Saving Time
IMatch contains many features and commands which allow you to automate things and let IMatch do the work.
- The Command Palette
The Command Palette gives you acess to most IMatch features quickly with comfortable search and recent features.
- Context Menus
IMatch uses context menus almost everywhere. When you right-click an object like a thumbnail, favorite, category, folder, collection - IMatch opens a menu with available commands.
- Keyboard Shortcuts
IMatch has keyboard shortcuts for all frequently used commands. The shortcuts are listed in the menus in the main menu bar and also in context menus. Memorizing the keyboard shortcuts for your favorite commands lets you work much faster with IMatch.
The IMatch Cheat Sheets list all frequently used commands and keyboard shortcuts.
- Metadata Templates
Metadata templates allow you to fill in metadata for any number of files with a few mouse-clicks. You can even apply templates while IMatch is ingesting new or updated files. Use this feature to add standard information like copyright, usage and license data. Create keywords from other metadata, e.g. camera model or photographer name. You can else use metadata templates to copy metadata between tags, between Attributes and metadata and much more.
- AutoFill
This feature allows you to prepare and store sets of metadata values (e.g. for locations or artworks) and to quickly fill multiple tags in the Metadata Panel.
- Favorites
Favorites give you direct access to frequently used folders, categories, metadata templates and Renamer presets. You can also configure your favorite applications as IMatch favorites so you can launch them with one click. Splasher favorites allow you to assign images to multiple categories at once.
The Folder History and Category History favorite sets are automatically updated with the folders last used for copy or move, and the categories recently used for assignments.
- Keep Notes in the IMatch Notepad
The IMatch Notepad is an integrated app which allows you to keep track of workflow steps, instructions, how-to-do-this notes and more. This can be very helpful when you use some features only occasionally and want to write down memory aids at a place where you can find them.
- 'Recently' Collections
These collections show you which files you have recently added, updated or viewed. Quickly find the files to work on.
- See That's Important in the Dashboard
The Dashboard shows you all things which are important to know in one place. Quickly identify files with missing or problem metadata or files not matching your quality criteria.
- The Category Panel
This panel gives you access to the categories of the currently selected files. You can copy categories and keywords between files, quickly access recently used categories and keywords, etc.
- Data-driven Categories
Using data-driven categories allows you to automatically categorize, cluster and group your files by many criteria. You can categorize files based on family member or client names contained in the metadata. You can categorize files by the camera model or lens used, or by the country in which they were taken. Once set up, IMatch takes care of these categories automatically and keeps them up-to-date.
- The Thesaurus
Maintain a controlled set of keywords (vocabulary) in the IMatch Thesaurus and then assign keywords quickly and consistently in the Keywords Panel.
- The @Keywords Category
This special category automatically categorizes your images by the keywords they contain. This makes it very easy to see all files with a certain keyword or combinations of keywords. And by using a category formula you can find all files without keywords easily.
- Renaming Files Quickly
The Renamer enables you to rename any number of files quickly, using simple yet powerful rules. If also allows you to copy or move files, including the automatic creation of folders.
- Fixing Wrong Dates and Times
Camera clock set wrong again? Need to correct time zone offsets because you took images in another time zone? No problem with the Time Wiz.
- Use Automatic Reverse-geocoding
If your camera or phone stores GPS coordinates in your images, IMatch can use this to automatically file in country, city and location.
- Using Copy and Paste
IMatch supports Copy and Paste in many features. You can cut or copy files to the Windows clipboard from a file window and then paste these files to other folders. You can also paste them into a category file window to assign them to a category.
Using Copy and Paste in the Metadata and Keywords panels allows you to copy metadata and keywords between files. And you can also paste the file names of copied files into other applications. The History panel can copy the full file history in text format into the clipboard, ideal to paste it into your word processor.
- Versioning
Using versions allows you to let IMatch automatically propagate (copy) metadata between master files and versions. When you change the caption, description or rating for a master file, IMatch can copy the new data to all versions automatically.
- Stacks
Use stacks to fold related files. This reduces the clutter in file windows and lets you concentrate on your best shots.
- Statistics
The Statistics panel allows you to see statistics about your shooting habits and other metadata. Use it to find out which lens gives the best results or which combination of shutter speed and aperture you use most.
- File Window Tip
Set up the tip to display the information you need to see at a glance.
- Folder and Category History
You can move back and forth in the list of recently visited folders and categories using the History buttons provided in the toolbars of the Media & Folders View and the Category View, respectively. This quickens up your workflow especially when you are moving or copying files around and you need to jump between folders or categories a lot.
- The 'Active Selection'
The active selection are all the files selected in the active file window. Most IMatch commands work with the current selection. For example, to change the rating of 10 files to 3 * you select these 10 files in the file window and then press 3 on the keyboard. You can also edit the metadata of all files in the active file window at once in the Metadata, Keyword and Attribute panels.
- Indexing Preferences
When IMatch indexes files (adds or updates files to the database), you can let IMatch apply metadata templates to add stationary data automatically. You can also let IMatch assign images to categories and add them to collections during this step.