Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

Mike's Software => Qimage Ultimate => Topic started by: admin on July 25, 2010, 12:22:37 AM



Title: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: admin on July 25, 2010, 12:22:37 AM
For now, this is an open discussion board: you do not need to request membership...

http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage

ddisoftware, Inc. is proud to announce Qimage Ultimate, a brand new product bringing new innovations to the world of digital photography!  While Qimage Ultimate will feel familiar to those who used Qimage (Lite, Pro, or Studio), it is more than than just an evolution of our award winning photo printing software!  It will redefine the way you work with photos!  With features like Lightning Raw that allows you to work with raw photos like never before and our image downloading software (FlashPipe) built into Qimage Ultimate, your entire photographic workflow just got easier!  From downloading your photos from flash cards all the way to the final print, Qimage Ultimate is truly the ultimate in batch photo processing and printing tools!

We've been working on Qimage Ultimate for a long time and we've done more than just move buttons and controls around!  The user interface has been redesigned to be more user friendly and we've included bold new features.  Lightning Raw allows you to work with raw photos just as easily (and just as fast) as JPEG's, taking the hassle out of shooting raw.  An industry first, Lightning Raw actually develops and caches your raw photos so they open as fast and as easily as a format like JPEG or TIFF once the initial thumbnail build is complete!  Now you can have the full control of raw when you need it without complicating your workflow!  You'll be amazed at how well Qimage renders your raw photos the first time (without any tweaking) and you may never need to touch the majority of of your raw photos other than to add them to the page and print!

In making Qimage Utimate, we also fully integrated our award winning FlashPipe image downloading software to make moving images from flash cards even easier.  Also included are all new features like EXIF transfers when converting raw (or any photo type) to JPEG or TIFF, and an all new software registration system that requires no serial numbers or unlock codes to make it even easier for our registered users to update their software!  Please try the online 14 day demo which now includes the ability to fully evaluate raw photo and other capabilities before you buy.  We hope you'll give Qimage Ultimate a try!

Regards,
Mike
http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: PaulTopol on July 25, 2010, 12:47:44 AM
Congratulations!! May go from strength to strength.

Now to business: Any extra features/discounts to those of who have been your friend/customer for many years??

Gotta ask.
Always have loved QImage!!



Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: tlane on July 25, 2010, 01:00:05 AM
Sounds very interesting.

There is one very important bit of information lacking, from what I can tell, from all the information I reviewed on your web site.

That is, what specifically is the "discounted" annual renewal fee???

Thanks,

Ted


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: atodzia on July 25, 2010, 01:12:06 AM
Does this mean that Qimage and Qimage Studio is basically at the end of it's development and will only be supported on a limited, twice a year, bug fix release schedule?


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: DotCom Editor on July 25, 2010, 01:14:25 AM
Congratulations on the new product. I see some things on the sample page that need to be commented on, but it's too early for me to do that now.

I didn't see the info about upgrade pricing for longtime users of QI-Studio.

Also, since a new fee is now required every year, it would be helpful to know more about that. The free updates with new camera file formats for Studio remains compelling...


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: rayw on July 25, 2010, 02:01:59 AM
Hi Mike,

Only given it a five minute run through, and I'm only interested in the printing aspects. The user interface now makes much more sense. However, I'm not sure if the rotate arrows in the image editor work as they should - I never understood them in the previous versions  :( .  It seems to be faster, too.

(If you just did a version for printing only, I think many users would be happy, since many of us prefer other raw/editing software.)

Best wishes,

Ray


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: johnboy00 on July 25, 2010, 02:21:46 AM
Can Ultimate be installed alongside earlier versions without affecting the earlier version?


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: Ernest D-Alford on July 25, 2010, 02:34:39 AM

... If you just did a version for printing only, I think many users would be happy, since many of us prefer other raw/editing software....

Best wishes,

Ray

I, too, use Qimage solely for printing and would greatly welcome (and be happy to pay for) a version solely for printing.

Ernest


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: tonygamble on July 25, 2010, 09:56:42 AM
Like the last three posters I only use Qimage for printing.

When you compare what Mike charges compared with what a lot of other software costs - and indeed what I spend on ink and paper alone each year - it is not an expensive bit of our armoury.

But I'd never use Q to convert a RAW file, or even download a flash card, so if a print alone version were to work more speedily than the full version I'd move to it. What I am saying Mike is that you can have, from me, the same money but if you offered me a faster version that only printed I'd swop to it.

Tony


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: Zaphod on July 25, 2010, 11:36:56 AM
The new price wouldn't be an issue... but the main change is that you don't get free upgrades anymore.
So, instead of having a software that cost you a certain amount once, you've got to pay each time you upgrade...

Anyway... as I don't need raw features or flash card transfer features... I can keep the "not utimate" version... I just hope this version will continue to evolve in the future (as I understand the "Status: essential updates" sentense, this won't be the case).


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: Fred A on July 25, 2010, 11:41:29 AM
Quote
that cost you a certain amount once, you've got to pay each time you upgrade...
Gee I didn't see that line. I must have missed it.
I read it as once a year fee to continue to get constant upgrades.
I am going to go and recheck!

Fred
I just rechecked.
No one is losing anythimg!
All the earlier Qimages continue to get lifetime free upgrades as needed; as in any bug fixes, and including new Raw camera models added.
The Ultimate version offers a year of full updates on a constant stream of improvements and additions, (which we know can come as often as three time a week).
I still don't know any better value of software on the market today.

The fact that I don't avail myself of every feature is not the manufacturer's fault.
I wonder how many fewer copies of CS5 would have been sold if not for the CONTENT AWARE feature.
People liked that, and bought a new CS5, and put CS4 in mothballs.
Anyway, I am poking around in here furiously!
I do it with a positive approach!
That's just me!


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: Zaphod on July 25, 2010, 12:05:08 PM
All the earlier Qimages continue to get lifetime free upgrades as needed;
Yes but there won't be any evolution of the software.
I had two problem with Qimage, the user interface not intuitive, and the way the metric units were handled (not enough precision).
I'm afraid this won't change in the future...

I wonder how many fewer copies of CS5 would have been sold if not for the CONTENT AWARE feature.
I don't use CS which is a lot too expensive for me... (more than 1000€ in France, that makes 1300$) but I understand, that the same with Lightroom I use.
As the upgrade is not free, the editor is obliged to have "killer features" in the updates, otherwise people don't want to pay for it.

Anyway, I'll try Qimage ultimate and I hope I'll find it great, but I've got a few remarks:
- there should be an equivalent of the old lite/pro editions without the additional RAW functionnality, for instance.
- an important thing is to know is what "Low once-per-year upgrade fees" mean ;)
- I regret that there is no discount to former Qimage customers.


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: admin on July 25, 2010, 02:58:51 PM
Thanks everyone for the feedback and questions.  I've replied to the questions in a mini-FAQ in another thread:

http://ddisoftware.com/tech/qimage-ultimate/qimage-ultimate-mini-faq/

Feel free to post further questions in that mini FAQ thread.

Regards,
Mike


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: Zaphod on July 26, 2010, 07:24:55 PM
Thanks for the answers, that make all clear.


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: Terry-M on July 26, 2010, 10:03:07 PM
It does what it says on the box -
Quote
An industry first, Lightning Raw actually develops and caches your raw photos so they open as fast and as easily as a format like JPEG or TIFF
Not only do they open fast, they print fast too. I've just printed a few pages of raw images with several images on each page and the Qimage processing time is significantly faster, especially noticeable with  a dozen or so images in the queue.
Terry


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: Fred A on July 27, 2010, 10:25:28 AM
Quote
Not only do they open fast, they print fast too.
You mean that Ultimate prints too?

Fred


Title: Re: Future of Profile Prism
Post by: migla9 on July 27, 2010, 06:17:21 PM
Off on a bit of a tangent - with most development efforts going towards QI Ultimate, is there any chance of further work on Profile Prism?  Maybe a PP Ultimate subscription would add a bit of stimulus ;).  I ask this here because Mike's presence is a bit scarce on the PP forum.


Title: Re: Future of Profile Prism
Post by: migla9 on July 30, 2010, 06:39:15 AM
Any info at all?


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: EdoNork on July 30, 2010, 05:52:41 PM
Another interested PP user here.


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: migla9 on August 01, 2010, 05:40:45 AM
See Mike's answer in the Prism section: http://ddisoftware.com/tech/profile-prism/profile-prism-updates/15/


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: cesky75 on September 05, 2010, 08:41:26 PM
...(If you just did a version for printing only, I think many users would be happy, since many of us prefer other raw/editing software.)

This is my opinien too!
This kind of universal software can many but nothing perfect! So think about a "printing only" software.
I think a lot of people would be very happy about this. As a "Studio"-user "Ultimate" is not worth for me buy.

Wolfgang


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: Fred A on September 06, 2010, 08:57:28 AM
Quote
..(If you just did a version for printing only, I think many users would be happy, since many of us prefer other raw/editing software.)

This is my opinien too!

There is such a version. It's called Qimage Lite;  34.95 USD


http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage/editions.htm

Fred


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: admin on September 06, 2010, 01:58:12 PM
There is such a version. It's called Qimage Lite;  34.95 USD


http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage/editions.htm

Fred

Exactly right!  I wouldn't remove any more functionality than exists in Qimage Lite to make a "print only" version of Qimage.  That's what the lite version is for.  When you think about it, "printing only" is almost a silly request just because it is impossible to define: the functions that you use to print may be completely different than someone else.  And it can be argued (quite legitimately) that every feature in the Lite Edition could be part of a printing workflow, even things like batch conversion which could be used to prepare "print ready" copies or the slide show which could be part of the workflow to review images prior to printing.

Mike


Title: Re: Announcing Qimage Ultimate!
Post by: admin on September 06, 2010, 02:03:37 PM
BTW come to think of it, raw support is essential for me to be able to "just print".  That's because I shoot raw photos and to be able to "just print" the raws I need Qimage Ultimate.  If Qimage Ultimate didn't have raw support, I can no longer "just print".  Then I have to fool with raw tweakers trying to get the raw photos just right and my job becomes a lot more difficult than "printing only".

Mike