School and team (T&I) photographers get their very own software solution

The straight scoop on DARKROOM Assembly Edition
by Kerry Raminiak

You may have noticed that DARKROOM Assembly Edition has gotten a few headlines in 2009. The main reason for this, I suppose, is that after a short promotion hiatus, the software solution created explicitly for these specialty photographers is re-launched with new features and functions.

That said, I do have to admit my bias for Assembly Edition but for reasons that are not so obvious. To research the background and usefulness of Assembly Edition, for the software’s very new web page (found here), I have spent a lot of time interviewing current users and dealers all the while reading blogs, online reviews and etcetera (pretty much anything I could find online). What I have found has been pretty enlightening.

Beyond the basics you can find describing what Assembly Edition is and does, I have decided to share some of the more interesting factoids I have discovered on my AE Odyssey:

• It’s the only direct-purchase (no lease) solution on the market. When talking to dealers and instructors about the software it has become increasingly clear that school photography solutions have become a racket. The only true competitors to Assembly Edition require a lease (where you pay more to use the equipment by project or every year) or special plug-ins for the myriad of school and team and individual (T&I) workflows. I do not know if that annoys you at all, but when I sign up for something only to find out I need to shell out more to get the job done, I get miffed.
  
• It replaces the need for six other pieces of software. In a quick review of the ExpressDigital Yahoo! forums, I found users that love that they don’t need to load anything else onto their primary computers to complete school projects. Without naming names (cough**ROES* PhotoShop* SchoolDays* Gallery* FileMaker* et.al**cough) Assembly Edition handles camera capture, scanner data, project management, proofing, envelops, photo editing, online selling and more right out of the box.
  
• The extras really do improve business. The ability to create ID cards, picture composites, and cool goodies is an obvious perk, right? Well, I found out that the greenscreen and free internet storefronts are big hits as well. Many current users love the fact that they can use greenscreen to do different backdrops for each class, for example, and then get secondary holiday and special event business using the same tool during the off season. Another example is the team photographer that sells special memory-mates, gifts and novelties online of the athlete as holiday gifts and graduation announcements. Basically from my research, AE fans only discover these goodies after their first school project with the software and then realize that all of a sudden they own re-orders and specialty offerings better than ever.

Of course there is more but I simply cannot spend precious blog time tooting a horn (well, too much that is). The point is, Assembly Edition is better than ever and honestly the best thing out there. Add free phone support for an entire year, training, and templates and … for lack of a better word… wow.

Click here to check out to see if there are any promotions and learn more.
If you are a current AE version click here to download and learn about the recent update.