Subscription Model

[Jan]

What happens if I stop my subscription?

• Single user license – for one user on up to 2 computers
• macOS and Windows, 64-bit
• Includes software updates and support while subscribed
• First billing 14 days after purchase, then annually.
• Cancel anytime in the first 14 days.

Will the software still work or will I not be able to use it at all or only to a limited extent?

[vale]

@claude
I have a version of pm which will got no updates after a few days. I pay the subscription for a year, thinking that I will retain the upgrade path. After a year this is the list of improvments:

----
Added: SmugMug uploader now supports keywords from XMP sidecar files.
Added: Allow Licensors phone number type to include an unspecified option.
Added: Disregard case on sorting of IPTC lists.
Added: Support for more file types in Live Ingest.  Live Ingest now supports all still media types. It also pairs HIF files with RAW and WAV for renaming.
Added: Visual context for individual file upload status to Uploader window.
Added: {rand3} and {rand4} variables for 000-999 and 0000-9999 ranges.
Added: Warning when deleting folders from Navigator and Favorites.
Added: Uploaders - increase the maximum number of concurrent uploads to eight.  This significantly increases the performance of uploading images, depending on the service and server.  This setting is adjusted in the Connection Settings accessed from the Upload dialog.
Added: Support for Sony a7Rm5 and ZV-1F models’ makernote data.
Added: Ability to force a full rescan of a Contact Sheet, even if the directories have not changed.  Hold down the Modifier Key (Option on macOS, Shift on Windows) while choosing the Rescan menu item from the View menu.

Are they worth 170$?

[bildbaendiger]

What happens if I stop my subscription?

on the page https://home.camerabits.com/2023/11/12/changes-coming-to-photo-mechanic/ camerabits write:

If you cancel your subscription, Photo Mechanic will no longer function

[hya]

I have to wonder if CameraBits stuck to their old pricing model all those years (perpetual license w/1 year of updates), would prices be lower. I know I would've been happy to pay the old yearly upgrade price. I use less than 50% of the app's features — the inflated price of the app is a hard pill to swallow.

[Max Lemesh]

Since there was no PM7 announcement, nor new features promo, is there any reason to switch to subscription? I noticed people mentioning new build numbers, but are there any features I might be missing at this point?

[elianoimperato]

I'm a Photo Mechanic user since the version 5 and really I can't imagine to work fast and smooth with another app.

This is the page with the new subscription plans: https://home.camerabits.com/get-photomechanic/

The question is: until now have I paid €288.87/year or €28.99/month (Photo Mechanic Plus) – €172.86/year or €17.38/month (Photo Mechanic Standard)?

I think that the monthly/year fees are very expensive but I'm no one to judge Camera Bits politics.

For sure who will continue to pay all these money will be rich people or Photographers who earn enough money to put also this cost in the investment of work tools.

For now I'll continue to use my Photo Mechanic Plus app, then I'll start to understand what to do when I'll be not able to use anymore the app with the new MacOS systems.

All the best to everyone!

[vale]

Considering that they "launch" the new prices and they didn't bother to post something in this forum to better understand the new situation, it's clear how much they 'work on it'.
For those who, at some point, move to subscription, DO NOT UPGRADE the current account. Because if you want to cancel after a month/year/whatever, you will lose the possibility to use the program. Make a new account, choose the needed type and go on, pay the people. When you see that are paying for no significant upgrades, at least you'll have the older version of the program.

[ahoward]

Considering that they "launch" the new prices and they didn't bother to post something in this forum to better understand the new situation, it's clear how much they 'work on it'.

We made an announcement, emailed it to everyone on our mailing list, posted it on all of our social media, and put it on the home page of our website with a highlighted link that said "Important changes coming to Photo Mechanic". The forum is not our primary means of communicating with our customers.

For those who, at some point, move to subscription, DO NOT UPGRADE the current account. Because if you want to cancel after a month/year/whatever, you will lose the possibility to use the program. Make a new account, choose the needed type and go on, pay the people. When you see that are paying for no significant upgrades, at least you'll have the older version of the program.

Just to clarify, the only way to start using the new version of Photo Mechanic is to set up a new account under the new store. Whether this new account uses the same email address as previous purchases or a different one: the new store has no knowledge of your previous purchases and has absolutely no impact on your previous purchases or your ability to use those purchases.

If your experience is anything other than this, you should contact us directly at +1-503-547-2888

[Max Lemesh]

Will I be able to have new PM installed in parallel with old PM? or would I need to deactivate and delete my older version and licence? O can I just rename the file so that they exist in parallel?

[ahoward]

Will I be able to have new PM installed in parallel with old PM?

Yes. You just can't have two instances of any versions of Photo Mechanic running at the same time.

or would I need to deactivate and delete my older version and licence?

No

O can I just rename the file so that they exist in parallel?[

You don't need to rename anything. On Mac, older installs are called Photo Mechanic 6 and Photo Mechanic Plus. Newer installs are called Photo Mechanic. On Windows, there is a different install location and both can coexist.  There is now one installable version of Photo Mechanic, and the capabilities available to you (such as if you get the Catalog features of Photo Mechanic Plus) are determined by the license that you enter.

[Max Lemesh]

So, I went and subscribed to trial to see and test everything.
Next question is how exactly I go about cancelling it before it goes to full one?

Is it 'disable all licences' button? Or reset? How do I stop it if I need to?
It is not exactly clear in my dashboard

[Kirk Baker]

Max,

So, I went and subscribed to trial to see and test everything.
Next question is how exactly I go about cancelling it before it goes to full one?

Is it 'disable all licences' button? Or reset? How do I stop it if I need to?
It is not exactly clear in my dashboard

To avoid being charged when your trial is over, you can cancel your subscription anytime within 14 days of your initial order. Canceling your subscription will prevent your credit card from being billed any further.

To Cancel, you’ll need to log into your Store account. Click https://camerabits.onfastspring.com/account here and enter the email address you used for your order, then watch for an email with a direct link to your account.

Once you’re logged in, find your order:
• under Trials, if within 14 days of your order; or
• under Subscriptions, if your trial period has ended and your subscription is active.

Choose the “Manage” button on the right, and then choose “Cancel Subscription” and confirm your choice. You’ll receive an email to confirm that your subscription has been successfully canceled.

You will be able to keep using the software through the end of the current trial or subscription period, at which time your subscription and access to Photo Mechanic will be terminated.

[the above is a response from our help desk system]

-Kirk

[greg2024]

I came to this party just trying to update my photo intake process. Recently images have piled up without proper culling and marking largely due me feeling blah about using Bridge. So here I am stepping into an inflection point for Photo Mechanic licensing. 

Photography hasn't been my means  to make a living, but it is has been an important part of my life for decades. Having reliable metadata capture and image retrieval has always been crucial in my dealing with thousands of images. Photo Mechanic Plus does this better than anything I have run across on a Mac. Photo Mechanic Plus is faster than other products I've tried, so native Apple silicon support isn't at the top of the list for me, as long as the product can track Apple OS updates. No doubt they will need to build their product for native Apple silicon in the future, but it's not a deal breaker for me now.

Just in my initial trial Photo Mechanic Plus has helped me sort out a few issues in my catalog that have been buried there for years perhaps caused in my use of other products but not visible to me.

I typically avoid subscriptions as much as possible, but unless something else pops up quickly a Photo Mechanic Plus subscription will be my solution this time around.

[Stuwhitt]

I’m sorry but I’m out, I’ll continue to use PM as long as I can but the pricing is ridiculously expensive.

Let’s see if there’s an upgrade path offered to existing users with the next major release.

Camera Bits should look at the likes to Topaz for what I think is a more ethical model of one time purchase with annual support payments of £49, which I would be willing to pay.

[Max Lemesh]

Considering how many users have no idea what PM can do, viewing it as an expensive culling app with outdated interface, the migration of pros who do use it and show how won’t help it either.

PM was already expensive app to purchase, but now it costs more than my Photoshop and Lightroom, and Almost as much as capture one, as subscription without any new benefits.

Upgrade path for current users could be a way to keep loyal people, but doesn’t look like it is coming.

More people using PM at cheaper subscription cost would help the cause more, coupled with quality learning materials, not just webinars on webcams, and useful ambassadors promoting PM (Jeff you are the best!). Look at what capture one is doing with their content