Confused Newbie- PS5 for Mac

[AnalogRelic]

Hello everybody.

I am a long time user of iView MediaPro> MS Expression Media> CaptureOne Media Pro and I'm experimenting with replacements, due to unavoidably having to upgrade my Mac to a computer which came installed with Mohave. This means the end of the road for the 32-bit MediaPro due to the total lack of development by both Microsoft and Capture One, and no support for 32 bit apps in Mojave. So I am looking for a replacement is a long time user of that particular program. So there's a lot of 'muscle memory' around that app.

I see certain similarities between mediaPro and ACDSee for Mac, which attracted me. What I can't figure out how to do is one of the most basic functions of any photo management program: How to get my pictures into it.

Do I create a database and then add photos to it?

The other way around?

When I launch, I see my entire computer files structure, and options to import files- but it looks like it is creating new copies of those files. Again, I don't want that.


Dues ACDSee for Mac create a monolithic fie containing both its own copies of photos and cataloguing information, á la Apple Photos or iPhoto? If so, it is a nonstarter for me. My photos are organized in a conventional folder/file structure. I am not interested in changing that. What I need is an interface to browse, sort, organize, and edit images in place (where they are now). As I said, I am not looking for a system that creates its own redundant copes of existing photos. I just want to be able to navigate what I've already got.

Looking at the user guide, instructions are given on how to import files from a camera or other device, but not how to import files/ folders/subfolders like I am talking about- at least, not without creating new ones.

I also had different catalogs for different broad categories of photos. Does ACDSee Mac support that? I don't want one huge database for everything photographic. Archived family photos are a different thing to me from photos I took for jobs. I never look at those together.

I can see into one particular folder, for example, but when I put a file name that I know is there, I get a box saying 'nothing found'.

Anybody here come fron iView/Expression/MediaPro, and can help me adjust? There are no videos for this specific product. With my trial, I was sent an email with a link to what turned out to be a closed YouTube channel.

Hoping I can get some help getting started. There is one day left on the promotion at the steep discount. So far, I'm not sold, and may be forced to go back to old Aperture which I at least understand. I realize any app has a learning curve, but...

[[email protected]]

Hi AnalogRelic,

Thanks for posting and welcome to the forum! I'll do my best to answer your questions.

When you open ACDSee, you'll see a Folder Tree on the left-hand side. Now browse to a folder with your photos. Two things happen: 1) in the File List (middle area), the photo thumbnails appear. And 2) in the background, ACDSee adds the thumbnails and metadata of those photos to its database (ACDSee does not create copies of the photos themselves) .

Unlike some other photo management apps, there's no need to explicitly "import" or "catalog" images as a separate step before you can work with them. With ACDSee, cataloging takes place in the background as you browse your photos. Many users love this feature because it's convenient and intuitive.

Any edits you make will affect the images in place. Note you can also do file operations right from within ACDSee (e.g. make new folders, cove, copy, rename, delete, etc).

You can retrieve cataloged items from the database via the Organize pane on the right-hand side. For example, in the "Special Items" section, select "Image Well" to see all your cataloged images. You can also search your cataloged images via the Quick Search Bar.

ACDSee supports multiple databases so you can have separate databases for home and work.

Please let me know if I can provide further assistance.

Regards,
David

[AnalogRelic]

So, it sounds like a database is (at least somewhat) analagous to a 'catalog' in Media Pro. So how does one add content to (or maybe, define the content of) a particular database? For example, I have MP Catalog A (corresponding to a large folder I'll call 'Uberfolder A', with subfolders) and MP Catalog B (a large folder I'll call 'Uberfolder B',with only a couple subfolders). How do I setup so ACD Database A only shows me the contents of Uberfolder A plus subfolders and ACD Database B only shows me what's in Uberfolder B (or whatever subset of my photos I want in that particular database)?

Sorry to be so dense but have been on MediaPro for ages and kinda have a lot of muscle memory to overcome,

Thanks for the quick reply and your kindly help.

[[email protected]]

Hi AnalogRelic,

A default database is automatically created when you first run ACDSee, you don't need to manually create one.

The Manage mode folder tree (on the left) is a representation of all the visible folders on your filesystem (much like Finder). It is not a representation of what's in the database.

Users often catalog their photos via browsing folders in the folder tree. Browsing a folder automatically catalogs the folder's contents. "Cataloging" means adding thumbnails and metadata of the folder contents to the database. You're not limited to browsing one folder at a time. You can multi-select folders in the folder tree via Command-click or Shift-click.

Another method for cataloging photos is the "Catalog Folders" tool (via the Tools menu in the application menu bar). Select the parent folder and optionally include all subfolders.

If you don't catalog a folder, then it will not be added to the database (as mentioned above, the folder tree on the left shows you your filesystem, not your database content).

You may find it's more convenient to have just one database, since you are always in control of which photos are shown in the file list area. Any photo that is visible on your filesystem can be accessed by its location by browsing to its parent folder in the folder tree. And cataloged photos that match criteria of your choice (regardless of their location on disk) can be accessed via the Manage mode Organize pane (on the right) or Quick Search bar. But as mentioned, multiple databases are also supported too.

Hope this helps. Please let me know if I can assist further.

Regards,
David