IMatch vs. IDImager

[okcmike]

What do you all think about these two programs.  Seeing that IView has been replaced by Expression Media and the other DAM programs dont look to be viable options, I am having a hard time deciding between these two.  There is a small price difference between the two.  Am I missing something that IDImager does that IMatch does not?  From what I read the lateset version of IMatch will read the Adobe xmp data in the files.

Mike T

[Ken]

Hi Mike,

These two programs are a bit like the Yin and Yang of DAM programs developed by smaller companies/individuals.  Both are well supported, but with vastly different support groups.  iMatch users often tend to be a bit more defensive about their product, and the interface is a love or hate affair.  But, the program is thought to be stable, and is not often tinkered with by its developer, Mario.

IDImager, on the other hand (and again in my personal opinion), has a more friendly forum, and its developer, Hert, is very open to discussion about his product.  He has just released v.4 and it has many changes and improvements over the previous versions.  I only tested some early betas of the program, but I liked that Hert was open to suggestions from his users.  I have not yet had the time to try the new release, but I will bet you a dime to a dollar (or a dollar to a Euro, or heck even a dollar to a CAN dollar) that Hert is working on improvements to the new release as we speak.  I wish I had 1/10th of his energy.  Hert frequently monitors and posts on this board, so you might also get a response from him.

Remember, these are broad generalizations, as well as my personal opinions, so I would strongly encourage you to further explore both programs.  They both are well supported, but represent very different models of GUI and customer support.  If these things are important to you, then you should spend some time with each before making any decision.

Good luck,

--Ken

[havezet]

Mike,

I never respond in detail to topics about how IDimager compares to other tools. Each tool has its strengths and the "feel" of a product is very personal; what feels good for one person could be a drama for another. I can only recommand that you try both.

On this page, I touch some of the unique features that IDimager-Pro has compared to direct competitors.
http://www.idimager.com/index.php?page=idimager

Also check out this page:
http://www.impulseadventure.com/photo/flow-catalog-compare.html

Hert

[peterkrogh]

Hert,
That feature set looks really good.  I'll have to take a look at V4 soon.

Does your backup implementation know where the primary version  of the files is, as well as the backup versions?  If so, how many backups can it know about? Can it group images into bucket limited groups (to fit on a DVD, say).
Peter