User:Px79/Prototypes/EfficientTagging: Difference between revisions

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    Transcribed from [http://www.digikam.org/drupal/node/641 Peter Albrecht's article] at [http://www.digikam.org www.digikam.org], 21 January, 2012
    Transcribed from [http://www.digikam.org/drupal/node/641 Peter Albrecht's article] at [http://www.digikam.org www.digikam.org], 21 January, 2012
    __TOC__


    In the two years, the author is using digikam by now, he always searched for a way to tag the persons on his
    In the two years, the author is using digikam by now, he always searched for a way to tag the persons on his
    photos in a fast and easy way.
    photos in a fast and easy way.


    ==The batch-click way==
    ==The batch-click way==
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    persons. If you have lots of different tags in your database, it's worth to think about substituting  
    persons. If you have lots of different tags in your database, it's worth to think about substituting  
    step 6 with the "keyboard selection way", I'm going to explain next.
    step 6 with the "keyboard selection way", I'm going to explain next.


    ==The keyboard way==
    ==The keyboard way==
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    photos. And especially steps 6 to 8 are very handy, if you have lot of tags, you don't want to scroll
    photos. And especially steps 6 to 8 are very handy, if you have lot of tags, you don't want to scroll
    through by hand.
    through by hand.


    ==Keyboard shortcuts for specific tags==
    ==Keyboard shortcuts for specific tags==
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    http://scribblesandsnaps.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/assign-keyboard-shortcuts-to-tags-in-digikam/
    http://scribblesandsnaps.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/assign-keyboard-shortcuts-to-tags-in-digikam/
    So I'll keep this section short. {{smiley}}
    So I'll keep this section short. {{smiley}}


    ==Some stats about the primary authors digikam usage==
    ==Some stats about the primary authors digikam usage==
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    E.g.: [https://projects.kde.org/projects/extragear/graphics/digikam/repository/revisions/master/entry/project/NEWS.2.0.0 What's new in DigiKam 2.0.0]
    E.g.: [https://projects.kde.org/projects/extragear/graphics/digikam/repository/revisions/master/entry/project/NEWS.2.0.0 What's new in DigiKam 2.0.0]


    ==Final words==
    ==Final words==
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    Since the keyboard method is new to the primary author, he can't tell about long term experience. But chances are high that the most efficient way of tagging will be a mixture of the three methods mentioned above, depending on the situation. {{smiley}}
    Since the keyboard method is new to the primary author, he can't tell about long term experience. But chances are high that the most efficient way of tagging will be a mixture of the three methods mentioned above, depending on the situation. {{smiley}}


    [[Category:DigiKam]]
    [[Category:Tutorials]]
    [[Category:Tutorials]]
    [[Category:Photography]]
    [[Category:Photography]]
    [[Category:Graphics]]
    [[Category:Graphics]]

    Revision as of 10:39, 23 January 2012

    Transcribed from Peter Albrecht's article at www.digikam.org, 21 January, 2012

    In the two years, the author is using digikam by now, he always searched for a way to tag the persons on his photos in a fast and easy way.

    The batch-click way

    Having read the digikam handbook back in 2009 and using the tools, he saw evolve in the GUI, he ended up with the following way:

    1. switch to thumbnail view (you have to be able to select more than one image)
    2. shift the preview size to the maximum of 256 pixel (you want to be able to recognize the people on the photos)
    3. switch the right side-view to "Caption/Tags" and select the tab "Tags"
    4. select picture number one and look at the leftmost person on this picture
    5. hold CTRL down and select all other pictures, showing this person
    6. search for the corresponding tag in the right side-view, select it and apply (you can enable "automatic apply" in digikam settings, so one click saved)
    7. if there are more persons in picture one, then select this picture again go to step 5, while looking for the next leftmost person.
    8. if you have all the persons in picture one, select picture two and look again for the leftmost person, you have not tagged yet, and go to step 5. (toggling the button "tags already assigned" in the lower right corner of the "Tags" tab, is very useful here)

    This way you go through all your pictures. In the beginning you have to tag a lot of people, but coming to the last pictures, most people will already be tagged and you can fast jump to the next picture.

    Usability

    This process is good, if you have a high number of photos proportional to the amount of different persons. If you have lots of different tags in your database, it's worth to think about substituting step 6 with the "keyboard selection way", I'm going to explain next.

    The keyboard way

    A few days ago I found this bug-report at BKO: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=114465 According to it's number of 127 comment posts, it is the most impressive bug report, I've ever seen.

       -- epic-tag on --
    

    This bug report holds the secret of a tagging technique which gives you full keyboard-only tagging power.

       -- epic-tag off --
    

    And that's the way you go:

    1. select an album
    2. switch to "view image"-view (the bigger the picture, the better you can recognize the people, you want to tag)
    3. switch the right sideview to "Caption/Tags" and select tab "Tags"
    4. click in the uppermost input box, which shows the text: "Enter new tag here..."
    5. look for the leftmost person, you have not tagged yet
    6. start typing a few letters of the desired tagname (You have to start with the first letters in your tag name. There is no "mid word matching".)
       -> you will see a list of possible tags appear that shrinks with every letter you add to the input box
    
    1. if the list is reduced enough, use TAB to select the desired tag from this list
    2. hit ENTER to assign this tag to your picture
    3. if there are more persons, you want to tag, go to step 5 again
    4. if all persons on this image have been tagged, hit PAGE_DOWN to go to the next image and resume with step 5

    Keyboard focus will always stay in the tag input box. So you can keep your hands on the keyboard all the time and tag very fast. As mentioned above, you can enable "automatic apply" in digikam settings to get rid of the "Save Changes?"-Dialog.

    Usability

    This process is most useful, if you have a high number of different persons proportional to the amount photos. And especially steps 6 to 8 are very handy, if you have lot of tags, you don't want to scroll through by hand.

    Keyboard shortcuts for specific tags

    If you have certain tags, you use very often, you can assign a keyboard shortcut to it. I did this with "places/myHome", which is assigned to CTRL + SHIFT + H.

    But there is already a nice tutorial at: http://scribblesandsnaps.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/assign-keyboard-shortcuts-to-tags-in-digikam/ So I'll keep this section short.

    Some stats about the primary authors digikam usage

    Some numbers:

    • 206 different tags (in multilevel-hierarchical order: places, people, other)
    • 24,580 tag assignments (assigned in the last 2 years)
    • 25,687 pictures in digikam database (collected in 10 years)

    The author was using digikam 2.5.0 at the moment of writing, but the features mentioned above have been introduced in earlier version. If you are curious about, just have a look at the corresponding NEWS-file in the git repository: DigiKam git repository

    E.g.: What's new in DigiKam 2.0.0

    Final words

    Since the keyboard method is new to the primary author, he can't tell about long term experience. But chances are high that the most efficient way of tagging will be a mixture of the three methods mentioned above, depending on the situation.