Availability
The version is already available for download on Windows, Linux and macOS. If automatic updates are enabled, the update will be installed automatically on Windows and macOS.
Storing person data in file metadata
By popular demand, we have added the ability to save information about tagged persons in the metadata of photos, not just in tonfotos.ini files. This will allow you to save your work on tagging photos for a long time, and use this information not only within Tonfotos, but also in other catalogers many years later.
Also, if you share your photos with friends and family, and the metadata already includes all the names of people, you will be thanked.
There are two ways to save such information in the current version.
Export photo with metadata
Now, when you export photos to JPEG format and check the “save metadata” box, not only will the existing metadata be saved, but information about all tagged persons will also be added.
Constant synchronization of data with the archive
Now in the folder settings in the “Libarry locations…” dialog you can enable the mode of constant synchronization of data about persons with file metadata, it will occur simultaneously with scanning your archive for changes. However, please be careful with this option and consider the following factors:
- Saving metadata changes the file, duplicates will no longer be considered duplicates. Therefore, it is not recommended to use this function before you have tidied up the archive and gotten rid of duplicates. After enabling, the task of fighting duplicates will become an order of magnitude more difficult and will require separate specialized programs that search not only for exact copies, but also for similar files.
- Writing data to metadata takes time. Writing all metadata to all files can take a very long time, and scanning other folders will not continue until this operation is completed.
- If you work with an archive from several computers, then after writing metadata to a file, another computer will consider the file changed and will process it completely from scratch, including searching and recognizing faces on it. This will also take time.
- Currently, saving to metadata is supported only for JPEG and HEIC file formats.
- Renaming people does not overwrite all previously recorded metadata that included that person. It is only overwritten when the list of confirmed people in a photo changes. So you may end up with slightly different names for the same person in your archive if you rename them as you go.
- Only confirmed persons are registered
Given the above, the best strategy is not to enable this function while the work of tidying up the archive is still ongoing. Only when you have deleted all duplicates, marked the vast majority of persons, and decided on a strategy for naming them in the archive, will it make sense to enable this option. And at the same time, you need to be prepared to wait a long time until the program updates all the files in your archive, and the remaining copies of the program detect these changes and update their databases.
