Image database programs

[Eric Rose]

What do you use to database your images? Something that allows for searches etc. I have my own program that I came up with that utilizes MySQL but I am sure there are sexier programs out there.

[Michael Graves]

I just created one in Filemaker PRO and then compiled it to run as a standalone. Simple, but it works for me.

[darr]

Lightroom

[Daniel Geiger]

FileMaker Pro. I wrote once some thoughts down on canned vs. custom db. You can access it under
http://vetigastropoda.com/photo/database/
You note MySQL, which suggests web-searchable db. Not sure how easy it is to transfer FM to web. There is a server version of FM, but hosting such dbs is expensive. I am still on FM6 (current version is 8, I believe) and MySQL porting may have been made easier. I should upgrade, for sure.

[Michael Graves]

I've got 7.0. Never upgraded to 8.0. 7 has a portal for web-based databases, but I've never used it. I imagine that hosting images on a website would eat up a lot of space, and the bandwidth required for downloading them prohibitive. My little database is designed just for local host storage.

[bob carnie]

I would agree with Lightroom..

[Mystery Jig]

I've been using Apple's Aperture for a few months now. I love it. It's an image browser and a searchable database.

[Eric Rose]

Has anyone tried ACDSee Pro 2.0?

[bsimison]

Lightroom for the "active" photographs -- images I'm currently retouching, open jobs, oft-used portfolios; iView Media Pro for the archive -- deep-storage stuff, old jobs, etc that I only need occasionally. iView is much better at handling thousands of images than LR.

[Juergen Sattler]

Take a look at iMatch - it will manage all your files, incl. off-line stored pictures on CD ro external HDs. It is rather inexpensive and works very well. You catagorize your pictures in whatever form you wish. By using various search functions you find your pics quickly and easily.