Hello. I just started using iMatch-2021. Works great on indexing my photos, but I am having a problem with folders of my photographic art.
After dragging the folder of images into the Medias & Folders pane, some of the indexed file thumbnails appear blank (see screen shot below). A message at the bottom of the screen says "iMatch detected duplicates and they were assigned to Category "Duplicates." This is probably because these composite image files are progressive versions that vary slightly, and some are the same image saved in different file formats.
I went to EDIT > PREFERENCES > INDEXING and unchecked the "DUPLICATES" category under "Assign Copies (Visually identical, same file format)". However, the same problem occurred again on the next folder I added to the database. I went back to Indexing prefs and under the drop down menu for "Assign copies..." I selected "Don't check for duplicates." But still, the next folder I added contained some blank thumbnails.
How can I configure iMatch to display all versions and file formats of my images? Thank you.
This has nothing to do with duplicates.
Have you saved these files with the "Maximize Compatibility" option in Photoshop? This is required. It's an option in the File Format Preferences.
Adobe deliberately closed the Photoshop format with version 6 many years ago.
In response to the public uproar at the time, they added the maximize compatibility mode, which basically adds a composite image to the PSD file.
IMatch uses this embedded "as-intended" preview to render PSD files.
When this preview does not exist, the 3rd party image library used by IMatch for PSD files tries to make sense of the undocumented layers to produce an output. Which does work more or less well, depending on the layer types used in your files.
Open the files in Ps, make sure the maximize compatibility option is enabled and then save them again. IMatch will automatically rescan them afterwards.
Thank you Mario. Your instructions corrected my problem.
For my use application (folders of similar versioned images) what Indexing preference settings would you recommend for duplicates? Thank you.
I think I have nothing to add to what's already explained in the IMatch help:
Searching for Duplicate Files (https://www.photools.com/help/imatch/#rmh_config_indexing.htm?dl=a_dupes)
Probably you want to consider only exact copies as duplicates?
Quote from: Mario on September 30, 2021, 09:07:58 PM
I think I have nothing to add to what's already explained in the IMatch help:
Probably you want to consider only exact copies as duplicates?
Would that setting be "Assign copies (binary identical)"?
Thanks.
Whatever you consider as duplicates. You can even disable the duplicate checking altogether if you don't need it.