XnView MP for Beginners - Guides and Tutorials

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XnView MP for Beginners - Guides and Tutorials

Post by xnview »

Wiki: XnView MP - User Guide
Wiki: XnView Classic (Windows) - User Guide - XnView MP is different to XnView Classic but many things written there apply for both XnView Classic and XnView MP.

PDF: XnView MP for Beginners. Thanks to Roger Carter for this guide.
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Re: XnView MP for Beginners

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Re: XnView MP for Beginners

Post by xnview »

Video: How to batch rename and resize using XnView MP.
Video: Fast way to crop many images using XnView MP.
Thanks to Martin Švejda for another two videos.
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Re: XnView MP for Beginners

Post by cryptothick »

The comments are disabled on the YouTube video linked in your post (crop many images is the link text), I was going to comment that you can also use "Save Selection As.." then just hit [enter] to save as the same filename (file overwrite confirm must be disabled or you will need to confirm overwrite). This is slightly faster than doing CTRL-X, CTRL-S, but only slightly so I guess it's a matter of preference. I still prefer the way you show in the video myself.

The other option would be to go into keyboard preferences and set up a shortcut to Crop, Save, Next Image. (pretty sure that's in there somewhere). If you want to do in fullscreen mode and in view mode you will need to change the shortcut/hotkeys on both of those separately as each "switched mode" (browser/view/fullscreen) has it's own set of hotkeys in preferences. I know for sure Crop+Save is in there, not sure if Crop+Save+Next Image is. I will check though.

Anyway, thanks for making the video. I had already known how to do that, but if I had found your video before I figured it all out myself it would have probably saved me some time. haha. Cheers!
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Re: XnView MP for Beginners - Guides and Tutorials

Post by Peter2 »

Which of the links above are still up to date? The PDF is from 2017
XnViewMP 1.6.5 German, XnConvert 1.99, Win 10
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Re: XnView MP for Beginners - Guides and Tutorials

Post by XnTriq »

Peter2 wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 9:58 amWhich of the links above are still up to date? The PDF is from 2017
Hello Peter :-) None of these links are broken. Same goes for the wiki:
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Tutorial : Catalog and metadata for photos

Post by michel038 »

Translated from French (viewtopic.php?p=170164#p170164 en français )
Metadata
Metadata can be added to photos to facilitate their management.
There are basically three families, from the oldest to the most recent: EXIF, IPTC, XMP.
The EXIF metadata are now reserved for technical information, it is logical not to modify them except for the dates and GPS coordinates which can be created or modified if necessary, using the menu "Metadata, Change timestamp" or "Metadata, Edit GPS data".
You can add a lot of information to describe, qualify, or organize and sort the photos, in the form of IPTC and XMP metadata.
The XMP standard tends to supplant IPTC, but one can continue to use these two families simultaneously.
The "JPG" image format and some others support metadata embedded in the image file itself.
Other formats only support certain types of metadata, for example most of the "raw" formats only support external XMP metadata, put in a xmp companion file, next to the image file.

Keywords, categories, catalog
Keywords are metadata like any other, but XnViewMP has a specific tool called "Categories" to facilitate their management.
This tool also manages a database, "the catalog".
I use the term "assign categories to photos" to describe the action of linking a photo, a category and the corresponding keyword, which is done simply by checking a category box in the "Categories" panel while photos are selected.
In order for the "Categories" tool to write the keywords in IPTC or XMP format, you must have previously validated the corresponding export options in the "Settings, Metadata" screen, otherwise only the "catalog" contains the categories linked to the photos, (in which case it is advisable to regularly make backup copies of the catalog, simply by copying the xnview.db file after quitting XnViewMP).
Note: it is mandatory to deselect the photos after checking the category boxes
There is a parallel between "categories" and "keywords": categories refer to the XnViewMP catalog and correspond to the keywords entered in the photos when an export option had been validated.
There are two other xmp metadata managed like the keywords: "Star ratings" and "Color Labels". This information is also stored in the catalog, and has its own export options in the same options screen, "Settings, Metadata".

Other metadata
The other metadata managed by XnViewMP are quite numerous; there is for example Caption, Title, Author, Credits, Locations ...
This other information can also be written in the IPTC group and in the XMP group
To write these metadata, select photos then open the window "Metadata, Edit IPTC" (or Ctrl I). First you have to choose if you want to write "IPTC only" or "IPTC + XMP" in the "Mode" box of the last tab. Then go through the other tabs and enter information in the fields, then click the write (or write all) button so that this data is written in the photos. In fact, only the "Caption" and "Source" tabs contain fields commonly used by amateur photographers.
Users with specific needs for using XMP metadata can instead use the "Edit XMP" window, which works similarly. One can also use the companion XMP files by having checked this option in "Settings, Metadata".
These various metadata are not managed in the XnViewMP catalog, but only written (or read) in the photos, which should encourage you to make backup copies of your photos if you were not already convinced of this necessity.

Using Metadata
XnViewMP offers several ways to take advantage of the metadata you have added to your photos and the data that are mirroring some of them in the catalog.
- The "Category Filter" ("Catalog filter" now) panel allows you to find photos with a specific category. We can also say that the category filter allows you to find photos containing a certain keyword. It is an extremely efficient tool if you have filled in your photos with well-chosen keywords (categories), and possibly ratings (1 to 5 stars) or colors.
In the filter, with the Ctrl key you can select several categories, and with the Alt key you can exclude categories.
- The "Quick Search" box in the toolbar. This box allows you to quickly find a photo based on a criterion, but only among the photos currently displayed. The options are in "Settings, Explorer, Quick search" (check at least IPTC and Catalog), This search is also about file names.
- The "Search" function in the Tools menu. This function is very rich, but searches for information in the catalog are much faster than searches for other metadata.
- There are also many methods of sorting and filtering photos in menus and toolbars.
All these methods make renaming or thematic storage of photos unnecessary. They also allow automatic display of captions or labels.
One should not confuse the storage of photos which can be simply chronological, and search, filtering, titling of photos photos which will be based on metadata, especially keywords.
Reading metadata
XnViewMP can read existing metadata. First, enable metadata import options. (keywords, ratings, color label , and face tags if ticked will be read)
Then in Settings, Catalog, use "Import folders" button. This import reads recursively subfolders.


Without metadata
For users who would like to use only the cataloging functions without any metadata, it is necessary to uncheck all the options in the settings > metadata screen.
This allows you to work on any file type, but limits you to using : Categories, Star ratings, Color labels, Tags.
And limits also the possibility to migrate to other softwares unless you know sqllite database management.

And remeber to backup your work sometimes by copying your xnview.db file, when XnViewMp is closed.
You can also export a xml file from catalog.(Categories pane > top right drop down menu > File's categories > export )
Last edited by michel038 on Thu Feb 01, 2024 3:11 pm, edited 14 times in total.
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Tutorial How to use ExifTool in XnViewMP

Post by michel038 »

XnViewMP provides a very large number of tools and functions to manage images.
Date changes, name changes, metadata editing and other image processing can be handled in batches.
However, there are some specific cases of processing that are not available in XnViewMP, or are not practical.
In these cases, you can use a program outside XnViewMP that is specialized in metadata processing : ExifTool.
The method consists in preparing an "Open with" process that will call ExifTool, with a set of parameters.
To apply this treatment, you just have to select a set of images, and with a right-click, choose the "Open with" launcher that you have prepared.

Let's see how to prepare this "Open with" feature located in the "Tools > Open With..." menu.

Available for windows O.S.
tool04.png
For this first example, you can write this code in the Parameter field :

Code: Select all

-k -a  "-exif:all" -w txt

This function, which you can name "Eport Exif" , will create a text file for each selected pictures, containing its exif data.

Usage : Select pictures, Right-click > open with ... > Export Exif
(and if you remove -w txt , exif data will only be shown in a pop-up)

Here are some other examples of functions with the parameters that ExifTool needs, to perform various processes
tool-sample.png
The -k parameter, which I always add, keeps the ExifTool window open so that we can read the runtime report.
When ExifTool writes a tag, a backup of the photo will be created with "_original" suffix. To avoid this, add this parameter "-overwrite_original"

You can find documents , whole commands syntax, and help in ExifTool website and ExifTool forum.
Et des documents en français en suivant le lien dans ma signature.
Last edited by michel038 on Sat Jun 10, 2023 6:31 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Tutorial How to use ExifTool in XnViewMP

Post by esv »

michel038 wrote: Thu Dec 22, 2022 6:11 pm Here are some other examples of functions with the parameters that ExifTool needs, to perform various processes
tool-sample.png
Thanks for the examples, would you maybe also paste the section of your config with plain text for these examples so that anyone could copy&paste instead of having to retype all the commands?
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Re: Tutorial How to use ExifTool in XnViewMP

Post by Peter2 »

esv wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:27 pm ..would you maybe also paste the section of your config with plain text for these examples so that anyone could copy&paste instead of having to retype all the commands?
michel038 wrote: Thu Dec 22, 2022 6:11 pm ...You can find documents , whole commands syntax, and help in ExifTool website and ExifTool forum...
XnViewMP 1.6.5 German, XnConvert 1.99, Win 10
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Re: Tutorial How to use ExifTool in XnViewMP

Post by esv »

michel038 wrote: Thu Dec 22, 2022 6:11 pm ...You can find documents , whole commands syntax, and help in ExifTool website and ExifTool forum...
esv wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:27 pm ...copy&paste instead of having to retype all the commands?
or instead of searching through even more websites and forums.
Pesumably you posted the screenshot instead of just a reference to a forum so others could use those commands, right?
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Re: XnView MP for Beginners - Guides and Tutorials

Post by Gerald_Ire »

Hope I do not have a typo in it...

So please check befor...

Code: Select all

Sidecar:  -o %d%f.xmp -xmp -k
Xmp2iptcKW:  -k "-iptc:keywords<xmp-dc:subject" -overwrite_original"
Display:  -k -s -n -g
Xmp2File:  -k "-xmp:all" -w file.txt"
RemoveCountryCode:  -k "-xmp:CountryCodes=" "-iptcCountry-PrimaryLocationCode=" -overwrite_original"
Name2Date:  -k "-alldates<filename" -overwrite_origiinal"
SystemDate:  -k -m -P "-FileModifyDate<Exif:CreateDate" "-FileCreateDate<Exif:CreateDate"
RemUserComment:  -k -m "-exif:UserComment=" -overwrite_original"
RemDescription:  -k -m "-exif:ImageDescription=" -overwrite_original"
ExportExif:  -k "-exif:all" -w txt"
KosoftName:  -k "-xmp-mp:RegionPersonDisplayName=RegionPersonDisplayName"
TTP2Mwg:  -k "-xmp-mp-rs:RegionName<xmp-iptcExt:PersonInImage"
IPTCorg:  -k "-xmp-IptcExt:ImageRegionName=ImageRegionName"
Date:  -k -m -F "-Exif:alldates>FileCreateDate"
test:  -k -d %Y-%W- -TestName<S{CreateDate}S{FileNames;s/^[0-9]{4}//}"
ExifDesc:  -k -m -F "-exif:imagedescription<iptc:caption-abstratct"
CleanFilename:  -k -filename<S{filename;}
Caption2Name:  -k "FileName<iptc:caption-abstract"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
:D Gerald says thx to all! :D
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