Do you feel like your digital photos are finally under control? Since I published the first edition of Take Control of Your Digital Photos on the Mac in 2013, a lot has changed in photography. We continue to capture more images than ever using multiple cameras and devices, and the market for photo editing and organization software has expanded. Now, in 2019, the task of getting our photo libraries in order seems just as daunting, if not more, than it was six years ago.
That’s why I’ve just updated my book Take Control of Your Digital Photos, Second Edition to version 2.0. It includes practical, tested advice for rating, sorting, and tagging your photos so you can quickly find the ones you’re looking for later. Of course, it’s also updated for macOS Catalina, iOS 13, and iPadOS 13.
Buy the book for just $14.99 . If you own an earlier version of the book, you can get the new one for just $5; click the Check for Updates link on the cover of the PDF, or log in to your account at takecontrolbooks.com. Even better, you can buy it in a $20 bundle with Jason Snell’s excellent and newly-updated Take Control of Photos, Second Edition, which covers the Mac and iOS versions of Apple’s Photos app.
Here’s a rundown of some of what’s new in the book:
- A market shakeup has affected this book. I once excluded applications that simply read file directories instead of centrally managing a photo library, but now I’m not so rigid. In “Choose the Right Photo Management Application,” I added a new file-management criterion to account for the other methods.
- Exposure X5 appears throughout the book as an example of this directory-focused approach.
- Each new camera model produces larger image files, so I’ve added a completely new section to help you anticipate future storage needs, such as external hard disk drives and network devices.
- Adobe has had a confusing approach to how it names its Lightroom photo applications since the company introduced a newer cloud-focused version. This year is no different. I’ve tried my best to be clear throughout, but here’s how it shakes out: Lightroom Classic CC is now just Lightroom Classic, and Lightroom CC is just Lightroom. So when I reference “Lightroom” by itself, I mean the newer application, not the legacy one.
- Where possible, I’ve included information about mobile apps, such as Apple’s Photos for iOS and iPadOS and Adobe’s Lightroom Mobile (which runs on iOS, iPadOS, and Android devices). Although most of the book deals with working with photos on the desktop, more photos are shot and viewed using smartphones than with traditional cameras—including by photographers! A DSLR and an iPhone have different characteristics and specifications, but the intent and result is the same: making photos to capture moments.
- To help deal with duplicate photos on iOS, I talk about the app Gemini Photos in “Remove Duplicate Photos.”
- In “Take Advantage of Software Intelligence,” I’ve added the desktop and mobile versions of Lightroom.
- As a counterpoint to “Go Mobile with Online Photo Services,” I’ve written a new sidebar that suggests options useful when you’re traveling and know you will not have internet access.
- Mylio still has impressive organization and synchronization features, but its editing tools aren’t as good as I’d like and I never really clicked with the program. It’s no longer covered.
- Also removed is Adobe Photoshop Elements, which ticks a lot of the feature boxes I find desirable, but it’s too cumbersome and slightly out of step with the rest of the applications mentioned here.
Jeff Carlson | Never Enough Coffee Creations 