IMatch version 5

[MichaelR]

Hi Mario,

You write: 'I'm really excited and proud to present IMatch version 5 today.'

I would like to say and rightly so! We edited yesterday and today 6000 images, descriptions and keywords. IMatch 5 is really a pleasure to work with.

Many thanks,

Michael
Curator of a historical image collection

[Richard]

Hi Michael,

Please keep in mind that IMatch 5 is being Beta tested and IS NOT considered ready for important work. It would be sad if all that you have done for 6000 images can not be used in a later beta version. During the Beta phase we should concentrate on learning what can be done and how to do it.

[MichaelR]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the comment! We edit metadata which we store in the images and if we change something in the image we go to Photoshop. In other words all work is preserved in the image.

Thanks again for your comment.

Michael

[Mario]

IMatch 5 is really a pleasure to work with.

Well, thank you !

But as Richard pointed out, and this is important for all users:

Please keep in mind that this is a Beta version. It has bugs. It may cause image files you manage with it to become damaged (this is why you should only work with copies). The database is also considered temporarily and it is very likely that you will need to re-create it from scratch when the final version of IMatch is released. Or at some point in the Beta test phase when I'm forced to make a breaking change.

If all you do is testing if IMatch 5 will be fir for your purposes once it becomes official: great. If you use it to help us find bugs and problems: wonderful.
But don't use it for production work. Consider it as what it is, an early-stage Beta product. Everything is pretty much in flux right now.

Metadata written to the image or sidecar file is safe, of course, even if you need to replace your database. But the process of writing metadata is also Beta...

[claudermilk]

...very likely that you will need to re-create it from scratch when the final version of IMatch is released. Or at some point in the Beta test phase when I'm forced to make a breaking change.

Note that this has been the rule rather than the exception up to this point. More builds lately have not required rebuilding the database, but I would still assume you will need to start from scratch with a new beta build for now. I know it's hard to restrict IM5 to only testing use (I've had an almost unbearable itch to use it in production for a while now), but there will be fewer tears that way.

[Richard]

Hi Chris,

I don't see a problem with Michael's method. As I see it he is using the power of IMatch 5 to get a lot of work done but is not depending on the IMatch 5 database to preserve the results.

[Ferdinand]

It depends on what Michael is doing exactly.  There is a bug in metadata propagation (Mantis 714) which prevents me using V5 for metadata entry on production images.  There may be others as yet undiscovered.

F.

[claudermilk]

Exactly. Writing the metadata is modifying the image files directly, and IMHO potentially the most dangerous, damaging potential bugs. This is the functionality that is keeping me on the use sacrificial images bandwagon. In this case, particularly in light of the post signature information; I don't want to think about the ramifications of a nasty bug being uncovered in this scenario.

[Richard]

I don't want to think about the ramifications of a nasty bug being uncovered in this scenario.

Hi Chris,

I have always had the opinion that original files should be saved as backups and never modified by any means. Only copies should be opened in IMatch or any other application, including Adobe products. The ramifications of a nasty bug can then only affect copies. A lot of time and work on Metadata can be lost but this is a beta version and all have been warned.

[MichaelR]

Dear forum members,

I would like to thank for the response to this post. As far as I know we had no problems with the 6000 files I mentioned before. And of course we have backups of our original files which stay out of the workflow. This being said and considering the remarks you posted we use Imatch 3.6, Bridge and Photoshop to prepare our files. We are avoiding any risks of the beta version.

Everybody thanks for his time and attention!

Michael