Daminion vs PicaJet FX

So I’ve compose the answers as a blog post:

1. Is Daminion the same as PicaJet, with the same functions?

Daminion is a brand new version of PicaJet. It has new architecture and was developed from scratch without a single line of old code from PicaJet.

We rethought the way the new product should look.  That’s why the Daminion’s functionality is different from PicaJet’s. Some PicaJet features are not included in the Daminion; the built-in lightweight Image Editor, for example. Instead of the simple image editor, we provide Daminion with a convenient bridge between Content Manager (Daminion) and Content Editors (Photoshop, InDesign, etc…).

Features that are present in PicaJet but not in Daminion:

• Lightweight Image Editor
• Non-destructive quick image editing with OpenGL acceleration support
• Burning Images to DVD
• Printing Contact Sheet. (Will be available in Daminion starting from the 2.1 version)
• Importing from Camera (will be added on the next Daminion build)
• Importing from Scanner
• Generating Web Galleries
• Optimizing images to mobile phone
• Uploader to Flickr and Fotki photo sharing services
• Icons for Categories
• Slideshow
• Recovering Missing Files
• Set Wallpaper
• Batch Renaming (Will be available in Daminion starting from the 2.1 version)
• Hiding photos
• Grouping the Displayed Images
• Multilingual interface

Feature that are present in Daminion but not in PicaJet

• Server-based catalogs and TRUE multi-user access to media archive libraries
• Restriction an access to content by user roles (will be available soon)
• Auto-syncing tags with metadata
• Support for XMP and native file metadata
• Categories have been replaced with multiple tags: Keywords, Media Format, Color Label, People, Place, Copyright, Camera Lens, etc…
• Separate tag mapping, that follows XMP,MWG rules
• Metadata can be stored in Camera RAW formats without sidecar files
• Advanced Version Control with History of Changes
• Advanced Search
• Saved Searches
• Relative paths to imported files in catalogs
• Custom Tags
• Color Management
• REST API support
• Import from CSV and Export to CSV
• DNG Converter
• Email via Gmail add-on
• Support for extra media formats like Audio, PDF, InDesign, Illustrator, DWG, Microsoft Office…
• Ability to open several catalogs at the same time
• Compare Items side by side
• Draggable panels that can be more effectively arranged across multiple monitors
• Open Database formats: SQLite for local and PostgreSQL for shared catalogs
• Different View Modes
• Advanced Properties Panel
• Geo stamping
• Dropbox integration
• PDF contact sheet
• Tray window
• Optimized to work with huge collections. Much faster queries for large databases.
• Greater stability

Of course, Daminion is under active development; our growing team is continuously improving it and adding new features. Please let me know if I’ve forgotten anything.

2. Should I move to Daminion from PicaJet?

Although some PicaJet features are missing from Daminion, I recommend you install it and test it with at least part of your media library. Daminion is more stable, it’s faster with large collections, based on open-source database formats, and it supports metadata better. Daminion is actively being developed and we’re continuously improving it with the help of the suggestions we receive from our user base.

3. How much is one single license? And does is the PicaJet FX License is transferable to Daminion?

The single-user, standalone version of Daminion will be free up to version 0.99. After that we plan to release Daminion Free and Pro ($149) versions.

Check Multi-user Daminion Server pricing here