Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Extensis Portfolio has long been a good way for artwork pro to organize persona and other media so they can more easily manage those file cabinet for presentation or design comps on CD , DVD , via the WWW , or from their own hard drive . With version 8 , Extensis has heighten and delicately - tune up Portfolio by streamline its interface and heighten its functionality so that you’re able to cultivate on images more quickly .
Improved interface and operation
One literary criticism I had of version 7.0 (; October 2004 ) was that several critical job involved too many arcane whole tone . Extensis fashion designer have address those issues and have streamlined extra single-valued function . For example , create a Smart Gallery — fundamentally a saved discovery that automatically update the contents when you open up a file gallery ( a subset of a media catalogue or database)—is now a uncomplicated step when you do a uncovering . In translation 7 , you had to write the discovery , create a new empty heading , and then coiffure up the art gallery to use the saved find .
In plus , the program now mechanically rotates digital images while spell them from your photographic camera , so you do n’t have to do it manually .
With this version , Extensis has also consolidate all metadata info into a individual Properties duologue box . And because Portfolio 8 support so many unlike type of metadata label , you may also produce your own custom list in the Properties dialog box to shorten the list of metadata types that come out in the user port . A thoughtful touch .
Portfolio 8 features streamlined founding of Smart Galleries . By automatically updating saved finds , persona are usable forthwith . ( Click image to open full screenshot )
Faster access to new images
In version 8 , importing persona into a catalogue takes importantly longer than it did in version 7 . On my 450MHz Power Mac G4 , it took 7 minute and 15 seconds to spell and treat a batch of 79 images ( that includes reading the metadata , generating thumbnail images , auto - rotating , and log the data file creator , date , and type ) ; that ’s a 26 percentage slowdown from version 7 , which take just 5 minutes and 48 endorsement for the same cognitive process . However , thanks to the unexampled immobile Cataloging feature , I could start working on images ( for instance , adding metadata ) just about 10 second after starting an import — something I could not do in version 7 . So the net result is truehearted access to at least some imported epitome .
Deeper functionality
In several instance , the ship’s company has widen subsist functionality to make the program much more useful . A great illustration is the new Scratchpad verandah , which you’re able to either generate yourself , or Portfolio can make when you do a find . A Scratchpad gallery is a temporary gallery for experimentation . If you wish the results , you’re able to save it . If not , you only close it . That ’s a lot more commodious than produce new veranda for temporary work and then having to after edit the ones you do n’t require .
Another enhanced purpose is Portfolio 8 ’s ability to do usance sorting by letting you plainly drag file into the orderliness you want . After all , the appropriate decree for presenting images often has nothing to do with file name , image size , Indian file type , or even keyword — the kinds of dimension you would normally have to sort by . With Portfolio 8 , you ’re not limited to such sorting parameters .
The programme also features other running enhancements , such as bread and butter for motion-picture show single file metadata as well as the IPTC Core metadata fields used in Adobe ’s Creative Suite 2 applications . Both enhance compatibility with audio , TV , and other spiritualist - creation and output tool .
Increased group focus
Extensis is also accent Portfolio 8 ’s networking capabilities by adding group - oriented features to attend to selling and invention workgroups and small ship’s company . For model , the Workgroup variation back SQL enquiry ( handy for finding items in very large catalog ) , and also features a shared catalog in which each drug user can individually tailor-make the manner items are sorted . That ’s gravid for corporate departments and tech - savvy design firms . But prices start at $ 6,300 for the Corporate version with three exploiter license , while the server - only variant costs anywhere from $ 6,000 and up .
Perhaps the handy new characteristic in Portfolio 8 is the power to arrange medium file through pull and drop , allowing you to totally customize the variety order . ( tick figure to spread out full screenshot )
Portfolio 8 rest quite useful for somebody , except in one area : the $ 249 companion program , Portfolio NetPublish 8 , which lets you publish catalogs on the Web for view by five concurrent user . ( Portfolio come with a demo version of NetPublish , which support only one user connection per hour . )
NetPublish persist in to be restrict to organizations that manage their own Web host , using either Apache or Windows IIS server . Yet most small store apply a vane legion rather than manage their own Web waiter , so they ca n’t use NetPublish to communicate with client and other designers . NetPublish 8 is also , by and large , unchanged from its previous version . What ’s new is its ability to publish a portion of a medium catalogue ( a feature that ’s also new in Portfolio 8) .
Macworld’s buying advice
With Portfolio 8 , Extensis cover to make it easy to manage your medium files and piece of work with subsets of data for projects and presentations . But version 8 is not a major feature of speech acclivity ; it but refines what the previous version already extend , so many users who are happy with Portfolio 7 may be tempted to skip the new variant . I ca n’t really reason against that logic , unless you use Portfolio so often that the port sweetening and other improvements become deserving the cost of upgrading .
