One topic that simply won’t die? This would be it. All of the questions are kind of like this:
“If I don’t want to use ExpressDigital software what else is available?”
I covered this topic about 4 months ago and am going to post this as a link to it. It isn’t a review of anything, it is a list of the applications that I am aware of along with links to as many as I could come up with from my bookmarks. I did recently update it so it has changed a little bit. Here it is:
Edit: As you read the list at the link above keep in mind that IWS software was purchased by Photo_lynx. I can’t update those links to the new website because Word Press sees the word L Y N X as some kind of harmful PHP command. Google PhotoL Y N X without the stray spaces and you will be there in no time.
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Let me start out by making it clear that I am the General Manager of Photo L y n x, so my opinions will be biased. But, I am a firm believer that their is plenty of room in the sandbox for all of the different digital software to play well together. In almost every case when I am visiting with a client or have remotely logged in to help them with a problem, I see multiple (competing) software loaded on their computers. Every software has it’s strong suits. Express Digital has a ton of printer interfaces and has a great studio workflow, TimeStone has a very good composite program, School Days+ has a user interface that is easy to use, Photo L y n x has a ton of exports to format data and images to create CDs for just about any school administrative and yearbook company.
I personally spent over 20 years as a VP for a mid-sized school photography company. About 8 years ago, I shopped them all. I had certain goals in mind as to what I needed the software to do. Every software has it’s advantages and disadvantages. Pricing was a big issue for my company. Paying an annual fee just didn’t sit well with me or my boss. But, we finally choose Photo L y n x, because quite honestly (at the time) they were the only ones that returned my phone calls. I never heard of Express Digital at the time. After using the Photo L y n x for several years, I believed in them so much, I went to work for them.
All software out there should give you a free trial to see if it works for you. Photo L y n x will allow you as much time as you need to evaluate the software, before you purchase it. They will also be there 12 hours a day, 5 days a week to help you as much you need by phone, to reduce the learning curve. We want to make sure our software is a good fit for your workflow.
I know it takes time to sit down and try out different software packages. Usually the more powerful they are, the harder they are to use. Setting them up for your workflow is usually the hardest part. But, remember, this is all supposed to save you time and money for the long haul. It’s worth taking the extra time up front to make sure that you have made the correct choice.
Coming from a biased view, I think that the Photo L y n x software is good for both the beginner and the more advanced users. Our tech support team will hold the hand for a user who doesn’t know much about how to use a computer or digital camera, while at the same time, the software is very powerful and flexible to meet the demands of “power users”.