Version 6 for the occasional user AND 10 times price increase

FotoMagico FotoMagico 6 Public Beta
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Hello (aka Part 2, Moving Forward),

Happy New Years, everyone, from London and Arizona! Here’s to making great slideshows today with… FotoMagico (FM), tomorrow with… (fill in here your program/method of choice).

We all appreciate FM, obviously, that’s why we’re part of this Boinx forum. But for various reasons, FM may not be the best choice for some of us going forward – because of increased cost, inconveniences, lack of features, etc.

As we all know, no one knows the future. FM may become, with more time, programming talent, and money (that’s where the new subscription scheme comes in), the ideal software we’ve all been dreaming of (some of us have been dreaming about all sorts of things getting better, not just FM). And when it does, there will be a celebration like no other, with the feature event being… wait for it… yes… a grand, epic slideshow!

In the meantime, perhaps we could share with one another (i.e. encourage and spur on) our thoughts, explorations, and discoveries into alternative methods and software. Perhaps someone is using FM in tandem with tools unknown to most of us, or have discovered secret features of common software that aid in the creation of slideshows. Or maybe someone’s 14-year old nephew has just last week assembled a bit of code that makes still images blend together with silky stealth, and the niece has linked up this functionality to a handy group of keyboard shortcuts and a media organizer tool. If so, might we all be privileged to share in the wonder?

Will Boinx permit us (current) FM license holders, yet waining enthusiasts, to occupy a few kilobytes of their servers as will undertake this common sojourn? to be the conduit of proclamations and whispers of new found routes and territories?

For those who dare leave the fold in search of greener pastures, we can assure the higher powers at Boinx that there will always be the longing for ‘home’ (i.e. FM). And should one of our co-companions from amongst the Boinx echelon so choose to participate, we would naturally welcome their contribution. After all, they are the standard bearers for that which we are seeking (but hasn’t yet come to fruition).

Please share your thoughts, no matter which way they lean…

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Hi @waynecarsen FotoMagico works on Monterey and you can download it from https://boinx.com/connect/fotomagico/versionhistory/5.6.14

I’m sorry to hear that you feel FotoMagico 6 is too expensive. Can you tell me what we need to add to make it worth the CDN$ 12 plus tax?

We now offer a one-year license option which is close to your proposed upgrade fee.

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I have exactly the same situation and feelings. I have been an strong proponent of Boinx software since before the arrival of Fotomaigico. I am also a professional photographer and use Fotomagico 3-4 times a years. I did not even know about the upgrade until I started a recent project. I like to keep all my software up to date, but cannot sanction paying the price outlined above for my usage. Boinx has always listened to their user base and I implore you to do something for users such as me and Bryce and all the others in a similar situation.

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Hello silsurf,

My impression is that Oliver, CEO at Boinx, has explained the company’s situation fairly well, in the thread above. They are ramping up their funding to make FM a better, more up-to-date product. More money in, more programming, resulting in a better product. Makes sense to me.

I’m excited about what FM will become, but in the meantime I’m interested in exploring alternative ways of producing enticing slideshows, and fast.

How about you? Do you use FM exclusively, or do you integrate other software and techniques to make your slideshows?

May I ask, what type of slideshows do you create? Are they to present the results of a photo shoot, as I do, or are you selling the slideshow itself to your clients?

Thanks,
Bryce

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Why yes, Internet connectivity provider, I’d be glad to pay you much more money right now on the hope that you will establish better and faster service someday.

My auto dealer says that if I only pay a few thousand more than this vehicle is worth, someday they’ll be able to produce a car that does all those amazing car things we’ve all talked about.

The doctors have told me that if I pay more than I should for my appendectomy, some day they’ll be able to perform that procedure while simultaneously giving patients a facelift to make them look beautiful.

Still make sense to you?

I don’t know where you live, but here in the US of A, we expect businesses to arrange their own financing for their expansions rather than putting the burden on their existing customers. Some don’t handle it that way and that’s when we stop buying their widgets.

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Indeed, sjtryon, there’s a lot of truth in that (no matter which country one resides). But unless there is some rich uncle funding a business, its revenues usually come for sales to customers. And sometimes management has to make some drastic changes to keep that business afloat (e.g. reorganize, cut costs, merge, go public, and yes, increase pricing).

The challenge for customers is when that widget/service is rather unique, and one becomes dependent on it. What happens then when something changes, like a major price hike? That’s the very reason I started this thread in late November.

My proposition now, in light of the situation, is how do we continue to make great slideshows, quickly, without spending a lot.

Several FM users have expressed their intentions of curtailing their use of FM. I find that interesting, as I’m then wondering what tool they will then use.

And that is exactly what I’m asking in this “Part 2”, with the hope that everyone would start sharing their new found programs and techniques that facilitate the creation of amazing slideshows.

Greetings from London (from a Prescott, Arizona boy),

  • Bryce
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I switched to PTE AV Studio (previously as Pictures To Exe) which now has a MAC version. It is superior to FM in some ways but inferior in others. When I found out about FM6 I thought it worth exploring but the subscription rate immediately put me off. I hope Boinx see the error of their ways. Please note that any emails wont be seen by me as Boinx have my old address and despite repeated requests I have been unable to change it. (This just in case anyone comments on my reply which would, i think, normally lead to receiving an email advising me of this - As I will no longer be using FM I probably wont be visiting this Forum much.) Good luck everyone.

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That’s a very odd business model. I paid for all upgrades since FotoMagico was first launched including all the extra content, but will not purchase the subscription plan. As many others, I use FotoMagico for a few projects a year professionally, but not on a continuous basis. Resubscribing every time I want to pick it up again isn‘t something I feel comfortable with. With the old versions, I at least have something I can still work with, even without the new fancy features. You are going to loose some old loyal customers with this mainstream strategy. In the case of FotoMagico I would reconsider or at least provide an alternative.

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I will not subscribe for FM and also not for a single month and cancel that again. It is a pity: it is what it is…

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For everyone who’s signalled they won’t continue using FM, please share how you’ll then create your slideshows. I’d really appreciate it, and I’m sure others would as well (and maybe Boinx will pickup on something that could improve future versions of FM).

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I shall continue to use FM5. It seems to work perfectly well via Rosetta2 on my new M1 Mac Mini. I can also use it on my 2017 MacBook Pro, which I won’t be upgrading beyond Big Sur.

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I’ll continue using FM5, too. But since the Lightroom connection isn’t working any more in FM which has been a killer feature for my workflow I’m looking for another solution. Its a pity that the slideshow feature in Lightroom is so poor…

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My feelings exactly. I don’t use it often enough to justify this anymore. In fact, I just opened Fotomagico for first time since the upgrade. So I just discovered this. Very disappointed. Will need to look for an alternative now for the 1-3 slideshows I might put together a year. I am also a routine user of Photoshop and Lightroom. So while the purpose is different, the subscription pricing model and price point makes more sense.

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Sorry to hear that you’re disappointed. Have you considered that you could get FotoMagico for 1 to 3 months per year if you only make 1 to 3 slideshows depending on your timing? You can always watch or present the slideshows without a license. So that would be less than $30 for those 3 slideshows. In terms of time saved making the slideshows surely that’s a good deal.

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Hi @lutzw With the new Media Browser the Lightroom integration should now be improved. Have you had a chance to look at that?

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Hi Oliver,

Look - I know you guys have to pay the bills, but I agree with the others regarding the subscription - and more importantly the huge price increase.

Have you guys considered alternative pricing structures? I like others, absolutely LOVE FotoMagico, but as a retired hobbyist photographer who makes slide shows for my family and not for profit that’s a bit steep.

Here is a alternative to consider: How about a “Audible audiobook Subscription” model?

So, for $79/year you can have unlimited slide shows.
Instead of a month by month subscription, why not figure out a “per project” price structure?

For example I could buy 1 or perhaps 5 or 10 projects (multiple project purchases garner additional discounts)

Just a thought in a attempt to come to some sort of compromise about software subscription models - which, it seems, are universally disliked.

I really DO love your Software Oliver, and I am certain that Professional photographers who sell slide show packages have no problem with the subscription model. But this is a hobby for me and I need to pick and choose…maybe the new enhanced memory slide show feature in Ventura & iOS16 will meet my needs…but I sure will miss ForoMagico!

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Fully agree with you. I’m recently retired and been a customer from the early years. I hoped to be able to use this nice app for many years for family use only but the annual subscription fee doesn’t fit in my budget. As many I keep my subscriptions going for Adobe, CleanMyMac a.o. I will miss the luxury of this gem with some flaws but I rate these apps more valuable for an occasionally user as I am, taking in account the new subscription policy of FM.

Regards
LS

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iMovie for me… and no subscription for the occasional user. Photos and movies no problem.

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Used Fotmagico for years Have V5 not paying for a yearly sub as dont use it more than once or twice a year. Would buy and Upgrade to V6!!

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Hi @thrunobulax Easy! Just get one month when you use it. You only need a valid subscription when you’re editing or creating slideshows. Presenting and viewing slideshows is also possible without a subscription. This lowers your yearly costs to $16.