Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today, to remember Phase One Media Pro – RIP (1995-2018.) We at Daminion send our condolences to the family and friends of Media Pro. A collective wail of despair escaped the photography community on August 30th, 2018. Phase One unceremoniously announced that Media Pro reached ‘end-of-life.’ This came as a surprise to many loyal users. This left Media Pro users scrambling for an alternative or replacement. After all, Media Pro was the stand-alone DAM of choice for many a photographer.
I once heard it said of man that “The idea is to die young as late as possible.”
George H.W. Bush
Hell hath no fury as a Media Pro user scorned…
Not surprisingly, a fierce and bitter backlash came from many sources. A photographer is a creature of habit. When you disrupt a tried and tested workflow, you should expect a riot in the streets. Media Pro users are jumping ship in search of a substitute.
To clarify, as David Mantripp blogged, the longevity of Phase One Media Pro was a compliment to the original Microsoft developers. He continues: Media Pro was considered the benchmark in standalone DAM for the photographer, even after 15 years of neglect from Capture One. Apart from a few cosmetic changes, late rendering engine, and an increase in catalogue size limit, it remains virtually untouched.
Apparently, Phase One is now directing existing users to switch to Capture One (without a free license or even a discount.) According to David, Capture One has far less functionality and is “…quite frankly a joke compared to
Phase One Media Pro for cataloguing.” In addition, there are reports of a software bug that flattens hierarchical keywords during import. Another user reports missing People annotations from his photography after migrating from Media Pro.
But what is the alternative? Replace the whole system?
No point crying over spilt milk
Enough about end-of-life software! Let’s look at the alternative: Daminion Server! A replacement, if you will. Daminion is a software solution that is under active development. With every new release, the developers include new functionality. Above all, Daminion provides a feature set above and beyond that of Media Pro.
Broad range of media format support
Daminion supports almost all of the media formats that are currently in circulation. Image formats like photography raster formats, vector and camera RAW. In addition, video, audio, Adobe PDF, and Microsoft Office formats
Metadata support
Daminion (like Media Pro) supports XMP, IPTC, EXIF & MWG metadata. Your keywords and tags are not only saved in the catalogue (database,) but also in the files themselves. If you create content for the web, you know the importance of metadata.
Robust search functionality
Searching is Daminion’s great strength! Use text-based searching or tag filtering to include or exclude criteria. Add operators to search exclusively or inclusively. Construct advanced searches or refine existing results. Save queries for quick reference after the fact.
Use powerful filters on your keywords (or any other metadata for that matter.) Consequently, your searching is surgical in precision. As an alternative or replacement to Media Pro, you will love the power of Daminion search!
You will never be flipping through folders and folders of files looking for your assets again! Save hours wasted looking for files and use that time to work on your projects. Time is the only resource that you will never be able to replenish.
Comprehensive cataloging
The metadata inspector shows all relevant metadata (any photographer will love this) when you select an asset. Existing metadata is available right after import. When you choose Daminion as a replacement or alternative, you do not lose your hard work. Daminion will import all your Media Pro keywords. Also, complex hierarchical taxonomies are easy to manage and navigate. Next level, easy, catalogue control.
Consolidation with other systems
So, you do not only store your images. We get that. You also do touch-ups, edits and manipulate your photography. Configure Daminion to open your assets in external applications.
It takes a village
Teamwork made easy
If you are a lone wolf, this might not apply. However, there will come a time when your studio takes off and growth snowballs. Rapid growth means more team members. All are using the same store of images at the same time.
When you put the right system in place, a system that will scale as you grow, you have future proofed your digital assets.
Daminion Server is built with teams in mind. A version control system keeps track of your edits. Lock files in progress from overwrites and edits. Keep a record of all the edits. So you can revert back to a previous version with a full audit history.
Create your own custom sets of user permissions and consequently restrict access to sensitive information. Use a Microsoft Active Directory or secure your files at the Daminion Server level.
Support and training
Digital asset management is at times intuitive and easy to pick up. But some concepts are counter-intuitive. We include training in every Daminion license as well as a 24-hour turnaround on support requests.
In addition to a top-notch DAMS, you get a personalised one-on-one training session. Our Daminion experts will assist you remotely with setting up and configuration. Remote access support and troubleshooting keeps you up and running.
We want you to get the most out of our software. That is why we commit to listening to your input.
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