demo mode question re search criteria and copy

[Clair]

Hi --
I downloaded the PM Demo to see if it would do one important thing before buying (after reading many glowing reviews!) But so far am having no luck with what I want to do.

In Adobe Bridge I can find all raw files on my external hard disk shot before Jan. 1, 2008. Total is 621. I can order them according to creation date and make contact sheets. So far so good. (I am doing this for copyright purposes.) The next step is where AB fails and why I downloaded PM. So I have TWO functions I want PM to perform. I'm assuming I have to ingest first, but I have a problem with that as well, so I'm starting with that question.

NOTE: ALL my images in all their forms are on ONE external drive; how does one do the following:

INGEST:
Since, as I understand it, PM can create a virtual db of images from a given area -- how do I ingest WITHOUT making dups of the images? (I don't need another copy of my images.) And, if I don't need to ingest to accomplish the next step, then great!


FIND ACCORDING TO CRITERIA AND CREATE CDs

1. Find all images with an extension of .PEF created before 01/01/2008

2. Order them with oldest first (to match my contact sheets)

3. Create CDs with these images on them.

(I did see from the menus, that PM would create CDs properly, i.e., when one CD is full, asking for the next.)

Help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[Kirk Baker]

Clair,

I downloaded the PM Demo to see if it would do one important thing before buying (after reading many glowing reviews!) But so far am having no luck with what I want to do.

In Adobe Bridge I can find all raw files on my external hard disk shot before Jan. 1, 2008. Total is 621. I can order them according to creation date and make contact sheets. So far so good. (I am doing this for copyright purposes.) The next step is where AB fails and why I downloaded PM. So I have TWO functions I want PM to perform. I'm assuming I have to ingest first, but I have a problem with that as well, so I'm starting with that question.

NOTE: ALL my images in all their forms are on ONE external drive; how does one do the following:

INGEST:
Since, as I understand it, PM can create a virtual db of images from a given area -- how do I ingest WITHOUT making dups of the images? (I don't need another copy of my images.) And, if I don't need to ingest to accomplish the next step, then great!


FIND ACCORDING TO CRITERIA AND CREATE CDs

1. Find all images with an extension of .PEF created before 01/01/2008

2. Order them with oldest first (to match my contact sheets)

3. Create CDs with these images on them.

(I did see from the menus, that PM would create CDs properly, i.e., when one CD is full, asking for the next.)

You don't need to use Ingest.  It would indeed make copies of your images.
Now the Finding part may or may not be able to be done, depending on your OS platform (which you did not mention.)  If you have Mac OS X 10.4.x or higher, you can use the Search function to find images whose Capture Time is before 01/01/2008.  Then you can sort by Capture Time by using the popup menu in the toolbar and changing it to read "Capture Time".  Then select the images and use the Burn Photos to Disc... command on the File menu.

If you are running Windows then you could try to open the entire drive recursively and then sort by Type but this could realistically take a long time and Photo Mechanic could run out of memory.

What OS are you running?

-Kirk

[Clair]

Kirk -- thanks!
But, unfortunately, as I gather from your reply, I am running WinXP Pro. Sigh.

But I do appreciate your reply.

Now, just out of curiosity, can one "ingest" without copying -- or make the virtual db out of existing images without making dups of existing images?? (Sorry for what may be redundancy.)

Cheers,
Clair

[Kirk Baker]

Clair,

Kirk -- thanks!
But, unfortunately, as I gather from your reply, I am running WinXP Pro. Sigh.

But I do appreciate your reply.

Now, just out of curiosity, can one "ingest" without copying -- or make the virtual db out of existing images without making dups of existing images?? (Sorry for what may be redundancy.)

Photo Mechanic does not have a database.  It is an image browser and not (yet) a cataloging application.  We are working on a cataloging capability for Photo Mechanic, but it is not currently available.

Ingest copies (or downloads if you prefer) images from one location to another.  That is its primary function.  Photo Mechanic does not currently keep track of any images you push through it, which is what you're looking for.

Unfortunately I do not have a solution for you at this time with Photo Mechanic.

-Kirk