My love-hate relationship to Photoworks

(or how I solved the problem with the export from iPhoto on my mac after I installed the Photoworks Photostreamer software and its plugin for iPhoto)

Over the last more than five years, we create a calendar of pictures from the previous year and send it to our immediate family, for the most part. We've been using Photoworks because we like the Architect calendar that they offer. But, each year I end up wondering why did I use them - there is always something wrong.

A couple years ago, we ordered the calendar around Thanksgiving, and then were told we won't be seeing them for 8 weeks, until January. In the meantime, my mailbox was being filled with the typical Photoworks emails promising calendars 20% off, still in time for the holidays. At that time, I called the company to ask them to cancel the order, with the intention of putting a new one in that would presumably arrive by the holidays.

Anyways, it has been a love-hate relationship for a number of years.

This year I thought this were actually looking fine. I downloaded the photoworks software, photostreamer, and installed it on my mac. When it asked me if I wanted to install the plugin for iPhoto to export directly to Photoworks, I thought that sounded like an OK idea, so I chose that.

Unfortunately, after I did that, I could no longer export anything. At all. The export window of iPhoto did not come up when I went to File > Export.

I finally decided to call Photoworks a week ago. They said they are aware of the problem (so why don't you have a disclaimer there????), but the only solution they have is to remove Photostreamer and reinstall iPhoto.

I am a bit wary of reinstalling iPhoto since I don't know whether the whole Mac OS has to be reinstalled (it is I think in the bundled software), so I checked around the web. I found this discussion: Photoworks Plugin on the apple web site. Someone said he thought may be the picasa plugin was interacting badly with the photoworks plugin.

From that, I got a partial solution: the export window now works.

What I did (with iPhoto closed):
-remove Photostreamer, the photoworks software
-in a Finder window, under applications, click once on iPhoto to highlight it. Then choose the gears button (what is that called?) to select "Show package contents". In the new window, double click to get inside, then go into plugins, and drag the picasa plugin into the trash basket.

Voila. Now I get the export window, and can export pictures. There is a photoworks tab still there, not usable, but that doesn't bother me.

I hope this helps others. As for photoworks: before releasing software, please try to install it on a computer that already has other software that people likely have installed. If I knew I would not be able to "export" anything at all, I would not have chosen to install your darn plugin. This sure was annoying. Did not make a good impression of your company. But guess what. Since I do like your calendars, I am likely to order from you next thanksgiving again. Love-hate relationship.