Position an image on the map (1455)

[WilfriedB]

Build 1725 has this option too. From what I see, the title "Show files that you see on the map now" is somewhat misleading. Should rather be "Show all files having the coordinates inside the displayed map rectangle".

 

This is how it works: I search for all images I made last week in a certain area and showing them in the thumbnail view. When I open the map, I see their position markers (after several seconds). After clicking ""Show files that you see on the map now" (and wait patiently a while!), the thumbnail view and the map show all pictures I made in this area at any time - so, many more than before.

 

Even though this is an interesting function for places, where I made pictures at many times, I don't think it solves Paul's request in one step. You still have to perform a Select All (provided, you want change all inside the rectangle) and then paste the geo tags rather than doing a drag and drop.

 

Just thinking, how this can help me to further categorize pictures at places, I visit often. What is missing from perspective, is some way to select/un-select certain positions, since the areas I want to distinguish usually do not have the shape of an rectangle.

[Paul Barrett]

Great points Wilfried.

 

I was been experimenting with this very issue when your post arrived.

 

Some observations

 

1. It did work for me eventually but it's not without its flaws.

 

a) It will obviously take time for large collections, but that time is made worse by the fact that once you have chosen your target coordinates from an image that is already correct, and apply the tags to all the selected images, you end up reapplying the chosen coordinates to photos that already have it, which causes unnecessary reads (and since my files are stored on a Synology NAS it has to reconvert and index them.

 

Of my 1,800 images, 900 were already correct but there was no practicable way of excluding them from the process .

 

b) I had to have several attemps at it before ALL images relocated. After the first pass there were items that should have relocated but did not, Perhaps I was too quick off the mark, and all the map locations had not populated at the point I clicked on "Show files that....." so the query was incomplete.

 

c) The problem with the "Show files that you......" is that it is a link not an icon. In my normal operational mode the map window is about 20% of the screen width, at which point the link disappears from view. It needs an icon with a hover text - and your choice of text which is a better explanation of what it does.

 

2. Excluding items. You're right that excluding items when all you have to play with is a rectangular view is a problem. I got round this by zooming until unwanted items disappeared of screen, even if this meant excluding items I did want. Then I ran the merge process, Next I panned until I could see the newly centred items and the one I wanted and repeated the process. It's tedious and I am sure there will be situations where even this workaround will not work due to the proximity of the markers.

 

3. You have to be sure to wait for all markers to display. It's a sporadic process and, just when you think it's finished, another clutch appears, It needs a message "Fetching markers" to display until the process is complete.

 

4. And there are SO many steps and so much waiting

 

a) Find an image that has the correct coordinates (not easy when the location is completely covered by dozens of nearby markers)

b) Copy the tags making damn certain that you are ONLY collecting the GPS tags or you can screw up your tagging completely!!!!!!!!!

c) Fiddle with the map to get the markers visible

d) Click the link to show all images

e) Do select all

f) Apply the tags

g) Wait

h) Come back to your PC to find it has gone to sleep and broken the server connection

i) Restart the process having disabled sleep mode. (Seriously Microsoft, when are you going to give us a "Don't sleep when these apps are running" function?

h) Repeat as many times as you need to get it right.

 

It works but what a kludge!!!

 

And it would be completely unnecessary if we could store a geolocation against a place or keyword and have it applied when the keyword is applied, and the reverse, when a new photo matches the keyword, have the keyword applied automatically.

 

And we need to be able to lasso and deselect items

 

- Paul

[WilfriedB]

.... you end up reapplying the chosen coordinates to photos that already have it....were already correct but there was no practicable way of excluding them from the process .

Yes, there is a way to exclude those, Paul:

When you click "Show files that you see on the map now", Daminion builds a search, you can modify or even save. The search criteria is:

Latitude great than ... and less than ... and not equal 0 and Longitude great than ... and less than ... and not equal 0

You only need to add one more Latitude not equal to xx and one more Longitude not equal to yy (both zero in my screen shot) and maybe some other selections for a keyword like in my attached example:

Besides that, I fully agree with you: It is not easy!

[Paul Barrett]

Besides that, I fully agree with you: It is not easy!

 

And it just got even more complicated!!!

Thanks for the tip! How much more complicated could it get? So I need to build and save lots of queries for my locations so that I can deal with this in future.

Oh my, oh my, oh my. And I thought the idea of software was to make life easier for users. Silly me!

Is this method something that we users have cobbled together to work around the missing functionality or was it purposely designed like this?

 

 

[WilfriedB]

I consider software as a tool, I need to watch how to use it best for my needs ... ... at least when talking about private usage which is not bound to fixed procedures.

[WilfriedB]

The problem with the "Show files that you......" is that it is a link not an icon.

The windows are always too small, never enough real estate on the display and inconsistent to implement it as a long link instead of button ....

Anyway, quite a while ago, I decided not to to dock any of the Daminion windows except for the Thumbnail view and the properties panel. Two other windows, if have permanently open, are Tags and Folders (the latter also including Keywords). I dragged both over the main window, thus making them free movable. When I don't use them, they will be dragged to the bottom of the screen, with only the title row visible. That way, I can drag it up again, whenever I need, but have almost the full screen available for the thumbnails and properties most of the time.

If I use the map, I want to see it as big as possible. Therefore, I also use it free floating, but close it immediately, when not needed. When I open it again, it shows up in the same size as it was, when I closed it. But it also shows the same location as before, even if the images in the thumbnail view are from a completely different area! However, clicking one thumbnail moves the focus of the map immediately and then it takes some seconds (be patient!) until I see the markers of all images in the thumbnail view.

Here is an example screen shot:

[Paul Barrett]

Interesting to see how other people work. I don't know what size and resolution your monitor is. I'm running a 27 in monitor at 2K resolution, so at 20% of screen width that gives me a 570 ish px wide map window, which works quite well. I had to resize it to about 30% to get that link to show.

 

I will experiment with floating windows

[WilfriedB]

Yes, that does make a difference. I use only a laptop with 15,6" display and 1920x1080 pixels.

[Paul Barrett]

Yes, it looks like that with a 240 px Tags panel on the left, and a 550 px wide panel on the right for the maps window (above) and the properties (below), I have about 1740 px wide for the thumbnail window, so we're probably in the same ballpark.

 

I suppose that, that if I close the map window until I need it I could speed things up overall, by reducing the reads and processing on the map markers, especially as the library is stored on my Syno;lology NAS drive