[Digikam-users] Version usecases

[Anders Bo Rasmussen]

Hi 

This text is a response to the request on the F-spot mailing list about writing
some use cases for versions of pictures in F-spot. I've tried to write a
complete workflow with versions as I would like it. Probably I miss some things
and there might be better ways to do some of the things, but I hope this can
give some ideas to which features to implement.

I've just started using Digikam and have used F-spot for some years. I hope you
can use this input from a new user.


Terminology
-----------
In this text I use "picture" as a word describing a set of "versions" which is
different versions of the same picture.

Work-flow
---------
Shoot some Pictures
This is the most important part of the work flow. I prefer to use raw+jpeg.
But sometimes I use only raw to get increased speed or jpeg to either get
increased speed or if I'm running out of storage.

Reading from Card/Advanced Renaming 
First I import all images and movies from my card reader to the folder in which
I want to store the photos. (Currently I do it with my own script). All files
are named <initials><date>_<time>_<camera><image number>.<extension>. E.g:
abr20080614_1042_c4096.jpg. <camera> is c because it is my third camera. This
way I'm sure two files will never get the same name and if the files are sorted
lexicographic they are ordered by time. The files also gets the modification
time to be the same as in the exif.

Importing in Image Archive
Then I import the folder to Digikam. Digikam automatic detects that I both have
a filed called abr20080614_1042_c4096.jpg and abr20080614_1042_c4096.cr2
(because I used raw+jpg). This means that it is two versions of the same
picture. Based on my personal settings it defaults to show the jpeg version,
because I want to browse the pictures as fast as possible. 

Batch Creating Jpegs
Then I create jpegs for the raws that doesn't have jpeg. The jpegs becomes a
new version. I have the option to either use dcraw or a commercial raw
converter. Even though the commercial raw converter doesn't have a nice command
line interface Digicam makes it easy for me by exporting all raws to a single
directory. Then I just have to convert the raws in that directory with the
commercial converter and press continue in Digikam. Then Digikam will import
the jpegs that are created in that directory as new versions.

Manual Browsing
Then I browse the pictures. I'll always just see one version per picture. Some
of the pictures are total crap, e.g. blurry or I have accidently pressed the
shutter while carrying the camera so there is a picture of the ground. I select
those and deletes them (with delete picture - not delete version). Even though
I'm only looking at the jpg, I also want the raw to be deleted if there is one,
and Digikam does that because I have chosen to delete all versions.

Group pictures into one picture with versions
Sometimes I take e.g. 10 pictures of a moving target because it is hard to get
a good shoot. This way I increase the chance of having a good picture. But in
reality it is actually just different versions of the same picture. So I
manually group the 10 pictures into 1 picture with 10 versions.

Tagging
Then I tag the photos with location, persons, which should be printed etc. This
can be done with the keyboard.

Rotating etc. from raw
When I have selected which pictures to print, I discover that I want some
corrections based on the raw file, e.g. rotating 2 degrees, color correction,
etc. I do this by editing the original raw version and making a new jpeg. Again
I can either use the built in tools or an external program. If the external
program can save its settings the settings of the external program specific for
this image is stored next to the jpeg as a side car file. If I then later want
to make smaller corrections I can from within Digikam launch the external tool,
so it loads the raw and the settings, and then write yet another version.

Cropping from jpg.
For smaller corrections such a lossless cropping, lossless rotating 90%, etc. I
use the built in tools in Digikam and make a new version from the current jpeg.

Select version
There is two ways to manually select which version to use for a given picture.
When viewing a picture the selected version is shown in a drop down box, where
I can simply change the version to another version. I can also view all the
versions of a picture at once, just like if the version were pictures and the
picture was an album. In this view I can select the current version and make a
new picture from a version.

Creating several pictures from one
Some modifications actually is not just a new version but should be regarded as
a new picture. This is true for instance if I've taken a picture with 4 people,
and I make a crop that only contains 1 person. In this case I want the modified
version and the original version to be regarded as 2 different pictures in my
albums/tags. A simple function like "make picture of version" would suffice.

Publish/print
Now I have a subset of the photos which are corrected and get those
exported.  Since I have all the versions I can still go back to the
original, make changes to the current version or any version in between
if I'm when seeing the print is not satisfied with the exported versions.


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