Photo Printing Services RANT ...

[ftaok]

Is it me or is anyone else bothered by the fact that Windows users have better options when dealing with photo printing services? Specifically with how photos are uploaded onto the website.

With my Mac, I have to pick each photo one at a time. And most sites limit you to uploading 25 photos at a time.

With Windows, they have the ability to drag-n-drop. Then upload the whole batch in one shot. I thought Apple invented drag-n-drop.

Anyways, I'm trying out winkflash because they are charging 18 cents with free shipping. They seem to have a Java applet, but I can't get that working. So I have to use my wife's PC to upload the photos.

Anyways, thanks for listening.

 

[yoda13]

Many of these limitations are not present with the photo service that is integrated within iPhoto. I have used it many times and really like it. Of course if you aren't using iPhoto then I can see why you would definately need another service.

 

[bubbamac]

Burn 'em to a CD, take them to Eckerd. Give them to the person behind the photo counter (not the do it yourself kiosk). It's about 39 cents/print, with the occasional coupon for 29 cents. One hour service, they look awesome.

 

[ftaok]

Responding to the above 2 posts.

Regarding iPhoto. I do agree that the photo service integrating in iPhoto is great and easy to use. It's just very expensive. There's no way to justify spending 49 cents (I think iPhoto is still 49 cents) compared to 18 cents per photo. Apple really needs to get its pricing in line with the other web photo services.

Regarding Drug Store printing. Burning a CD and taking it to a store is a hassle. Plus, the price is still higher than the web services. I admit, I've never tried Eckerd's (or CVS, etc), but I've used the service they offered at OfficeMax when they had a 1/2 price coupon. I was disappointed with the results. For the record, they used the Olympus kiosk at OfficeMax. The photos were not printed on Kodak or Fuji paper. In fact, I couldn't tell what kind of paper was used. After they were printed, the clerk had to trim the photos (manually) and it wasn't as consistent as I hoped. On top of that, it's still cheaper to go with the web services.

On a more positive note, I tried Shutterfly and they have a Macintosh plug-in that will do exactly what I'm looking for. I wish more of the web services developed a plug-in for Macs. Shutterfly's prices are OK, but their website is fantastic. Lots of printing options. When the 15 free pictures come back, I'll post an update.

Thanks for listening.

 

[Le Big Mac]

Is it me or is anyone else bothered by the fact that Windows users have better options when dealing with photo printing services? Specifically with how photos are uploaded onto the website.

Yes. I use iPhoto and Ofoto. I like to be able to share other than through .Mac. What's particularly annoying is that iPhoto can't easily upload to Ofoto. Also annoying is the price difference, given that it's the same company doing the printing for both (the price is actually the same for all but 4x6's, except the Ofoto discount offers don't apply to iPhoto orders).

The best workaround, at least for Ofoto, is to get Kodak's EasyShare software, which integrates with Ofoto. It's a few step process. Export images from iPhoto, then import those to EasyShare. Then select and upload to Ofoto. But if you're doing large batches, which I usually do, it's not too much of a hassle. I just wish I could do it with iPhoto, but Apple apparently figures that they can make more money off of dummies than by appealing to the power users who print 100 photos a month of their new baby.

 

[ftaok]

Yes. I use iPhoto and Ofoto. I like to be able to share other than through .Mac. What's particularly annoying is that iPhoto can't easily upload to Ofoto. Also annoying is the price difference, given that it's the same company doing the printing for both (the price is actually the same for all but 4x6's, except the Ofoto discount offers don't apply to iPhoto orders).

The best workaround, at least for Ofoto, is to get Kodak's EasyShare software, which integrates with Ofoto. It's a few step process. Export images from iPhoto, then import those to EasyShare. Then select and upload to Ofoto. But if you're doing large batches, which I usually do, it's not too much of a hassle. I just wish I could do it with iPhoto, but Apple apparently figures that they can make more money off of dummies than by appealing to the power users who print 100 photos a month of their new baby.

LBM,

Thanks for the tip for using ofoto with Kodak's software. I wasn't aware that this was possible.

For the record, my current work practice is to crop and enhance the photos using iPhoto. Then I export them to a folder on my desktop. From there, I upload them onto the photo services website. If I'm uploading 10-20 photos, going 1-by-1 isn't too bad. But if I'm uploading 100's of photos, it gets really tedious quickly. That's why using something like this Kodak software is good.

Ofoto is good, but it's still pretty expensive. 29 cents per picture and the shipping is very expensive. For right now, I'm going with Shutterfly (also 29 cents, but shipping is a little cheaper). I am also going to test out winkflash, which is 18 cents with free shipping (for the Fall season).