Still looking for a decent DAM.

I've been using Apple Photos, and Photostream to get photos from one device to another, but the result of that has been an exponential increase in the size of various libraries, because of duplication. If I want to edit on iPad (which I often do) I have to duplicate from one of the folders on a hard drive, or from photostream. Then, that photo gets copied back to photostream. If I edit more than one way I end up with several copies. Over it. Looking to alternatives, but in the meantime I have gone back to my 2010 Macbook and Lightroom 6 (well 6.14 with updates) and have installed as plugins, all the MacPhun/Skylum tools. Need to reinstall Nik as well, perhaps, though it seems to be showing as something to "Edit in".

I'm not fond of digiKam or Rawtherapee or Darktable on MacOS, maybe they will get better... Its just a royal pain, really. I only have about 7k (or less) original photos, but because of dupes in other folders, theres 3 times that much. I have a lot of work ahead to sort them And for once, I am going to do keywords which I have been avoiding for years.

Given that I wont be subbing to CC, does anyone have any suggestions about how to sync the content/some of the content of Lightroom over to the iPad, without creating dupes at edit time? Is there an app for that? (I know Lightroom CC can sync, but *only* with a subscription)
 
So, back in the day, when I first started getting "serious" about post processing, I used these guys.
It wasn't horrible back then, and I only left because my catalog of images was getting huge and the ACDSee system was sluggish. I'm sure they have improved over this time, but I'm so far down the Adobe rabbit hole that it would take a minor miracle to get me to switch to anything else at the moment.

With all that being said, I would give ACDSee a serious look if I ever did transition away from Adobe.

ACD Systems - Photo Editing Management Software

It appears that each version has DAM, and the Standard version is the only one without RAW editing. That main splash page has a lot of promise to it. Editing on iOS, mobile sync, etc.
 
Hmm, OK, I'll take another look (I did once before and rejected it for a reason I simply cant remember now). I've already stopped with LR, its just not working for me. Tried to reinstall ONONe 10, but the licence has become invalid, even though in my account on their website it says not. I may pursue that.

Thanks for the suggestion :)
 
Skylum are promising the DAM for Luminar by mid-year, but that doesn't help with syncing. Google Photos is absolutely brain dead, you end up with many duplicates all over the place. But better than none, I suppose!
 
Put your Lightroom photos on a cloud service like DropBox
Get the corresponding cloud service app on your iPad

The latest version of iOS offers some level of file management on the iPad so maybe iCloud would work.
One thing to watch out for is synchronization issues; it takes time for files to synchronize and the more files the more time. And every time you launch LightRoom after having worked on the iPad you will need to manually re-sync folders.
 
I've been using Apple Photos, and Photostream to get photos from one device to another, but the result of that has been an exponential increase in the size of various libraries, because of duplication. If I want to edit on iPad (which I often do) I have to duplicate from one of the folders on a hard drive, or from photostream. Then, that photo gets copied back to photostream. If I edit more than one way I end up with several copies. Over it. Looking to alternatives, but in the meantime I have gone back to my 2010 Macbook and Lightroom 6 (well 6.14 with updates) and have installed as plugins, all the MacPhun/Skylum tools. Need to reinstall Nik as well, perhaps, though it seems to be showing as something to "Edit in".

I'm not fond of digiKam or Rawtherapee or Darktable on MacOS, maybe they will get better... Its just a royal pain, really. I only have about 7k (or less) original photos, but because of dupes in other folders, theres 3 times that much. I have a lot of work ahead to sort them And for once, I am going to do keywords which I have been avoiding for years.

Given that I wont be subbing to CC, does anyone have any suggestions about how to sync the content/some of the content of Lightroom over to the iPad, without creating dupes at edit time? Is there an app for that? (I know Lightroom CC can sync, but *only* with a subscription)

I feel your pain, in the process of going through over 40k images (I had a few old drives and a stack of DVDs I'm trying to consolidates). The is the first time I've really gone through all my personal stuff to both getting rid of dups and SERIOUS culling. I'm down to about 25k so far and think I have another 5k-10k left. I've been better about my event stuff, that's pretty tight already. I'd hate to think of going through that, it's about 400k images I believe.

....but I'm so far down the Adobe rabbit hole that it would take a minor miracle to get me to switch to anything else at the moment.....

It is a hole, I've been using LR since version 1. I was in a photo class and the day it was released they integrated it into the program.

Skylum are promising the DAM for Luminar by mid-year, but that doesn't help with syncing. Google Photos is absolutely brain dead, you end up with many duplicates all over the place. But better than none, I suppose!

I'm hopeful on the offering from Skylum and Affinity but only time will tell.
 
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@kyteflyer Sue: Do you only want to be able to store/manage your images, or does that software have to double for post processing?

M.

I don't really mind either way, Matt. I just want to be able to have my photos on my iPad and my computers, and not to end up with dupes every time. I guess one of the nice things about Photos is that you can edit to your heart's content and if you modify the original, even with an external editor, you can revert to the original. Trouble is, I never trust that process so I always save the copies... hence more dupes.

I've even considered reverting to Aperture but I dont know if it runs on Sierra (no intention of "upgrading" to HS)
 
Skylum are promising the DAM for Luminar by mid-year, but that doesn't help with syncing. Google Photos is absolutely brain dead, you end up with many duplicates all over the place. But better than none, I suppose!

Yeah, I havent been tempted by Google photos at all. I know you can have a shedload of storage, but its google and really... I dont want Mr Google having access to all my photos. Its bad enough I still have the email. (and I have just left facebook again!)

I'll be interested to see what Skylum does with their DAM, but I rather feel it may be too little too late. That said, I love their editing tools so...maybe...
 
Here's the thing... I don't want to use a cloud service. I have terabytes of storage right here going unused, I dont have much of a cashflow to pay for a cloud service, and TBH I would prefer to spend my meagre cash on other things. So iCloud and Amazon are both out. Anyway, its not just about storage.

I havent yet looked at ACDSee, it might do for a while. If its not going to work so well, I'll stick with Photos and the various editors and then see what happens with the Skylum stuff.
 
Sorry, Sue, I probably can't help. As far as I can see, it's a case of software not playing to your rules - or a case of over-automation with unwanted side effects. Both can be prevented by taking the driver's seat, but sometimes, that means a switch or three.

I personally have a post processing chain (to be honest, there are two - but one's for Chromebooks that simply don't run my usual software); as a result, all my RAWs reside on a drive that's immediately backed up after finishing pp; with this, the files enter a backup chain that makes sure I have copies (my backups have backups which have backups - that's paranoid, but I act out of habit and experience; administering servers does that to you) - but only the ones I want, and they don't get in the way. The same goes for the final results - I know where the source files are and where they have to be put to be backed up correctly. No software tells me where I have to put my files, let alone manages them for me. But I guess Apple and Adobe hold many of us hostage - convenience and habit create uncomfortably strong bonds. Mind control, Orwell called it.

I use XNviewMP as a DAM (review, rating, pruning), but then do most of my post processing in darktable (including feeding the backup chain) or - if nothing else is available - Polarr which has the decency to run on *all* of my platforms (GNU/Linux, Windows, Chrome OS, Android). darktable now has a very usable Windows port, so it's definitely my first choice. I do use Snapseed at times, but it doesn't handle all RAW files I throw at it, so it's not a serious contender. RawTherapee is too complicated for me because it lacks an opportunity to configure and mainly reduce the interface (something darktable does via Favourites) - but it *is* more powerful than darktable; the same goes for GIMP. digiKam I don't get - yet; haven't had a lot of time with it.

I use darktable much the same way I would use LR - but YMMV. After trying a lot of different programs, I find its feature set may not be as complete as other applications, but you can tailor it to suit your needs (for the most part). Besides, 2.4.2 (the most recent version) does away with some quirks and is quite a bit faster.

M.
 
I use XNviewMP as a DAM (review, rating, pruning)
I use darktable much the same way I would use LR - but YMMV.

M.

Interestingly, I re-downloaded XNView MP just yesterday, but havent yet installed. and perhaps Darktable requires another look. I've still to look at ACDSee, I have it on my iPad, but not on the laptop or mac mini (yet).

And, in spite of your protestations, you have helped. A lot.
 
I've been trying Lyn(free trial). It's pretty fast and the full version is affordable at $20.
I think I might be able to swing it with the free version.

Edit: free version is 15 days. I thought it limited function.

Edit: Edit: So I purchased the full version only to find that a few of the things I've taken for granted for many years require a slight workaround. 1-5 ratings require the alt key. You have to select "sync" to enter keywords for multiple images. Always check the simple things I guess.

I immediately regretted my purchase and two hours after purchase I messaged their customer service for a refund. I was told no refund. That's why they have a trial version. Ouch.

Too bad. I actually like their software once getting past the two very minor quirks.

I responded that if anyone asked about their software that I felt compelled to caution them with their policy. No response.
 
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