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Big-time organization made easy
 If you're the kind of PHOTO- grapher whose camera is stuck to your face so often that your friends are forgetting what you look like…if you speak EXIF like a second language…if you wouldn't dare share a picture without tweaking it first in Photoshop…then you're going to need the Cadillac of image-organizing software: Extensis' new $199.95 (street) Portfolio 7. While easy to use, it's not an image organizer/editor for the first-time owner of a 3-megapixel point-and-shoot. Portfolio 7 is super powerful, and it's made to solve the problems that face the digitally dedicated.
The basis of Portfolio's system is catalogs. Once you add a picture to your catalog, it's searchable. And you don't have to add a bunch of keywords to take advantage of its power, because all your camera's EXIF data is searchable. So you immediately have information about when and how the shot was taken.
You can even sort by EXIF data and check out all the pictures you took at f/32 or at 1/15 sec—a cool way to assess your low-light shooting skills. More great news: it catalogs RAW images from most of the high-end digital cameras. That means you get to see full-screen previews, and even print contact sheets without having to open up any big honking files except the ones you love. Did I mention it can batch convert to JPEG or TIFF?
When you're cataloging, you can choose to add your folder names as keywords. So if you've never used an organizer, but you've been fairly diligent about naming your folders with what they contain, you could conceivably create an eminently searchable and totally useful database of images with no more than five minutes spent installing the program and setting a few preferences.
Perhaps most convenient of all, Portfolio can be trained to catalog your pictures for you. Just tell the program which folders to manage. Then, when you download more pictures to, say, the "Junior's Little League" folder on your hard drive, your new pics are automatically cataloged according to the keywords you preset for that folder. If you move pictures around outside the program, it's a snap to sync the catalog up with the changes; no more broken links in your organizer.
If you're constantly seeking shots of Junior sliding into home, create a gallery view of all the pics that fit your search criteria. Your saved galleries show up in a list on the left, and whenever you click on your "Junior Scores" gallery, it automatically adds any newly cataloged images that match.
If you do any professional work (and that includes being the ad hoc event photographer for all your family and friends), this software's a boon. You can edit IPTC and XMP metadata and save it right back in the file so your carefully added keywords and captions will be recognized in any program that reads those standard formats (like Adobe Photoshop). If you want to make a CD or DVD of low-res images, you can burn the pictures directly and automatically include the Portfolio Reader—making your photos easy on the eyes of any digitally challenged recipient.
This highly specialized program does no image editing of its own. Instead, it comes with the handy and light Portfolio Express, which can float as a searchable palette in any program you choose. Find the pic you want without ever leaving your workspace, then drag its thumbnail right in for quick access to the original.
Since this program is made for the shooter who knows what he or she wants, almost everything about it is customizable, from the toolbars to the color of the background to the way you sort your pictures.
If you've been frustrated with simpler editors, chances are this program will solve your problems. Portfolio 7 is like the robot housekeeper of your dreams, doing the complicated work and freeing you to spend more time shooting and less time searching.
What's Hot: Superpowered and sophisticated. View and catalog your RAW images. Search and sort by EXIF data.
What's Not: Can't tag favorites while you sort. No picture-editing features. You pay for the extra power.
SPECIFICATIONS: Extensis Portfolio 7
System requirements: PC: Microsoft Windows 2000 or newer, Pentium III or faster; Mac: OS 10.2.8 or higher, PowerMac G3, G4, or G5; both: 256MB RAM
Street price: $99.95 to upgrade, $199.95 for the full version
For info: www.extensis.com; 800-796-9798
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