Suggestion: A new GUI for ExifTools

[dcwul62]

There has not been an update of ExifToolGUI for a few years and there will not be any new versions: the developer has stopped with it.
It was and still is a great tool because it was
- tiny, fast, portable and
- included quite a number of features
- handle ALL exifdata only (i.e. no management and/or develop things)
- free


As far as I know there are no other similar tools.
Sure, there are imageviewers, like XnView, Irfanview and commercial products like ACDSee, but one way or the other these products have a few drawbacks.
Either slower or more complex or extra clicks are needed to view all exif data, or missing maker notes, or ...
Also Explorer or Explorer replacements can show some imagedetails, but they as well are limited: not all information is displayed.

ExifToolGUI becomes a tool similar to QuickPar - 'Old - no development anymore - but a times still needed'

Idea to bring out a new version with ExifTool as base??

Oh, I did look at an alternative found on the ExifTool site, but they can not be compared to ExifToolGUI.

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later: I just  found another small tool named pyExifToolGUI
I need to check it out.
At first sight:
-the window can not be resized
-a little too few details are displayed at the same time, i.e. one needs to scroll up and down a lot (because of using grid lines I suppose)
-in case of loading a folder, then the maximum thumbnails displayed is 10

Usually Explorer / Explorer replacements do not properly show stuff like sRGB and what type of White Balance.

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Suggestion: A new GUI for ExifTools
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Suggestion: A new GUI for ExifTools
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no development since 2013.

[skwire]

Is the current ExifToolGUI missing something in regards to functionality?

[dcwul62]

Definitely not, but it is my shortcoming not being able properly work with it (command tool).
My preference is to use a windows interface.
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[4wd]

no development since 2013.

-dcwul62 (June 09, 2016, 11:19 PM)

Latest version: ExifToolGUI v5.16, April 5,2015

http://u88.n24.queen...hp/topic,2750.0.html

FWIW, I always found ExifToolGUI to be an extremely slow program when working with more than a few images - so much so that I only use it if doing a Google search fails to find how I can do it using ExifTool from the command line ... and that's only if I can't do what I want in Daminion or GeoSetter.

[dcwul62]

The 2015 version was a (minor) bugfix, I myself reported that bug, but actually, since 2012 there were just a few bug fixes.
My optinin is that the tool is quite handy. Used it quite a number of times. It is also useful, for instance, when you need a time shift.
(winter/summertime and camera is not adjusted)

anyway, as explained, there are very few tools and support of those tools, well, at best it is very limited.
same goes for pyexiv2 (no development since 2011)

reason for my suggestion.

Then again, frankly speaking, I don't know if it is complex (likely it is).

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[tomos]

I just  found another small tool named pyExifToolGUI
I need to check it out.
At first sight:
-the window can not be resized
-a little too few details are displayed at the same time, i.e. one needs to scroll up and down a lot (because of using grid lines I suppose)
-in case of loading a folder, then the maximum thumbnails displayed is 10
[...]
no development since 2013.

-dcwul62 (June 09, 2016, 11:19 PM)

appears to be being actively developed (?):
https://hvdwolf.github.io/pyExifToolGUI/
https://hvdwolf.gith...oolGUI/Changelog.txt

[tomos]

GeoSetter

-4wd (June 10, 2016, 03:47 AM)

I used use Exifer by the same developer years ago (2002)

[dcwul62]

I just  found another small tool named pyExifToolGUI
I need to check it out.
At first sight:
-the window can not be resized
-a little too few details are displayed at the same time, i.e. one needs to scroll up and down a lot (because of using grid lines I suppose)
-in case of loading a folder, then the maximum thumbnails displayed is 10
[...]
no development since 2013.

-dcwul62 (June 09, 2016, 11:19 PM)

appears to be being actively developed (?):
https://hvdwolf.github.io/pyExifToolGUI/
https://hvdwolf.gith...oolGUI/Changelog.txt

-tomos (June 10, 2016, 06:33 AM)

No, but I contacted the developer. Basically this tool was meant for personal use only.
He made it available to the public though, but as for himself: it meets his personal requirements.

As he has some other matters on hand he will decide whether or not to continue with it after a month or so.

I also used Exifer way way back, but indeed it stopped.

New camera's with possibly new features which may not always be addressed by the current tools.

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[4wd]

The 2015 version was a (minor) bugfix, I myself reported that bug, but actually, since 2012 there were just a few bug fixes.
My optinin is that the tool is quite handy. Used it quite a number of times. It is also useful, for instance, when you need a time shift.
(winter/summertime and camera is not adjusted)

-dcwul62 (June 10, 2016, 05:41 AM)

This example is simple under GeoSetter, (I've used it to adjust ~600 photos/videos from where the camera was reset to 1-1-2000 to the correct date in March 2016).

It also can run without being installed, just download the zip file, extract, and run.

Suggestion: A new GUI for ExifTools

And that's not all the info being displayed.

Current available beta is 3.4.51 (2014 - can't find a link atm but I have the installer and it can be extracted from it), there's also 3.4.62 but it hasn't been released yet.

[PhilB66]

Current available beta is 3.4.51 (2014 - can't find a link atm but I have the installer and it can be extracted from it), there's also 3.4.62 but it hasn't been released yet.

-4wd (June 10, 2016, 08:14 AM)

Version 3.4.51 build 2164

http://www.geosetter...e/geosetter_beta.exe

[dcwul62]

Well, all that said, I think my initial suggestion still stands.
Most products are fairly outdated, when considering their major release.
I think a good tool will attract users here.
(as for Geosetter, I think ExitToolGUI and/or pyExifToolGui can probably do
about the same thing)
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[tomos]

(as for Geosetter, I think ExitToolGUI and/or pyExifToolGui can probably do
about the same thing)

-dcwul62 (June 11, 2016, 08:14 AM)

I think the point is that there is no sense in reinventing the wheel if there's aleady a working wheel.
=> i.e. have you tried geosetter? and if so, what's the problem with it?

Or (continuing the wheel metaphor) if the wheel is only a little broken, the first port of call would normally be the developer, as opposed to starting from scratch. (I know you've contacted the developere of the py version)

[dcwul62]

Tried it.
a. AFAIK not portable
b. I think it is quite slow, reading a folder it freezes for minute or two
and changing from one file to another also takes a little while.
that aside, it looks nice.
(read about an issue with .xmp files though)
anyway, I will continue to use ExifToolGUI.

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[4wd]

a. AFAIK not portable

-dcwul62 (June 12, 2016, 07:44 AM)

It also can run without being installed, just download the zip file, extract, and run.

...

Current available beta is 3.4.51 (2014 - can't find a link atm but I have the installer and it can be extracted from it), there's also 3.4.62 but it hasn't been released yet.

-4wd (June 10, 2016, 08:14 AM)

That'll be this file:

Suggestion: A new GUI for ExifTools

On first run it will use %APPDATA%\geosetter for settings, move the contents to the folder you extracted Geosetter to and it will use that for the next run.

b. I think it is quite slow, reading a folder it freezes for minute or two
and changing from one file to another also takes a little while.

A little test on a folder with 11483 images (a lot with GPS data) plus a few videos (some with XMP sidecar files), it may be a bit extreme but it served to highlight any perceived delays:

Suggestion: A new GUI for ExifTools

BTW, the columns and order of them are configurable, no need to display things you don't want so there may be no need for the full metadata display panel, plus you can sort on them.  It also has a flat file view so there's no need to enter sub-folders, (in the case you want to view multiple sub-folders), you can just go into flat file view on the parent (like DOpus).
Geosetter will continue reading metadata in the background until all images/XMP have been read, during background reading the image preview on hover may experience a short 1 second delay occasionally - still better than the 3-4 seconds of delay you get when clicking on a file to find the right image.

The second time ExifToolGUI ran it failed to find any fixed drive at all:

Suggestion: A new GUI for ExifTools

(read about an issue with .xmp files though)

A quick Google search shows only one apparent issue with Geosetter, ExifTool, and XMP files within the last year and that's for video files.

[dcwul62]

Sorry, I went for the beta version and ignored the .zip version.
That I have to confess.

As for speed, well, I took 1 folder with 115 images with a mix of raw and jpg
It took about 13 minutes to complete 'reading' the folder.

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With ExifToolGUI there was no wait at all, all is instantly.
I admit, the images are 1-by-1, so there is no thumbnail preview of an entire folder I believe.

As for the details in columns, I didn't check it out, but think within ExifToolGUI there is also such a feature.
One drawback though, one has to know the name of exif-fields...

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[rjbull]

I tried a DuckDuckGo search for "exif editor".  One of the postings it returned was Comparison of metadata editors^w.  It lists several GUIs for ExifTool, and some other programs.

ExifTool seems to be the default freeware.  ImBatch, free for non-commercial use, might be worth a look.  Otherwise, some of the programs that can bulk edit EXIF data, and have GUIs, are quite expensive.  I'd be resistant to spending money, because there exist free tools for stripping EXIF data altogether, and far too many people who like to do just that. 

[4wd]

Couple of points (maybe even three) and then I'll give up.

Sorry, I went for the beta version and ignored the .zip version.

-dcwul62 (June 13, 2016, 08:09 AM)

Mentioned twice already: You can extract the contents of the installer.  Then it's just a matter of dropping the files into a folder for portable operation. Hint

As for speed, well, I took 1 folder with 115 images with a mix of raw and jpg
It took about 13 minutes to complete 'reading' the folder.

I did say it reads the metadata in the background, that is GPS data for plotting the photos on the map.

With ExifToolGUI there was no wait at all, all is instantly.
I admit, the images are 1-by-1, so there is no thumbnail preview of an entire folder I believe.

Then please compare on an equivalent basis next time, this is why in my image Geosetter is set for Report not Thumbnail.

Geosetter [Report mode]: 201 Canon .DNG RAW image files listed within 2 seconds, all background EXIF GPS data for them loaded within 10 seconds - the interface was responsive to selecting any photo within this time period.  Once that background data loading was finished, scroll over image preview happened immediately for any file, 0 delay (there is no need for a separate Image Preview).  Within that initial period of background data reading there was a short delay of a second or so before display occurred, (which I also mentioned above).
Subsequent runs on the same folder had everything loaded within 5 seconds, (cached), and image preview available immediately.

And just for laughs: 130 images had GPS data, all plotted on the map within 3 seconds (after data load) across two countries (UK and Australia) from where you could select any image you wanted.

ExifToolGUI [same set of files]: ~15 seconds before its interface appeared (opening on test folder by default) - no image preview for any of the files.  Subsequent run took ~5 seconds, (cached), still no image preview.

As soon as ExifToolGUI provides a thumbnail view your loading times for it will become relevant compared to Geosetter .... oh, wait ....

Third time I ran ExifToolGUI it failed to find any fixed drive ... again ... lol


@rjbull: The URL you provided is munged by the forum software, here's a Wikipedia link: Comparison of metadata editors^w

[dcwul62]

Okay, Geosetter seems to work fine with you, not with me. The moment I launch it, it freezes (reading data) and I can't do anything about it for a quite a long time. When I try to access the menu, it crashes (repeatedly). Note: I am not interested in GPS settings, I don't have that/never use that.

Anyway, forget the idea. As for me, this matter can be closed.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

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