iPhoto
| File:IPhoto Icon.png | |
| File:IPhoto6.jpg iPhoto 6 | |
| Developer(s) | Apple Computer |
|---|---|
| Stable release | |
| Operating system | Mac OS X |
| Type | Digital photo organizer |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www.apple.com/iphoto/ |
iPhoto is a software application made by Apple Computer exclusively for their Mac OS X operating system. It is part of the iLife suite of applications and comes bundled with every new Macintosh computer. iPhoto can import, organize, edit, print and share digital photos. It is often compared to Google's Picasa and Adobe's Photoshop Album.
iPhoto allows easy importing from digital cameras, scanners, picture CDs and the Internet. Almost all digital cameras work without additional software, as do many scanners. iPhoto supports most common image file formats [1].
Once photos are imported, they can be optionally titled, labeled, sorted and organized into groups (known as "albums"). Individual photos can be edited with basic image manipulation tools, such as a red-eye filter, contrast and brightness adjustments, crop and resize and other basic functions. iPhoto does not, however, provide the comprehensive editing functionality of programs such as GIMP, Apple's Aperture or Adobe's Photoshop (not to be confused with Photoshop Elements or Album).
Numerous options then exist to share photos. Photo albums can be made in to dynamic slideshows, and optionally set to music imported from iTunes. These slideshows can be exported to QuickTime movie files, further edited in iMovie or burned directly to DVD-video discs using iDVD. Both slideshows and static photos can be shared to other Macs on a local network by using the Bonjour "zero configuration" technology. Or they can be uploaded using simplified web publishing to Apple's .Mac online service. iPhoto can also sync photo albums to any iPod with a color display. These iPods have an audio/video output that allow photos to be played back, along with music, on any modern television. Finally, photos can be printed to a local printer, or, in certain markets, be sent over the Internet to Kodak for professional printing. iPhoto users can order a range of products, including standard prints, posters and even 100 page hardcover or softcover volumes [2] -- again, such services are available only to users in certain markets.
iPhoto version history
iPhoto was initially released on January 7, 2002 as a free download from Apple's website.
iPhoto 2 was introduced by Apple exactly one year later, on January 7, 2003, as part of the newly created iLife suite of applications. It is still available as a free download [3] for those with older Macs.
iPhoto 4 was announced as part of iLife '04 on January 6, 2004. New features included "Smart Albums", ratings for photos, Bonjour (then known as Rendezvous) sharing, better slideshows, and support for up to 25,000 photos. Unlike previous versions of iPhoto, iPhoto 4 was only available when purchased as part of iLife '04 or when bundled with a new Mac.
iPhoto 5 was announced as part of iLife '05 on January 11, 2005 and was the first version to allow the import of RAW images and MPEG-4 video clips. It also added enhanced editing support, better search support, more slideshow options, and new book designs. As with iPhoto 4, iPhoto 5 was only available when purchased with iLife '05 or when bundled with a new Mac.
iPhoto 6 was announced as part of iLife '06 on January 10, 2006, adding enhanced scrolling and a full-screen editing mode with more one-click effects available. It also introduces 'photocasting', available to .Mac members, touted as podcasting for photos. In addition, users can/will be able to construct calendars and greetings cards from photographs. This version dropped the random order capability when viewing slideshows. It is the first version of iPhoto to be made available as a Universal Binary. It also sports a refined look based on iTunes 5.0 and up.
All versions of iPhoto run only on the Mac OS X operating system. iPhoto can easily share files with users of other programs and operating systems, including Windows and Linux, since it uses industry standard file formats.
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iPhoto 4
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iPhoto 5
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iPhoto 6
Criticism
On January 18, 2006, Mark Pilgrim criticized the implementation of RSS in the new version of iPhoto, saying that it violated XML standards and RSS conventions [4]. This story was picked up by VNUnet and Slashdot, but there has been no official response from Apple's developers. In the last few years, Apple has been a supporter of web standards, making a point of including full RSS support into Safari, and ensuring that Safari passed the Acid2 test.
Apple has also been criticised by users outside the US, Canada, Japan and select European markets for not extending the hardcover book printing and Internet photo/calendar printing services to other countries.
Software Add-Ons
iPhoto Plugins
- iPhoto2Gallery exports photos to Gallery web sites.
- FlickrExport exports photos to the Flickr photo sharing web site.
- KeywordAssistant enhances Keyword management.
External Tools
- iPhoto Buddy is a multiple library manager for iPhoto.
- iPhoto Diet is a utility that helps to slim down your iPhoto libraries. (Caution: current version - 3.0.8 - does not support new file organization in iPhoto 6)
- iPhoto Library Manager allows for working with multiple iPhoto libraries