seen was not good enough that I would recommend it
over FotoAlbum or IrfanView. Every program has nice features but I did
not find them so nice that it was worth spending money to get them.
That all changed a couple of days ago when Paul wrote to me about
IMatch.

Although I have not learned all there is to learn about IMatch, I am
very enthused about the program. The list of features is very
extensive and many of the features are very powerful. The program
comes with a 54 page Tutorial and a 341 page User Manual and
Reference. Both are in PDF format. I printed and read the entire
Tutorial which gives an overview of IMatch. I have also read a few
selected topics in the User Manual.

My impression of IMatch is that I will buy the product and do so with
pleasure. As Paul stated, it is a steal at under $50. Based on what I
have seen so far, IMatch is intended for image management at a very
serious level. This is not some hobbyware program. I could waste a lot
of time trying to make a list of what IMatch can do but the best way
to find out is to download the trial version. It will not take long to
get started with IMatch. Minutes after it was installed, I had named a
new database and had IMatch adding my images but I do recommend
reading the tutorial first.

I have a complex directory where I store my images. That directory
contains 130 folders in at least seven levels. The top level of
folders are for the type of image such as: JPEG, Documents, TIFF. The
JPEG folder contains folders for top of the line individuals. Those
folders contain folders for their children and those folders contain
the next generation in that line and so on. i.e., my directory is like
a family tree. When an image contains several family members, I file
the image in the folder for the primary person. If Mary Smith is
married to John Doe, the image file is in John's folder. In most image
management programs, I could enter Mary Smith as a 'keyword' and a
search would show all of the images where I had listed Mary. I wanted
better search capabilites so, to keep track of where Mary appears in
pictures, I maintain a database in MS Access.

I will mention one feature in IMatch, "Categories" and I will qoute
the Coach Message for categories. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dynamic Categories are one of the key features in IMatch. They allow
you to create a virtual heirarchy on top of your physical drives,
media and image files. The category view allows you to create, view,
rename and delete categories, and to assign images to categories.

When you assign an image to a category, IMatch stores a reference to
the physical image in the category. Even if you move or rename the
image, the reference to the image stays in the category (unless you
un-assign the image).

To assign images to categories, switch to the Database View and open
the Category Assignment dialog (press Ctrl+Alt+A or use the button in
the local toolbar of the thumbnail window).

The contents of a category are independant from the physical storage
location of an image, and you can assign any number of images to a
category. An image can also be assigned to as many categories as your
like.
++++++++++++++++++++++

What this means is that I no longer need a complex system of folders
and Ms Access. I can create a heirarchy that corresponds to my entire
family. An image that contains both John Doe and Mary Smith can be
assigned to both persons and, if there is anyone else in the photo, to
them as well. I have a lot of pictures that contain a person or
persons unknown. Whether part of a group or a single image, I can
assign those images to "Unknown" as well.

If that is not enough, I can also have categories the give locations,
or physical attributes, time periods or anything I can imagine. If I
have a color image, taken in Norway, between 1950 and 2000, of a women
named Agnes, who is a descendant of Niels C. Brøgger, I can query I
IMatch for pictures that are in all of those categories and get every
color picture of the right Agnes and taken in Norway.

Images on CD or other media can be included in IMatch. I no longer
need the actual image file on my hard drive. If I want to see more
than a thumbnail version, IMatch will tell me what CD, ZIP disk, etc.,
needs to be put into a drive.

Sorry to be so long winded but I am really enthused about IMatch, even
though I have had just one day for testing the program.

Richard Brogger

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