iPhoto + Qpict as a workflow for multimedia production

Question

iPhoto + Qpict as a workflow for multimedia production

A customer of mine is used to work in iPhoto and is weary to learn/use yet another application. He has to select several thousands of pictures from tens of thousands in his iPhoto. I am used for a few decades to do big projects with many images and developing a visual workflow for that.

I photo... I do not use normally... I juts checked it and found it NOT fit for the job.

I am not comparing the two applications. I only noticed that they have a different focus/functionality. Now I played around with both and found out that it is very easy to combine the two.

iPhoto lacks the option of having multiple windows/lbraries/sets/albums visually open. Hence it is useless for a visual selection process. Qpict does have that functionality. Some say/said in the past that the performance with tens of thousands of pictures of Qpict is inferior to that of iPhoto. Be it so. It does not concern me in the solution I propose:

1) My client can go throug iPhoto as he is used to do.
2) He selects pictures he wants for his preselection (clicking them one by one, or control click, or slecting a series) Right click and mark tem as favourite with one * (star)
3) Have Qpict open with a new drag and drop catalogue (does not even need to be named or saved)
4) Drag the selected thumbnails in iPhoto to the open Qpict catalogue
5) In Qpict the selection can be refined if needed with yet another window open (like iPhoto Qpict has the full path of the pictures dragged over from one to the other window)
6) In this workflow I proposed my client to then copy the selected pictures in Qpict (a whole cataloague/set or a selection within it) to another directory (tyhis leaves the whole iPhoto-collection as it is (only marked with one or more stars showing that it has been selected)
7) therest of the workprocess can be done

Wisdom: the combined functionality of different applications often delivers the best possible workflow.

By the way (both applications are scriptable... , iPhoto is bad a visual selection, Qpict is good at it)

iPhoto '11, Mac OS X (10.6.8), combing iPhoto with Qpict

Posted on Feb 28, 2014 2:57 PM

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Answer 1

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,290 points

Feb 28, 2014 3:06 PM in response to Tjebbe van Tijen

Is there a point to this? iPhoto is certainly fit for the job it is designed to do. Yours is a pretty specific usage and you're comparing an app aimed at the home users with a phone or point and shoot, that retails at $15 with one that starts at more than twice that and goes a whole lot further. What is your point? BTW, note that at step 4 you're only getting the iPhoto previews.

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Answer 2

Feb 28, 2014 5:10 PM in response to Yer_Man

Dear Terence: SELECTION is th epoint... one moves a slected picture out of one set into another... visually

If you do not understand how impornatn that is... alas... you maybe not working with visual ways of narrative based on series of pictures. The second point is the trying out of order within a selection. Last point is the functionality of moving or duplicating sets or selected pictures from sets ... a lot more easy than in iPhoto...

I am working with pictures and databases and I think I have a point.

You need not to agree with me... as you may have other needs when working with pictures.

P.S. in step 4 I relaize a visual selection in Qpict and I have as well marked in iPhoto that I have selected those pictures, so if I feel a need to go back.. I have marked the ones that I had chosen at an earlier stage.

You seem to prefer to make selection partly blinfolded... also I think multiple windows at once in iPhone is a missing feature!

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Answer 3

LarryHN

Level 10

106,110 points

Feb 28, 2014 6:51 PM in response to Tjebbe van Tijen

OK - suggest to Apple - iPhoto menu ==> provide iPhoto feedback

LN

PS - note that TD's point is not that you do not need to or want to do this - it is that iPHoto is not the correct application to do it andthere is no reason in the world to assume that it would or could do this - which is exactly what youy found too - so what is the exact point of either of your posts?

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Answer 4

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,290 points

Feb 28, 2014 11:47 PM in response to Tjebbe van Tijen

Never heard of flagging or albums then? And as your vague on what the next apps you will be using are, I still don't see the benefit.

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Answer 5

Old Toad

Level 10

207,367 points

Mar 1, 2014 9:12 AM in response to Tjebbe van Tijen

You seem to be making the select process much more difficult than it has to be. After step 2 create a smart album (Rating = 1 star) with those phhotos. Select two of the photos in the album, Command (right) - click and select Edit in iPhoto. Click on the full screen button in the upper right hand cornder of the iPhoto window to go into full screen mode.

Now you can view the thumbnails at the bottom of the window and move those you want to compare to the screen buy clicking on one of the large images and then on a thumbnail to repalce it.

This lets you get two side by side. Or bypass the edit mode and go full screen while viewing the album.

Double click on any image to view it full screen and use the thumbnail bar at the bottom to toggle between two images:

To remove a photo from the smart album just change its start rating and it'll be gone in a flash. The remain photos can be given a unique keyword for easy searching later or create a smart album with the criteria keyword is "unique keyword" so they are always available in the left hand pane of iPhoto.

There's no jumping between applications, getting the lower resolution image in the final batch, etc. Far easier than I ever found Qpict to be.

One just needs to learn how to use iPhoto's features.

OT

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Answer 6

Mar 1, 2014 2:27 PM in response to Old Toad

mm I notice that this Aple support window, loses it 'focus' easily, moving my cursor out of this box (a kind of pirmitive old style)

So I need to retype here...

My intention was NOT to discuss the merits or shortcomings of iPhoto

I just had been seaching for a way to combine iPhoto and Qpict, after I failed to find a double window option.

The proposed option by Old Toad is NOT good enough, just a few pics in the bottom bar.

I work with many images. Need to see what has been selected from one set and what is in another.

Think about it like working with many slides on a big light-table.

Also my client does not want to change his actual collection of pictures in iPhoto.

Hence my solution. Whicj I post here for other who may face a similar question (not as a critique on a beloved product)

As the argument is visual her step one of opening up iPhoto at the left and a still empty Qpict at the right

Here the result of dragging with the iPhoto side matked with *

That's all...

Copying or moving pics to other directories I findeasier with Qpict (which are just applescripts)... I use several image process applaications (Photoshop, NX2, Graphic Converter) and one or more pictures can thus be opened for further processing.

Thnaks again for your reactions.

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Answer 7

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,290 points

Mar 1, 2014 3:05 PM in response to Tjebbe van Tijen

My intention was NOT to discuss the merits or shortcomings of iPhoto

Then why did you phrase it as one? Complete with BLOCK capitals for emphasis?

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