Phase One acquires Expression Media from Microsoft

[LJL]

That is what I am thinking also, Lars. So this really becomes important for folks to think about and choose, as trying to use both systems is a huge amount of work and extra storage space. This was one of the reasons I did not go with iView/EM back then....I saw what Aperture and Lightroom were doing, and could see that one needed to commit to one or the other (LR/Aperture v iView), unless they were prepared for more storage and management tasks. I still think EM is a much more powerful and useful catalog than LR/Aperture at this point, and may be more useful for folks that use ACR/PS, C1, RAW Developer, and other tools as their main processing tools, as it creates the DAM part those lack. However, if one's workflow preference is to just keep RAW files and instructions sets for handling things, EM is not going to work easily. It requires a completed file of some sort for cataloging. One can catalog just the RAW file, and maybe then launch some app to process it and go from there, but if you already have a library or libraries of processed images that have not been stored as final output tiff, PSD, JPEG, etc., files, like you would have inside LR or Aperture, EM is not going to be fun to work with.

LJ

P.S. The one way around things, maybe, is if EM could just access the created thumbnail or preview file from LR or Aperture, not having to "read" the entire processing instruction set. Then one could at least see what the version looked like, know where it was stored, and go from there. That is the power of the cross-platform/cross-app cataloging capabilities of EM. It cannot do that at this point, as far as I am aware. If it can get to that stage, as a minimum, it will become a lot more useful to folks using other DAM tools now.

 

[Ken Tanaka]

If PhaseOne wants to build its C1 presence it absolutely needed to add a cataloging/DAM facility to have any hope of staying in the game. Raw-conversion-only products have little hope of market expansion, regardless of claims to greatness.

I also see quite an expensive and time-consuming development process to merge the iView and C1 products into the required seamless environment that will need to be created to compete with the big guys.

But time's also a'wastin'. Once someone commits to Aperture of Lightroom it's going to take some extraordinary reasons to get them out. The digital photo craze is also starting to cool.

Personally, I cannot imagine changing DAM platforms any time soon or without extreme provocation. I was an iView MediaPro user until sometime in 2006, at which time I moved into Lightroom and absolutely love it. I use CaptureOne 5 to pre-process my PhaseOne back files, which I then place in my LR catalog. (I plan to eliminate the gawky C1 step when/if Lightroom is better able to more subtly handle the Phase files. It's a pain.)

Good luck on this project, PhaseOne.

 

[Lars]

P.S. The one way around things, maybe, is if EM could just access the created thumbnail or preview file from LR or Aperture, not having to "read" the entire processing instruction set. Then one could at least see what the version looked like, know where it was stored, and go from there. That is the power of the cross-platform/cross-app cataloging capabilities of EM. It cannot do that at this point, as far as I am aware. If it can get to that stage, as a minimum, it will become a lot more useful to folks using other DAM tools now.

Yep agreed. The key is to get to the previews. Have to say pretty please to Apple and Adobe. I took a quick look at Adobe's Lightroom SDK, didn't see any obvious way to access the preview database without launching LR.

 

[Lars]

I also see quite an expensive and time-consuming development process to merge the iView and C1 products into the required seamless environment that will need to be created to compete with the big guys.

It's a few man-years - it can certainly be done.

 

[scatesmd]

I notice the downloads are for XP and Vista. Has anyone tried them on Win 7?

Thanks, steve

 

[Lars]

If it's the same as MS Expression Media 2 then I have tried it on Windows 7 64-bit. No extensive testing though.

 

[billbunton]

No extensive testing here either, but I do have it running on Windows 7 64-bit also.

 

[Steve Hendrix]

I've confirmed that anyone who is a Capture One Pro owner can download Expressions Media for free ($199 value) until June 30. You'll have to go through a check-out process as some have already noticed (just make sure to add to cart the version that costs $0). You will have to enter a credit card number, but your total will be $0 charged. An activation email will then find its way to you.

According to Vieri, your activation may already show up in the browser, but an emailed activation should still be on its way.

I can't think of any reason to not do this (unless you just have no interest). I have my copy.

My hope is that it improves, remains open, and offers particular benefits to Capture One users via some integrated workflows.


Steve Hendrix

 

[Jonathon Delacour]

I'm downloading my copy of Expression Media 2 as I start to write this post. I purchased and happily used iView Media Pro and then Expression Media when Microsoft took over. Even though, as soon as the Microsoft purchase was announced, I accepted that the program probably had no future given Microsoft's long history of buying niche companies then letting the software languish and die. Certainly there seemed no point in upgrading to Microsoft's (buggy) Expression Media 2. Not because they wouldn't fix the bugs -- Microsoft has probably more experience in fixing bugs than any other software company in the world -- but rather because there was pretty much a zero chance of a Microsoft Expression Media 3 which actually added some useful functionality.

I was so happy to read Steve Hendrix's post announcing that iView / Expression Media had been rescued from the Evil Empire and even more surprised that Phase One were providing a free upgrade path for original iView users. Despite the enthusiasm that so many GetDPI users have for Capture One, I've been reluctant to purchase yet another RAW converter. But, as a consequence of this favorable experience, I'll give Capture One a try.