Ny Mac software out there for scientific image management

software-recommendation

30 minutes of research on google yields nothing except the defunct phylum. Features I would need:

  • referenced/in-place management (images should remain where they are found on the drive)
  • support for eps/pdf/png/gif and some movies maybe
  • heavily customizable metadata (for me, the images are software generated, they are visualization of simulation data. It would be nice to embed some information of these simulations into the images.)
  • smart folders based on metadata

Optionally:

  • version control/non-destructive editing
  • quantitative image comparison

Picasa is a good start, too bad it doesn't support eps or pdf, which makes it less than ideal for older LaTeX stuff. Just realized it also doesn't support smart folders… Big fail ! I guess I'm spoiled by Apple but I would have thought this would be pretty much standard in any app by now…
Any other suggestion? Also, this might not be the most appropriate SE site for this question but it's pretty generic and since I'm looking at something on the Mac, I thought I would start here… Thanks in advance !

Best Answer

Metadata and smart folders are supported as part of OS X and integrated into Finder. Very basic example:

  • In Finder, pick any file(s) you want and select Get Info
  • In the Spotlight Comments field, enter tags, such as @fluid or @simulation (separate them by spaces).
  • From the File menu, select New Smart Folder
  • Click the plus icon to the right of Save
  • Select type Spotlight Comment (under Other...) and enter the tags you want in this smart folder, for example @fluid
  • Save and add the new smart folder to the Finder sidebar
  • Select the new smart folder and you will see all files with the @fluid tag

Preview.app can view all of the above file types you've mentioned (and Quicktime + Perian can do so for movies). Now you just need an image editor for the rest.

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