Moduls de.zocher_regel.photo, de.zocher_regel.util

Purpose

ZRPhoto is Java program which performs the following tasks:

• Copying and unloading
  • Unloading the camera chip to directories whose name starts whith the date the picture was taken
  • Copying selected photos to an external storage (e. g. USB stick)
• Based on text files containing a list of paths of photo files (IrfanView show format),
  • it creates an IrfanView show from a range of day directories (see above),
  • if photos have been edited (autocorrected, cropped, …), the newest version replaces the original version in the show
  • the text file (IrfanView show) is used to add EXIF info to the photo files using Exiftool.
• A filter, made from a directory or show file, supports copying of selected files.
• EXIF info is extracted from photos (using IrfanView or Exiftoo).
• A KML file which can be displayed in Google Earth is created.
• English and German is supported.
• Background processing is supported.
• Backups are created if a file is changed. The backups may be deleted.

These features enhance and supplement programs like IrfanView, Exiftool, Google Earth. They reuse existing file formats. TT

Preconditions

These programs need

• Java version ≥ 21 Oracle Download
• JavaFX version ≥ 22 Gluon JavaFX Download
• https://zocher-regel.de/de.zocher_regel.photo.jar
• https://zocher-regel.de/de.zocher_regel.util.jar

The source code is included in the JAR files.

Photo

de.zocher_regel.photo/module-summary.html

Unloading camera, Copying to external storage

• Unload from a camera chip:
  • Once create a target directory for photos and films, e. g. C:\Photos\2022\Cameraname
  • If the target directory is still empty, create a subdirectory YYYY-MM-DD , e. g. 2022-01-01 ; after this date photos and films shall be unloaded.
  • Call menu entry Unload . You will be asked for the source directory on the camera chip (usually DCIM or its subdirectory ) and for the target directory (e. g. C:\Photos\2022\Cameraname).
  • The year since which photos or films are unloaded (usually the current year), is specified under Settings/Edit setting file/MenuUnloadSourceTarget.
• Copy to external storage (e. g. USB stick):
  • Before copying you may set a filter in the corresponding menu. Then only photos and films listed in the filter but no other files (e. g. shows) are copied.
  • The photos and films are copied either with their directories or into the target directory in juxtaposition.

Slide show (text file as used by IrfanView)

• A photo show (as used by IrfanView) is a *.txt file consisting of paths of photo files and comments. Special comments ( ;-key=value ) are options for Exiftool.
• Select the day directories whose content is to be included in a photo show.
• When photos of the show have been edited, (e. g. cropping, autocorrection) it may be so updated that only the newest updated version of each photo or film is included. Its name differs from the original in appended letters, e. g. 123.jpg, 123autocorr.jpg . But all versions may be included into the show by setting a corresponding option.
• If you want to include multiple edited versions of the photo / film into the show, change the last digit of its name: 123450auto.jpg 123451crop.jpg
• Using a common editor, you can enter comments ";-" with missing EXIF data in the show under the qualified filename of the photo, e. g.
  
  D:\Fotos\2024\Canon\2024-12-08 Gehlenbachtal\6063.JPG
  ;-ImageDescription=Forester's house
  ;-GPSLatitude=52.090442
  ;-GPSLongitude=9.962278
  
  (Abbreviations: -I,-La,-Lo)
  If exiftool.exe has been installed, they are written by menu item Supplement EXIF Data into the JPG photo.

Filter

• If a filter has been set, only selected photos are copied into the photo show. There are two possibilities to set the filter:
  1. Select a directory containing favorite photos which you have copied there from the original directory. You can now create a show from the original directory, which contains the filtered photos only. The directory with favorite photos is then no longer needed for filtering.
  2. Instead with the photos of a directory, the filter may be filled from an existing show.
• If a filter has been set, the filter menu looks red until the filter is cleared.
• You may list the content of the filter (the names of the photos) in the log.

Places (GPS)

• The GPS info is extracted from the photos of a directory by means of Exiftool or IrfanView (with different formats) and stored in a file with the same name and the extension *.exif.
• Then a file index.kml is created from all *.exif files, which may be loaded into Google Earth.
• If a photo lacks GPS info, it is interpolated from the neighbor photos.
• The KML/GPS file may be created from a show instead of a directory. In this case the GPS data is completed from the standardised comments ";-" of the show. E. g.:
  
  D:\Photos\...\2024-12-25 X-Mas\1234.jpg
  ;-I=Christmas tree
  ;-GPSLatitude=54.00
  
  (Abbreviations: La=GPSLatitude, Lo=GPSLongitude I=ImageDescription)
  These options may bei written into the photo file as well (see menu Show).
• Backup files (e. g. "..._1738161240382_original") may be deleted in menu Settings.

Util

de.zocher_regel.util/module-summary.html

Tools

Some photo processing programms have already been registered. Install them if necessary and add them to the path. If they are not found by path, enter the path in the properties file. Backslash and colon have to be preceeded by backslash.

Settings

Language

English and German are currently supported and (only for program development) internal keywords.

Name of settings file and its editing

Essential switches are set by using the menu (entries with ❓) and stored in the settings file, additionally the last used files and directories. Some settings are only available there by editing the file. Close the application before closing the file in your editor. The qualified filename is determined by a virtual machine variable (e. g. -Dzocher_regel.properties=D:\Photos\zocher_regel.properties ). Otherwise its name is zocher_regel.properties in the current directory.

Replace special characters

If this switch is on, long S will be replaced by lower case common S.

Asynchroneous processing

Some commands can be processed in background. By pressing ESC you get intermediate results in the log.

Backups

can be deleted (e. g. index.kml_1737815862681_original).

Start procedure for Windows

Disclaimer

The documentation of the program Photo and of the utilities used by it may be found at:
https://zocher-regel.de/javadoc

The programs of zocher-regel.de are to be subject to the conditions of the GNU General Public License. There is no warranty for using them. Private usage is allowed.

Suggestions for improvement and appreciation please send to: juergen.regel@gmx.de

Bank account for donations: Jürgen Regel, IBAN DE 20 2595 0130 0160 7586 25, BIC NOLADE21HIK, Purpose zocher-regel.de

The external programs used (Java, JavaFX, IrfanView, Exiftool and all that are called by the menu) are not part of this program and have license conditions of their own.