Well folks.. we are almost there… I just have a few things to work out and then the chart will be ready to go. In case you are interested, please go here: www.damroundup.com/chart to check it out. As you can see, if you click on the individual fields in the chart, the information at the bottom of the screen updates to reflect the changes… I just have some sample data in there now to ensure it is working ok. For example, if you click on Idimager and the installation box, you’ll see some installation notes appear in the details box below.
I’m excited about the potential for the chart and how I’m able to control all the data updates via XML thanks to the Flex 3 code I am using. Learning as I go… but it is fun! Please let me know what you think.. and what you might want in addition to what you see there.
Thx!

… is almost there! I am working on a FLEX based chart that will allow for neat features… Just to give you a preview:

As you can above, the chart will have 3 sections:
The main display with all the categories I could think of which will have some sort of star rating/color coded
The bottom left will be a detailed product information box that will change based on which row you choose in the main box
The bottom right will be a detailed column box that will display detailed info pertaining to the category you are interested in for the product chosen.
So, for example, say you click the Metadata box for the Idimager row.. the left would show Idimager product info and the right would display a brief (or detailed) discussion of how Idimager handles Metadata.. Neat eh?!
Now.. I just need to finish the coding to make it XML driven and dynamic so I can easily update the files without ever touching this code again.
For anyone technically interested - I highly recommend you check out Adobe Flex… I build the above grid and box with about 30 lines of code… not bad at all! The XML binding doesn’t look too bad either which is my next step.
Sorry again this has taken a bit longer than I had hoped… but I feel that this approach will offer the best solution for a “comparison” style chart of DAM Products.
Stay Tuned…
Oh.. and thanks for everyone for continuing to post comments on the various reviews and info pages.. and for telling others about the site. Traffic has been steadily increasing… so THANK YOU!
Hi everyone - just a quick note to mention that I have recently updated the product list thanks to a great comment/idea by Marion. The Product list is now a table that shows all the products currently up for review, their review status, price and platform. Thx again to Marion for this stellar idea.. and please keep the comments coming!
I’d also like to thank everyone for the “word of mouth” that I’ve been hearing feedback from. The best way for me to generate traffic to this site is from folks like yourselves that read the reviews and tell others about them. So, please continue to spread the word on forums and newsgroups.. I do greatly appreciate it!
Thx!
Hi there.. I wanted to apologize for not posting any reviews or information for a few weeks. I’ve been really busy with my real life job(s) - taking photos and publishing books - so have had to put this other “hobby” on hold for while.
But - I am ready to get back on the horse as they say and jump right in with a review of Imatch! So, stay tuned for it hopefully by next Weekend!
Thanks again for all your comments and for spreading the word about the site… it is really appreciated!
Hi… just wanted to submit a post to let you all know that a new review is coming soon. I have been hard at work putting together a review for Idimager and it should be posted within the next week… Stay tuned!

Just thought I would post a few items as I continue to set-up the site. I have been informed that site visitors were unable to leave a comment on the posts.. whoops! I have fixed this so now anyone that wants to can leave a comment on a post (thx for pointing this out to me!).
Also, I will be creating a chart/table similar to what exists over at Impulse-Adventure but with some different categories and options - anyone with ideas, please let me know! I used Impulse-Adventure’s chart for years but it seems to be not maintained any longer so I thought a similar chart here would be beneficial for everyone.
Finally, I’d like to invite anyone out there with experience (or passion) with a particular product to send me info about your experiences and likes/dislikes. I would love to have some other folks help me out by posting “guest” reviews… this would help balance things out by providing different points of views from users with differing levels of expertise and experiences… if you are interested, please contact me Here.
My first review will be coming on Sunday… I will be providing a review of ACDsee Pro2 - a nice way to start things off. Stay tuned.. and please let me know other things you’d like to see at DAMRoundup.com!

Main ACDSee Pro2 Screen
I thought it might be a good idea to list the products that I know about and consider DAM applications. Now, these products will range from photo browser to full featured DAM but I thought it was important to at least provide a comprehensive list of the products I’m aware of (and in most cases have used). Without further ado.. here is the list in no particular order:
| Product Name |
Version |
Platform(s) |
Price* |
Reviewed |
| Idimager |
4.1.0.3b |
PC/Mac (via Parallels) |
$69/129 - personal/pro |
5/12/2008 |
| Imatch |
3.6 |
PC/Mac (via Parallels) |
$64.95 |
7/12/2008 |
| Photo Mechanic |
4.5.3.1 |
PC/Mac |
$150 |
7/07/2008 |
| ACDSee Pro 2 |
2.0 |
PC/Mac (via Parallels) |
$129 |
4/06/2008 |
| Geosetter |
2.4.3 |
PC |
Freeware |
4/12/2008 |
| Extensis Portfolio |
8.51 |
PC/Mac |
$199.95 |
5/19/2008 |
| Photology |
1.1 |
PC |
$19 |
7/28/2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Adobe Lightroom |
|
|
|
|
| Thumbsplus |
|
|
|
|
| Iview/Media Expressions |
|
|
|
|
| Canto Cumulus |
|
|
|
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| Aperture |
|
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| Adobe Bridge/ACR |
|
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| ExifPro |
|
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| Exifer |
|
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| Photo Mechanic |
|
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| BreezeBrowser |
|
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| Picassa |
|
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| Zoner Photo Studio |
|
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| PicaJet |
|
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| Cataloguer |
|
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| FastStone |
|
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| FotoStation Pro |
|
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| MediaDex |
|
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| Photoshop Elements |
|
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| Smart Pix Manager |
|
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| PixVue |
|
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| MapIvi |
|
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| Exiv |
|
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| ExifTool |
|
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| DigitalPro |
|
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| ImageIngester Pro |
|
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| iPhoto |
|
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| Blue Marine |
|
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| Digital Asset Factory |
|
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|
| ….. and More! |
|
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|
|
* price does not include competitor upgrades or discount/coupons available
If you can think of any I’ve missed (and I’m sure there are a number of them), please leave a comment and I’ll update the table… Thx!
Thanks for stopping by.. My name is Andy and I am a photographer and book publisher who is obsessed with DAM or Digital Asset Management applications.
Since moving to digital photography about 5 years ago, I have switched between all the major catalog programs on the market.. at least twice! I’m still on the look for that all-in-one application that has a logicial, easy to use GUI, runs quickly and efficiently and is feature rich!
Recently, while running a few hundred Google searches for DAM products, I realized that there weren’t many sites on the internet dedicated to providing in-depth reviews of these products and the few that are there are woefully out of date. So, I welcome you all to The DAM Roundup!
Every couple weeks, I will provide an in-depth review of a particular DAM application. I will be using the latest Demo or Retail Version of the product available and will post detailed reviews with screenshots and possibly video walk-throughs. I am familiar with the general feel of most of the DAM products on the market, but will retest them all since new versions are constantly released with new features and bug fixes.
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