Street Photography Magazine

and Oracle, so while they have a wide range
of functions, they are more complex to
administer and use. Image database
manufacturers try to give users access to as
many tools as possible via the GUI, but you
will still find basic knowledge of how a
database works very useful when it comes to
administering a multi-user system –
especially if you want to get the most out of
its search functionality. The strengths of this
type of system lie in asset management
rather than image processing. Some include
rudimentary image editing tools, but they
cannot hold their own when compared with
the wide-ranging editing functionality built
into most locally installed RAW converters.
Most manufacturers of multi-user image
database software also offer stripped down
‘starter’ versions of their software. The
combination of the big name and reduced
price might seem tempting, but these
versions rarely offer real multi-user
functionality and are usually just as complex
to use as their networked counterparts.
Starter versions can be useful for learning
the software prior to scaling up to a full
version. This approach allows your database
to grow organically and saves you the
bother of performing a complex (and often
error-prone) migration later on. Starter
versions are also worth considering if you sell
your images and want to make it easy for your
customers to search your resources online, or
if you want to prepare online collections to
show to potential clients. The SaaS (‘Software
as a Service’) approach used by eyebase, in

which the software manufacturer also hosts

your image database, is an interesting option

for single users and small offices.

Our Test Candidates

There is a vast selection of image database

software on the market (see the table on page

123), and our test includes a cross-section of

all the available categories, from freeware to

costly pro-grade software.

The low-budget end of the scale includes

single-user programs like Google’s Picasa and

the open sourcedigiKam (see our review in

Issue 6 of c’t Digital Photography for more

details). digiKam‘s experimental multi-user

functionality is not yet reliable enough for

real-world use.

Aperture, Lightroomand Media Pro are

commercial products aimed at single users.

While Apertureand Lightroom have built-in

RAW processing functionality, Phase One’s

Image Database Software | Basics

WAN/Cloud

LAN

Database

True multi-user database systems, like those offered by

Cumulusand Eyebase mediasuite,give multiple users

full write permission, if necessary via WAN and cloud

services. Rights management functionality nevertheless

gives the administrator exclusive control of image usage.

Only true multi-user programs like eyebase mediasuiteoffer a precisely

configurable system of access rights