I thought it would be interesting to see what DAM (Digital Asset Management) system people use, following all the discussion about it here. So here’s a poll.
You can choose more than one DAM. If your DAM is not on the list, please leave a comment.
See also other articles on the DAM search:
- Introduction: I am looking for a good DAM: Digital Asset Management software
- More details on my requirements: Features and Functions that my Digital Asset Management System (DAM) should have
- How one photographer found his best DAM system.
If you leave a comment (please do!) write it on THIS PAGE, not on the survey results page. I cannot monitor what’s happening on the survey results page!
Again, please leave your comments on this page, not on the survey results page!
Before launching this poll here I did a version of it on the Controlled Vocabulary forum, but thought it would be interesting for a broader audience. The result of that poll was (number of respondents / %):
- Media Pro: 7 / 21%
- Photo Supreme: 2 / 6%
- Daminion: 1 / 3%
- IMatch: 1 / 3%
- Lightroom: 12 / 36%
- FotoStation: 3 / 9%
- MediaFiler: 2 / 6%
- Canto Cumulus: 3 / 9%
- NeoFinder/…: 2 / 6%
If you responded to that poll please answer the one on this page too!
Comment that I have copied from the survey results page. PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS ON THIS PAGE.
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Posted by: Sherwood Botsford
I have used IMatch, and Digikam when I lived in the windows and linux world respectively. I currently use Aperture. Aperture, along with many of the other tools mentioned on this poll aren’t what I would consider full DAM’s:
* They don’t do anything for non-photos (some will handle video clips)
* The database is not open enough for other tools to manipulate it.
* Most cannot handle the export/re-import images for external processing except by manual processing.
* Most do not have a way to track derivative works. E.g. Master image 1234 has:
> 3 sub sampled sizes for use on web pages, each separately tweaked for optimum sharpness and colour for that use.
> A water marked version for catalog purposes.
> A black and white version optimized for use in print media.
* Nor do most of these products have good methods built in to track licensing and publication.
A comment that I have copied from the survey results page. PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS ON THIS PAGE.
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Posted by Clive McM#
Like many, I find that Lightroom concentrates too much on photo-editing. But I would like an alternative to Expression Media.
My need for a DAM is relatively new. I discounted SQL having had numerous problems over the years with SQL linked to CRM software.
I ended up with Media Pro and Daminion. After about a week of using I preferred Daminion as it is fast and reliable, it is also being developed all the time.
FileMaker Pro (FMP) works exceptionally well for all media and as an office system but you need to design it for your needs either by learning it or hiring someone to do it for you with their modules. It will keep a CRM system and image database with licensing and billing cataloging and searching with organizing and refining searches for images, letters author or by almost anything in any field related to the document, image, client, photographer, date, keyword, caption, etc. It is all dependent on how the internal databases are created and set up. We are a working stock house so even photographers and employees can be managed through it.
If you are familiar with Bento, FMP can be set up with similar templates/layouts but with much greater functionality across more data and databases. in fact if you used Bento you can move right in to FMP.
Through scripting of functions FMP can be setup to interface and preform actions through photo-shop and other software for almost any purpose.
You can import and export data in many ways including excel for various reporting functions
I use Lightroom and FMP in combination. From the comment here it seems I could be doing a lot more with FMP!
I have been using StockView by HindSight for eight years or so. I’ve never used anything else, so I can’t make any comparisons to other DAM programs (I did look at Lightroom which, unfortunately, lacks some important functions and should not be considered a DAM program). I have been well satisfied with StockView, with it showing only occasional glitches.
I do have two major concerns. A quote from the HindSight website “Your InView & StockView software depends on Panorama as the database engine to make
it all work.”. In other words, once in awhile (really not very often), you may have to deal with the company Panorama as well as the company Hindsight for a particular issue. That’s when things might get a little tricky.
The other concern is the longevity of StockView. I have always received great service (usually restricted to email) from the owner of StockView whenever I’ve had a problem. I believe he answers all technical queries himself (I’ve had no need to contact him in the past couple of years, so I don’t know if things have changed). My concern is what becomes of StockView if something happens to him or if he decides it’s time to put the company to rest.
I would like to repeat that, remembering I have no points of comparison to other DAM programs and also remembering my concerns, I think StockView is a solid program and one that I can recommend to others.
We use ACDSee Pro–if you check it out, you definitely want to look at the Pro, now up to version 7–for our small RM agency. Good, fast database. It *is* a Swiss Army knife, which I greatly prefer because our time is worth something, but the extensive editing functions can be ignored. Runs on Windows, though they now also have a Mac version that I know nothing about. Very good for batching metadata for our purposes. We do none of our business/money-side operations with this program–almost all of that is on a separate computer not connected to the Internet.
Comment that I have copied from the survey results page. PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS ON THIS PAGE.
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Posted by Robb
ThumbsPlus is my choice after many years and many trials of other software. The great thing about ThumbsPlus is that it uses an industry standard database by default, AND you can plug in other databases. This makes it much less likely that you’ll loose all your image meta-data to the discontinuation of the application, like has happened with some of the others over the years. Not to mention that ThumbsPlus has a multi-decade history.
You should have a good look at Lightroom. I use it for organising my images, for back-up storage, for automated Exif and IPTC information, for cropping, for captioning and keywording, for adjusting white balance, black and white points, contrast, lightening up dark areas and taking down highlighed ones, etc. Then for creating collections for export, for the internet, for slideshows, for books, etc. In Photoshop I then usually check levels and, when needed, change the colour profile. I don’t sharpen images that are to be licensed. I make two copies, one hires one for my archive and one lowres one, with light sharpening, to be uploaded to the image agencies I use and to my website.
Lightroom is basically a database. Only the changes you make to an image are stored; your original image is left unchanged.
I have set the programme to store my images under year-month-date plus the original file name of each image.
Being an amateur photographer I was a long time user of Media Expression, formerly known as Iview Media and now as Media Pro since PhaseOne bought it. Unfortunately after MS took over ME everything went to bad. No significant improvements and lack of bug fixes. Since it is owned by PhaseOne it seems that they want to go the same (bad) way like Adobe did. DAM and RAW editing together in one software.
After this episode I used Lightroom for a while but was never satisfied with its limited DAM capabilities and its lack of network functionality. So I decided to take a deeper look at the DAM market and finally found Daminion.
I was enthused from the beginning. It gave me not only much of the features I had with the old ME but much more. It is really fast, reliable, its supports every industry standards (IPTC/XMP etc..) but it’s affordable for everyone. Migrating from Lightroom to Daminion was as easy as it could.
As I own two user licenses I share my net-catalog (containing 800k of images) together with my wife. We are both more than satisfied with Daminion.
Hi There I use MediaValet.
They are a newer DAM out of Vancouver and I absolutely love them. They have unlimited support and their product is amazing. MediaValet puts product design and support first, ensuring an exceptional customer and user experience at all times.
I have researched many other DAMs and I am so happy we went with this one.