The best way to get started is to run the app and explore. But here’s a guided overview of the core features.
To start building your library:
- Library Management ➡️ Pick Library Folder
- Select the root folder that contains all your image folders
- Image Perfect will scan the folder structure (but not import images yet)
- If you have a large library this will take some time to import your folder structure
💡 Tip: Image Perfect works best when your photo collection is already organized into meaningful folders. Avoid dumping thousands of images into a single folder.
- Library Management ➡️ Delete Library
This removes the MySQL database but does not delete your image files from the file system.
You can add additional folders to your library after initial import.
- File Management ➡️ Add New Folders
- Select one or more new folders from the file system
- The app will skip any folder that has already been imported
📌 Note Known issue: folders imported containing only ZIP files cannot be opened. So ensure your new folders contain only images jpg, png, gif etc.
- File Management ➡️ Pick Folders With Zips To Extract
- Select one or more folders containing zip files from the file system
- The app will extract all images from the zip files and put them in a folder with the same name as the zip file name.
- You can then add the new folders to your database
Importing images loads file paths into the MySQL database.
Scanning metadata reads tags and ratings from image files (e.g., written by Shotwell) and stores them in the database.
📌 Note: Metadata is not scanned and images are not imported during the initial library import for speed.
- Click Import Images button on a specific folder to load all image paths into the database
- Click Scan Images for Metadata button on a specific folder to extract tags/ratings from image files.
📌 Note: You have to Import Images first before the scan metadata button appears.
- File ➡️ Import and Scan to open the bulk toolbar
- Use these buttons on the current page of folders:
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Import All Folders On Current Page | Quickly imports all images for folders on the page |
| Scan All Folders On Current Page | Scans all images for metadata (Takes longer) |
| Add Cover Image On Current Page | Picks a random image as a folder cover (must import images first) |
| Get Folder Text | Populates folder description with the contents of a text file in the folders. Intended to be used with "Back Up Folder Text" |
| Back Up Folder Text | Backs up the folder description to a text file in the folders. Intended as a good secondary back up of the folder description. |
⏱️ Performance Tip:
Scanning metadata can be time-consuming on large pages. Use a folder pagination size of 40–60 for best balance.
A page size of 100 folders may take several minutes depending on number of images, image resolution, and computer specs.
- Filters ➡️ Folder Filters ➡️ Get Folders With Images Not Imported
- Filters ➡️ Folder Filters ➡️ Get Folders With Metadata Not Scanned
- Filters ➡️ Folder Filters ➡️ Get Folders Without Covers
Optionally check "Filter in Current Directory", then run the corresponding import/scan or add cover image button from the Import and Scan toolbar.
Image Perfect was designed to mirror the file system so navigation will mostly be intuitive. However, there are a lot of buttons within the app and the pagination feature adds some complexity so getting used to navigating may take a bit. Navigation is done with a combination of on folder and on image buttons as well as two, always visible, toolbars.
- Ctrl + L (Loads the saved directory)
- Ctrl + B (Goes back one directory)
- Ctrl + R (Reloads the current directory)
- Ctrl + O (Open the directory in OS file explorer)
- Ctrl + S (Saves the current directory)
- Up Arrow will scroll up
- Down Arrow Will scroll down
- Right Arrow will go to Next Page
- Left Arrow will go the Previous Page
📌 Note: This is the directory navigation toolbar. It aids in directory navigation.
📌 Note: To open a directory in app you have to click the Open button located on each folder.
📌 Note: From left to right follow the table below for the button actions.
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| First Check Box | Toggles load saved directory from cache or hard reload (checked loads from cache) |
| Reload Saved (Heart) Directory | Reloads the saved directory |
| Back Arrow | Goes back one directory |
| Reload Button | Reloads the current directory |
| Open Button | Opens the current directory in operating system file explorer |
| Save Directory (Red Heart Folder) | Saves the current directory and page number for quick navigation back to this location |
| Save Directory To List | Saves the current directory and page number to a list for quick navigation back to this location |
| List Drop Down | List of all your saved directorys for quick navigation |
| 5 Star Images | Gets all 5 star images in the current directory |
| All Images In Sub Folders | Gets all the images in the current directory |
| Last Check Box | Toggles show folders in Ascending or Descending order (checked is Ascending) |
📌 Note: This is the pagination navigation toolbar. It aids in loading the Next or Previous page of images and folders within the current directory.
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Previous Page | Loads the previous page of images or folders within the current directory |
| Next Page | Loads the next page of images or folders within the current directory |
| Go To Page | Loads the user selected page of images or folders within the current directory |
| Load Favorites | Loads your favorite folders |
On each folder there is an Open and Back button. Open opens that folder/directory. Back goes back one folder/directory.
On each image there is a Back button. Back goes back one folder/directory.
📌 Note: The Open button on each image is to open the image with an external image viewer. On Windows PC this requires you to install nomacs. On Ubuntu PC this feature will use the default eog image viewer.
📌 Note: You could also click Back Directory on the top toolbar
- File Management ➡️ Create New Folder to open the new folder toolbar
- Type the name of the desired new folder and click Create Folder button
📌 Note: You can only create new folders once you navigate into your library. You cannot create a new folder at the root location. This feature is useful if you want to move some images from one folder to a new one within the app.
- Filters ➡️ Image Filters to open the image filters toolbar
- Filters ➡️ Image Date Filters to open the image date filters toolbar
- Filters ➡️ Folder Filters to open the folder filters toolbar
- Filters ➡️ Folder Alphabetical Filters to open the folder Alphabetical filters toolbar
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Filter Images On Rating | Gets all images at the selected rating. 1-5 star ⭐ |
| Filter Folders On Rating | Gets all folders at the selected rating. 1-10 star ⭐ |
| Filter Images On Tags | Gets all the images with the selected tag. |
| Filter Folders On Tags | Gets all the folders with the selected tag. |
| Search Folder Description | Gets all folders that match the search term. This will search the Folder Name, Folder Description, and Folder Path in the database. |
| Load Current Directory | Loads the current directory. Useful if filter does not return any results. |
| Filter in Current Directory | Check the box to apply the filter only in the current directory. Unchecked will apply the filter to the entire library. |
| Get Folders With Images Not Imported | Gets all folders where images are not yet imported. |
| Get Folders With Metadata Not Scanned | Gets all folders where images are imported but metadata is not yet scanned |
| Get Folders Without Covers | Gets all folders where images are imported but covers are not yet selected. |
📌 Note: For tag filters only one tag can be selected. Start typing in the box, and a dropdown will appear with matching tags to select the desired one.
On each folder there is a Favorite button. Clicking that will add that folder to a favorite list in the database. There is also a button on the bottom toolbar called Load Favorite Folders that button will load all your favorite folders on the screen. To clear your favorites list:
- File Management ➡️ Clear Favorite Folders
📌 Note: This will just remove that list from the database but the folders will remain in the file system. Also there is no pop up confirm when you click Clear Favorite Folders so clicking accidentally will clear them.
- File Management ➡️ Manage Images to open the manage images toolbar
- Open a folder containing images
- Select the images you want moved.
- Click Move Selected button and choose the folder you want the images moved to.
- After selecting the desired folder the selected images will move automatically.
There is a Trash button on each image. Click that to delete a single image.
- Select the images you want trashed.
- Click Trash Selected to trash the selected images.
📌 Note: Trashing images and folders just moves them to a folder called "ImagePerfectTRASH". This folder will be created by the app and placed inside your root library folder.
📌 Note: There is also a Select All button that will select and deselect all the images on the page.
To get the total number of images currently imported in your library.
- Settings ➡️ Total Images
- Settings ➡️ Modify Tags
Within this toolbar you can.
- View a list of all the tags currently in use; either on images or folders
- Select a tag and remove it from all images or all folders (remove will be done across the entire database)
- Select a tag and add it to all folders in the current directory
- Settings ➡️ Settings to open the settings toolbar
| Radio Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Pick Image Width | Select the radio buttons to adjust the desired image and folder width. From 400px to 600px |
| Pick Folder Pagination Size | Select the radio buttons to adjust the number of folders that appear on each page. From 20 - 400 folders |
| Pick Image Pagination Size | Select the radio buttons the adjust the number of images that appear on each page. From 20 - 400 images |