Seize the storm

Due to popularity of Photo Ops and upcoming features, Photo Ops will no longer be freeware.   It will also have a new name when it comes out too.   This decision was made to ensure an even more quality release and enhanced customer support.   Please stay tuned for exciting news and enhancements under way!    

Description

This is a program that organizes a specified folder of pictures.   It can rename, resize, and/or watermark pictures.   No more tediousness of manually doing all these tasks – this program does it all!  

Requirements

1. Microsoft Windows 2000, XP  and now  Vista!
2. .NET 2.0 Framework – an optional component update available from Windows Update

Installation

Just download to your desktop or wherever you want it to be and that’s it.   To uninstall, simply click on it and press the delete key!  

Directions

1. Double-click on executable to run.
2. Select a source folder where all your images are located
3. Select if you want to rename your images by checking the rename check box, otherwise skip to step 8.
4. The file mask is a name you want common to all files, ie. “7-27-06-” with 2 numeric ID length would produce your files from 7-27-06-01, 7-27-06-02, etc.  
5. Define how many digits of numeric ID you want.   The program  assumes that they are currently in chronological order (if you’re using the numeric ID option).
6. Select if you want to rename the originals by checking the box
7. Select if you want to create a rename directory and a directory under the source will be created with the name “renamed”.
8. Select if you want to resize your images by checking the resize check box, otherwise skip to step 11
9. Select the mode you would like to use: percent  or bounding
10. If using percent, input the percent you want the images reduced to, ie. for 25% of original size, you would enter 25
11. If using bounding, you can choose to bound the image size to a certain width, height, or both.   Just enter how wide and/or how tall you would like it to be.
12. Select if you want to create a resize directory and a directory under the source will be created with the name “resized” with the rename effects applied (if you selected the rename mode)
13. Select if you want to watermark your images by checking the watermark check box, otherwise skip to step 17
14. Click on the Location combo box to select where the watermark will be placed
15. Click on the Select Font button to select which font you would like your watermark to be in
16. Type in the Text field the text you want the watermark to display, you may click on the Insert Copyright button to insert the copyright character
17. Enter the transparency desired in the Transparency spin control; the lower the number, the more transparent the text is
18. Select if you want to create a watermark directory and a directory under the source will be created with the name “watermarked” with the rename  and/or resize effects applied (if you selected the rename and/or resize modes)
19. Select your image quality by using the Image Quality spin control.   100% means as good of quality as I can get.
20. If desired, check the “Override resolution” box to change the dots-per-inch(DPI)
21. Review to make sure all your desired settings are correct
22. Click the Organize button and it will disable itself and change its text to “Organizing…” and will change back to Organize and enabled when it is done doing the requested tasks
23. Exit program

Common issues

1.  Will I lose my original images?   Never, if this happens, please contact me because I specifically left a “replace originals” feature out.   If you think you’ve lost it, I would do a search on your computer for those files.   You may have forgotten where your source directory was OR you might have selected the rename originals option and your originals have just been renamed.

2.  I’m getting a weird error message and I tried to fix it, but it didn’t work!   Post a reply below and explain the steps you took and if they are repeatable or not.   I’ll get back to you as soon as I can with a solution.

3.  Why is the program slow at times?   Are your images really big?   Are you Organizing lots of pictures?   Future releases will hopefully have improvements to speed but you have to realize that altering such big files is a lot of work and consider the time you’re saving by running this program instead of using Paint or another program.

4.  Will the watermark get messed up if my picture is vertical rather than horizontal?   No, bottom right means bottom right on any picture, regardless of its rotation.

5.  Why is my watermark too big  (or too small)?   Use better judgement when you select your font size.   If you have pictures of varying resolution, the watermarks might appear differently sized on each picture.

6.  I keep running out of memory when I run the program.   Download the newest version using the link below.   UPDATE:   Try looking for any other types of files in your souce folder.   I discovered that the Thumbs.db that Windows creates causes havoc with PhotoOps.   You may need to go into your Folder Options and set it so you can view hidden files, and also show system files.   Newer versions (1.3 and above) will include error handling for file types that aren’t images.   If you’re still running out of memory, then use the comment form below.

7. Error: The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000135).   You most likely do not have the .NET 2.0 Framework installed.   You can find it under the optional components on Windows Update.

8. The program isn’t “remembering” my settings.   First, try getting the latest version below.   I’ve experienced this on my computer so I’ll look into it.

9. I have this really good idea for your program!   Please leave a reply below with your suggestion – I appreciate the feedback!

Change Log

1.1 – Renamed exe, small needed improvements

1.2 – Efficiency issues fixed, memory now used sparingly

1.3 – Fixed bug if invalid file type found during execution, NEW: Bounding, Ability to override resolution(DPI), PhotoOps remembers all settings that you last used

1.3.1 – Fixed bug that did not initialize the folder select dialog to the “remembered” path

2.0 -

• Reworked core code
• Added Wizard mode
• Ability to move or copy photos from a source to a different destination
• Saved settings – different sets of settings can be loaded and saved
• Check for updates feature
• Progress now shown as photos are being organized
• Settings removed from the registry – now at User\AppData\PhotoOps
• Date can quickly be inserted into the filename mask
• Multiple-line watermarks supported – use the new line quick pick button

Future Releases

There is no release schedule as of right now, but there are the future enhancements, fixes, etc that I’m planning however I can’t disclose those important things for right now.   Obviously I’m working on 3.0 very hard and I do post monthly updates as to my status.

Download

Please make sure you have read and understood the legal stuff before downloading.   You may download  Picture  Ops  by  clicking on the link below and selecting “Save”.   Then you can select a location on your hard drive where you would like it to be located.  

Download Photo Ops  3.0    

Total Downloads (since 4/30/07): 1072

Try it for as long as you like – if it’s what you’ve been looking for,  a donation would be  greatly appreciated.        

Screenshots  

Support

Please use the comments area below for all support issues or questions.