IMatch 2020 introduces a range of new and exciting features and a new database format. Please read this information for an easy migration.
IMatch 2020 can only run on computers with processors that support AVX.
This technology is standard for virtually all processors manufactured since 2011. To check if your system is compatible, follow this link.
Do NOT restore Pack & Go packages created with older IMatch (before version 2020) versions on computers running IMatch 2020. This can damage the installation.
IMatch 2020 introduces an enhanced database format, in order to support all the new features added in this version. New options for new features have been added, some old options have been retired because they are no longer needed.
The following steps describe upgrade from your current version to the latest IMatch generation in a few minutes.
1. Visit the IMatch 2020 - What's New page for a quick overview of all new features.
Read the release notes to learn about all changes, new features and bugs fixed in this version.
It is important for you to know what is new in this version.
2. Backup your database and all settings with your standard backup software before opening the database in IMatch 2020.
If you have no backup software (you should!), use IMatch Pack & Go.
3. Download and install IMatch 2020.
Log into the customer portal and download the latest version of IMatch 2020.
3.1 IMatch 2020 uses a new installer technology. We recommend to uninstall IMatch 2018/2019 before installing IMatch 2020.
Type add
into the START menu search box and pick Add/Remove Software from the result list. In the applet, search for IMatch and then use the Uninstall button to remove IMatch from your computer.
This will not remove your IMatch database or IMatch settings.
3.2 After uninstalling the old version, install IMatch 2020 by double-clicking the downloaded installer.
4. Start IMatch 2020 and open your database.
This automatically updates the database to the new format and performs necessary upgrade tasks.
During the first start IMatch 2020 also updates presets, configuration files and the settings database to the latest versions.
The IMatch 2020 database format is not compatible with older IMatch versions.
If you use IMatch Anywhere™, make sure to update to version 2019.11.2 or later.
IMatch 2020 has enhanced face detection and introduces powerful AI-based face recognition technologies.
Previously, IMatch allowed you to create face annotations in the Viewer and tag them with a text label. If you have used this, IMatch 2020 automatically converts these simple annotations into real face annotations.
When you open your database for the first time with IMatch 2020, IMatch finds all files with face annotations. If the file is online or a cache image exists, it loads the image and extracts face data from the area covered by your face annotations. This data is stored in the database.
This step can take a while if your database has many old face annotations.
If IMatch finds offline files, it assigns them to a special category. The name of this category is listed in the status report shown at the end of the conversion process. This makes it easy to find and deal with these files.
If files are offline, they cannot be processed automatically during the initial database upgrade. No problem, though. You can re-run the conversion later when the files back online.
Go to Database > Tools > Utilities > Convert Face Annotations... and start the conversion process. Only face annotations which have not been updated before will be processed.
Until face annotations have been converted to the new format used by IMatch 2020, they are unusable for any of the new person-related features. You should make sure to convert old face annotations as soon as possible.
If you have assigned a tag to a face annotation, IMatch finds the corresponding person in the database and links it to the face. If no person with the tag exists, IMatch creates a new person and links it to the face. This way, all face annotations with the same tag show up for the same person in the People View.
Existing annotations without a tag (label) are imported and fingerprints are generated. But no persons are assigned automatically.
All files with untagged annotations are assigned to a special category during the import. The name of this category is displayed in the import result screen.
This allows you to review these files and to assign persons manually. The normal face recognition process then takes over and assigns unconfirmed files as explained in the People help topic.
If you use Pack & Go to copy databases and settings between multiple computers, know that databases and settings of later IMatch versions are not necessarily compatible with older versions.
Do NOT restore Pack & Go packages created with older IMatch versions on computers running IMatch 2020. This will damage the installation.
Always make sure to use the same IMatch and IMatch Anywhere™ version on all computers. Install the latest version on all computers before transferring settings or databases with Pack & Go
Make a fresh Pack & Go backup after you have installed IMatch 2020 and opened your database once. Do not restore Pack & Go backups produced with newer IMatch versions on a system with an older IMatch version installed. This will cause problems.