Photo Mechanic Plus > Feature Requests
Using catalog functions while "offline"
elianoimperato:
--- Quote from: Kirk Baker on September 21, 2024, 09:17:13 AM ---
--- Quote from: charly5 on September 21, 2024, 12:43:36 AM ---What is the current status quo regarding this feature request?
--- End quote ---
It's something we'd like to do. But it would be a significant change to how the Catalog feature was designed and would take a lot of effort to implement.
-Kirk
--- End quote ---
In these days I decided to stop to use my Lightroom catalog and to move exclusively on Photo Mechanic Plus for my work organisation (I'm using Photo Mechanic from years but I hadn't started yet to use the Plus benefits) but I learned now, with this thread, that I can't use it to tag/rate my photos when they're offline. And I can't use it when they will improve CameraBits with this option because I'm one of the last user of the legacy Photo Mechanic Plus 6. Sad story.
Ps. If someone can advise me a DAM to work on my catalog I'll be very happy. I don't want to use Lightroom – that I'm paying to edit my photos – because it use a LOT, a LOT, of space!
sam_green_build:
+1. I've just purchased a PM+ license and have come across the same limitation. The catalogue feature is great for browsing thumbnails when you are offline, but... without the ability to update metadata it has very limited functionality until your media is online again, which can be difficult if the media is spread across multiple storage devices.
My use case would normally be when large amounts of metadata need to be updated in a manual/time consuming way, that I would rather not have to be sat next to my RAID to complete. e.g. going back through a catalogue and updating Geo location for images, or going through and inputting 'Persons shown' data.
I think a healthy implementation would allow the editing of IPTC, colour tags and ratings while offline, and then (ideally) sync when the media came online, or if that's not possible, via a menu command.
phrank:
Hi,
I recently subscribed to Photo Mechanic Plus and was hoping it could become my new Digital Asset Management workhorse, but I’m a bit disappointed with its current capabilities.
I have millions of photos across multiple USB-3 hard drives, with catalogs on an external Thunderbolt SSD and backups in different locations. The main issue is that none of the metadata is stored in the catalog itself—it’s only in XMP sidecars. This makes it very difficult to sync updates with backups when I don’t have all drives connected.
Previews/proxies are generated, but they don’t fully solve the problem if the originals must always be accessible.
Ideally, the catalog should store metadata alongside the previews in its own database so I could work anywhere, anytime.
At the moment, Photo Mechanic Plus doesn’t feel like the “Plus” I was hoping for in Digital Asset Management.
I’m really looking forward to seeing what version 7 brings! I remember a few years ago there was some discussion about it, so it’ll be exciting to see it finally come to life.
mudralaszlo:
Not to mention the missing ability to "export" the reduced size proxy media while the originals are offline. So what's the point of the ability to browse and search the catalog with offline files if you can't do anything with them. No offense, i'd like to know the answer.
phrank:
Hi Kirk Baker,
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to follow up on the feature request for annotating offline images, which was discussed back in 2019. As we're now in 2026, I'm curious about the status of this feature, particularly for photographers like myself who work with extensive archives.
For my Digital Asset Management workflow, which involves backups across multiple locations and countries, it's essential to have DAM software with its own metadata database. Without this capability, the software functions more as a bookmark system for catalogs and albums rather than a comprehensive DAM solution. While Photo Mechanic is excellent and only slightly better than basic bookmark functionality in this regard, it falls short for properly managing an archive of 2 million photos.
I genuinely appreciate Photo Mechanic for its exceptional speed during the culling process – it's fantastic for that workflow. However, for comprehensive Digital Asset Management needs, I find it doesn't quite meet my requirements.
Could you please let me know if offline image annotation is on the development roadmap? This would help me make an informed decision about whether to continue investing time in mastering Photo Mechanic Plus, or if I should explore alternative solutions that better align with my workflow needs.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best regards
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