For my parent's generation, photo management was simple. Once you developed your 24 or 36 exposures, you got back paper photos you could place in an album, or more commonly, leave them in the envelope they came home in. Passing them down to the next generation often meant moving a box from one place to another.
Today, we find ourselves two generation into an experiment with digital photography were our photo flow from place to place more freely than ever before, and yet the process of passing them down to our children is filled with questions. How do we know today or tomorrow that the images we have taken will be in some consumable form 20 to 100 years from now? What are the rules for photo organization and will the choices we make with our data today impact our ancestor's ability peer into the most important moments of our lives? These are questions I asked myself 25 years ago when I went through my own father's box, and this got me thinking about how to leave generations of digital photos to my daughters.
Our photos are now data, and managing data is challenging. There is a clear inclination for most of us to let others manage this task for us. Storing photos in iCloud or other services is incredibly convenient for the moment but they leave questions about data longevity. In the short lifespan of cloud storage, many small and large service providers have frequently altered their terms of service, made dubious claims about 'lifetime storage', or have outright shut their services down. All of this has added friction to the notion of digital descendancy for our most important data. In my own life, I use multiple cloud services to share and access my photos from a variety of devices and yet all of this usage is purely disposable as far as I am concerned. If I ever get locked out of my Apple ID, or accidentally deleted the wrong folder on Dropbox, it's no skin off my nose. These services can fade away and it won't effect my ability to pass down generations of photos to my girls because I maintain a Master Folder of all of my photos in a single directory that is then backed up to many other places that I control. This notion of a Master Folder is a nod to the idea that my own personal data means more to my family than it ever could to a 'pay-per-bit' cloud provider.
At this point in my life, I have about 47,000 images in my photo library. They are filled with happy memories of the children we've raised, places I've been, and events that helped define my life. For years, I've been meticulous about keeping this library organized in a logical tree structure that would help me find whatever photos I was seeking quickly, as well as planning for the future. Having this structure based on time makes it immediately recognizable to...
]]>A lot has happened in the world since our last post, and I hope that you and your family are happy, healthy and safe during this unprecedented time in our lives. Recently, we released updated versions of all of our current products and I wanted to give you a brief rundown of what has changed.
iOS Apps For our iOS apps (QromaScan, QromaTag & QromaFlip) we did a lot of work under the hood to fix bugs and lay the foundation for the upcoming release of iOS 14. Our biggest new feature is something you will find in the Cloud Sync settings of each app called “Photos Push”. We have had iCloud and DropBox support since the early days of each product, but Photos Push now gives you the option to move all your scanned and tagged photos from our apps directly to your Photos Library, where they can be viewed on all your devices if you have iCloud Photos turned on. This is great for when you have all your metadata edits complete, and you want to move these images into your larger photo library. Once there, you can take advantage of the amazing image editing features available in the Photos app which are are much better than our own humble image editing tools. All the tags created in our apps will move over with the files, so you will be able to find your photos very quickly. One thing I should mention is that the Photos app does not have an interface to view the second page of MultiPage TIFFs, but the second page is definitely still there and can be seen on any app that can page through these types of TIFF files, including Preview on the Mac and numerous apps on Windows. QromaScan v2, QromaTag v3 and QromaFlip v2 are currently available for download or update from the iOS App Store.
Mac Apps Our biggest changes are on the macOS side, with QromaTag v2. Our key new feature is Metadata Detectors, which gives you a visual representation of the existing metadata for the photos in your working folder. Color coded boxes show you if the image has important metadata such as the date, location, keywords or a description. You can roll over these boxes with your mouse to see which tags are in these fields, and then use special filters to see only photos that are missing a particular tag, such as the date. This is great for quickly filling in metadata gaps you might have in your photos. We also now have GEDCOM import, which lets you bring in your family tree which you can then use for quick entry keyword tagging or with Natural Language Tagging. There are four other workflow improvement features we’ve added to help you tag smarter and faster. You can learn more about all six on our QromaTag product page, or by viewing an in depth new features tutorial. If you are also using QromaFlip, all of these new features...
]]>If the photos you grew up with have valuable family history written on the back of them, I’m thrilled to tell you about an easy new way to both preserve & ready them for modern use.
The TIFF format has long been used by preservationists to maintain high image quality, but there’s also has a little known feature that also allows it to store multiple pages, and this is perfect for keeping the front and back of important photos together. Available today for both Mac and iOS, QromaFlip makes it easy to capture or combine the front & back of print photos and transform them into MultiPage TIFF files, where they can be enjoyed for generations. QromaFlip also includes our Natural Language Tagging metadata engine that takes all the hard work out of tagging images so they can be easily found by modern operating systems and web services. Now, wherever this perfectly tagged image goes, the back stays with it.
I invite you to learn more about the Mac and iOS versions by going to their respective product pages. Until September 31st, QromaFlip for iOS will be on sale for $4.99 from the App Store (50% off) and QromaFlip for macOS will be on sale for $9.99 (66% off) when you use the coupon code LaunchSale at checkout.
]]>I’m happy to announce the immediate availability of QromaScan v3 Complete Training. Over the past 3 years, we’ve added lots of new features and enhancements to the product, and with it came dozens of short tutorial videos that now seem a bit out of date. This new 56 minute Complete Training video was produced from the ground up with v3 and provides what I think is the best way to get the most out of our new features, including Natural Language Tagging.
]]>We've been working on something new since we released Natural Language Tagging for QromaScan v3 last November. Today, I am happy to announce the immediate availability of QromaTag for macOS.
QromaTag is a new kind of product that takes a story centric approach to adding metadata to images that I think is quite an improvement over the traditional field by field typing method. It incorporates our new Natural Language Tagging technology, where a description (with optional voice recognition) comes first and from it the app automatically creates metadata for key facts, such as when the photos was taken, where it was taken, and who is in it. The app also uses our Relationship Manager feature, where you can use natural nouns like ‘mom’, ‘dad’, or ‘grandparents’ in your description and QromaTag embeds the full name of those people in the metadata. You can see more information about QromaTag here: plugin:youtube
Also, if you happen to be in the Los Angeles area and are attending the 2018 Genealogy Jamboree, we will be demonstrating the product at our booth, which will be #105 in the Exhibit Hall.
]]>I’m very excited to announce the availability of QromaScan 3; our biggest improvement in the 2 year history of the product. Since our first release, our voice recognition system for creating photo metadata has been based on a very specific structure. Tagging a photo with the three most important pieces of information (the date, location and people) involved using two different voice recognition systems in two separate steps. It was cutting edge for its day, but that day is over.
Version 3 introduces a new technology called Natural Language Tagging and makes it significantly easier to tag images and put more of your story into every photo you scan. Whether you’ve been with QromaScan since our Kickstarter days or are a recent user, this change requires a bit of unlearning, so I hope you review this information carefully and use some of the resources we have developed to get you up to speed.
Natural Language Tagging means that you can now use our voice recognition system to describe your photo your own way. QromaScan then uses machine learning and something called linguistic parsing to detect important things like when the photo was taken, where it was taken, and who is in it. We automatically create the metadata for you in one step and then store your description in it’s own metadata caption, very much like the notes we are used to seeing on the back of our prints. We have a new setting called the Relationship Manager which allows you to use natural language words like ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ during your description of people in the photo, and we’ll then automatically embed the full name as a keyword. It’s a better and easier way to transfer the maximum amount of family history into your digital images, and the results will last for generations.
We have created some resources to help you make the transition to version 3:
What’s New in QromaScan v3 — This is the most important video resource, and will get you up to speed in 7 minutes. Using the Relationship Manager — This video explains how to use this new feature to tag people in your photos using natural relationship nouns. Using the New v3 Interface — We have streamlined the Scan & Import screens to take advantage of Natural Language Tagging, and this video covers everything that is new. User Guide (v3) — We significantly updated the user guide and made it more desktop computer and tablet friendly. Updated Getting Started page — If it’s been a while since you have used the product, this is a great place to get up to speed and find out about advanced features. I hope you enjoy using QromaScan 3, and if you run into any problems or want to send us feedback on this release, please open a support ticket and we will get back to you quickly.
Happy scanning!
]]>I'm very happy to announce that our newest iOS app, QromaTag, has won 2nd place in the third annual Innovator Showdown at RootsTech 2017.
QromaTag: A New Way to Tag Photos.
Tagging is an part of photo management that makes images searchable across all computers and devices. It allows you to quickly find that one photo out of thousands that you might have, but the process can be technically challenging and time consuming. QromaTag is a new way to tag photos with your iPhone to help you create industry standard photo metadata for your most important photos. Rather than typing tags field by field the old way, QromaTag uses an innovative voice recognition system to generate tags using your voice descriptions and people names.
RootsTech Innovator Showdown
QromaTag was among 40 entries to this years Innovator Showdown, and there were lots of great new products vying for veer $100,000 in cash and other prizes. After our initial entry, the judges whittled down the pool to 10 semi-finalists and we were invited to present their solutions in a two minute presentation to a panel of judges in Salt Lake City in the days leading up to RootsTech 2017. I was thrilled that QromaTag was selected in this group, and I started practicing my sales pitch. At the semi-finals, QromaTag was again selected by the judges to go on to the finals, which consisted of 5 products.
Finals!
The RootsTech Innovator Showdown Final was an event that had broadcast quality production value, complete with a precessional presenter, an in studio audience of 5,000 people and another 12,000 attending online. By this time, the cold Utah climate had taken its toll on my voice, but I was able to croak out my revised presentation. After the dust settled, QromaTag placed 2nd in the field of five, and I was humbled by our recognition.
Overall, the process was rewarding and fulfilling, and I found it very interesting to see all the other entries, and watch for their progress in family history technology.
]]>If you are planning attend the RootsTech Conference in Salt Lake City this week, and want to invite you to stop by our booth in Innovation Alley and see the two new innovations we will be demonstrating.
QromaTag
We are happy to announce that our newest iOS app, QromaTag, has been selected as a semi-finalist in the RootsTech 2017 Innovator Showdown. It's based on some of the powerful metadata creation technology we have been improving in QromaScan, and it can help you quickly put your story into any photo forever. As part of the submission process, we created a 90 second video to highlight why we think this technology is so important to family history. Here it is:
QromaScan SlideBox
One of the most frequent questions I've received over that past year about QromaScan has been if it could scan slides and negatives. My answer has always been 'no', because that type of scanning requires a completely different scanning approach. Over the past few months, we have been working on a new product that integrates our metadata creation engine with a new type of scanner that can scan both slides and negatives. The result is the QromaScan SlideBox. Here it is:
The new SlideBox works seamlessly with the just released version 2.1 version of QromaScan, which can automatically detect if you are using the LightBox or this new slide scanner. The SlideBox contains 3 color neutral LED lights that can be powered with the QromaScan USB adapter. Scanning slides is very fast, and we have integrated all of QromaScan's powerful metadata creation features into this new scanning mode.
Perhaps the most interesting new fact about SlideBox is that it is made in California! We partnered with the same San Jose-based acrylic fabrication facility that we use for StayFlat and each SlideBox is made from American sourced acrylic and assembled by hand in San Jose. We have a very limited number for sale at RootsTech, and we will make a broader announcement when they are available for general sale later this month.
See Us in Innovation Alley**
If you trekked out to the nosebleed section of the exhibit hall last year to see us, I have some better news this year. We are in the Innovation Alley section this year, near the main entrances and if you have a moment, please stop by and say hi.
]]>Wherever you are in the world, if you happen to be celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow on behalf of myself and my small team, I'd like to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving. It's a wonderful time to get together with family, share stories, and be thankful for the good things in our lives. If you also happen to be scanning a photo or two over the holidays, I am happy to let you know that we have just released version 2.0 of the QromaScan iOS application, which contains three new features that I think will make your task even easier.
First, our key feature is the new Voice Control Indicator, and it should significantly improve your use of the offline voice recognition engine that is responsible for tagging People names and handling commands. This new visual indicator lets you know when the offline recognition system is detecting silence and when it is trying to recognize speech. The idea behind this is simple; it is green when it is detecting silence and this is the best time to start saying a name or command. If you are not saying a name or command, and the indicator is amber in color, there is a chance that some background noise will interfere with voice recognition. I think this will significantly reduce cases where background noise prevents us from doing our best recognition.
Our second big new feature is an improvement on the Scan Templates feature we introduced in our last release. As you recall, Scan Templates are new pre-programmed crop sizes that help make image cropping faster and much more accurate. With the last release, tapping in the Templates panel would cycle through popular print sizes, and a left or right swipe in this box would also grow or shrink the crop box by 5%. New in version 2.0 is a way to fine tune this even further with just a few finger swipes. Now you can grow or shrink the crop box’s height or width independently by 3% by swiping up, down, left or right inside the Capture Zone. You can quickly support any size image and get a perfect crop with just a few swipes.
Finally, if you have ever been in the scan screen and wondered if you had added a particular person’s name to the vocabulary, there is now a simple way to find out without having to leave that screen. If you tap and hold down on the new Voice Control Indicator, you will get an list of all your People names in alphabetical order.
We have but together a short 4 minute update video that walks through these new features: http://bit.ly/2gCejvn
This 4 minute video covers all the new changes in version 2.0
Documentation and Video Tutorials
We have updated the Quick Reference Guide and the User Guide to reflect the new features in version 2.0. You can access them in a number of ways. First, you can go into the Settings panel of the...
]]>I wanted to drop you a really quick note to let you know that over the past few months, we have been researching alternatives to powering the QromaScan Lightbox from a source other than a 9 volt battery.
I am happy to announce that we have completed testing a new type of cable that allows you to power your Lightbox from almost any USB power source, including your iPhone or iPad adapter, a portable USB power bank, or even from a USB port from your computer.
I've put together a quick 2 minute video demonstrating the new device. These special cables are a bit hard to find, but we have secured a supply of them at the Qroma store (http://qroma.net/store.html) . They are available for $16 with free worldwide shipping.
if you have any questions, please stop by our support site (http://qroma.net/support/) and we will get back to you as quickly as we can.
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