Top 5 Photo Management Software Options

Digital photos are produced and shared in mind-boggling numbers on a daily basis. In this article, we’ll showcase free and paid software options for managing your digital photos.

What is photo management and why do we need it?

Take a moment to consider this: ever since Instagram was launched in 2010, more than 40 billion photographs have been shared on the social network. Today, on average, 95 million photos and videos are shared on Instagram by its 300 million active daily users.

Beyond the mind-blowing numbers, the underlying reality here is that in the age of social networks, we take and share more photos than ever before.

The old days of printing photos are long gone. The Digital Revolution has allowed us to take vast numbers of photos at a fraction of the cost and time required during the days of photo film.

No more darkrooms, no more chemicals.

As we store more and more digital photos – whether you are an Instagram addict or a pro-photographer – the process of managing the massive numbers of photo data we produce has never been more important.

Photo management software improves work-flow by allowing its user to process a large number of photo images simultaneously.       

So what are some of the best out there?

1. Adobe Bridge

Adobe Bridge is a free photo management software for both Mac and PC. It allows users to organize folders with photos down to minute details.

Compatible with any photo format available,  this software reads each photo’s metadata and can organize large batches of photos and videos based on user-generated ratings, keyword tags and geo-location data.

You can easily import and manage photos from any digital camera, card reader or smartphone device. Searching, locating and doing basic post-production of images has never been easier.

When it comes to producing and managing photo and video images, Adobe is an undisputed industry leader. This is the company that gave us Photoshop and Premiere – two of the most advanced photo and video processing software suites out there.

2. CyberLink PhotoDirector ultra 10

Cyberlink Photodirector Ultra 10 is a top-rated program capable of organizing a large photo collection with speed and ease. While not free of charge, both its simplicity and range of professional photo adjustment tools are serious assets to consider.

Users can tag and search for photos based on dates, color labels, ratings, location data and scores of other useful parameters for managing photos.

Whatever your photo development needs, Photodirector includes essential editing tools for lighting adjustments, skin smoothing and red eye removal.

You can easily create and share slideshows of your photos, as well as upload your images to your favorite social media platforms with just a few clicks. It’s available for Macs and PCs.

3. ACDSee Photo Studio 2019

ACD Systems is another well-trusted old timer within the image management software industry. The company’s Photo Studio software series offers a range of free-trial and paid photo management software packages – catering to the needs of both professional and amateur photographers.

In addition to an impressive list of photo organization and editing tools, this PC-only software also provides password-protection and encryption options for your photos. This is one of the best value-for-money, versatile software solutions for managing photo collections efficiently. 

4. Google Photos

Google Photos is a free and simple photo and video manager which automatically uploads your photos on Google’s Cloud service. Cloud storage means you never have to worry about running out of space for photos or a damaged computer hard disk when it comes to your personal photo collections.

With Google Photos, your still and moving images become automatically manageable and searchable as soon as they are uploaded to the platform. It’s available on Mac, PC and Linux operating systems.

5. JetPhoto Studio

JetPhoto Studio is another Windows-only but free-gem of photo management software with a user-intuitive environment. Users can add GPS location data, keyword tags and use the program’s cool calendar feature to browse photos based on the dates they were taken.

Basic editing tools like cropping, resizing, rotation and contrast adjustments are also included and very easy to navigate. While this program cannot handle the memory-heavy photo editing processes required by professionals, overall this is a great solution if free, efficient simplicity is what you’re after.

At Bocasay, we’re passionate about technology that works, and keep apace of the latest digital trends to ensure we bring our customers the best solutions possible.

If you’d like to know how we can equip your businesses with the technological infrastructures and know-how to succeed in the world’s new digital landscapes, get in touch to find out.