Product ReviewsDesign/DTP
iView's MediaPro - the successor to the acclaimed consumer tool iView Multimedia - is the latest in a stream of professional media asset management tools coming to the Mac. It offers the ability to track media records, such as images, animations and sound files. A tabbed palette in the main window lets you switch between three types of record views. The Thumbnail view displays a preview of each record; the Content view shows a list of files, with supporting information such as file name. Most useful is the Media view, which lets you browse the individual pages of catalogued PDF documents and navigate easily through the layers of Photoshop files. It also shows media files at full size without requiring you to open the creator application. But it's less helpful if the original media file is on an unmounted volume. You're prompted to mount the missing disk, but there's no further help in finding the file: you have to manually locate it through the main menu and reset its paths. Underneath the tabs, a row of icons offers speedy access to most of the program's core functions, while on the left an optional information panel shows text information relating to the selected record. Fresh records are easily added by dragging files or folders over an open catalogue window. MediaPro doesn't store a copy of the file itself. It imports a thumbnail of the original alongside a reference to its file path and supporting information such as caption and copyright data. You can also add up to 16 additional user-defined database fields to each record. The most significant
MediaPro lacks the SQL database support of rivals such as Canto Cumulus, but it supports ColorSync profiles and includes a QuarkXPress XTension for storage and preview of XPress files. Its AppleScript support is strong enough for prepress and design workflows. Export strength Media Pro's unparalleled export options include exporting to data tables. This allows raw text catalogue data to be transferred to word processor or spreadsheet programs, as well as HTML galleries, contact sheets and slide shows. The slide shows are exceptionally versatile, supporting up to 16 simultaneous video channels. The program also boasts multi-monitor support to fully exploit this ability. Slide shows can be saved as semi-standalone files: you'll still need a copy of the Mac-only program to run the slide show, but the recipient doesn't need a licence for the program to view it. There are no such restrictions when you save slide shows as QuickTime movie presentations. Here, you can set movie resolution and apply transition timings for each record. iView has thought hard about real-world uses for the program. The best example is provided by MediaPro's Print dialog box, which provides label templates for common backup devices such as CD-ROM and Zip disks. We did have difficulty in printing a test file to an Epson printer, but this glitch has been fixed by a downloadable update to the CD, available from the company's Web site. That most important test of real-world use, cataloguing speed, also passed with honours. The whole application - apart from the sluggish Find File - felt very lithe. Cross-platform users may not find MediaPro's ease of use and speed sufficient reasons to switch, but others - particularly at this price - should have no such qualms. NEEDS Mac OS 8.5 or higher (including Mac OS X), 8Mb RAM HELP Unlimited email, Web By Tom Gorham |
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