Since I left C1 for PhotoLab I have been using Digikam as a viewer when importing Fuji compressed RAW files to my intel iMac.
I have a few problems with Digikam, some of which I eventually fixed, but I am not ‘techy’ and find the manuals and support very hard to understand.
Since updating my Mac to Sequoia I can no longer open Digikam unless I do so via Terminal. I’ve searched online for how to fix this, but the suggestions haven’t worked for me.
I am looking for recommendations for a basic, inexpensive, viewer/organiser that can see my Fuji files before I import them to Finder Folders, and allows me to amend file names etc.
I don’t need editing functions as I’ll do all that in PL/Nik/FP.
I’ve been researching various options, ApolloOne, PhotoSupreme, Lyn, ACDSee etc, but I’ve become a little overwhelmed. I probably need to go through them all again with a pen and paper noting the pros and cons, but I thought I’d ask for options from other PL users, as ‘Search’ hasn’t found what I’m looking for.
First, and most importantly - ACDSee on Mac is a terrible option for managing photos. A couple of points I hope will save you effort on this one:
They don’t support compressed Fuji Raw (relevant for you)
They won’t support xmp:ratings metadata (they use their own fields with this and many other things, so your metadata is locked into their tools). You don’t see existing ratings and other apps won’t see ratings you make there
Keywords are not stored in IPTC keywords field, but another ACDSee proprietary field
They write sidecar files for DNG, which other apps won’t recognize
Any time I’ve ever asked them about the above issues they’ve ignored me, and left them the same for 11 versions now. Really a neglected software.
To be honest I’m struggling with the same thing as you, and trying a bunch of things. Right now I use Photo Mechanic Plus and it works great, but they’ve raised the price quite a bit and I don’t think I’ll renew again. Otherwise it’s pretty nice, and the fastest/smoothest I’ve come across.
Quick thoughts from me, since I’ve been going through the same:
ACDSee
Pros: Very fast speed, excellent face recognition, decent UX
Cons: Metadata will be trapped there, support is really bad, no fuji compressed raw, lots of bugs
Photo Supreme
Pros: Excellent support, decent pace of new features added, facial recognition is there but not amazing, pretty much any tool or function you can think of needing, is hidden somewhere in that weird UX
Cons: Weird UX. Scrolling experience is the worst I’ve seen, crashes the most of any of the options I tried. Generally I find it unpleasant to view, scroll, or organize my images in that app, even though it has the most functionality
Photo Mechanic +
Pros: Fast, smooth, stable, professional grade application. No better tool for metadata
Cons: Expensive, stale in terms of features, no facial recognition, no smart albums, steep(ish) learning curve to become efficient. Few features are drag and drop, or obvious buttons like other apps you would be used to. I think it’s the best metadata manager/culling software around, but there are many gaps in the DAM still. It feels unfinished
Peakto:
Pros: Features added constantly, becoming better rapidly. AI support for keywording, great facial recognition. Can work with catalogs across DxO, C1, LR, etc.
Cons: Weird UX, not really a DAM yet, but they are planning to get there. A lot of useless features cluttering the experience
Just some random thoughts from someone who also hasn’t solved this problem…(Which is why I keep asking for very basic DAM features in Photolab!!)
In case you want to continue using Digikam, I just installed it this week on my Mac with MacOS Sequoia and it works fine. Digikam 8.5 even runs natively on Apple Silicon for the first time, so it makes sense to update.
In case the program does not open, you can follow these official instructions, no terminal necessary. This should only be necessary once.
I’d already updated Digikam to 8.5, which I’d been waiting for to fix this problem, but frustratingly, it still doesn’t work. That’s what has prompted me to look for an alternative.
I just tried it again and I still get the message:
The application “Finder” does not have permission to open “(null)”.
Those Apple support instructions, which I used to open the app to install it, don’t appear to apply in this case as the app doesn’t appear.
Apple suggests changing the App’s permissions in Get Info, which I’ve done to no avail.
Thanks for the detailed response. I can remove ACDSee from my list immediately if it doesn’t open Fuji compressed files.
I’d already discounted PM as too expensive and too ‘professional’ for my needs. Photo Supreme was a contender, but I don’t like the sound of all those crashes. I’ve never heard of Peakto, but I’ll add it to my list to have a look at…
I don’t have a compressed RAW to test it with, but I have been greatly enjoying Musebox, and it is only $15. It is probably the closest to a spiritual Aperture successor I have seen yet and assuming it can handle the files you need should be perfect for what you are wanting.