Messages

781

ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Find Similar... not working

« on: 2014-03-30 12:13:24 »

Was the database created using TP9 itself (not imported from an older version) and are the files involved smaller than your setting for Options | Prefs | Thumbnails | Max file size for MD5 computation?

782

ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Editing Thumbs9.ini for Customized StartUp

« on: 2014-03-28 15:04:55 »

> Do you think that some of the filter data is stored elsewhere in "the database".

No, not to my knowledge.
 
> The release notes mention a TDO file. Does Thumbs9 use the *.TDO file?

No, TDO files were abandoned with v8.

> Do you know what global parameters, (e.g. "NameMask"), in the Thumbs9.ini file, MUST be changed in order to control the choice of selected file filter at start-up?

To me it seems that TP, at startup, is always applying the last-used filename mask, and it is stored in the FileMask= entry in the [FileList] section of Thumbs9.ini.

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ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Editing Thumbs9.ini for Customized StartUp

« on: 2014-03-28 03:17:17 »

> We have noticed that there are at least two versions of Thumbs9.ini.
> One begins with [CheckForUpdates] while the other begins with [Startup]

It should only be using the one located in the "preferences path" shown in Help | System Info.

> It seems from this that the various sub-sections of the INI file do NOT need to be in any particular order? Is that correct?
 
> Can we place that [AutoTwain] section anywhere in the Thumbs9.ini file as long as we keep the entire section together?

Yes, that's how .ini files work.

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ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / jpg plus raw thumbnail duplication

« on: 2014-03-13 18:25:37 »

No, one of the beauties of ThumbsPlus, I think, is that it shows you all the files of whatever types and filenames that you have chosen to see. In my opinion, a feature like you describe from Lightroom where one thumbnail can represent multiple files would only create confusion.

Anyway, you don't have to go into the filetype definitions to hide one particular type. You can just type *.jpg in the filename mask box above the thumbnail listing (to the right of the funnel). Or use "*.jpg;*.nef" when you want to see both. Whatever you enter will be remembered for future re-use in the pulldown thingy. To reset it to 'selected types' you can click on the funnel.

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ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Assigning TP keywords to Exif

« on: 2014-03-13 12:04:25 »

> I want to synchronize the keywords that I assign into Thumbplus to the exif file in order to make it available for other user who has not Thumplus or to view in other software (like geosetter that enable geographic query)

You'd use Image | Batch Edit Metadata for that (but first select the images that you want to process with it).

For "Field", you pick Keywords in the Description section. This corresponds to the IPTC keywords field in the image file.

Then choose the desired operation (e.g. set or append).

For "From" you select Image Info | Keywords (these are the keywords that you saved in the database).

Then press Add to add this command to your batch command, and press OK to apply it to the selected images. This will copy the database keywords of each image into its  EXIF/IPTC file header. You can save the batch command for future use.

786

ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Changing the Drive letter

« on: 2014-03-09 12:26:49 »

> I want to move my files to a different drive. The file structure will be the same but the Drive letter will be different and ideally also the partition label. Is it possible to keep the database and change either the partition letter and/or label.

If both are on the same computer you could simply use TP to do the moving. Then it will update its records on the fly.

If you don't want to do that, and these are regular local (non-networked) drives, ThumbsPlus should continue to recognize your images (that is: match them succesfully to its thumbnail records) as long as the drive volume label and the folder structure are the same as on the old drive. If you want to change the drive volume label, you can do so from ThumbsPlus after you have moved the images and TP is still recognizing them (right-click on drive, Label Disk).

Be sure to keep a backup of the database. I'd also turn off 'auto remove orphans' and 'make thumbnails automatically' in Options | Prefs | Thumbnails.

787

ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Save My database! (made it smaller!)

« on: 2014-03-09 11:24:30 »

Very glad to hear that, it really had me puzzled why nothing seemed to work! I guess the compression feature just needed more room in the database to work with.

788

ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / multiple GIF open at one time

« on: 2014-03-06 18:11:25 »

I don't thinkso.. You can open up to 40 viewing windows (each with a different GIF) but it seems only the last opened file will actually play.

789

ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Save My database! (making it smaller)

« on: 2014-03-06 08:55:56 »

> I've recreated the database with 120x120 jpeg Q80. The size is smaller but still 1.95 GB.

I'd expected the compression to make a bigger difference.. too bad.

> I'd like to use it but is there any way to transfer my saved searches, galleries and user fields?

No, I'm afraid not..

But I still don't understand why you couldn't jpg-compress the thumbnails in your existing database. It would be great if you could get that to work because that would preserve all your searches, user fields, etc.

There are two more things that I'd try. The first is this:

[*]Make a copy of your original database and open that copy in TP9
[*]Remove the thumbnails for a number of folders that are less important than others (for instance because the images in them have no keywords and aren't part of galleries, etc)
[*]Run 'Compact and Repair' to purge them, making the database smaller
[*]Then try the JPG Compress conversion again.
[/list]

If that doesn't work:

[*]Open that same copy of the database again. Take note of its exact size in bytes.
[*]Use Options | Preferences | Thumbnails to change the thumbnail settings to 120x120 JPG Q80.
[*]Re-make the thumbnails for several large folders that already have thumbnails.
[*]See if that has lowered the filesize of the database (even if just a little).
[*]If not, run Compact & Repair and see if that helps decrease the size.
[*]If it has, keep on remaking your current thumbnails until all have been remade. (you may have to run Compact & Repair intermittently but I don't think so)
[/list]

With some luck that should change all your thumbnails to 120x120 whilst preserving searches, user fields, etc and still staying just below the 2 GB limit.

790

ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Save My database! (making it smaller)

« on: 2014-03-05 19:21:38 »

> Thanks, but Jpeg Compress is useless. Compressing to 50% saves around 1 MB:

That really doesn't make any sense.. I think either that function is broken in v9 or it can't handle a maxed out 2GB database (or, could it be that your Temp folder has no room left for a 2 GB file?).

Maybe, as an experiment, you could make a new database with 120x120 JPG Q88 thumbnails and let TP9 run overnight to thumbnail all those 300K+ files. Then see how big the database has become. I think it will be just a 1/4th or so of what you have now.
   
> Regarding Thumbnail size regardless of whether it is a new database or I rebuild thumbnails any size over 120 is cropped. I've no idea how you can make good large thumbnails.

The only times where I've seen that is when the images themselves are very small (icon files for instance) or when TP can't create a thumbnail, and instead assigns a generic thumbnail obtained from the program that is assigned to their filetype.

Oh wait! I think I know what the problem is. I think you're only referring to their display size, which is expressed as a percentage and which you can access from the bar above the thumbnail listing. But that has no bearing on how large the actual thumbnails in your database are. In Options | Preferences | Thumbnails you can define the width and height at which your (new or remade) thumbnails will actually be generated and stored in the database.

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ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Save My database! (making it smaller)

« on: 2014-03-05 12:00:38 »

Okay, I see you really have a whole lot of thumbnails.. I was hoping that a large part of your database would be occupied by old, erased thumbnails that hadn't been fysically purged from the database file yet.

Your questions about converting to SQLite3, or externalizing the thumbnails were certainly good, but I don't have the answers to them.

Have you tried Database | Jpeg Compress? (of course, keeping a backup of your current database). For now, that would seem like the best solution to me. It should greatly reduce the database size.

Also, are you sure that simply starting a new database is no option? I see that you have a lot of keywords and if those were painstakenly entered by hand, I can see how you don't want to lose them. But if they were auto-generated maybe you can just start a new database (in SQLite 3 format if you wish).

> This is another topic but how did you make thumbnails that big? Every time I've experimented with thumbnails over 120x120 pixels they start to become cropped.

Changing the thumbnail size doesn't affect your existing thumbnails - those will still be 96x96 until you re-make them. So, that's why they may look cropped. Just select a few and press F3 to see what your thumbnails will look like once you rebuild them. Of course, thumbnails for new files will also be built at the new, larger size that you set.

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ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Save My database! (making it smaller)

« on: 2014-03-04 21:19:04 »

> My database is hitting the jet 2GB limit. What are my options?

I'd start by removing any/all orphans and compressing the database.

Orphans: Thumbnail | Remove | Orphans | All Local Disks
Compress: Database | Advanced | Compact & Repair

I'm sorry for raising the taboo subject anyway, but I can't believe that uncompressed thumbnails would take up less space than JPG-compressed thumbnails. How many thumbnails do you have? (see Database | Statistics). With my current thumbnail settings (160x160 pixel, JPG Q88) I can store over 200,000 thumbnails before the database hits 2GB. At only 96x96 pixels, yours should contain some 500,000 thumbnails at that point if you used the same JPG compression (but uncompressed, those 500K thumbnails would consume 96x96x3 x 500,000 + some overhead = ~15 GB harddisk space.. hence my disbelief).

793

ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Database error: SQL Connect Error; Windows 8.1 conflict?

« on: 2014-02-28 05:11:21 »

> Drat, they don't have build 3528 available for download. I tried installing version 7 Sp1, and Version 8 before, but they would not run either (same errors). Does look like ThumbsPlus and Windows 8.1 are not friends by any means. Is there some place one can download build 3528? The archive on the Cerious Website does not go earlier than build 3919 for version 9.
>
>
> > Note: I had a problem installing ThumbsPlus9 (3595) on Windows 8.1 with the error on the SQLite3 ODBC drivers.  Downloaded a prior version (3528) and installed it successfully.  Then was able to upgrade to 3595.

Those numbers seem off.. 3528 was a v8 build. And the latest build is 3935, not 3595. But it's a great idea if it works. So, if 3928 of last Oct. 30 was meant, you can get it here:

 ftp://ftp.cerious.com/pub/cerious/thmpls9_3928.exe

See ftp.cerious.com for many more versions that are still available.

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ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Save png as jpg

« on: 2014-02-24 20:37:31 »

Thanks for the sample pic. Yes, it seems like ThumbsPlus 9 doesn't use any of the configured colors but instead replaces the alpha channel by black..

795

ThumbsPlus v7-v9 Questions / Save png as jpg

« on: 2014-02-23 22:45:20 »

> I'm having a problem that when saving png's to jpg's the backgroug is going from transparent to black. I have one image that when saved the background that was removed before saving as png returned.

Regular JPGs can't have transparent parts - every pixel must have an actual RGB color. So, when your PNG file had an alpha channel (i.e. a transparent section, often used in clipart, stock photos, etc), it will be replaced by a color. I believe the color used is "Background color for delete and cut" as defined under Options | Viewing | Editing.