custom keyboard/app/toggle that would help organize my pics?
March 26, 2024 5:14 PM   Subscribe

I'm on the lookout for a specialized tool that can help streamline the process of sorting through my extensive photo library, and I'm wondering if such a solution exists.

I'm on the lookout for a specialized tool that can help streamline the process of sorting through my extensive photo library, and I'm wondering if such a solution exists.

I'm thinking of some kind of customized keyboard or even an app that uses the arrow keys if need be.

Here's what I'm hoping to find in this tool:


Intuitive Interface: I want something user-friendly that doesn't require a steep learning curve. Simple navigation and clear instructions.

Customizable Options: I need the ability to easily delete unwanted photos, mark others for keeping, and have an option to revisit ones I'm unsure about.

Undo Feature: Mistakes happen, so having the ability to undo a choice made (sometimes my hand works faster then my brain)

If you know of any existing software, app, or even a customizable solution that meets these criteria, I would greatly appreciate your recommendations.

I'm *not* asking about a photo taggging type of idea.
posted by Izzmeister to Computers & Internet (5 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
What does the directory structure look like? Would moving images to designated folders be an acceptable way of grouping them? One for to_be_deleted, needs_review, etc.
posted by phil at 5:55 PM on March 26, 2024


Best answer: What operating system(s) do you use?

If you want something completely customizable and keyboard-driven, a job this simple is a good candidate for a script.

The kind of thing I have in mind would let you drag and drop a selection of photos and/or folders containing photos onto the script icon to launch it. The script would walk through all the photos you dropped onto it, displaying them one at a time in fullscreen and waiting for a keypress. Pressing J on a photo would mark it as Junk, K would mark it as Keep, L would mark it as Later; any of these three would then go on to the next photo. Left and right arrow keys could walk backwards and forwards through the current session's photos without altering the way they're marked, and Q would quit the session without further processing.

I'd implement marking by moving photos marked either Junk or Keep into a new folder tree, within which the existing folder hierarchy would be duplicated. For example, if you were looking at C:\Users\Izzmeister\Pictures\1998\02\26\IMG00047.JPG and you pressed J, it would get moved to Junk\C\Users\Izzmeister\Pictures\1998\02\26\IMG00047.JPG. If you pressed K it would move to Keep\C\Users\Izzmeister\Pictures\1998\02\26\IMG00047.JPG, and if you pressed L it would just stay where it was (unless it had already been moved inside Junk or Keep, in which case it would be restored to its original location).

The location of the Junk and Keep subfolders would be customizable by editing the script, as would the display of any metadata you'd value having on screen as well as the actual photo.

This scheme would let you take as many sessions to organize your library as you wanted, with nothing irreversible happening to the collection either during or between sessions. Actual deletion wouldn't happen until you used the OS file browser to delete the Junk folder and all its contents.

Such a script should be pretty easy to implement on any desktop OS, and I'd be happy to write one at no charge if you can't find an off-the-shelf app that would suit you better.
posted by flabdablet at 6:09 PM on March 26, 2024 [3 favorites]


I second the approach of moving or copying images to "keep", "delete", "revisit" folders (or any other system you come up with).

Are you using Windows, a mac, or something else?

On Windows I was going to say IrfanView, a great image viewer that lets you define shortcuts for moving or copying things to specific folders, but I think the shortcuts look like F7+[some number], which might be too many key presses for you. (I don't have access to Windows right now so I can't check.)

I've heard about, but never personally used, two image viewers that apparently let you move or copy images with a single keypress: FastRawViewer (scroll down here for "Copying and Moving Single Files" instructions) and FastPictureViewer (see instruction video here). The latter looks a bit more limited in that (I think) it only lets you define a shortcut for a single destination folder, while (I think?) the former lets you have a shortcut custom folder plus a shortcut rejects folder, or something like that.

It looks like there are free trial options for both of those programs. There are probably others out there, but those are the ones I've heard of offhand.

flabdablet's offer to write a custom script sounds pretty awesome!
posted by trig at 3:58 AM on March 27, 2024 [2 favorites]


I use the app Swipewipe on iPhone - you can do a folder a day for free, if you don’t mind the ads. It’s really helped me weed through the photos on my phone!
posted by needlegrrl at 5:15 AM on March 27, 2024 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I'm using Windows.

Something like this would be ideal-- but maybe it's overkill instead of the arrow keys...

https://amzn.to/3IWX82I

flabdablet- Thank you so much! you are awesome!!!
posted by Izzmeister at 6:40 AM on March 27, 2024


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