Beta test, Photodirector 2011 - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

06/07/2011 02:52:44 PM · #1

Looks like a less expensive package that works similarly to Lightroom and will be selling for $99. They are running a beta test right now and offering a free copy of the final release in exchange for feedback. Since I am just starting to learn Lightroom, it could be interesting for me. Photodirector 2011 Beta

smardaz

06/07/2011 02:58:43 PM · #2

what the heck, i signed up

gwilton111

Nikon D700

06/07/2011 03:08:41 PM · #3

giving it a shot. although im happy with lightroom3

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

06/07/2011 03:17:17 PM · #4

Only problem with this "free" software is I'd have to buy an $800 (at least?) computer to run it on ... :-(

06/07/2011 03:27:32 PM · #5

Originally posted by GeneralE:

Only problem with this "free" software is I'd have to buy an $800 (at least?) computer to run it on ... :-(

I'll let you know the system requirements after I download it.

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

06/07/2011 03:38:08 PM · #6

Requires a 3 Ghz processor or faster, and 2 Gb of Ram. Runs on Win XP with SP3, Vista and Win7.

The PDF presentation they link to says the Software development kits for Canon and Nikon are licensed from the respective manufacturers. That means it should be using the OEM RAW codecs. That sounds promising.

bmartuch

Nikon D7200

06/07/2011 03:54:35 PM · #7

I'm not really familiar with lightroom so would Photodirector or lightroom be used instead of PSP or Photoshop?

What are the advantages to either of these packages that you wouldn't get with PSP or PS?

SteveJ

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

06/07/2011 04:14:47 PM · #8

If you download PhotoDirector 2011 and use it to edit your photos for challenges you will probably be DQ'd unless someone has put a ticket in to SC? I am not sure if a Beta version gets the all clear from SC?

06/07/2011 04:35:35 PM · #9

Originally posted by bmartuch:

They work completely differently and are based around a photography workflow, rather than being primarily a pixel editor. Most people that use lightroom say it replaces 70-90% of what they used to do in Photoshop or a similar application. There are some editing tricks it cannot do, however. I get confused by lightroom and will watch Adobe's training videos before I start.

Originally posted by SteveJ:

I don't see why not, as long as you don't violate any editing rules.

06/07/2011 04:41:19 PM · #10

Really nice raw converter! I'm all over the place with software. My version of PS won't recognise my raw files. Sometimes I just open in Picasa & save as a jpeg (kind of like autoraw, lol), other times I open in DPP to convert, other times I use PSPX2 or Elements. It's all very annoying. I don't think I'll ever completely give up PS, but this does seem to be a nice tool, and I'll use it if I'm getting it for free for conversions. Some of the presets give really nice results too.

Canon EF-S 15-85mm IS USM

06/07/2011 04:47:59 PM · #11

If you install it and try it, make sure to give them feedback, or they won't offer you the final version.

BTW, I have nothing to do with these people. I got told about it through a mail list I am on.

DCNUTTER

Canon EOS-7D

06/07/2011 06:04:53 PM · #12

Thanks Steve for bringing this to our attention. I'm a software junkie, and I've used tons of photography related programs over the years as well.

I've downloaded and installed it. Good news, all went well with that process. Also, Cyberlink makes some nice products that I've used in the past so that's always encouraging.

First impressions after going through the whole program and trying everything out including exporting to Flickr etc....it all seems to work well, and the program is very responsive. In fact it runs smoother and faster than my copies of LR 2.7 and Lr 3.3.

I really like the presets that come with it and in general...better than those found in LR. The layout and design is pretty intuitive and in fact...looks and seems close to a Lightroom clone in many features and layout. One exception would be the editing panel is on the left instead of the right side of the screen. I'm pretty used to having it laid out the other way, but that's something you get used too.

Since it's a BETA I'm sure there are features that aren't included yet that will be in the first release, but one of them is huge in my opinion...color space/management. I have a wide gamut IPS screen, and the program doesn't allow you at this point to set your working color space so when I work on a photo and it looks great and vibrant it will look drab and dull when I export or save it. That's just the nature of wide gamut which in my case is basically showing the Adobe RGB color space. A program needs to be able to assign that working color space in order to display color as expected when saved.

I've looked through all the menus settings, help file, website etc. and I can't find a setting for it so I don't think it's included yet.

Overall I REALLY like how this program runs, it's early features and the speed compared to other products. Something to keep and eye on for sure.

ETA: I forgot to mention that for most people that run standard monitors the color space issue might not be apparent because the program more than likely assumes (at this point in time) that you are running a monitor only capable of displaying the sRGB color space so what you see while editing is also what you get when you export the file. Hope that's not too confusing.

Dave

Message edited by author 2011-06-07 18:09:23.

dd1989

Fujifilm x100

06/09/2011 07:08:51 AM · #13

Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:

3ghz? Very few PCs/macs have a clockspeed that high.

dd1989

Fujifilm x100

06/09/2011 07:10:35 AM · #14

' Intel Pentium D 3.0 GHz CPU with hyper-threading or equivalent AMD CPU is minimal'

Pentium D is a single core I think. Surely a 2.4 Core 2 will cope.

Anyway, windows only. Massive Fail.

Message edited by author 2011-06-09 07:11:11.

06/09/2011 08:54:16 AM · #15

Originally posted by dd1989:

Anyway, windows only. Massive Fail.

I agree there are not nearly enough alternatives to Adobe on the Mac platform. But since it is a smaller market to begin with, it's a tough one to crack. Perhaps if they see success with the Windows version as a lower priced alternative to Lightroom, a Mac version will follow.

BTW, installing Lightroom screwed up my Win7 intallation. I can't pin any folders to the taskbar anymore and the ones that were previously there are gone. Photodirector installed without a hitch, however. Time for some research and troubleshooting.

06/24/2011 09:40:24 AM · #16

Looks like they are going back on their word of a free copy for Beta testers. Just got the following E-mail from Cyberlink:

Originally posted by Cyberlink:

Thank you for participating in the PhotoDirector 2011 Beta Program.
The massive response we received from users was astounding: over 75,000 people participated, gave PhotoDirector an overall product satisfaction score of 4.2 out of 5, and provided key feedback to assist us in making the best photo workflow software.

Now that PhotoDirector 2011 has been released we are very pleased to provide you with an Email Exclusive Offer of 25% off the full version of PhotoDirector 2011. Buy now to keep all the amazing features that you've experienced at this exclusive low price.

Buy the full version of PhotoDirector 2011: US$ 74.95 $99.95
Special Introductory Offer: Free upgrade to PhotoDirector 2012*

06/24/2011 09:46:36 AM · #17

Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:

Looks like they are going back on their word of a free copy for Beta testers. Just got the following E-mail from Cyberlink:

Originally posted by Cyberlink:

Thank you for participating in the PhotoDirector 2011 Beta Program.
The massive response we received from users was astounding: over 75,000 people participated, gave PhotoDirector an overall product satisfaction score of 4.2 out of 5, and provided key feedback to assist us in making the best photo workflow software.

Now that PhotoDirector 2011 has been released we are very pleased to provide you with an Email Exclusive Offer of 25% off the full version of PhotoDirector 2011. Buy now to keep all the amazing features that you've experienced at this exclusive low price.

Buy the full version of PhotoDirector 2011: US$ 74.95 $99.95
Special Introductory Offer: Free upgrade to PhotoDirector 2012*

Did you complete the forms by the date (6/20)? I got an email telling me I'd get my code by the 30th.

Message edited by author 2011-06-24 09:47:37.

06/24/2011 10:05:06 AM · #18

Yes, I did. Sent them the feedback over the weekend.

Message edited by author 2011-06-24 10:05:15.

Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R IOS

06/24/2011 10:26:58 AM · #19

That's odd then. This is the email I got...

Thank you for participating in the PhotoDirector 2011 Beta Program. The massive response we received from users was astounding: over 75,000 people participated, gave PhotoDirector an overall product satisfaction score of 4.2 out of 5, and provided key feedback to assist us in making the best photo workflow software.

As you completed the PhotoDirector 2011 Beta feedback form by June 20th, 2011, stay tuned as you will be receiving an email from CyberLink with the official release version for free by June 30th, 2011.

Until then, feel free to watch the video introduction to PhotoDirector and to learn more about it's great features.

Thank you very much!

CyberLink

markwiley

Fujifilm X-Pro2

06/24/2011 10:35:41 AM · #20

I meant to check it out during the beta phase, but, as with many things, never got around to it. What did you guys think of it? Is it worth the $99?

06/24/2011 10:40:05 AM · #21

Originally posted by Kelli:

That's odd then. This is the email I got...

I got that a few days ago after sending in my feedback, but you see what I finally got. Let me know what your own follow up e-mail from them is.

Canon EF-S 15-85mm IS USM

06/24/2011 10:42:01 AM · #22

Originally posted by markwiley:

I meant to check it out during the beta phase, but, as with many things, never got around to it. What did you guys think of it? Is it worth the $99?

It's a pretty good application, though it seems to not have as extensive a feature set as Lightroom. No plugin support that I could find. Seems to work fairly well, but I'm iffy on whether photodirector or Lightroom improves over my current workflow.

DCNUTTER

Canon EOS-7D

06/24/2011 01:53:34 PM · #23

Originally posted by Kelli:

I got the same email Kelli. I'm sure they will send the link and code for the free version. Cyberlink is a reputable company, and I seriously doubt they would run a BETA program like this and then back out on their part.

Dave

06/24/2011 03:54:06 PM · #24

I'm at a loss then as to why I got an offer which acknowledged my Beta participation but only offered me 25% off a purchase? I'll be interested in seeing what sort of follow up the rest of you receive, and if Cyberlink responds to my E-mail about it.