Thanks Steven.

I am currently using jAlbum with a SimpleViewer skin and this works well although I wanted to get away from jAlbum as it can be slow and is a horrendous memory hog. (seems to have for worse with the latest release!)

I did this to get the IPTC embed that jAlbum provides which does not seem possible in SVBuilder or now JBBuilder.

This also gives me the mobile fallback that is now pretty essential for client galleries. Although I still need to provide 2 URL's with this solution. One for desktop, one for mobile non Flash.

I had hoped to move over to a more 'one-stop' solution with one URL to provide. JB seems perfect and have been waiting for it for ages!

If you have the time, can you briefly explain in layman's terms why pulling in the IPTC is not possible in SV or JBBuilder, both your products, yet it is possible with Photo Mechanic, (which uses and ancient version of SV with no mobile fallback)  the jAlbum skin and Lightroom SV plugins?

As this is badged as a 'Pro' product I am sure you are aware that IPTC support really is an essential pro feature. Any agency or editorial professional photographer not putting extensive IPTC on their images wouldn't last 5 mins. I would seriously consider, if you can, putting support in, if only for the caption field.

JuiceBox is a great product but I cannot really believe that you expect users to copy and paste captions into what could be a 200 images gallery! Mind you, svBuilder has been this way for ever....

I will now, as you suggest use the JuiceBox Skin for jAlbum. That should provide a good solution and one not that different from my current workflow.

Thanks for the help and for a promising, essential product.

SJ

Thank you.

I am using the latest sv skin inside jAlbum.

The reason I use 2 url's is because I was told too! Either by the developer of the skin, or you guys. Can't remember which.

It was to get over the very bad experience of the mobile fallback on the iPhone.

For example www.simonjacobs.com/gillrays is the URL I would provide for desktop and indeed works fairly well on a iPad.

BUT, try the same link on an IPhone and it's a pretty bad experience. Small thumbs, images too large and any rotation really plays it up.

So I provide the URL www.simonjacobs.com/gillrays/gallery.html for mobile use. This is far better on an iPhone and an improvement on an iPad.

Hence 2 url's.

I will Indeed post in the requests section of the forum as I believe that any photo product billed as 'pro' needs to have IPTC support.

Camera Bits Photo Mechanic 5 is about to be released and I know that they will update their ancient sv version within it. Perhaps they will also include JuiceBox. I am sure a Lightroom plugin will follow. For me, the jAlbum solution will be just fine for now.

It's just a shame that your standalone version seems to do less than the third party support as just a sort of 'plug in' skin which I think devalues your product slightly.

Thanks for the support it really is appreciated and I really am just trying to be helpful and objective..... :)

SJ

Yes, I have sometimes just provided the one /gallery.html link.
It's just that i'm a stickler for short, easy url's!
You'd be surprised how wrong it can go when a client passes on a link over the phone  to colleagues with more thank one 'slash' in it. I end up with multiple calls asking, "What was that link again?"

Thanks for the Lightroom link.

Why are the plugins buried away on a support page? I appreciate that this is a new product and you may have decided on a slow rollout. I am fairly savvy and didn't see them. I would have thought that as we have established that a plugin version allows access real 'Pro' features it would be worth putting links to them on the front page.

Sure, you want to push the standalone builder and I truly think you should. This could be a fabulous stand  alone 'proper' app if it were not for the horrendous Air front end. I hope that the person who's idea it was to originally build both sv and now jb in Air can still stand up in a meeting and defend that decision!!! :)

I get asked every other day by pro colleagues, "What can I use to build, quick mobile non-Flash client slideshows"?
I will still say JuiceBuilder. But will have to follow it with caveats. "Best using it as a LR or jAlbum plugin to get all the best features"
They may not use or want to use LR, the jalbum solution maybe too complex and certainly slow.

My rambling point is that we have been crying out for a JuiceBox type proper, standalone desktop app with a good UI. The Air thing you provide is not it. JuiceBox in itself is it.

Then, pushing that standalone creator as the de-facto pro slideshow builder would make sense, with the added plug-ins if you wanted them. Add to that a jb Manager and i think you would steal lots of customers away from Slideshow Pro.

I want this to be good. I think you have the upper hand. Please capitalise on it.

Thanks for listening. :)

SJ