Upgrading from Lite

[Dusty Dog]

I'm new to DAM, and I've been reading this forum for two weeks.  Much of it is above my head right now, but I know that I need a DAM program.  I've tried EM, but frankly Microsoft scares me.  It's a mega corporation that hovers above the fray, even though they may have a good product.  Goddess knows, iView received all kinds of accolades.  But, without the support from a developer, a program can be useless.  I know that support groups help immeasurably, but honestly, MS continues to be one of those corporations that got to be too big for its own good (except Gates, of course).  Sheesh, selecting a DAM program is almost as hard as naming my first born; almost as hard as deciding what tripod to buy.   

Anyway, I've pretty much decided that IDimager is the DAM software I will be going with.  Simply put, I love the configure-ability and ease of its keyword hierarchy.  I love that it seems to trade keywords back and forth between Bridge and itself.  I use CS3 and Bridge extensively, so that's kind of important.  I can't think of any reason why IDimager wouldn't meet my needs as I learn and my needs grow.  And, it seems to have a following of some very satisfied customers.  Hence, the upgrade question.

I presume, which isn't always a good thing, that if I am presently using the lite version, I can upgrade to Professional without needing to rebuild my keyword vocabulary.  That would truly suck.  Am I right? I would like to upgrade when I get my next pay, or the pay day after.  It's always a money issue for me, unfortunately.  I tried to find the answer to this seeming simple question, but didn't succeed.  Likely, it was my choice of search words, ironically enough.   

Well, that's kind of an introduction to myself.  I am not a professional photographer.  I am a serious amateur.  In fact, I sure wish I could quit the day job and do nothing but take pictures.  But, to feed this rather expensive habit, I need to hang onto the day job, landscape architect/park planner for the National Park Service.  What I learn in my private time regarding DAM, I will very likely be taking to the office to deal with the horrifically unmanaged set of digital images that we have at work.  But, one thing at a time.

Thanks for your answers and your help and your forum.  I think I have found some answers to deal with my growing image issue.

Diane
aka Dusty Dog - www.dustydogdigital.com
proud owner of a Nikon D200 and lots of exhorbitantly expensive accessories. 

[havezet]

Hello Diane,

Thank you for considering IDimager. First of all I'd like to point out that IDimager Lite is at version number V3 while the latest commercial release is V4 (Personal and Pro). IDimager Lite can be upgraded to V4 Personal and from V4 Personal you can easily migrate to IDimager Pro (simply install the Pro version and continue with your exsting database). So in short; yes you can upgrade your data from IDI-Lite but it takes a few steps.

Also read this topic:
http://forum.idimager.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=6285

The differences between V3 (Lite) and V4 are major. Not only is the speed about 200 times faster but also the user interface is changed and many new features are available.

If you are yet to start with IDimager then I recommend that you start with the 30 day trial version. This version is fully functional.

Hope that helps

Hert

[Dusty Dog]

Thank you, Hert.  I'll go download it now.  I just need to wait till my next payday, and 30 days would be enough.  That 200X faster thing sounds really enticing.  The lite version isn't exactly the fastest software I've encountered.     I'm sure I'll be spending some time here, and I guess at your forum, too.  I don't know why I didn't post this message at the IDimager forum.  I realized it only after I posted here.

Again, thanks.

Diane