|
What is Viewer2?Viewer2 is a free image viewer and a searchable image database that tries to do things a bit differently, combining the freedom of the real world and the power of computers. Viewer2 does not leave the user or the computer out of the equation, using the best features of both. Viewer2 is also very powerful for quickly sorting uncategorized images. Why would you choose Viewer2 over other well-known image viewers?Viewer2 is both lightweight and robust. It provides a modern user interface that is well suited for quick organization of files based on their physical location on the screen. Just like you would pile photos on the workdesk in real life. As any modern catalog should, Viewer2 supports tags. Tags are fully searchable and adding them is quick and simple. Viewer2 has a database which allows you to track and search your images with similar queries you use to search the web every day. The search is simple but very powerful. You can search for files based on their file name, location, size and so on. How does Viewer2 help you to organize a lot of images?You are not restricted to a normal list-style view of the images. You will see all of the folder or all the search results at once. You are free to navigate and zoom in the view to take a closer look. This allows for a very fast way to pick images with your own eyes. You can treat the images as you would handle photos in the real world: move images of similar subjects into one pile for quick tagging and move interesting images in their own pile for later examination. Viewer2 helps you by automatically creating groups of images it thinks are related somehow. Images can be grouped by their features, including name, location and color. CommentsLeave a Reply |
||
KurtOfConspiracy says:
May 13, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Looks very interesting.
Fix some flaws and it will be
great.
Xygen says:
May 23, 2007 at 1:57 am
Do you have plans for a Vista-compatible version?
kometbomb says:
May 23, 2007 at 11:59 am
Xygen: Absolutely. The main obstacle is that I don’t have access to Vista. Vista seems to block any traditional remote debugging quite efficiently by randomizing the base address of the program, so I can’t see where it actually crashes based on crash reports sent by other people.
EDIT: It works on Vista now (actually the bug that caused the crash was not Vista related per se, though I think Vista is much more strict when trying to read outside arrays etc.). Will update the installer tomorrow.
Matthias Ratzel says:
Jun 02, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Hello, I like your program very much, but I miss one feature.
Is it possible to write the tags in IPTC or XMP-Tags directly in the image and read IPTC or XMP-Tags from the image and synchronize them with the database?
kometbomb says:
Jun 03, 2007 at 1:41 am
To Matthias:
I have been experimenting with reading tags from the IPTC data. The IPTC build of the database tool simply looks for the existing Viewer2 tags in the IPTC data and adds them (which of course can lead into completely wrong tags etc.). I think I’ll add some kind of experimental reading of tags to the actual image viewer in case you and the other users want to test it (and suggest changes! :).
I’m not sure if I’ll add writing of tags (at least automatically) because of how I keep track of things: every file is recognized by it’s data and if I change the data even just a little bit, the same file looks like a completely different file.
Juergen May says:
Jul 12, 2007 at 7:43 am
Thank you for this fantastic program. I like it very much. But I’m missing the possibility to rotate a picture (90 degrees left or right) . Some photos I took in upright format. It would be nice if this feature would be integrated in an further version. It would be nicer, if the information would be stored in the database. It would be just great, if the rotation would be done automatically by the information of the photos exif data.
kometbomb says:
Jul 13, 2007 at 11:31 am
Rotation of images actually is in the code already but I haven’t added a button for it because I was too lazy to add code for saving the rotation angle in the database.
Or, rather I was planning more comprehensive translation such as showing only a part of the image and some kind of bookmarks inside the image (think of automatically zooming in on details in a large picture) and of course something for adjusting the usual brightness, contrast etc.
I’ll include at least the rotation in the next release.
hans oosterholt says:
Aug 08, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Hello,
it seems to be a nice program but:
- at first a tried a file from magazine “Computer BILD”from Germany; does not work
- i tried to install different editions from the internet site but it does not work also,
- I only get a blue start screen,
- in the folder only is an xx.exe program, not an program-icon or a file with which I can start the program
- I every time unstalled the program and started again from the beginning; never a succesfull installation.
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??
Thanks for answering if possible.
Hans Oosterholt
Holland
Braun says:
Aug 08, 2007 at 2:20 pm
I am happy
Braun says:
Aug 08, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Windows XP
kometbomb says:
Aug 10, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Hans: That is perfectly normal, after installing the program, try double-clicking an JPEG file (e.g. on Windows desktop) and it should open in Viewer2. The installer makes Windows open all supported files in Viewer2 (currently only JPEG files).
Check out the video demos and you’ll hopefully get an idea how to use the browser (I agree things are a tad hidden and you just have to know where to look for them, sorry for that but Viewer2 is mostly made for me
Fanky says:
Aug 23, 2007 at 10:35 am
First: Great!
But:
Missing one important thing (or not finding??):
- How to write the Tags given in viewer2 directly into the picture (maybe keywords IPTC).
Otherwise i am not able to use the tags in other programms and have a benefit from viewer2 in my daily work.
Thanks
Fanky
kometbomb says:
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:36 am
Hi Fanky,
Writing data directly in the image files is something I want to avoid (as long as possible). Which other programs do you use? I’m planning writing an export/import tool for other databases but I don’t really know which other programs people are going to use. And it is of course possible to make that tool simply write the tags to the IPTC data.
Fanky says:
Aug 23, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Kometbomb,
my steps are the following:
take the fotos
copy to PC, folder structure by year - month
Now i will put in further information into the iptc fields. For this i am searching for a program. At the moment i am trying: Irfanview, XNview and MS-Photoinfo to write the tags and imagequery to find the tagged fotos. Than i copy the found pictures (e.g. tag “beaches”) to a new folder and from this folder i am able to create an album for printout very fast.
While trying these programs i am not satisfied at all, everything is very time consuming.
What satisfied me most is your viewer2 because this is the way i have sorted my pictures in the non-digital age.
But i can use it only to view the pictures on screen, i am not able to use the given tags in other programs just to crate a photobook, etc.
kometbomb says:
Aug 23, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Well, if you can wait a bit I’ll add this feature (since there are at least two people that have use for it
Do you also need something to move the files physically?
Fanky says:
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:38 pm
This would be great
For me it is only important to store the information within the picture. I am not sure what is easier to realize (IPTC or EXIF), but to store the tags within the jpg comment field will fulfill my needs totally. Because then i can search the tags within Irfanview, Xnview and do there all copy, rename etc. operations.
So if this feature is realized i have no need for something to move the files. This could be done very good with the programs mentioned above - so no need to invent something again.
Maybe the IPTC/EXIF tagging could be realised very easy with just a command line tool like exiftool (or maybe irfanview has implemented a command line option to save tags in future)
I have worked today 4 hours with your prog, unbelievable how easy photo sorting could be. Amazing!
Fanky
kometbomb says:
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Perfect, I’ll add that feature to dbtool. No need to obfuscate the viewer even more
Also, I like the idea that there is not one huge program that is to be used for every operation, I prefer multiple smaller programs (as long as they play well along!). I myself still move images by hand in Explorer (or rather I have some automated things).
Glad that you like my program.
George says:
Oct 08, 2007 at 12:46 am
Nice interface reminds me on Apple software, i have only one question, can you program something like that to explore all my files on my computer checking emails and launching programs, like a shell replacement?
kometbomb says:
Oct 08, 2007 at 3:13 pm
George,
That is possible, at least the launcher is. I’ll try add a feature to the next version that simply loaded all files (and not only *.jpg) and if Viewer2 didn’t know how to view the file, it would launch it like Windows Explorer. Probably not that useful, but would give some insight how to improve it.
When I rewrite the software (it’s still a prototype, albeit an elaborate one), I will keep it completely open for all filetypes.
Andreas says:
Jan 15, 2008 at 12:45 am
I love this tool. I just miss a delete, move or create folder feature.
@George Hey great idea. This would help a lot to clean my 1,8 GB HDD.
Richard says:
Feb 13, 2008 at 9:25 pm
why arent my animations as smooth as in the demo video? . my animations are VERY fast ! O_O.. make a animation speed option? O_O
kometbomb says:
Feb 15, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Well Richard, you have a too good computer.
I’ll address that problem in the next version.
achim says:
Mar 04, 2008 at 8:12 pm
works fine together with “wine” on ubuntu 7.10
thanks
Brainface says:
Mar 05, 2008 at 1:29 am
Very nice but although I’ve checked the “synchronize tags and ITPC keyword” box, Viewer is not able to find my with Windows Vista created IPTC keywords. A more reliable and simple tagging which works together with my other ITPC Softwares and Viewer2 would be perfect. Another desireable feature to me is the support of colour management.
But so far a really good program and I enjoy using it!!
kometbomb says:
Mar 05, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Hmm, sounds like the data is in a different format. Could you send me an example of an image that has Vista IPTC data that doesn’t work in Viewer2?
Btw, I’ll get back to Viewer2 development very soon.
kcgoh says:
Mar 26, 2008 at 5:39 pm
cool! it’s build 4044 now and have its own icon now! i installed the build 2840 last few days ago (so u know how long i been with viewer2) and it’s not working with my tablet pc when it is in tablet mode. but now i have no problem with 4044, even in tablet mode, even with windows vista. thanks man, really appreciate it. keep up the good job!
Joe7 says:
Mar 28, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I have a collection of images in a directory where some files have the same name except of a leading underscore, e.g. IMG_3540 and _IMG_3540.
Neither fast find nor deep find are able to find the images without underscore. Search patterns like *35* or IMG* always select _IMG.. images only. Bug or feature?
Philipp says:
May 08, 2008 at 3:08 am
Nice tool, I’m just starting to explore it and are really amazed! Thanks so much for making it free!
It would be awesome to have a gui for the IPTC exports as well….
Just one question: Maybe I’m too stupid, but I really found nothing about this in the manual: what are “file masks” for (the ones you get automatically asked for if you just start typing without hitting STRG+F before)? I don’t see any effect and have not found information about it…?!
kometbomb says:
May 08, 2008 at 9:34 am
Hi Philipp,
The file mask simply selects all files in the current view that have the text anywhere in the filename.
You can use Viewer2 itself to edit all the IPTC data if you enable synchronization in the config. After that, tags should equal IPTC keywords so you can in effect edit the keywords by adding removing tags (not perfect, I know).
anthex says:
May 20, 2008 at 9:26 am
http://www.digitoday.fi/page.php?page_id=66&news_id=200813682
..How about adding histogram based ‘find similar’ search to viewer2
kometbomb says:
Jun 16, 2008 at 9:05 pm
@anthex: “Soon”.
maximillan says:
Aug 12, 2008 at 8:12 pm
any plans of update ?
phluxx says:
Aug 16, 2008 at 1:28 am
hi there!
this is the software i was looking for a loong time….thanks!
but i can’t really use it in a productive way. because:
i want to run it on my second monitor, while i’m using another prog on my main monitor. but neither switching the fullscreen knob off nor setting the resolution down to sth like 800×600 helps. it stays on fullscreen!
i’m using win vista x64.
would bei nice, if you could reply, cause this piece of software rocks!:)
kometbomb says:
Aug 16, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Hello people,
I’m currently busy being employed to work on a similar application so I haven’t been really interested doing the same on my spare time… So, sorry for no updates.
The black screen on the other monitor issue is something I can’t do anything about, since it’s caused by SDL not handling multiple screens properly. So, as long as SDL does that I can’t do much about it.