DAM - Digital Asset Manager

[Barnaby416]

I just came across Peakto for macOS from cyme.io, looks interesting, anyone with experience cares to comment?

[Les Hall]

On 8/17/2022 at 9:39 AM, Barnaby416 said:

I just came across Peakto for macOS from cyme.io, looks interesting, anyone with experience cares to comment?

It looks interesting. The website certainly shows that it’s not from a native English speaking developer, so long as it gets the important stuff right that’s no biggy.

Affinity not menioned as a supported app but I don’t see why it couldn’t work. But sigh, another subscription deal - although you can pay $100 for an actual license…

I’m mobile and not on my Mac so will download as soon as I’m at home base 1…

[SureWeb]

I use eagle.cool I think I may have come across it on this forum a couple of years ago. It's regularly updated, has a low price tag and supports Affinity files

[artmischke]

Well, I still think the main parts for a RAW developer are already there the Photos Develop Persona. The develop Persona just needs to be integrated in an Asset Management system with Batch Processing and the possibility for presets for simplyfing the process. StudioLink to Photo would be the superior workflow. Sounds simple but might be really difficult - I don´t know.

However the auto masking and AI functionalities with Lightroom and Photoshop are awesome - so to compete with them is quite tough. I would anyway support Affinity on this just to have one common workflow. I don´t give up hoping for 2.2, 2.3 or 2.5 to get something useful. I would even spend additional money just to support this gonna happen.

Or I just I missed 2017  

[Ali]

I have invested in other software because there is no DAM with Affinity Photo. I use ACDSee Ultimate 2023, which has everything I need for DAM, development and processing under one 'roof'.

[BlkPingu]

I'm really frustrated with this. Affinity said they are working on a DAM and instead of the money they could earn with this, they release v2. I'm not complaining but so many people are waiting for a DAM that at this point I wonder how long we are supposed to pay for Adobe products until we can finally uninstall that the Adobe malware from our devices. I want a full Affinity eco system but Affinity leaves the photographers hanging. 

[Intuos5]

Even as a hobbyist photographer, I would very much like to see this happen.

[CYME]

Hi.

Contents Removed by moderators

With regards

Edited January 11, 2023 by Patrick Connor
Market Research Removed

[Patrick Connor]

@CYME 

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums  

Your first post above was trying to use our community members to do product marketing/research for your paid for (or rented) product, so has been hidden. Please stick to the forum guidelines going forward.

We like to keep this forum advertising free, as any exception would lead to us having to make judgement calls on ever company

[hobbytobiz]

Sorry if I caused a problem. Would you be so kind as to highlight the specific text you allege to be in violation. This will help me understand your guidelines better. Thanks.

[Patrick Connor]

@hobbytobiz the comment is not aimed at you, who has done nothing wrong. it is specifically aimed at @CYME, whose post above has been gutted as the contents were inappropriate, but the account has not been banned (like we would for a normal spammer) because CYME is a business and likely overstepped the rules more accidentally than deliberately. Sorry if my post confused you (or indeed anyone else in this thread).

[gr8rck]

So we were able to create thumbnail previews for affinity files by writing custom code that we do plan to turn into a DAM solution at some point.  I mention this because its certainly a doable task. I think it took us around a week to get the file previewer working properly.  This was a V1 solution so we'll have to revisit and see if any issues for V2.

We also reached out to a current DAM company in the past and they were also able to create the previewer for their software.

 

[Barnaby416]

26 minutes ago, gr8rck said:

So we were able to create thumbnail previews for affinity files by writing custom code that we do plan to turn into a DAM solution at some point. 

 

Hmmm….. How is this differ from thumbnails generated by Finder?

[gr8rck]

1 hour ago, Barnaby416 said:

Hmmm….. How is this differ from thumbnails generated by Finder?

It's the foundation needed to be able to build a DAM system that includes Affinity formats along with other features you find in these systems.

 

[hobbytobiz]

4 hours ago, gr8rck said:

It's the foundation needed to be able to build a DAM system that includes Affinity formats along with other features you find in these systems.

 

Finder has no where near the features and tools that an app like Adobe Bridge. If you’re familiar with Bridge, that the tool box we’re looking for but compatible with AP.

[hobbytobiz]

On 7/2/2022 at 10:32 AM, hobbytobiz said:

Affinity Photo:

To the Executives at Serif. Should you choose to search the forums using the title of this post, you'll get at least 20 hits. Some of those hits include statements about a Digital Asset manager (DAM) in development. These requests/discussions go back to 2015. That's 7 YEARS at the time of this writing. 

Sooooooo, come on now; what's really going on? Taking 2 covid years out of the timeline still gives you 5 years to respond. Would you not agree that you owe your loyal users a DAM product by now? To the Executive in charge, please give us a release date (some hope). We're getting anxious.

I recently photographed a ribbon cutting. I had 50 images shot in different lighting indoor outdoor, with flash and without. I used a Canon DSLR with a Canon flash and shot in camera RAW. Here is how my post went.

Open stand alone Adobe Bridge (not linked to Photoshop)

Copy 50 RAW files from SD card to “folder-raw”, batch rename, batch edit image “File Info”.

Use Bridge (stand alone version, not within PS) to view image thumbnails.

Select raw files requiring similar edits, open in AP2.

Open single image file in Develop Persona. 

Adjust exposure as required (adjustment differs for each image).

Adjust white balance as required.

Develop file

Save file to “AP2-Edit” folder, close image 

Repeat the above steps for each of the 50 files.

Open “New Batch Job”

Add 50 images, check “Save Into”, check “Save as JPG”, uncheck “Save as Aphoto”, click OK.

 

I spent approximately 1-2 hours to complete my post editing using AP2. At this rate I’ll go Broke. I may have to consider giving up using Affinity Photo. Do you now see why some of us are begging for an AP2 compatible DAM? Using Bridge within Photoshop, this work would have been done in 10-15 minutes.

 

Please, please, please listen to your customers on this issue. Give-A-DAM!

[Barnaby416]

2 hours ago, hobbytobiz said:

Please, please, please listen to your customers on this issue. Give-A-DAM!

Bravo 👏 

[hobbytobiz]

I’ll take a look at the products you mentioned. Thanks!

[hobbytobiz]

2 hours ago, Barnaby416 said:

Bravo 👏 

Thanks! Somehow we have to make enough noise to get some attention on this issue!

[Barnaby416]

2 hours ago, Red Sands said:

Consider this the litmus test of whether Serif's customers who buy Affinity Photo are really professional photographers. No DAM, then I seriously doubt it.

Back in the day when I traveled to an unfamiliar city and needed processing, I would pick three labs from the local Yellow Pages (yes I'm that old) and called with one opening question: "What is your turnaround time for E6 in 120". Most of the staffs at the other end of the line (especially in small towns) would draw a blank. The fist lab with the answer "one hour" would get my business.

My mindset is still stuck in the file era where I have to change magazine every twelve frames, exposure and colour temperature have to be spot on. I'll shoot more with digital, just in case the subjects close their eyes, but that is the only reason. To me, every single shot counts.

Oh by definition I'm not a professional photographer, I retired. But I still enjoy using Affinity Photo, and I do like to have a DAM since I've accumulated so many photos over the years.

[Les Hall]

On 3/18/2023 at 11:29 AM, Red Sands said:

Consider this the litmus test of whether Serif's customers who buy Affinity Photo are really professional photographers. No DAM, then I seriously doubt it

Totally irrelevant to being a pro or not. Some Pro's shoot thousands of images, some shoot a couple of dozen. Pro's use all different apps. Some pros don't even use DAMs and have files all over the place. It seems to me that event and wedding shooters are the ones that are always checking out different DAMs. There's probably no perfect one.

I would have liked an Affinity DAM, but they didn't do it so I use Bridge and, gasp, often use ACR. It's certainly less clunky than Affinity's RAW developer. And as far as I can see gives me perfectly fine results. I use Fuji cameras and Adobe seems to have resolved the worm debacle. I use Affinity for masking and tweaking. No big deal exporting an image from ACR to AP.

And that Bridge/ACR solution is free. 

[olesya]

On 3/25/2023 at 10:28 AM, Les Hall said:

Totally irrelevant to being a pro or not. Some Pro's shoot thousands of images, some shoot a couple of dozen. Pro's use all different apps. Some pros don't even use DAMs and have files all over the place. It seems to me that event and wedding shooters are the ones that are always checking out different DAMs. There's probably no perfect one.

I would have liked an Affinity DAM, but they didn't do it so I use Bridge and, gasp, often use ACR. It's certainly less clunky than Affinity's RAW developer. And as far as I can see gives me perfectly fine results. I use Fuji cameras and Adobe seems to have resolved the worm debacle. I use Affinity for masking and tweaking. No big deal exporting an image from ACR to AP.

And that Bridge/ACR solution is free. 

Are you sure it is free? I know you can use Adobe Bridge for free, not ACR... unfortunately. I wish that Affinity would create something simple as ACR

[Les Hall]

When I installed Bridge ACR came with it. But I installed the Cloud package with Photoshop to try and then used the Cloud Manager thing to erase Photoshop. Maybe it was left then. It's still working fine and has even been upgraded. I'm definitely not paying anything.

 

[olesya]

13 minutes ago, Les Hall said:

When I installed Bridge ACR came with it. But I installed the Cloud package with Photoshop to try and then used the Cloud Manager thing to erase Photoshop. Maybe it was left then. It's still working fine and has even been upgraded. I'm definitely not paying anything.

 

Very interesting, maybe it is some bug. I can not try it now, my Adobe Subscription will end on May, 5. If I can not make ACR work as yours, I need to find another software for Raw files. I am thinking about Luminar 4 (got it for free when they had some promotion or something) or Capture One Express (unfortunately without local adjustments.)

[Les Hall]

4 hours ago, olesya said:

I am thinking about Luminar 4 (got it for free when they had some promotion or something) or Capture One Express (unfortunately without local adjustments.)

Luminar is interesting. I preferred Luminar to Neo. They seem so close to being good but then they have to do wacky UI stuff or processes are oddly complex. If you want to try a more 'technical' RAW processor check RAW Power. Former chief engineer on Aperture wrote it.

Let us know what you find.