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Author Topic: Should I buy ktools  (Read 13326 times)

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« on: November 11, 2012, 07:30 »
0
Hello everyone!

I am thinking of buying the ktools software for my website! For selling the images and earning some money. I know that it is hard, but I want to make a website. I need your suggestion.
Should I buy ktools or is there any other selling software that is more better in its features than the ktools.
The second question is that the ktools software is expensive! So is there going to be any deal on Black Friday? Any coupon code? So that it wil become much cheaper!
Hope you will help me on this! Thank you.
I know about tune coupon code for 20% discount but I want to know about something in between 40  or 50%

Thank you!


« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2012, 09:18 »
+1
At $199 or $299 or whatever, ktools is not expensive.  If that is expensive for you, then you aren't really in this to do business.

« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2012, 10:27 »
+1
At $199 or $299 or whatever...

Whether something is expensive or not depends on the person who is about to purchase something, I'd say.

People who buy Ferraris and Lambos probably would feel the same like Sean: "$150,000, $500,00 or whatever, just charge my credit card."

Teach the man how to fish...

Mediworm, ktools is a ready to go piece of software for photographers to sell their content. The price is set and I don't think that there will be any 40% or 50% discounts coming anytime soon.

However, there are plenty of free e-commerce solutions out there that allow you to do the same like ktools BUT often require lots of customization and extra programming to make it work the way you want it.

Unfortunately, if you want an easy way you're probably best off with ktools so you can focus on selling your stuff but if money is a huge issue then why not try a free solution like oscommerce, zencart, opencart or even Wordpress?

Again, the free solutions won't offer as many features and tailored functions to your photographer needs but it's either pay for it or sit down and modify it yourself.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2012, 11:02 by click_click »

« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2012, 10:37 »
0
You may also look at CMSAccount, which is a bit cheaper:

http://www.cmsaccount.com/

« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2012, 11:38 »
0
Whether something is expensive or not depends on the person who is about to purchase something, I'd say.

People who buy Ferraris and Lambos probably would feel the same like Sean: "$150,000, $500,00 or whatever, just charge my credit card."

Teach the man how to fish...

Mediworm, ktools is a ready to go piece of software for photographers to sell their content. The price is set and I don't think that there will be any 40% or 50% discounts coming anytime soon.

However, there are plenty of free e-commerce solutions out there that allow you to do the same like ktools BUT often require lots of customization and extra programming to make it work the way you want it.

Unfortunately, if you want an easy way you're probably best off with ktools so you can focus on selling your stuff but if money is a huge issue then why not try a free solution like oscommerce, zencart, opencart or even Wordpress?

Again, the free solutions won't offer as many features and tailored functions to your photographer needs but it's either pay for it or sit down and modify it yourself.

Ha, ha, yeah, I guess.  However, you have to spend it to make it.  I bought my Rebel for $600 when I didn't really have any extra cash.

« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2012, 14:25 »
0
How many images do you have in your portfolio?

I can make a deal with you and provide you a software solution for free if you allow me to use some of your images and/or contribute your images to my stock photo website. I pay 75% commissions to contributors.

I sell on istockphoto and getty, but I think any business that pays anything below 50% is a robbery, so I decided to start my own stock photo agency.

« Reply #6 on: November 11, 2012, 17:27 »
0
CMS account is NOT a bad software and it's cheaper than ktools.. works out of the box if you know what you are doing..

I use CMS account and updated it 4 times without much of a problem.. Anton has provided useful support so I have to give him credit.. It also offers "lifetime" free upgrades unlike ktools' "1 year free upgrades" offer..


« Reply #7 on: November 11, 2012, 18:00 »
0
Ktools is a good solution for opening a site. As others said, CMS will work too (I haven't used it though). Neither are perfect, but they are probably the best solutions out there. You could also look into the hosting ones like Photoshelter, Avid Images or Photodeck. I think all those are still around. There are a lot of options out there. There is a thread somewhere with all of them.

I have to agree with Sean though, Ktools isn't that expensive if you are planning to make some money with your personal site. Running a site can be some work and requires some dedication, so, while I think everyone should have their own site, if you aren't planning on putting in that time, effort and money to have success... I would say don't bother doing it. That's not a knock on anyone. I just understand it's not for everyone.

humannet

  • www.jxsy.org
« Reply #8 on: November 11, 2012, 18:36 »
0
How many images do you have in your portfolio?

I can make a deal with you and provide you a software solution for free if you allow me to use some of your images and/or contribute your images to my stock photo website. I pay 75% commissions to contributors.

I sell on istockphoto and getty, but I think any business that pays anything below 50% is a robbery, so I decided to start my own stock photo agency.
I am interested!

RacePhoto

« Reply #9 on: November 11, 2012, 23:08 »
0
You may also look at CMSAccount, which is a bit cheaper:

http://www.cmsaccount.com/


I don't see the part about collecting direct payments and providing a individual, time limited... download link, without my intervention. Does it do that?

Can someone tell me, what's in K-Tools PhotoStore 4.# that's not in PhotoStore 3.#?

I see a number of people who decided not to update and start over, I wondered what the major difference are?

I'm kind of put off by the comments that every time a new version comes out, I'll have to manually adjust all the changes and custom changes I'll make to the pages.

« Reply #10 on: November 12, 2012, 04:41 »
0
You may also look at CMSAccount, which is a bit cheaper:

http://www.cmsaccount.com/


I don't see the part about collecting direct payments and providing a individual, time limited... download link, without my intervention. Does it do that?



Ktools and CMS account.. They both do that :) it's basically an almost fully functional stock site.. (at least CMS account is, as I am using it myself, but pretty sure ktools does it as well, otherwise it would have been useless..)

with CMSaccount, you can choose "time limited" or limit the number of clicks for a download link..
« Last Edit: November 12, 2012, 04:43 by cidepix »

« Reply #11 on: November 12, 2012, 04:49 »
0
CMSaccount has a little nicer UI for the buyer.

When adding something to your cart to buy this is how it plays out
CMSaccount
   - You click 'add to cart' and you get a java pop up that the image was added to your card.
(1 click, 0 page loads)

Ktools
  - You click 'download image'
  - you get a java pop up with another button to 'add to cart'
  - once clicked it takes you to your cart with the image in your cart
  - you press the 'back button to get back to the image you were looking at.
(3 clicks and 2 page loads)

There are nice features with both options.. I might recommend CMSaccount though if you aren't going to try and modify it much and if price is a factor.  I had problems modifying the template for CMSaccount which was the big deal breaker for me and also it is a lot of work to change the water mark once it is set.

« Reply #12 on: November 12, 2012, 05:16 »
0
CMSaccount has a little nicer UI for the buyer.

When adding something to your cart to buy this is how it plays out
CMSaccount
   - You click 'add to cart' and you get a java pop up that the image was added to your card.
(1 click, 0 page loads)

Ktools
  - You click 'download image'
  - you get a java pop up with another button to 'add to cart'
  - once clicked it takes you to your cart with the image in your cart
  - you press the 'back button to get back to the image you were looking at.
(3 clicks and 2 page loads)

There are nice features with both options.. I might recommend CMSaccount though if you aren't going to try and modify it much and if price is a factor.  I had problems modifying the template for CMSaccount which was the big deal breaker for me and also it is a lot of work to change the water mark once it is set.

Yes! you better get the watermark right in the first place.. :)

If ktools gets to a level that many of your concerns are addressed I will probably get it for my other site.. following the improvements closely, especially search functionality..

« Reply #13 on: November 12, 2012, 14:39 »
+1
If you want a functioning search out of the box get CMS. Anton is also nicer to deal with when it comes to support.   Get your watermark right and don't plan to modify templates much, unless you have a lot of html/css/php experience.

If you want to really customize things ktools is easier to work with but be warned there are a lot of small updates coming close together at this point in V4 and it's a pain to upgrade if you've customized heavily because they are still adding features that change the template files.  The search needs a lot of work for whatever reason they seem to be complicating it more than a simple AND search that just gives buyers images with the tags they typed in.

The biggest plus I've found with ktools vs CMS is slight SEO advantage with more Google traffic in the ktools store but both scripts have a lot of room for improvement there.

Good luck!

RacePhoto

« Reply #14 on: November 13, 2012, 11:40 »
0
What's the difference between K-tools 3 and K-tools 4?

Thanks for all the info on CMS. I imagine if I get the watermark wrong it means, "start over" is the way to correct it.


« Reply #15 on: November 14, 2012, 04:11 »
0
Thank you everyone! actually I am new in website making and have a budget around 1000 $. But the thing is if i can save some $ for promotion and stuff like that then it is better!
This image site is just a part of a big website and all is under development.
I just wanted to know that if the ktools offer any coupon code for the black friday or cyber green which will save me anything more than 20%! So that i may save some $ as the time for these days are near!
Thank You!

« Reply #16 on: November 22, 2012, 07:47 »
0
hi all,

buying ktools mean a software that run on a server that serve as your website? it is just one time payment right?

Do buyers have the access to the code? or if i want to customize something..can i hired a programmer to do modifications for me?

I saw there are lots of themes with e-commerce features in themesforest, does it serve the same purpose?

what is a themes? is it something like what k-tools offer?


« Reply #17 on: November 22, 2012, 07:53 »
0

I saw there are lots of themes with e-commerce features in themesforest, does it serve the same purpose?

what is a themes? is it something like what k-tools offer?

no! they are nothing like it.. ktools or cmsaccount are the best options out there..

« Reply #18 on: November 22, 2012, 07:56 »
+1
It is a one time payment for PHP software that runs on your site.  You can hire a programmer to customize features.  I've done lots if my own tweaks to it for features that I didn't like or weren't available.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of code, because it tries to do too much instead of concentrating on being a stick site.  It is also hard to merge changes with new code that is released frequently.

If it were stable, a market could develop for themes, but things change too often to make that work, from what I've heard.  So, you're stuck with the base look, unless you know som HTML.

« Reply #19 on: November 22, 2012, 09:13 »
0
hi possible to give more details? I saw a lot of themes offer with e-commerce like with opencart, it seems it is a website template ready for opencart system?

issit like those are not really for images sale? like lack of ftp features..or price setting?




I saw there are lots of themes with e-commerce features in themesforest, does it serve the same purpose?

what is a themes? is it something like what k-tools offer?

no! they are nothing like it.. ktools or cmsaccount are the best options out there..

« Reply #20 on: November 22, 2012, 09:18 »
0
oic..thank you very much for explanation.

But is it allowed to get a programmer work on the PHP software?I am thinking there should have some kind of copyrights involved?

It is a one time payment for PHP software that runs on your site.  You can hire a programmer to customize features.  I've done lots if my own tweaks to it for features that I didn't like or weren't available.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of code, because it tries to do too much instead of concentrating on being a stick site.  It is also hard to merge changes with new code that is released frequently.

If it were stable, a market could develop for themes, but things change too often to make that work, from what I've heard.  So, you're stuck with the base look, unless you know som HTML.

« Reply #21 on: November 22, 2012, 09:37 »
0
oic..thank you very much for explanation.

But is it allowed to get a programmer work on the PHP software?I am thinking there should have some kind of copyrights involved?

It is a one time payment for PHP software that runs on your site.  You can hire a programmer to customize features.  I've done lots if my own tweaks to it for features that I didn't like or weren't available.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of code, because it tries to do too much instead of concentrating on being a stick site.  It is also hard to merge changes with new code that is released frequently.

If it were stable, a market could develop for themes, but things change too often to make that work, from what I've heard.  So, you're stuck with the base look, unless you know som HTML.

No, you can do whatever you like to it.  You're supposed to leave in their copyright at the bottom if you didn't pay for that upgrade.

« Reply #22 on: November 22, 2012, 09:45 »
0

No, you can do whatever you like to it.  You're supposed to leave in their copyright at the bottom if you didn't pay for that upgrade.

that applies to ktools, not cmsaccount

« Reply #23 on: November 22, 2012, 10:33 »
0

No, you can do whatever you like to it.  You're supposed to leave in their copyright at the bottom if you didn't pay for that upgrade.

that applies to ktools, not cmsaccount

The op asked about ktools.

« Reply #24 on: November 22, 2012, 16:45 »
0
if you're considering hiring someone to tweak php you might also want to look at GALLERY2 which is opensource and has excellent support

i tried it for awhile, but eventually decided on smugmug because i didnt want to mess with the programming anymore


« Reply #25 on: November 25, 2012, 13:27 »
-3
Look for what purpose this post was started! No one replied me and hacked my post for their own discussion!

Why you people dont create your own for discussion and let the experts answer the actual question of the author!

Poncke

« Reply #26 on: November 25, 2012, 14:30 »
+1
You got loads of responses to your OP. You even replied to them !


« Reply #27 on: November 25, 2012, 18:17 »
0
You got loads of responses to your OP. You even replied to them !

+1


« Reply #28 on: December 24, 2012, 04:31 »
+1
Edited:
Do Some serious research first ;)
« Last Edit: December 25, 2012, 08:51 by Tantoon »

« Reply #29 on: December 24, 2012, 04:40 »
+2
Look for what purpose this post was started! No one replied me and hacked my post for their own discussion!

Why you people dont create your own for discussion and let the experts answer the actual question of the author!
With that sort of attitude I don't think that people will be so helpful in the future. The post got a bit sidetracked but it was all relevant to giving you options and lots of people gave you completely relevant replies.

aspp

« Reply #30 on: December 24, 2012, 12:12 »
0
When adding something to your cart to buy this is how it plays out
CMSaccount
   - You click 'add to cart' and you get a java pop up that the image was added to your card.
(1 click, 0 page loads)

Many places no longer have or allow Java in the browser because it has repeatedly been exploited as a security risk. You do not necessarily want people browsing with Java enabled.

Java is disabled by default on Macs since an update earlier this year.

« Reply #31 on: December 26, 2012, 04:12 »
0
He means Javascript, I guess.

« Reply #32 on: December 26, 2012, 17:31 »
0
He means Javascript, I guess.

yeah, sorry.  that's what i meant

« Reply #33 on: December 27, 2012, 02:31 »
0
CMSaccount has a little nicer UI for the buyer.

When adding something to your cart to buy this is how it plays out
CMSaccount
   - You click 'add to cart' and you get a java pop up that the image was added to your card.
(1 click, 0 page loads)

Yes, Ktools should really consider this in their upcoming updates, this is not a luxury feature it's an essential one,
if a client want to buy more than one image he needs an easy way to organize/add items to his cart, the current lightbox system isn't that ideal (it doesn't allow you to buy the whole items in the lightbox at once)


 

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