Sparkbox for Mac1.2.4

Used to use it but found "pixa" which is my opinion is better (more functionnalities, more frequent updates, etc)

Not worth it...

I found that this application RECOPIED my photo files to a new folder on my hard drive. Before I knew it I was getting messages that my startup drive was nearly full. I terminated the program operation, then deleted the program and the new photo folder.

Hi, I've purchased software but I cannot download Sparkbox from your website. The download link does not seem to work.

The Macupdate Promo page erroneously lists min req as OS X 10.6.8, even though ttat is not the case on this page. https://deals.macupdate.com/deal/14640/11708/sparkbox Peculiar.

Just bought the app (v 1.2) after 2 days of testing (I do webdesign during my spare time so have a lot of pics, icons, etc) Great app, especially for the (discounted) price. Really like the "search by color" functionality. However, there's room for improvement: - Would be great to have the possibility to restrict/filter the "search by color" functionality to tags or categories (ie. if I'm looking for a blue background picture I don't want to see my blue icons, blue screenshots, etc) in the search results. - App should detect duplicated pictures. Currently, if I import a folder 2x (ie. because there's new pictures), existing pictures would be duplicated. - App should support more file format (ie. psd, etc)

For customers whose OS system is under 10.7, please download your Sparkbox at here: http://www.icyblaze.com/sparkbox/sparkbox_1.1.0.dmg Sorry for this inconvenience. Best Icyblaze

Good idea, but (for me) not perfect. Cons: - Copies all images instead of only linking them => I want keep my folder structure (i.e. my work for customers) - Shows no EPS or WMF - Drag and Drop a lot file from the finder failed, because the app window wasn't shown after switching (perhaps a Mac OS bug) The rest is well done, but I can't live with the cons above, so no buy!

Version 1.2 is incompatible with 10.6 contrarily to what is written. It is 10.7 only.

Nice idea, but not quite ready. Works promptly for the supported formats, but does not currently support EPS files. So cataloging my large vector clip art file is not available. I haven't used yet to catalog images, but the idea of making another copy of them is a definite negative.

Just tried grabbing pictures from webpages and to tag them. Works. Metatags can be found by Leap so I think that's ok. Would be nice to work on referenced pictures and not an addition as a further database. First impression is promising.

This is a certain shame. iPhoto and Picasa deliver nearly the same and I see no advantage in this program. Unfortunately 9 Dollars for the basket. Stay away...

I got this with a software bundle and I was hoping to be able to use it to store icons sets to use in web/UI designs. Unfortunately, I have to say that this program cannot handle that simple task. I kept getting constant freezes when importing icons after I got up to about a 1000 of them. I tried dragging a folder containing 2000 icons into Sparkbox and it went through the whole import process and then just sat there and wouldn't let me do anything. I had to force quit. These are simple PNG images, mind you. It did this repeatedly with more and fewer icons as well. I like the app's simplicity and features, but it is highly unstable. If an image catalog app can't handle a few thousand images, then what is the point of using it? Looks like I will have to keep using Adobe Bridge for now. This is for version 1.1.0.

Simple, straightforward and uncluttered, it does exactly what I want. Price is a bit steep but I got mine on a MacUpdate offer so no complaints. Been using it for six months with several projects and quite happy. Looking forward to the update as it does feel a bit like a work in progress.

Sorry, but I do NOT like design of UI at all!!! It looks like worst COPY of iPhoto and extremely NOT accurate!!! I'm a graphic designer and I love when app looks accurate, beautiful and handy! Please hire a good UI designer who will help freshen the current design of your app! Sorry for my open words!

This is a dandy little program but not ready for prime time. One thing nobody has mentioned is that it COPIES all your photos to a library folder in your user/documents folder. I didn't have any problems with speed and added over 11000 images from one folder. When I saw my drive had just decreased by 12gb I knew immediately it was sparkbox. Isn't there some way to add all the images WITHOUT making a COPY, perhaps the library db could keep track of the original and use an alias instead? Although I don't have any problem with small thumbs, the original -- COPIED??? I certainly don't need to keep 2 copies of all my photos and graphics. And that really doesn't help me tell where the original is, does it, not great for organization? One HUGE advantage is the websnap. Frequently I build websites and have tons of images that ultimately get rejected residing in the folder. Going to the posted webpage and grabbing them all I can zip the current folder, clean it out and just dump all the used images in there and send just those to the client. Keep goin, I think you've got a fantastic idea here. My open with does not work and is greyed out. Is that because it's the demo?

You know what would really make this app amazing (aside from the additions that others already recommended) is offering cloud service like Evernote. For designers on the go or who uses MacBook Air, space for data can sometimes be very limited. Preview mode would store tinny file images on the HD while linking to the full image file on the cloud. The user can then download the full image file onto their HD if needed and delete off the HD when they're done (original remains saved in the cloud). The users can also share large image files to others by sending people a link to the image in the cloud. The option to secure access to the image file with a password would also be an option. The option to share an image folder securely would also be amazing. Everything would be perfectly synced between the HD and the cloud. A designer can only wish right?

Great concept but not yet ready for prime time. After only a few minutes came across basic functionality issues. For example, refused to import .tif files until I changed to .tiff. No way to empty trash from within program. Basic functionality. I'm inclined to buy but don't want to spend a lot of time importing, organizing, etc., only to come across a game changer....

Greetings, two weeks after, the new update is coming. In this version, we've added new Websnap features in the program to help you collect image, icons or web banners directly from web page to your sparkbox library, it is a very useful feature, and along with this feature, you will also find a Safari extension for 1 click import. So, have a try yourself, and please feel free if you have more idea about Sparkbox. And have a nice holiday! Best regards Mike

Pros: It meets my needs to organize my images, I always want something could organize them, and I don't want to put them in iPhoto. It's a Lion app, multitouch and fullscreen runs pretty well Manage style is easy and familiar Color search is cool Cons: the stability needs to improve no clear guide to show how to use preferences is almost empty

Thank you very much for all your comments, Actually, we're happy to see there are many comments left in Macupdate, especially from Knowhowe,GrhSvo. Your feedback is passed directly to our developers. This is the very first Beta for Sparkbox. And we'll take advantages from the your valuable comments. We'll upgrade the new app very frequently in the following months. And we believe,all successful products are based on the criticisms. We're sorry maybe customers see duplicated comments and retes in the result, I guess the result is because there are connection problems with Macupdate at the moment, I'm sure they'll fix it soon. So far, the most important information for us is:we think the idea works, and there are many people needs something to organize their images to differ the ones in iPhoto. And we're fully confident to make something good for you. We'll be back soon. Regards; Mike icyblaze

Gave this a try as it seemed to be just what I was looking for to deal with my chaotic collection of archive images. Felt right at home upon opening the app- very Mac- knew what to do straight away and cracked on importing my stuff. However, very soon found the app to get slower and slower as the images went in- we're not talking thousands at this point, more like 300 or so- until the beggar pretty much refused to do anything but spin that beachball... I also noticed that, once a few folders had been created, subsequent orders to create a new folder would result in that folder appearing in the previously-created one and then having to be dragged out and dropped onto the 'catergories' icon.. annoying but quickly fixed I guess. So there we go. In the bin goes another experiment. Shame really, as this would have been great for my needs, and at the best possible price too! The thing's just not ready. I emailed the dev while sparkbox was downloading, asking about the likely price out of beta. Better write again with a copy of these comments now! Aging (2006) but faithful MBP 2.2 /15inch/SL 10.6.8/2 gig RAM

Very nice little app. I like it. Unfortunately I could not find any information how much it will cost once it is out of beta.

This is the one I have looked for all the time. Amazing!