photo - Ken Gilbert
photo - Ken Gilbert
photo - Ken Gilbert
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
lab * SoftwAre review<br />
CAmerA BitS PHoto meCHAniC 4.6<br />
Stock Pick<br />
What the organizer used by<br />
the associated Press offers you<br />
ASK PhotojournAliStS what<br />
software they can’t live without,<br />
and they may name Camera<br />
Bits Photo Mechanic even before<br />
Adobe Photoshop. Now in version<br />
4.6, Photo Mechanic lets you<br />
offload, add metadata, backup,<br />
browse, pick the best, and upload<br />
or e-mail pictures incredibly fast.<br />
It’s strictly a viewer and organizer,<br />
so plan to do image correction<br />
elsewhere. But preview time<br />
is quick, and you can rate your<br />
<strong>photo</strong>s while you offload. Unlike,<br />
say, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom<br />
2, it catalogs videos, too, though<br />
it doesn’t play them.<br />
When you “ingest” pictures,<br />
you can add detailed information<br />
to each image’s metadata,<br />
noting who shot it and where,<br />
plus keywords, contact info, and<br />
captions. Using Photo Mechanic’s<br />
Variables, you can automatically<br />
add info specific to each image.<br />
So put aperture or ISO info in the<br />
caption. Or, if you like, note the<br />
original file name so that if your<br />
file gets renamed along the way,<br />
you can check the metadata to<br />
help you locate the original.<br />
If you primarily use Photoshop,<br />
Photo Mechanic beats<br />
AmAteur Pro<br />
Photo<br />
mechanic<br />
does a few<br />
things and it<br />
does them<br />
well,<br />
helping you<br />
add meta-<br />
data, back-<br />
up, and pick<br />
the best<br />
<strong>photo</strong>s at<br />
warp speed.<br />
Bridge because of the extent to<br />
which you can control metadata<br />
and the speed at which it previews<br />
RAW files. Photo Mechanic<br />
also has a leg up on the organizing<br />
functions in Lightroom and<br />
Apple’s Aperture, which use<br />
proprietary databases.<br />
But with this software, all of<br />
the information you add to your<br />
<strong>photo</strong>s stays with them, written<br />
into the file. That means it’s<br />
visible in Photoshop, searchable<br />
by the newest Mac or Windows<br />
OS, and accessible if you’re selling<br />
your pics to a stock agency.<br />
—Debbie Grossman<br />
specifications<br />
minimum system requirements<br />
Mac: OS 10.2 and G3 processor or OS<br />
10.3 and G4. Windows: XP or 2000,<br />
Pentium 3 processor. PriCe: $150,<br />
direct from www.camerabits.com<br />
Camera Bits Photo meChaniC 4.6<br />
what’s hot<br />
Unparalleled metadata editing<br />
what’s not<br />
Some reading of the manual required<br />
who it’s for<br />
Heavy shooters with a lot of files<br />
Anyone selling pictures to stock<br />
90 PoPulAr PhotogrAPhy january 2010 POPPhOtO.cOM<br />
www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com
Change language