I was thinking that NeoFinder might be a substitute for DevonThink. It has far less bells and whistles than DevonThink, but the basic idea of being able to catalog everything and show previews so you know what to work on and what not to work on, are essentially the same.
DevonThink shows full, clear previews of text documents, PDF, RTF, or plain text. With NeoFinder, I am very disappointed. The way NeoFinder works is to show a small photo icon of a PDF. This is too small of a resolution for anyone to use with any efficiency. PDF previews in NeoFinder are grainy and out of focus. It cannot show a text preview. It will show some small font in a far right panel that the developer says is a preview - but, this is not a preview.
I purchased two licenses at the same time, one for a gift to a friend who is a photographer and graphic designer, and one for myself. The main purpose of this software is for people who want to catalog their photos and artwork. As long as this is how it is advertised, I have no problem with it. The last I checked with my friend, he is very satisfied with how NeoFinder catalogued his extensive collection of graphics and art work.
However ... after working extensively with NeoFinder support prior to my purchases and having worked with them trying to resolve the very poor way that NeoFinder handles text previews, I finally realized that NeoFinder was never going to work for me as I am a writer and the way NeoFinder handles PDF and text preview is unacceptable. I therefore requested a refund for my license. NeoFinder refused my request for a refund and subsequent emails to them have been ignored by the NeoFinder team.
I state all this so that it is a fair review and the reader can make up their own minds about it. NeoFinder is a bad choice for organizing everything. It may still be a good choice for graphics only. But, I have a very bad taste in my mouth now after what I considered a fair, reasonable, and timely request for a refund due to advertised features on the NeoFinder website which are missing in the actual product, ie, “NeoFinder keeps track of your documents”.
“NeoFinder keeps track of your documents, photos, songs, movies, and folders wherever they are stored. NeoFinder is your digital treasure chest!”
If a company does not practice fair business practices, it seems reason enough for a such a low scoring review. Add to this the poor text handling it is supposed to be able to do but fails miserably, and I think a low scoring review is quite fair.
Caveat emptor, buyer beware.
I used the program a long time ago when I wanted to keep an overview of the many burned CDs and DVDs on my computer. That time is over.
Today I am happy to have found Neofinder again after many years. I went through the changing history of iView Media Pro and was looking for a program that would leave my photos untouched in my system on the hard drive, but still give me the ability to keyword images and quickly find them by criteria such as image size, creation date, file type or keyword. Neofinder does a great job here.
I also use DEVONthink and find that the program has a completely different approach and should not be used for comparison.
NeoFinder 7.6 is a great update for photographers! Now, NeoFinder is a really nice DAM! ... like iView Media Pro!
...from their website:
"New features and enhancements:
- Hierarchical Keywords allow you to group and structure very large keyword lists
- Light Table to preview original image files in multiple zoom levels and full resolution, and a color histogram. Rate, label, rotate, or delete files quickly from within NeoFinder
- Rename multiple files in sequence both in the NeoFinder catalog and on disk, with multiple options
- Edit Custom Annotations for multiple items at once
- Sort by all Custom Annotation fields, and by all XMP fields in Icon View and others
- Search Custom Annotation fields in the Find Editor with many options. Save them as Smart Folders"
I use NeoFinder to keep track (catalog?) my photos (50000) on an external drive and the search function is fantastic when I need to quickly find an image for a website I am working on or a client ; very very fast, no need to open any DAM application. Excellent contact with the developer who is very responsive. To me NeoFinder is a gem!
I was thinking that NeoFinder might be a substitute for DevonThink. It has far less bells and whistles than DevonThink, but the basic idea of being able to catalog everything and show previews so you know what to work on and what not to work on, are essentially the same.
DevonThink shows full, clear previews of text documents, PDF, RTF, or plain text. With NeoFinder, I am very disappointed. The way NeoFinder works is to show a small photo icon of a PDF. This is too small of a resolution for anyone to use with any efficiency. PDF previews in NeoFinder are grainy and out of focus. It cannot show a text preview. It will show some small font in a far right panel that the developer says is a preview - but, this is not a preview.
I purchased two licenses at the same time, one for a gift to a friend who is a photographer and graphic designer, and one for myself. The main purpose of this software is for people who want to catalog their photos and artwork. As long as this is how it is advertised, I have no problem with it. The last I checked with my friend, he is very satisfied with how NeoFinder catalogued his extensive collection of graphics and art work.
However ... after working extensively with NeoFinder support prior to my purchases and having worked with them trying to resolve the very poor way that NeoFinder handles text previews, I finally realized that NeoFinder was never going to work for me as I am a writer and the way NeoFinder handles PDF and text preview is unacceptable. I therefore requested a refund for my license. NeoFinder refused my request for a refund and subsequent emails to them have been ignored by the NeoFinder team.
I state all this so that it is a fair review and the reader can make up their own minds about it. NeoFinder is a bad choice for organizing everything. It may still be a good choice for graphics only. But, I have a very bad taste in my mouth now after what I considered a fair, reasonable, and timely request for a refund due to advertised features on the NeoFinder website which are missing in the actual product, ie, “NeoFinder keeps track of your documents”.
“NeoFinder keeps track of your documents, photos, songs, movies, and folders wherever they are stored. NeoFinder is your digital treasure chest!”
If a company does not practice fair business practices, it seems reason enough for a such a low scoring review. Add to this the poor text handling it is supposed to be able to do but fails miserably, and I think a low scoring review is quite fair.
Caveat emptor, buyer beware.
Hi: Please pardon my long-winded comment. I sent an email to the dev. and have yet to receive his response, but possibly I sent to the incorrect address. In any event, my post...
Am a heavy user of MediaPro for more than 15 years, and rely on it daily. Very disappointed (and concerned) that Phase One can’t/won’t update that app to 16 bit.
Here’s a brief summary of my workflow. Please reply to me with your thoughts on IF NeoFinder can do approximately the same function(s).
I use Mac’s. My photo jobs are all folder based. -I import images into a job folder or shoot a tethered job to a folder, folder is named with a job number. -IN that folder of images (raw and/or processed to jpg, tiff etc.) is an iView catalog. The iView catalog icon (named with the same job number as the parent folder) always stays IN the specific job folder. -That job folder containing the iView catalog is backed up/archived, to an external hard drive. -When I’m finished with a project, and it’s billed to the client, the job folder is removed/deleted from my working machine but remains on the external drive. -IF I need to retrieve images, I reference the job number on my external drive, connect the drive, launch iView from the catalog icon in the job folder and I can view the images via the connected external drive.
I also have a series of “portfolio folders”, each containing an iView catalog. I update these as needed when I add (or remove) portfolio images. I use iView’s slide show function to achieve beautiful dissolves from one image to the next. I manually advance the images in the iView catalog, to allow me to control the flow of the presentation to my client.
It'd be great to hear if I can achieve even some of my preferred workflow prefs. using NeoFinder. My time with iView unfortunately, is running out!
New to NeoFinder.
I have been looking for a while for a replacement to Lightroom to catalogue thousands of images, and I quite like NeoFinder's capabilities. Fast, simple to use, and fairly comprehensive. One negative (to me) though is the apparent lack of hierarchical key wording (unless there is a way to do it; as mentioned, I am new to it). I understand the many advantages of a simple flat list of keywords as implemented in NeoFinder, but that list can get very long, very quickly ! And therefore it can make it difficult to ensure consistency when many keywords are needed. The ability of hierarchical keywording to automatically add parent keywords would be a great advantage.
Nothing quite like it available for the Mac! Great for cataloging backup disks. The Smart Folders feature works great for sorting out specific types of files - saves a lot of time and effort. Another great feature is the “Catalog a folder” - I save Text files and Messages to a folder and then create a catalog of the folders contents. It’s good to see that not everyone is going over to the subscription service - something many of us just don’t like. Thank you Norbert!
I've been using NeoFinder (and abeMeda - the Windows alternative) for years. Both programs are great products that let me catalog my files and read them from either system. Their iOS app works well too, even though it's relatively new. I've had excellent support from both teams. While none of us like to pay for upgrades, I'm happy to spring for the major upgrades when a product works - and is supported - well. I've been satisfied using their "private" license (as opposed to the "business") license, as I've been able to still use DropBox to sync my files. (You just have to be careful not to open the files simultaneously on multiple computers.) Bottom Line, this is one of my go-to programs that's one of the first programs I install when getting a new computer!
Love this app so far. Showing all (multiple) cataloged Volumes or Folder under a single interface is unique compared to competition I believe (DiskCatlog Maker, DiskTracker, etc.). Users complaining about upgrade pricing are crazy. Most of the software world has been moving to a very expensive SAAS model. I'm very pleased with the price of NeoFinder and I don't mind paying for upgrades on major updates (like version 7 is). In my experience once a Dev is in full swing working on a new version most bug fixes on the previous version cease. That's just a reality of software development (see Adobe, Microsoft, etc.). My experience so far with Norbert has been very professional. He responds to emails in a timely fashion with thoughtful replies. Thanks guys, keep up the great work !
Bought v6.9.3 less than 3 months ago. Now developer wants to charge full (or ⅔ if I read correctly) price for upgrade? I’m underwhelmed at the upgrade options and definitely not spending that much money to upgrade what’s basically still “new” software to me. It wasn’t exorbitantly expensive, but it required some scraping on my part to purchase for a necessary data consolidation project. Maybe the developer should just go full-on monthly/annual subscription model to support his need for constant cash flow? This is why I hate some small developers. I’m tired of increasingly frequent software charges by developers. I’m not a bottomless pit of cash.
When the app functions correctly, it's very helpful for cataloging your media. I have a lot of external drives, and several are kept offsite and rotated frequently. It's nice to be able to see what's on them even when they aren't here. And I don't have to plug in several of the drives I have here to locate a file I'm looking for.
BUT, I've been very dissatisfied with support from Norbert, the developer. Since upgrading to El Capitan several months ago, I've had a couple of irksome issues that he has failed to diagnose. He obviously isn't interested in actually resolving the issues - he doesn't respond to many of my emails, and has never tried to work through the issues in a methodical manner. He has basically just said that these issues shouldn't be happening. DUH!
Thanks for the revelation, Einstein.
My rating would have at least doubled if the app performed as well now as it did on my Mavericks system.
I'm happy with the Mac app. It's search works well and the cataloging is pretty fast and has tons of options to suit pretty much everyone's needs. For example, I can choose for thumbnails on some volumes and no thumbs on others, etc.
My biggest complaint is there's a small (but annoying) delay after I right-click on Update... for volumes before the actual update even begins.
Also, I wish there was a better system service that updates volumes right away with a right-click or shortcut. There's one already right now, but it's a two-step process where a dialog comes up and I have to click an Update button. Also, it's non-intuitive as if says to update a folder as apposed to the volume.
What's pretty much a deal killer is this doesn't have an Android app and I'm forced to export a very clunky, difficult to read text file instead. There's an iOS app at least, but that doesn't do Android users any good. Therefore, I'm going to take off a star because that severely limits the functionality for checking up on volumes remotely via mobile.
Love this app. Especially since you can catalog 10 volumes for free! I sometimes use it to search my local volume- seems much faster than spotlight. I just wish the little triangle thing would stay down by default (advanced search).
(Reposting since my previous review says 1/2 star... argh!!!)
Love this app. Especially since you can catalog 10 volumes for free! I sometimes use it to search my local volume- seems much faster than spotlight. I just wish the little triangle thing would stay down by default (advanced search). Might wait for a sale ;-)
I'm not embarrassed at all when I realize that my appraisal of an applications's value is based on a limited understanding or need and discover that I need to change it. Reference: NeoFinder. In a dark corner of the basement there resided two banker's boxes containing files dating back to the beginning of my involvement with computers. There was even a cassette with data put on it through the Kansas City Interface. Look it up. That dates me to be sure.
Anyway, I decided to tackle the banker's box archive and to be candid, I have been an Apple partisan since 1987 when I could afford my first Mac. Most of the files--even ones dating to the early 90's--have been converted, reserved and archived multiple times using newer and newer file formats. Therefore, the vast majority of them can be read by today's software or identified for research and conversion if I decide to put the energy into it. NeoFinder has proven itself to me as a wonderful app for organizing my design and advertising assets, text files, email files and other miscellaneous files! Back in the day, while clip art was supplied in EPS format, the bitmap representations were lousy and so there was a printed catalog. What a mess. I was able to catalog and generate crisp 320 px previews of 10's of thousands of EPS files in minutes with NeoFinder and make it somewhat searchable. I also have a true mess of old audio files and photo files that I don't intend to spend much energy organizing. However with NeoFinder I can at least group them, sample them, preview some of them, attach notes/keywords and bring some order to the stuff.
Without particularly noticing I have accumulated terabytes of video, som shot by myself, some shared with me by others, some saved from web sites, old interviews and other obscure stuff along with backups of my DVD's. A true mess. Notably, to my mind NeoFinder is the most well adapted app I know about for cataloging and triaging video material, being able to read metadata, etc. So forget my ill informed comments here from a year ago. When the need arises, the cream rises.
Saves me a lot of work every day! Cataloged 16Tb of media files, with catalogs on a Synology station and hocked up with two workstations.
Highly recommended!
I've been using CDFinder for years and had been pretty happy with it. After reading reviews here on MacUpdate I was hesitant to update to NeoFinder because of claims of slowdowns and bloat.
Today, I backed up everything from CDFInder 5.x and then updated to NeoFinder 6.2 and I'm VERY glad I did. NeoFinder 6.2 starts up faster, searches faster and the interface now looks just like the Mac OS interface and behaves the same as well which is awesome.
There has been some extras added to NeoFinder that I have no use for currently like the map/GeoFinder thing, but I was able to turn that off with one click of a button. I also would prefer that there was an option to turn off the Dock icon animation it does when it runs as well. It doesn't appear to slow anything down, but I find it distracting and want to be able to turn that off. There also doesn't appear to be a way to turn off checking for updates when it starts and that's annoying.
The update from CDFinder 5.x to NeoFinder 6.2 was absolutely seamless. It found the database without any user interaction and was available literally instantly without taking time to "update" the database, etc. Also, it appears that no data was lost and it seem to respect my old settings as well. I'm not sure I've ever had such a seamless experience updating a app like this that relies on a database.
I also really love how I can still double-click on a hard drive catalog and it will open in a new window if I want it to. I was nervous that after updating the developer was going to jump on the one-window-interface-only bandwagon that Apple has errantly done with iTunes 11, etc. -- So that was a relief that the dev smartly allows you to do what YOU want to do instead of forcing you into a "trend" that may or may not hurt your productivity.
The Smart Folders get a little clunky while waiting to populate the list and I at first was worried that the app was stalling, but then the list popped up. Considering the hundreds of thousands (maybe millions?) of files it sorted through to show the results, it was quick to say the least. The only complaint I have is it might be a good idea if the smart folder icon shows a spinning icon or something while it's processing so you know it's working. Or just an option to have that would be nice.
Scrolling around CDFinder was pretty smooth and played nice with the indispensable Smart Scroll prefpane I use. But NeoFinder is even smoother, faster and better at scrolling than before so that's another great bonus of updating.
I also tested updating an external FW800 G-Drive Mini's catalog and found that it respected most of my old settings. It added the option of adding thumbnails to images, but I decided that I did want that and allowed it. It went through about 75,000+ items with a huge percentage of images this way in about 7 minutes (which was fast as heck for how many thumbnails it processed). After it was done, I was really impressed with how fast the larger thumbnails popping up the the Get Info window on the right as I scrolled down the images with the down arrow key. Also after that intial huge scan that created all the image thumbnails, I added a few more items to the external hard drive and a subsquent "update" of the catalog only took about 13 seconds which seems to be on par with how fast the older CDFinder updated the drive but without the added responsibility of checking the thumbnails. So NeoFinder did great there as well.
Although my fans blasted while doing the thumbnail update (as it should when speedily processing so many images), my MBP i7 didn't seem to slow down while this was going on even while running many other apps, etc.. There was a lot of old images that I know were probably corrupt and wondered if NeoFinder would choke and crash on them, but it all went smooth which is definitely a testament to it's stability in that regard.
Unfortuantely, while scanning and going through the tens of thousands of images and adding thumbnails for each, it did eat up a LOT of the RAM (I have 8GB of RAM) on my laptop, but I expected it to that as well to keep the process speedy. The major problem is it didn't release the RAM memory after it was done which was quite a bummer (but hopefully this will be resolved in future updates) or if it did, it released very little of it over time. YMMV with this, I'm using Mac OS 10.6.8, so it might release the RAM better with 10.7.x or 10.8.x. -- But, for me, it ate up RAM and didn't let it go.
All in all, I think this developer did an absolutely fantastic update and I highly recommend this update and NeoFinder in general. I never tested with the previous versions of NeoFinder before 6.2, so it may be that I'm using a version that has many previous bugs fixed.
The only glaring downside is at least with Mac OS 10.6.8 and NeoFinder 6.2 and indexing/cataloging a lot of image thumbnails, it ate up RAM and didn't release it when it was done, nor after I quit NeoFinder. So the dev needs to fix that before I can rate the stability higher. I don't want to have to run "purge" in Terminal or restart the laptop after using NeoFinder to update lots of image thumbnails on catalogs in order to keep my RAM free.
I was trying to be funny with my review....
Maybe it did not come across so well.
So, to clarify my review...
Everything was great, quick response, and very knowledgable support from Norbert.
Whew, I feel better now.
Just finished with Tech Support for NeoFinder...
The wait time was (maybe) 2 minutes.
Norbert was excellent! - after a few back-n-forth questions,
he zeroed in on the problem.
He tried to say it was all my fault, I know better.... but seriously...
Many thanks for helping me.
A great, time saving product
Thanks again Norbert.
Every so often a good product gets sold off and the new company messes it up. This is one of those apps.
I used to love CD Finder. I proposed it to enterprise groups and successfully deployed to groups who share the index.
Now, it's a bloated mess. Thanks but no thanks.
I will no longer recommend this software.
I have deleted it from my system.
Bye.
Of all the software that I have used over the years to keep track of a very large mp3 collection CDFinder/NeoFinder is by far the most impressive. Given the rapid and friendly support provided by Norbert (who added a new 'search for any comment text' feature at my request) I feel that the upgrade price is entirely reasonable.
I've tested previous versions of CDFinder over the years, and while the software was always quite capable, I never could get myself to buy it - the interface was just too ugly to cope with.
Now with its new name though, the UI has made quite some progress (not 100% there, but close), and I have finally taken the plunge and purchased the app.
Couple more bugs to work out, little polishing needed interface-wise, but it is definitely on the right track!
I really love the new Neofinder. Although I'd appreciate a different name :)
But it really is great, and with the new satellite window I can use it like i used iView/Expression Media - that's great, since EM has been sold *again* to another company and is much too expensive for what it does.
Keep it up!
I haven't tried NeoFinder yet, though I've downloaded the trial.
Somehow my rating of its predecessor, CDFinder, was adjusted down by accident in a watch list & I can't seem to recover its previous state.
why Neo? why Now? why $39.99 and not $40?
Oh, I get it. It's psychological. Old sales and marketing diehards XD
Well since I liked cdfinder will give this a try.
I am impressed with the new look and feel of NeoFinder. I like the one-window UI. My previous CDFinder database was recognized by NeoFinder. And the developer offers a good upgrade price for previous users.
I liked this app before, and now I love it.
Nice piece of work.
I testdrove several before buying this one. Have used disktracker in the past, but that has the drawback of not being visual.
Most people are not that organized (a good reason for a cataloger) & if you are a visually-driven person, you want that referent as well as a text database to find your data.
Norbert does nice work & is very responsive & seems always enthused about making it better. Ausgezeichnet.
Is great to track removables - archived photos & items visually.
It needs some more batch options & is slow in cataloging if you want decent-sized thumbnails & drill down through all the levels to tag your items for later retrieval.
To date, I haven't found another cataloger quite in the same class.
There is no enough words to qualify this software and this company. Talking about CDFinder, it's just awesome. Fast, easy to use, full of features, well organized... And the company? Just one thing to say to all software vendors: learn with West-Forest-System and Norbert Doerner how to make great software and to support customers with attention and respect. No more words. If you need a media catalog software and need to trust on the manufacturer, go get this one.
I've been using CDFinder since at least 2001. I've never found anything to equal it in simplicity, ease of use, functionality, and accuracy. I've never had even the smallest hiccup from the program, and I wouldn't know where ANYTHING was without it. The only even mildly-negative thing I can say about CDFinder is that I'm sorry that the price has gone up, but if you have a lot of data saved on internal and external drives, and especially removable media, it just plain works (and it's FAST).
A great program I wouldn't be without.
Yesterday I installed Novadrive.
Suddenly CDFinder stopped working. I wrote norbert about this (stressing that I tought the fault was in Novadrive).
In a couple of hours I got a link to a dev version of CdFinder that (guess...) worked flawlessy.
Great support!
Six Stars to Norbert! Thank you
Once I thought DiskTracker was a good cataloging program. Then I discovered CDFinder. That was a year ago. This program seems like so much more than a cataloger, supporting indexing of audio and video metadata, large preview icons, etc. CDFinder is the ultimate program for this, there's no need to look any further. Features are constantly being added that bring real value to the software.
Regardless of how good any program is, there are always features or adjustments I would like to see. The developer responds very rapidly and enthusiastically to suggestions. One suggestion he implemented overnight made a major difference in my workflow. He is smart and he is so nice you feel like you're chatting with your buddy who wants to give you the best experience he can. CDFinder has my highest and most sincere recommendation.
This catalogs non-mac formatted network drives. It is worth its weight in gold.
Previous versions I"ve used were great except for not being able to index network drives. But then, there didn't seem to be any other apps that could do it either so I thought it was one of those things. I use this app to catalog everything, including internal drives. It is far faster using this app to search for a file than it is to use Spotlight. Great great app. I wish it were less expensive but... version 5.7 indexes network drives. I'm so happy I'd probably pay even more.
sca2 is having a really bad day, it seems.
But he should have read the email from the developers, that could have saved him all the embarrassment.
They said that his key wasn't supposed to work in version 5, that is all.
Calling that boot-legging is simply plain wrong.
I checked the version history page, and the CDFinder team has released an amazing number of updates since version 3.6, excellent work!
But when sca2 writes "So lesson to be learned, keep all transactions on updates secure", he is actually right, that always seems like a clever idea for any software purchase indeed.
I have been using CDFinder for a while already, and always enjoyed the updates a lot.
CDFinder is probably the best cataloguing software for the mac. However this program is in dire need of a facelift. The user interface could be a lot better and easier to use.
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How would you rate NeoFinder app?
Read 107 NeoFinder User Reviews
Am a heavy user of MediaPro for more than 15 years, and rely on it daily. Very disappointed (and concerned) that Phase One can’t/won’t update that app to 16 bit.
Here’s a brief summary of my workflow. Please reply to me with your thoughts on IF NeoFinder can do approximately the same function(s).
I use Mac’s. My photo jobs are all folder based.
-I import images into a job folder or shoot a tethered job to a folder, folder is named with a job number.
-IN that folder of images (raw and/or processed to jpg, tiff etc.) is an iView catalog. The iView catalog icon (named with the same job number as the parent folder) always stays IN the specific job folder.
-That job folder containing the iView catalog is backed up/archived, to an external hard drive.
-When I’m finished with a project, and it’s billed to the client, the job folder is removed/deleted from my working machine but remains on the external drive.
-IF I need to retrieve images, I reference the job number on my external drive, connect the drive, launch iView from the catalog icon in the job folder and I can view the images via the connected external drive.
I also have a series of “portfolio folders”, each containing an iView catalog. I update these as needed when I add (or remove) portfolio images. I use iView’s slide show function to achieve beautiful dissolves from one image to the next. I manually advance the images in the iView catalog, to allow me to control the flow of the presentation to my client.
It'd be great to hear if I can achieve even some of my preferred workflow prefs. using NeoFinder. My time with iView unfortunately, is running out!
It's nice to be able to see what's on them even when they aren't here. And I don't have to plug in several of the drives I have here to locate a file I'm looking for.
BUT, I've been very dissatisfied with support from Norbert, the developer.
Since upgrading to El Capitan several months ago, I've had a couple of irksome issues that he has failed to diagnose. He obviously isn't interested in actually resolving the issues - he doesn't respond to many of my emails, and has never tried to work through the issues in a methodical manner. He has basically just said that these issues shouldn't be happening. DUH!
Thanks for the revelation, Einstein.
My rating would have at least doubled if the app performed as well now as it did on my Mavericks system.