New startsplash

[comradekingu]

This is the current situation for 1.8.1

Should be "GPS" and "XMP". Other such issues.

[mrtngrsbch]

I like how friendly the second one is. Pair it with a better more simple image. I think some structures with the text is better. Like roots from a tree or similar. Just the blue with a little avatar next to the text?

Hi @comradekingu, I just put an image of Brueguel to send a message to Harry ;-) Honestly I don't have a specific image and we can change it with each version, if we like it. It's true that a Brueguel's work is something very particular and maybe a common image would be better. Do you have any idea ? https://unsplash.com/ ?

I am also a photographer and I have many of mine at: https://martin.gersbach.net/

Regarding the text with structures... yes, it's just a first sketch to talk about. Then we can add aesthetic details.

Regarding the Icon... we haven't incorporated your suggestions above yet, I hope to do it soon. In the meantime we are playing with the ideas

best

[mrtngrsbch]

another version...

[hvdwolf]

I like the winter landscape as well.

Or? The text can be made more or less transparent. I simply copied it in.

[hvdwolf]

Ah! :) You already changed the text. My preference for "subtitle" would be "A graphical frontend for Phil Harvey's ExifTool". I looked to much at the graphics.

Note: With the new way of packaging the app with packr on macOS, you would loose the splashscreen. That is until packr fixes that bug, but it seems it is something between java and macOS that they can't influence.

[MetadataDeluxe]

I like the winter landscape version.

One possible problem with the logo - it's similar to Darktable (except for the tag) https://www.darktable.org/

[MetadataDeluxe]

I like using real metadata beneath the landscape. It would be even better if it included title, creator, subject etc. of the landscape (or whatever image is used).

I also like "A graphical frontend for Phil Harvey's ExifTool"

[mrtngrsbch]

Ah! :) You already changed the text. My preference for "subtitle" would be "A graphical frontend for Phil Harvey's ExifTool". I looked to much at the graphics.

Note: With the new way of packaging the app with packr on macOS, you would loose the splashscreen. That is until packr fixes that bug, but it seems it is something between java and macOS that they can't influence.

oh no ! bad news !!! So I'm freezing the splashscreen project and we're going to revise the logo issues until further notice.

[mrtngrsbch]

I like the winter landscape version.

One possible problem with the logo - it's similar to Darktable (except for the tag)

Yes, it is true that it is similar. This can be positive as well as negative... however, we will review this point.

[mrtngrsbch]

I like the winter landscape as well.

Or? The text can be made more or less transparent. I simply copied it in.

yes... the winter landscape is very nice and you can change the seasons of the year with the new versions. The metadata below the image are for illustrative purposes ONLY, not the real ones that I would like to put as well.

[mrtngrsbch]

I like using real metadata beneath the landscape. It would be even better if it included title, creator, subject etc. of the landscape (or whatever image is used).

I also like "A graphical frontend for Phil Harvey's ExifTool"

Yes Greg, as soon as I have the main model assembled we will proceed to improve the quality of every aspect, such as the actual metadata. OK for the description.

[mrtngrsbch]

@hvdwolf, I think a 'real' image, from a photographer, is better. Using landscapes might be a good resource. I have many landscape photos and would be happy to offer them and fill them with various metadata. https://martin.gersbach.net/work/

@MetadataDeluxe, new text included

@all, I am very sad to hear that packr does not show the splashscreen in MacOS ! Even so we can continue with the design.

[mrtngrsbch]

et voilà, here another version

[MetadataDeluxe]

That metadata list is easy to read, but I like the older version where the text fills the entire area below the landscape. Maybe the metadata should be hard to read - emphasizing that jExifToolGUI brings order to chaos.

[mrtngrsbch]

Yes, it is true what you say but this is already of the aesthetic order. Then we will have to keep looking for alternatives that transmit well the message of .

Of course, for the final version, it occurs to me that the metadata displayed should be relevant and varied (GPS, VRA, IPTC...), not a simple copy & paste.

demo:

[comradekingu]

@mrtngrsbch I like https://martin.gersbach.net/canon-del-rio-azul-16/ https://martin.gersbach.net/canon-del-rio-azul-08/ and maybe https://martin.gersbach.net/canon-del-rio-azul-14/

A graphical front-end for Phil Harvey's ExifTool

Edit, browse and write metadata. Format1 Format 2 Format3 Format 4

Copylefted libre software, licensed GPLv3+ Use, study, copy and share; with all.

Keep the space between elements. Maybe some semi-transparancy on the bottom right?

[mrtngrsbch]

[hvdwolf]

I like the last one and the few before that. My preference though is with a "lighter" image. I really like the last one but it is a bit on the dark side. One question: The version is now in the png. That requires an update of the png for every release (and yes, I know there was a lot of time between 1.8.1 and 1.9.0).

@ALL, I am very sad to hear that packr does not show the splashscreen in MacOS ! Even so we can continue with the design.

packr has one other drawback. It only allows for full bundles with java included. In practice I do not really care. Nowadays systems have so much diskspace that an extra 100Mb for java, is no comparisaon to gigabytes or even terabytes of photographic data. AdoptOpenJDK (Temurin versions) version 14+ and up now comes with the revived/recreated jpackage from the old Sun java V7 version. I will also take a look at that, but did not do that yet. The only issue with jpackage is that I need to create the package really on MacOS, while my "own method" and packr are cross-platform. You can do that on any OS, which means in my case from Linux. And I do not know what jpackage will do with the splashscreen as the packr guys claim this to be an issue between java and macOS. Java V11 is/was the LTS version and is still long supported. java V16 has just been appointed as the new LTS version.

[mrtngrsbch]

I have no problem to make changes to each version, leave several versions ready and also send you the full PSD to GitHub or send it to you.

Currently it is PNG because I have only sent silly screenshots until I have a final version.

packr vs. jpackage = packr I see that the limitation of jpackage is much more serious !

Personally I have little interest in splashscreens, but in this case I am attached to it ;-)

We still need to:

• Work on the ICON and review the previous comments
• Improve the metadata layer
• Last final revisions

[hvdwolf]

jpackage also only builds a full package. And jpackage doesn't show the splash screen either. So this splash screen issue has indeed nothing to do with packr. And if you use the jar, you can still see the splash screen :wink:

I work with gimp in xcf, but a PSD is fine as well. The final splash screen has to be a png anyway as java can't handle .psd and .xcf

[mrtngrsbch]

Hi guys, @comradekingu @MetadataDeluxe @hvdwolf

We have new isotype & splash screen updates. A little bit of work and we are getting closer to a final version.

note: we consider that it would be interesting to use images with public license and of the same theme common to all photographers. In this case we chose animals ;-)

Enjoy

[mrtngrsbch]

@hvdwolf, Please tell me where to upload the set of images (PSD & PNG) for a first public beta version (v5)

[comradekingu]

Huge improvement overall. For the text, I think the explanation-text can be shortened to: "Read, write, and edit metainfo for many files, in a lot of formats: This way there is no self-referencing right below the title of the program.

I like "Copylefted libre software" so not as to confuse it with gratis/freeware. It being offered at no cost is a separate point from freedom.

And then change to em dash, and "Use, study, copy and share — with all" in italics

[mrtngrsbch]

@all, I think it would be interesting to change the image of the splash screen photo to each version, but not to each minor version.

• 1.9.x = frog
• 1.10.x = owl
• etc. In this way we can prepare the images of @3 later versions while we think about the future ones

[mrtngrsbch]

well... I expect this version is a good candidate to be considered as 1st release.

icon/isotype

splash

[comradekingu]

I like how it is eying the logo, ready to snap it up.

[mrtngrsbch]

Thanks a lot for your comment, we have put a lot of love in this work. ;-)

We have used the color pentaprism as a wheel, like many photo apps (Mac & Google photo, etc). It is more evolved than the Darktable isotype (which is very basic and found in many image libraries), but still retains a similarity that makes it belong to the same family of apps. We have tested it in the Mac OS menu and it looks great; it stands out from the rest of the apps. We have also tested the black and white variant.

[MetadataDeluxe]

I like this new icon and the splash screen design very much.

[hvdwolf]

Hi really like the image as well. Can you make a version 2.0.0? That will be the new version. I made this version jump because of the new grid layout. I shortly want to release the new version. It is not bullet proof yet, but I am currently in a world-wide mega project taking a few more months and my work times are currently sky high, incl. 30% of the weekends. There are enough changes for a new release. The rest has to wait.

[mrtngrsbch]

Hi, Well... here is a new version ( jExifToolGUI 2.0 Frog ;-) with small corrections (metadata layer, iso, title placement...) Tell me how you prefer me to send you the files. I do directly a commit ?

Also we are working with the icons in different sizes (16, 32, 48, 256...)

Once we validate this "frog" version we can keep the image and just create clones with the sub-versions or also change the pictures > it is very easy (e.g. sub-versions 2 can be just frogs).

We must also add 2 credits: 1- iso/splash design (Sebastian Gersbach) 2- image (https://unsplash.com/s/photos/frog & others)

[hvdwolf]

I compiled a new 2.0.0-beta version using the frame icon and the splash screen and including the credits (Help -> Credits) Note that due to Apples strange behavior when it comes to java bundles, the splashscreen doesn't show on MacOS. If you run the jar (java -jar jExifToolGUI.jar) you will see the splash screen. Note that program and frame icons need to be square. The current logo is 256x233. If this becomes 256x256 I can also create necessary icons and macOS iconpack myself.I could resize it an build it myself, but I leave that for now to the original artist. So no new program icons yet.

I like it very much.

At mega.nz: https://mega.nz/folder/NRsSjbxD#Lfe_9HcM1TqCTcfb1APj4w

[mrtngrsbch]

cool... nice spash screen ;-) and we are at version 2.0 = Congrats !

Logo > this weekend we check this sizing problem and return one OK

ps: I have discovered a small problem that I think was present in the previous version: when opening JTG the bottom menu does not appear complete.

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/693328/150591463-929c8552-828a-4d58-aeb8-82f7e5e6cd5f.mp4

[hvdwolf]

Yes, I see what you mean. The application remembers its last size and and where the left/right separation bar is upon app closure. If a new version comes with a slightly different "basic" screen size, or even the slighthest change in font size, you get this akward behaviour. And with the adaptations I do in the gui, I might indeed have dragged the window edge by accident. Even if it is only 5 pixels. Now if you drag that bottom edge again so that you can see it, it should display correctly on next starts. I will give this bottom notification bar a fixed minimum size.

[hvdwolf]

Created a beta2.

• Resized the canvas in the logo to 256x256
• Created an ico for windows
• Created an iconpack for macOS
• fixed issue 219 (vrae.config reverse check)

link: https://mega.nz/folder/EIli3IjC#1FPJ4_CL7xl5dkluWOqBpQ

[mrtngrsbch]

My JTG icon in MacOS ❤️

[mrtngrsbch]

Hi @hvdwolf

Here is the latest version of the Icons (16, 32, 48, 256 px) with the corrected dimensions

_icon (resources).zip

I have the AI and PSD versions if you want to save it somewhere.

[hvdwolf]

Thanks. I applied them to the repository. For the time being this I do not need the AI and PSD versions. They look nice and there is nothing I want to change.