Reject / Delete / Backspace

StanRohrer · September 30, 2014, 02:06:33 AM

In the Viewer I can look at a file at 100% and hit the Del key to Reject a file that I don't like (say, it is not sharp). The Del key Rejects the image an automatically moves the Viewer to the next (later) file. This is great for front to back viewing of a folder or large selection of images.

This Del key operation is cumbersome for doing a similar Viewer operation from BACK to FRONT since the Del key now moves in the wrong direction. On my second review cycle, from back to front, I want the Del key to pick the 'earlier' file and not the 'later'. A Shift-Del is already defined as a different operation so that key combo will not work (plus it is a little cumbersome to do a lot of two keystroke commands). I suggest maybe the Backspace key, if available, could be used to operate like the Del key except move the view to the 'earlier' file instead of the 'later'. The backspace key is generally as easy to find and hit as the Del key on most keyboards.

jch2103 · September 30, 2014, 04:07:31 AM

But the filmstrip in the Viewer wraps back to the beginning after reaching the end. It seems to me easier to keep the same mode of viewing/deleting by looping to the beginning of the files. Perhaps I misunderstand your objective?

StanRohrer · October 01, 2014, 03:50:52 AM

Going front to back I find a few "OK" files then an outstanding file someplace a little down the line. Doing the second cull, back to front, I see the outstanding file first and reject the just OK files later. Especially if these are of a series of a dozen fairly close together it makes for a more efficient cull to get to the best files by going both directions. On my last shoot of 2000 pics one afternoon of speed boat racing, I need to be as efficient as possible to get to the best shots. I find going only one direction means a lot of backing up to find the OK files to reject when I find an outstanding file. Being a thousand pics down the stream means I may not remember the previous quality well and will have a very hard time jumping back and forth. So I find front to back followed by back to front, and maybe a few repeats, as the most efficient way to get to my best 100 shots.

ChrisMatch · October 01, 2014, 12:53:03 PM

It should be possible for iMatch to detect in which direction you are moving. So I would not suggest an additional key but make iMatch so clever to jump into the right direction.

StanRohrer · October 01, 2014, 01:40:05 PM

I'm not sure how iMatch would detect direction. I would also confuse it by looking at previous, then next for comparison, then previous, then next. Then next, then next. So I would indeed have a general direction but highly confuse it with very local comparisons.

jch2103 · October 01, 2014, 03:50:51 PM

Would using Ratings give you a more efficient work flow? On your first review, you could assign initial ratings with the keyword, then filter to remove all files below a certain Rating. That would reduce the number of files needing a second review.

John

ChrisMatch · October 01, 2014, 07:04:10 PM

Quote from: StanRohrer on October 01, 2014, 01:40:05 PMI'm not sure how iMatch would detect direction....

Well, not if you try to change the direction within the delete action (delete forward vs. delete backwards).
But iMatch could remember the last regular switch from one image to the next and mimic that direction.

StanRohrer · October 02, 2014, 02:28:30 AM

jch2103, yes, ratings is the way I did sorts in IM3. I was trying get into the IM5 flow (as I understood it) using the Reject and then final real file Delete. The problem with ratings is that it is quite easy to hit a rating on a file that is already rated and hence erase the pre-existing rating. This especially happens on the second and third pass. A file already rated 3 and I am moving fast and don't notice the existing rating and again hit 3 makes the rating blank. Now I've put a viable file back into my pool of unknowns (blank). Hitting any other key than the existing 3 changes to that rating as expected. With the Reject function, the dark screen and big x is obvious when doing fast culls. There is a preferences setting somewhere to hide the Rejects in the viewer (though I'm not quite that confident to do that just yet).

I'm still new to processing workflow in IM5. I currently think I would do fast culls front to back and back to front Rejecting bad blurs and marginal quality at 100% view. Then I would do passes for reject or ratings at fit view for composition and "impact". Then come back to the best rated files for retouching.

My discussed workflow would apply to high speed big volumes of boat racing but would not likely apply to tripod based landscapes or cityscapes as the 100% details should be expected sharp by camera setup. The volume is much less to review. There I bracket a lot and would first pick an exposure frame I like, check the detail, and just skip the rest of the series. Not so much quick cull and Reject work on a well planned and set up shot series (such as still life).

In my boat race pics starting at nearly 2000 I did front to back and back to front reviews at 100% view and ended with 529. These boats were running at 100-150 MPH so there is a lot of possibility for bad shots when shooting at 8 frames per second and trying to pan with the action. Now I can go back at Fit view to make more passes and Reject boats breaking out of the frame, bad composition, bad position with other boats, distracting background clutter. I can rate based on light (clouds moving through), whether I can read sponsors names due to water splash, ability to see a drivers face, neat action like seeing a prop shaft under a boat that has lifted/bounced out of the water.

StanRohrer · December 15, 2014, 07:27:24 PM

Quote from: jch2103 on October 01, 2014, 03:50:51 PM
Would using Ratings give you a more efficient work flow? On your first review, you could assign initial ratings with the keyword, then filter to remove all files below a certain Rating. That would reduce the number of files needing a second review.

John

Working another 1000 image photo batch today. When using the ratings method of sorting I have to wait for the rating to (apparently) be written to the file or database before going to the next file. Too slow. DEL is much faster. I'm still wishing for a key like DEL but going in the reverse direction for the reverse cull step.

Mario · December 15, 2014, 08:05:50 PM

Setting a rating may cause a lot of action, maybe even a write-back to the image file (if you have enabled background write-back). Even if not, changing a rating may invalidate one or more categories, cause filters to update, causes a re-calculation of the ratings collections, causes objects depending on the ratings collection to update, categories to re-calculate, panels to update and so on. This all depends on how you have configured your system, which panels you have open etc.

The other collections (flags, bookmarks, pins, dots) are faster and can also save the same purpose in this context. But changing a pin can also cause the filter panel to update, category re-calculations etc. Again, this depends on how you have configured your system, in which View you are, which panels are open, if you use collections in category formulas and so on.

The mark for action (<Del>) command in the Viewer has been explicitly designed to quickly mark images in the Viewer without causing any other operation in the rest of the system. It' just a mark.

Note than you can also display 2,4,6,8 or more images at the same time in the Viewer. This often saves moving forwards and backwards to often, while you still have all commands available. That's my typical culling workflow.