Setting up a database?

I'm planning to set up an archival system to write everything to DVD. Should I run all images through a database first, and tag them? And if so, have you found an inexpensive one that works really well?

I don't even know where to start ...

I use Lightroom for the RAW editing as well as indexing.
But the new ACDSee that's in beta looks good too.

Cataloging is never a bad idea. How in-depth you want to get will depend in large part on how often you dig through your archives looking for old images. It also depends largely on how much time you have on your hands. Keywording and such is still a process that requires thought, so it's hard to automate.

Personally, I use Aperture2, Apple's answer to Lightroom. Both of these are handy in that they have the ability to add images to their database without changing folders. They can even catalog images from external devices. Makes it handy when you have images in more than one place on your computer. But neither really fit your inexpensive requirement.

So, understanding that I haven't actually used any of these, here are some alternative options more befitting a small budget:

Picasa: Google's free dowload. I can't give you a link, because it takes me to the Mac download.

Paul mentioned ACDSee. The non-beta version is about $120.00. www.acdsee.com

Imatch: A professional quality image management tool at a home user price. About $65.00. 30 day trial available. www.phototools.com

Picajet: Competitor to Picasa, pitched at the same category of user. $48.00 single-user, $80.00 family. www.picajet.com

PixFiler: Written by a Norwegian photographer. $40.00 www.br-software.com

So there you go. A little light reading for you. Hope it helps.

- Joe U.

Kelly,

If you're interested in using LightRoom and you're still in school, check out this website.

http://wiscsoftware.wisc.edu/wisc/

They have great discounts for anyone who is enrolled in the UW system. You can get LR2 for $92 plus shipping.

oh, it's not that I can't spend money, but I didn't want to buy a professional system when I'm not to that point yet.

I just got Aperture 2 and it works pretty well for me; still using the free trial but I'll be purchasing soon. It's not *everything* I want ... where I used to work, back in the late 90s, they used a FREE program from the internet where they'd run CDs through it and be able to pull up anything quickly. It was fast, cheap and wonderfully effective. I don't remember the name of it though.

The trouble with Aperture is that I also get to twiddle with files through it, so I'm more hesitant to move files, write to CD, get them off my computer, because I feel like I'm in "working" mode in Aperture. I wish I could organize to CD, database everything, and THEN take individual CDs into Aperture to twiddle with. Would be more manageable, maybe. But maybe not ... maybe I should twiddle with everything that can be twiddled with, and THEN archive them.

Just wish I knew when I was done, lol.

If you're editing the files from CD, then all your editing eggs are in the Aperture database basket.
Unless it has support for XMP files like Lightroom does, to store the edit adjustments.
The whole point for me of using Lightroom is that it doesn't edit the files, but instead stores the adjustment commands I make in the database and in the XMP files. So everything can be undone and started again if I don't like it.
Even then if it's burned to CD I need another backup of the XMP file each time I make changes.