Photo Mechanic - best image browser for Mac?

Looking for a fast image browser for Mac...

 

Hi, I shoot film but I'm increasingly using a 5 megapixel digicam for location recces.

When I return from a recce I will have about 100 images on my camera that need to

be reviewed on my Mac and filed into relevant folders.

 

My current workflow is to import from the camera into a folder on the desktop using

Apple's Image Capture (this allows me to simply rotate verticals - losslessly, I think.)

 

I

then use Apple's Preview to review the images, but this can painfully slow -

sometimes I'll batch resize in Photoshop to 600 pixels, just so that I can review more

quickly in Preview. As I review I note down file names on scraps of paper, and then

finally create sub-folders to complete my edit. (If any images need manipulation I use

Photoshop 7)

 

Obviously this is not the most efficient to review and edit images!

 

I've just downloaded a trial version of Photo Mechanic and it seems very fast and

intuitive. Is this the best Mac file browser?

 

Some of it's features are unnecessary for me at the moment

(IPTC info, for example), and so I'm wondering if a more basic program would suffice?

 

I'm wary of programs that create complex database files that I don't understand - I'm

happy using the Mac's file directory system for filing and finding my images.

 

Other desirable features: slideshow, image resize, web gallery.

 

(Once I've chosen a file browser, should I still use Apple's Image Capture to import

from my camera?)

 

Thanks.

For a basic image management system Apple's iPhoto is hard to beat.

 

For professional-level image management iView MediaPro is the one I use.

Another vote for iView Media Pro - used daily over the last three years - rock solid.

 

Though the recently announced next version of iPhoto is getting better - handles RAW

and a few other bells...

I don't do digital except for snapshots so i might be missing something here, but why not

use Photoshop's File Browser? I use iPhoto to import the files from the camera and then

"select> all" and move them to a separate folder on the hard drive. Then I can check them

out in PS FB. You can customize it to make it complex or simple.

PM is almost standard for the newspaper industry. Fast and simple. Does everything

I ever need to wthout cluttering up things that I don't want it to. Great software. A

new version is due out any day now. -b

I've only got Photoshop 7 and it's File Browser doesn't really cut it - it's slow and its

previews are pixelated.

Photo Mechanic is pretty much the standard in the news/pj/sports industry. It allows you to write notes, save project info, import common data, etc...

 

When I need a *simpler* browser I use ACDsee V 5.0 (NOT the later versions which are full of bugs). It is a very fast browser which is capable of *lossless* batch rotating as well as fast batch re-naming.

<I>... but why not use Photoshop's File Browser?</I><P>

 

Because the PS File Browser is just that, only a file browser. A good image management

program will allow you to make multiple catalogs of any combination of images on your

drive, and save those catalogs of images as unique entities. That's great for managing

portfolios and projects, for example.<P>

 

Once a catalog of images has been created, it's a snap to make web galleries, slide shows,

etc. In fact, you can even create new catalogs of images by simply dragging images from

other catalogs you may already have - you don't need to know where the images are

stored (though it's simple to locate them).<P>

 

Also, you can attach key words / meta data to your images which can help you find them

later. You can also do batch operations such as renaming, make contact sheets, etc. <P>

Don't discount IPTC information. I use PhotoMechanic even though I am a hobbyist, but

love the way I can add keywords easily to images and find them later. It is also the fastest

way I have found to ingest and edit folders of photos. It is also color corrected, which

helps me decide between different scans and bracketed white balance shots.

When I shoot several hundred football images over a couple hours, I need a browser that will show a near full screen image and is quick (so that I can make a first cut without any guessing). Photo Mechanic does both. I am not familiar with Image Capture, but I was unable to find another browser for the PC environment that was as capable as PM.