As a photographer, your hard drive is likely to be overflowing with images. In fact, you probably have such a vast catalog of photos, that you aren’t quite sure where to start. Keeping your images in designated folders is important for your business, client deliverables and frankly, your sanity. Stressed out by your lack of organization? Sounds like you could use a photo management software.

So, to make sure you have all your files in a line – we’ve rounded up 6 of the top photo management software options that you can start using today. Let’s clear up some space on your hard drive and get ready to start organizing your image database. Check out the list below:

Organize & Categorize Your Image Library

Eagle

Our first photo management software is Eagle. It is a design library that is guaranteed to help you get and stay organized.

It is used by designers, photographers and creatives alike. In fact, it’s a new way to collect, search and organize your image files all in one accessible place.

Eagle operates in the following ways:

• Collect
  • Store inspiring images, screenshots, illustrations, client files, etc.
• Organize
  • Place all of your images in the program to make sure you can easily find and search them.
• Search
  • Find your content faster with their intuitive features.

In Eagle you can use tags and notes to organize all of your images. Additionally, you can also search for your images based on colors, images formats and more.

The Eagle program is compatible with Mac iOS and Windows programs such as Photoshop, Sketch and Keynote.

Plus, you can add an extra collaborative element by syncing this software with your Google Drive, Dropbox, One Drive or any other cloud based storage service.

The best part about Eagle is that it only costs $29.95 and there is no subscription required. You can use the license for two devices with free updates for a lifetime.

To see if Eagle is suited for your organizational needs, check out their website here. 

Google Photos

The second photo management software we recommend is Google Photos. It is an online, cloud based software where all of your photos are organized and easy to find.

Google Photos may be the best option for any photographer on a budget. As long as you create a Google Account, you can use Google Photos.

In fact, it offers free storage and automatic organization for all of your memories. You can search for photos and will see that they are categorized by year, month and day.

Plus, the storage capacity is limitless. I once stored 8 years of photographs in my account and was surprised to find that I still had room to add more. The program allows you to backup unlimited photos and videos for free – with file sizes up to 16MP and 1080p HD.

If we hasn’t convinced you yet – you can access your images from any phone, tablet or computer. Just visit – photos.google.com to view your library.

If you’d like to use Google Photos for your own image library, check it out here. 

Mylio

Our third choice for photo management software is Mylio. This program is for gathering and managing all of your photos on any of your devices. With Mylio, you can access, edit and share your files from anywhere.

Plus, Mylio is completely free. It can also connect with online services such as Facebook and Flickr. And, you can add photos to your catalog with or without Internet access.

The images in Mylio can be organized by date or face recognition to tag thousands of photos in minutes.

Mylio is for Mac users and is compatible with macOs or later.

You can read more about this program and download your copy here. 

Adobe Bridge CC

The fourth photo management software for your image files is Adobe Bridge. This is a digital asset management software built to centralize your creative assets.

Bridge is a program by Adobe Creative. Some features include:

• Batch editing with ease
• Adding watermarks to your images
• Set centralized color preferences
• Upload, tag and organize your images within the Bridge catalog

Bridge aims to simplify your workflow and increase productivity.

Plus, you can download Adobe Bridge as a free trial program. But, once your free trial ends, Bridge will continue to work so that you can view and manage your media. A recent discovery, which means that you can download and start using Bridge today without a subscription to Adobe’s Creative Cloud.

To check it out and see if Bridge is a good fit for you, visit their website here. 

Pixave

The fifth photo management software that you can use is Pixave. It is an application that is only compatible with macOS and available for download in the Mac App Store.

Pixave is a program to store and organize your image files. With this application you can bring and view your images wherever you are.

Pixave’s features include:

• New user face with light and dark modes
• More formats to make a media hub
• Automation with tagging and automatic import
• Easy tagging for image search
• Enhanced Web Capture
• Export for a range of formats, watermarks, etc.

The program works with a range of photo file formats. Plus, it supports multiple libraries to create referenced or copy mode galleries according to image types, date taken and other criteria.

You can use Pixave with a free trial. After, it costs only $14.99 to download.

For more information on this software, check it out here. 

Magix Photo Manager Deluxe

Our sixth and final recommendation for photo management software is by Magix. Their photo manager deluxe program is more than just a photo organizer.

It allows you to archive your photos and videos to maximize your media collection. You can edit, sort and organize your files easily and effectively.

Plus, it allows you to import your images from cloud services right into their photo manager. Magix supports a wide range of formats such as RAW photo files.

And, it offers virtual albums to assign the same picture to several collections without having multiple copies saved to your hard drive. Magix also has tagging capabilities with metadata such as names, events and locations of your images.

You can use Magix 30 days free to see if it fits your photography needs. To buy the program, it is a one time purchase fee of $49.99.

To read more about Magix, you can check out their website here. 

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So, as you can see, there are several affordable and free options for photo management software. It is important to organize, file and create categories for your images. With any one of these programs, you can alleviate the stress caused by messy hard drive folders and clean up your image database. Find a software suited best for you and test it out today!