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iPhoto Alternatives
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cgc
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May 4, 2009, 03:22 PM
 
I'm an amateur photographer (I have a Canon EOS 3 SLR and a digital P&S camera) and need a good program I can use to organize my photos. I like iPhoto '09 but can't justify $79 for iPhoto (I won't use any of the other iLife apps) but LightRoom 2 is available from my college for $105. Amazon.com has Aperture 2 for only $155.

I'll be downloading the trials of each and playing with them, but does anyone know of any other program that's iPhoto-like. Am I underestimating the value of iPhoto (I have no problem spending $100 for Lightroom as I feel it's MUCH more capable and that iPhoto only represents a fraction of the value of the $79 iLife)?

I'd love to hear what everyone thinks...
     
64stang06
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May 4, 2009, 08:56 PM
 
If you don't mind a quirky interface, you could give Picasa a shot.
MacBook Pro 13" 2.8GHz Core i7/8GB RAM/750GB Hard Drive - Mac OS X 10.7.3
     
cgc  (op)
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May 4, 2009, 09:33 PM
 
I tried Aperture and Lightroon trials and really don't like either. iPhoto's interface (I used an old version) and workflow are much simpler and better suited to what I do (I've got about 1,300 images). Hard to justify $79 for one app that’s part of a suite of apps which brings me to my original question.

Picassa seems like it's a really lightweight tool and it's interface is quirky, but I'll check it out...thanks.
     
turtle777
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May 4, 2009, 10:33 PM
 
You won't find something better AND cheaper than iPhoto.

It's either gonna be cheaper, better, or worse & more expensive.

-t
     
cgc  (op)
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May 5, 2009, 01:31 AM
 
Originally Posted by turtle777 View Post
You won't find something better AND cheaper than iPhoto.

It's either gonna be cheaper, better, or worse & more expensive.
It's lookikng that way...hate to drop that much money and only use a fraction of the programs but iPhoto has no peers...Picassa is good but I don't like it...

Amazon lists iLife 09 for $65-ish but they list it as "PowerPC" with no mention of an Intel version...I thought it was a UB...prolly a typo.
     
ibook_steve
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May 5, 2009, 03:03 AM
 
All recent Apple software is Universal. Not sure why Amazon does not list it.

Steve
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OreoCookie
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May 5, 2009, 04:12 AM
 
Ditto. I use and love Aperture, but it's a pro app, make no mistake about it. Of course it is a lot more powerful than iPhoto (ditto for Lightroom), but at the expense of a more involved user interface. With the exception of Picasa, I don't know of any alternatives that are similarly simple and cheaper. I'd go for it.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
     
skybolt
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May 5, 2009, 10:53 AM
 
Once you get into iPhoto, you may well find yourself using the other iLife apps. For example -- I used iDVD in conjunction with iPhoto to make DVD's of old family photos to be watched on a regular DVD player and gave them to the appropriate family members. They all raved about them! And it was so easy! They all thought I was brilliant, but little did they know it took no time at all. You can even include the photos themselves so that the recipient can keep the jpg files on their own computer. Just one way you might find yourself using some of the other apps.

And iPhoto is brilliant at what it does -- organization. Very usable and user-friendly. Don't believe you can go wrong -- worh every penny!
Mary
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cgc  (op)
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May 5, 2009, 09:16 PM
 
I'm 99% convinced I'll be buying iPhoto but I have one last question that's partly answered via Google, but has anyone had any problems with iPhoto and Raw files? I'm contemplating replacing my (sweet) film camera with a (more sweet) EOS 40D (due to lower noise than EOS 50D). Thanks.
     
joec
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May 7, 2009, 02:20 PM
 
I use iPhoto with 40D raw file. No problems. Suggest you also check the DPP that comes with the 40D for raw file processing because it has more raw file processing capability than iPhoto.
     
cgc  (op)
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May 7, 2009, 07:13 PM
 
Originally Posted by joec View Post
I use iPhoto with 40D raw file. No problems. Suggest you also check the DPP that comes with the 40D for raw file processing because it has more raw file processing capability than iPhoto.
Thanks!
     
mduell
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May 26, 2009, 07:56 AM
 
Have you tried Picasa?

mduell really likes Picasa. Picasa + Dropbox = all the photo editing I want (my needs are pretty limited), automatic backups, and effortless online galleries
     
Spheric Harlot
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May 26, 2009, 08:06 AM
 
Originally Posted by mduell View Post
Have you tried Picasa?
Yes, he did...three weeks ago, when this thread was current...he did mention he didn't like it...
     
cgc  (op)
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May 26, 2009, 08:55 AM
 
Yup...using iPhoto '09 and so far so good.
     
   
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