problems. The best way to prevent these
kinds of inconsistencies is to open the image
file itself for processing rather than relying on
a link to a thumbnail. This is time-consuming,
but makes it impossible to open or alter the
wrong image.
Recently, there has been a noticeable
trend toward using larger thumbnails. In these
times of virtually limitless disk space and
large monitors, there is no real reason
to stick with tinypreview images. The thumbnail size you use
can usually be selected in the program
preferences, but remember: the higher the
resolution and the quality level you select, the
more disk space you will have to provide for
the thumbnail cache.
Thumbnails are either imported directly to
the database (Cumulus) or saved to a separate
folder (Lightroom). The first method is fast, but
usually means that the size of the thumbnails
you can select is restricted to prevent the
database from becoming too large. Saving
thumbnails separately prevents larger
preview images from slowing down the
program’s other operations.RAW Compatibility
All operating systems and image databases
support common image formats such as TIFF
and JPEG, but confusion still reigns regarding
the multitude of proprietary RAW formats
used by camera manufacturers.
In its standard configuration,
Windows cannot display or open
a number of file types. The free
Microsoft Camera Codec Pack
helps to a degree, but still
doesn’t include many common
device-specific formats. Popular
camera manufacturers such as
Canon, Nikon, Pentax and
Panasonic offer their own codec
packs for download.
Apple’s OS X is much better
equipped, and RAW support is an
integral part of the operating system.Regular updates ensure that support includes
all current formats.
In contrast to operating system
manufacturers, image database software
manufacturers have a vested interest in
providing regular updates to keep pace with
the flood of new and updated RAW formats
that are constantly hitting the market.
Lightroomsupports more camera models
than Aperture, while smaller manufacturers
like eyebase provide support for individual
RAW formats on request – something that
most major software providers wouldn’t
dream of doing. All software manufacturers
publish lists of the makes and models of
camera they support, so it is always advisable
to check whether your particular camera is
supported before making a purchase.
And while we’re on the subject,
browser-based format support isn’t
necessarily the same as local support, even if
we are talking about the same manufacturer.
The local version of Google’s Picasa can
display and process many RAW formats,
whereas they can only be downloaded
(without previews) if you are using the Google
Cloud. Additionally, RAW files cannot be
uploaded to Picasa Web Albums, but can be
stored as Google documents. however,
eyebase mediasuite is capable of displaying
thumbnails of RAW images in its
browser-based interface.
In spite of all these anomalies and
idiosyncrasies, a regularly updated database
is always preferable to built-in operating
system tools if you want to be sure of
maintaining optimum file format
compatibility.Database Image Management
If you need to organize collections of photos
or find images based on specific keywords, an
image database is always the tool of choice.
Unlike most simple file systems, database
software enables you to add a single image to
various different collections without
producing redundant data. Again, this
approach is all well and good up to the point
when you attempt to transfer an existing
database to a different software platform –
internally created collections don’t usually
survive migrations.
If you want to stay manufacturer
independent, it is preferable to sort your
images according to metadata-based criteria,
as these can be read by most programs,
independently of their database architecture.
If you want to market your images through
stock agencies, you will have to spend a fair
amount of time organizing your metadata
anyway (see the following section). EvenImage Database Software | RAW Compatibility
The term ‘thumbnail’ is a bit of an understatement for a file with a side length of up to
2048 pixels. Lightroomsaves its preview images separately to prevent the database
from getting too big. This approach means that you can use large preview images
without affecting the program’s overall performance.