How to organize Videos, Mags and Image Galleries

[petetherock]

Like all guys here i have to think about how organise and access in an easy way to all the sets and the pics i have...

On Mac Os i use a very friendly freeware named Graphic Converter. You can see all the directorys, switch to the one you want, see the pic you want (in a thumbnail format), click on it and open it in the software you want (very usefull to correct lots of pics), add directory in the first directory etc.... Very nice.

On XP, i've tried Picture Viewer but the pics does'nt appears well and i can't see (in a thumbnail mode) all the content of the directory. Not friendly at all. ... And as i have to switch from a computer to another, i'm sometimes very slow to answer to somes topics.
So for the good of all here in the forum... Could you give me the name of a freeware like this on XP ?
Thx in advance

[mcharpentier]

Have you tried Picasa ( dowloadable on the google site )?

[petetherock]

Thanks for your advice but aftre a try Picasa does'nt see my external fire wire drive.
another idea someone ?

[erwin]

I dunno I never tried it myself but if you show the folders as pictograms then you see the pics in them right?

[asdd]

free: xnview, irfanviewer
non free : compupic (I 've used), acdsee

[petetherock]

Well.. thx for your help guys but i dont think you understand what i call friendly. Surely my fault.
So i want focus on a very usefull function on Graphic Converter (unhapilly on Mac OS only).
On the print screen, you can see i have a first directory (let's say a folder) on the left. When i right click on one sub-folder of this first folder i got the sub folder as you can see on the near top right (named ...2F+ 3H).
If i right click on another folder of the first folder i can open a second folder (named ...2F+ 2H). Note that the first sub folder was not closed.
And, in cascade, if right click of any of the folder of the second sub folder i can open the pix and move it from a folder to another one by a simple drag (for example i can drag the pix on the low left of the screen to the folder on the low right of the screen)
That's very usefull and i'm looking for a freeware like this on XP (don't care about convertion features or slideshows or... anything).
Well, it seems very basic for me but may be i'm wrong cause of my Mac background ?

[ziemlichgut]

hi pete!
hope it's not too late for my answer. as my collection si growing more and more, i get the same problem as you. i searched for a godd database/viewing-software and found iview multimedia pro.
http://www.iview-multimedia.com/
it's great – you can manage your folders and files all within a so called catalogue, or for beginners, perhaps first in several catalougues. you can even work on the single files – color corrections, cropping, contrast.corrections, etc etc.
unfortunately it's not for free: about 180 euros. but you can download and use a demoversion for 14days.
i use this app on mac osx, also know the graphic converter on mac. but i think iview is more comfortable to use. and its's fast, you can also convert big amounts of pics in an automatic modus, kinda similar to graphic converter.
at first i didn't understand how to manage more than one folder within one "catalogue", but reading some tipps in the developers website i understood it soon.
hope, you can use it.
best regards,
frank

[FlamerXXX]

Smartpix manager or ACDSEE is really good programs to organize collections.

[petetherock]

:(
Nothing work as easily than Graphic Converter. I'm very disapointed by the softwares on XP.

[Filou]

Tried Xnview? http://www.xnview.com/

[Pnin]

This is half-question, half-survey, I suppose. I have all these DVDs, most of them are divx files of entire films, though some are clips. Although I almost always burn similar themes to the same disc, after a while it becomes more difficult to track down something specific (to upload to VEF, for instance). I guess the perfect catalog would allow for tagging for stars, studio, year, etc.

Any schemes out there? How do you keep track.

[AEKara]

Why not just list them in Excel? You could use a fresh tab for each DVD and even add info, screenshots etc. Then when you are looking for a particular scene hit Ctrl+F, change options to workbook and find what you want.

AEKara ;)

[Paraque123]

For pictures I have no method.
For videos I use Antmovie Catalogue (AMC):
PROS:
* Its's free.
* It's multilanguage.
* Can import some information directly form the video file (length, codecs, bitrate,etc).
* Can import from internet (usings scripts) information like the cast, director and in some cases the cover of the films (the results depends on the site consulted: ie: iafd, excaliburfilm, etc.).
* You can do your own scripts (if you have enought knowledge, that is not the case of most use, including me).
* Can import the label or code given to each DVD by the burning program. So you must put the same code on the surface of DVD to correctly identify them. Eg: If you burn a disc as "XDF27" you should put at least this reference in the surface with other notes you want it "Ex: XDF27: classic loops)
CONS.
* Not all the films information is available on internet, but can be introduced manually.

Additionally, in order to have a quick glance of the film without open the videofile, I have screencaptures of them(made with mediaplayer classic, imagegrabber or anything other program).


For short clips, I gather similar ones and I put them on a DVD.
In the field corresponding to the name of the film I put a brief generic name (ex: Short Clips ### , where ### corresponds to a number) and in the field corresponding to observations I put a short description of each file (name, length, dimensions, codecs) made with mediainfo.

[grbyslzr]

I had the same problem, but discover Movie collector of Collectoz.com, it can be very useful ,and the trial version is enough,at least for me .:)

[AYHJA]

I am probably the most ridiculous collector you'll ever find...I even try to pass my methods on to the members here... :)

First off, there is no substitute for proper names...If I see a clip I like and want to keep, if it isn't named properly, I don't keep it...Simple...If there is a post full of great, but unnamed clips or images..? I keep going...To me, there is no greater hassle than trying to find a particular clip only to realize that you can't remember what you named it...

"Seka - Cocksucking" won't quite cut it with me..."Seka - F (Sc 2)" is more like it...

Secondly, you need a proper filing system...For me, there is a top level folder, content folders, and then the content...For example:

Seka
- 1981-04 [Cinema X]
- seka.com
- Swedish Erotica #242
- VEF
p48 [Gfox]
p121 [AYHJA]
- Video Clips
Seka - SE242 - Afternoon Snacks.avi
Seka - SE242 - Afternoon Snacks.jpg

This is an example of how I stack my folders...The girls name is always the top Level...The second level is usually the name of the content inside, or the place where I got it...If I am following a thread, I could probably replicate it post by post if need be...I HAVE to be able to source my content or its lost anyway...If you've ever downloaded a post of mine, you'll notice that I go through the trouble of keeping my system in tact for everyone...

When its time to archive, I move my content to an external as is, or most of the time, I use a program called 'Directory Lister' which produces lists like these:

http://ts1.tehserver.net/TexasToast_D12.html

I use HTML because its small, and easily searchable...I store all of my lists in a folder, indexed it, and now clips and content are a click away...I usually store my DVD's in chronological order in spindles, so the older the content, the further away on the shelf it is...

A proper file system is a MUST for me, and it should be fore you too... :)

[Jism Jim]

I use Visual CD (http://www.boozet.org/visualcd.htm)

For me it's very useful. It can index discs, but folders too, create lists, export create tags for filenames and a lot of other fancy stuff. It can also search in MP3 tags and in ZIP/RAR/7zip content.

[Sid ney]

My filing system. Top level (name) directory contains a thumbnail face picture for quick ID.

http://img239.imagevenue.com/loc405/th_01199_filing_123_405lo.jpg (http://img239.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=01199_filing_123_405lo.jpg)

So in acdsee, a folder view would look like this. The [r] prefix added since joining VEF!

http://img28.imagevenue.com/loc674/th_01530_acdSee_folderview_123_674lo.jpg (http://img28.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=01530_acdSee_folderview_123_674lo.jp g)

I Don't use that programs' database functions.

[LostKevlar]

First, AYHJA and Sid ney, lol! You are indeed dedicated collectors!

Vintago porn is meant to be seen on a large screen. I've started making the switch from the computer to the TV. I retasked an older PC with the free MythTV Linux distro (www.mythtv.org) and hooked it up the the TV in the den. I do my downloading and sorting on the PC but most of my viewing is done using MythTV.

I sort by top level category (Retro, Retro Orgy, Swedish, etc.) and that's about it.

[dertyx]

As far as I'm concerned, there is no perfect classification scheme.
They all have their good and bad points.
The main thing I would suggest for anyone who becomes a
collector/librarian of their PC's data is to continually review and collate and Index the material as a whole. Never stop reviewing and collating and Indexing. After a while, you will find that your file system becomes very unique and eclectic and will only really make sense to you and nobody else. Sometimes you will prefer timestamp naming, for other things verbose naming will be what you want, and other times youll prefer code naming structure. Folder Levels and Importance Levels are your concern and nobody elses.
Create a "Cloud" of text strings (text files without an extension), name these text files with all the tags you need to identify your object folder, create a sub folder in your object folder and name it TAGS. place all your text strings in there.
Download a Desktop Search tool and allow it to index everything on your hard drive.
My favourite is Locate32.
I've got so much stuff in my computer yet I always find what I want, everytime !!

One Last Tip:
Learn how to make/script a Basic HTML page with hyperlinks.
It's not hard, and you won't regret it, trust me.

[jamesblond]

ThumbsPlus http://www.cerious.com/

ThumbsPlus is a highly customizable image database with thumbnails and batch editing. It makes it easy to catalog, organize, locate and maintain all of your graphics, multimedia and font files. It runs on Windows 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista.

[zuckerman]

Try ThumbsPlus from Cerious Software. Keep your eyes open for occasional discounts.

Has a nice feature where you can build your own themed galleries, plus lots of professional tricks like MS db compatibility.

Great for batch renaming, tagging and searching. You can also do batch editing, like change a colour cast on a whole directory. Also batch file conversion.

Seems OK on databases of up to 200,000 pics.

Been using this since version 3; now on version 7.

[egg]

Can any one suggest some video cataloging software preferably freeware that I can use to list all the video files stored on a hard drive with the file details (name. location. size. file type e.g avi mpeg divx ) and be able to print out the results .
Tried doing a search on google but only found DVD cataloging programes

[Moviefan]

If you are not a specialist than you can try it with a regular MS Excel worksheet
If you have more skills you should try it with a MS Acces db.

or you can search on the net for some thing more soutable.

I'll be happy to make you a few suggestions, just send me a message.

[i4004]

if quality of video(bitrates, codecs etc.) is not most important, here's what i use

http://www.leeos.com/cdrom_list_creator.html

will work for hdds too, no worries.

i use it to make one big txt file and then use <ctrl-f> to find what i'm looking for...

[illuminated]

There's many ways doing this, and you dont need to download anything, i'll give you two examples that you could use.

#1
Go to your folder where you have all the files.
For example: C:\disney\cartoons\

Copy the link into your browser for example Mozilla Firefox
It will look simular to this:

http://img188.imagevenue.com/loc55/th_56373_example_122_55lo.jpg (http://img188.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=56373_example_122_55lo.jpg)

It might look different with other browsers, i have not checked.

Copy it and save it to a notepad file or whatever you like.

#2
Go to start and type cmd in the searchbar
Enter cd\disney\cartoons

>dir /on /b /s >list.txt

This will create a list of the files in the folder cartoons "list.txt"

Give it a try,
illuminated

[egg]

thanks for your suggestions but I tried another search on google this time for media catalog software and found a program called Media Catalog Studio Lite 5.9 .
I now just need to retrieve the files off my hard drives from my pc that died and sort it, then I hope to be able post my vintage files here

[lds17pl]

Sorry to say but until now there is no really satisfying data bank software for such purposes. Reason was/is web site/web software developers had/have no hunch about data processing by the help of data banks. Unfortunately professional data bank developers don't pay attention to web, too. The first commercial data bank for micro computers (PC) - a simple SQL data bank sold by Oracle - was a quick & dirty development. (Some of you will remember QDOS :D )

Since this time all (free or commercial) data banks used at micro computer systems are SQL kind based (e.g. MySQL. MS Access) at both online & inhouse purposes. At web usual used software for websites, blogs, forums (including vBulletin) are WAMP or LAMP servers (Windows/Linux, Apache server, MySQL, PHP) with all big lacks SQL based systems have (e.g. at search). :mad:

btw: original SQL means Standard Query Language and not the simple data bank model

[Moviefan]

I'm impressed, I'll need a day or two be sure that i understand what you are trying to say.

[DubSalute]

Data Crow is a pretty extended freeware cataloging tool: http://www.datacrow.net/

You can also catalog Films/Videos with it.

http://img187.imagevenue.com/loc378/th_08391_window_122_378lo.jpg (http://img187.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=08391_window_122_378lo.jpg)

One requirement to keep in mind is that you need have Java installed: http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp

[lds17pl]

btw: It was a strange surprise Sun Microsystems bought MySQL because this purchase doesn't make sense - this product doesn't fit to Sun's business. After Oracle bought Sun intention of this deal was clear: to get control about usual used SQL data banks without having troubles with US antitrust office. What a surprise Sun's CEO got a big indemnification :D

[hartwig]

This one works perfectly for me!

http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/

Cheers,
hartwig

[Blue126]

Nice find hartwig!

Excellent program and for free too. Works great with Windows 7, even though it does not mention that on the site. Thanks hartwig

[jamesblond]

I have ThumbsPlus databases with over 1.5 million pictures or videos. ThumbsPlus databases can also operate on a mySQL server.
ThumbsPlus with SQL-scripts (http://www.thumbsplus.de/index.php?cat_id=2&page_id=0&subpage_id=3&PHPSESSID=ba853e9f38a20bb1abf5d02d2c8e47f0)

[Janson]

This one works perfectly for me!

http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/

Cheers,
hartwig

The problem I've found with this is that there doesn't seem to be a way to find your own imdb page to import from and the program won't find adult titles because you have to be signed in. The import from adultDVDempire is extremely limited for classic films.

I've had a good look around and can't find away round this ... but I might be missing something?

EDIT: ok, I've found the configure imdb imports section and put in my ID and password but it's still not finding any adult titles - Paprika for instance shows loads of options including the 1991 Tinto Brass but not Joe D'Amato's 1995.

[egg]

Janson if you go to the videodb forum you will find a script made by one off its members for the Internet Adult Film Database IAFD, its a bit basic only retrieving actors/actresses and directors names and year of production.
It will also put a link to the IAFD page and you can use this to retrieve the rest off the missing details like description and DVD cover by following the links on that page to the reviews and vendors, it just means you having to copy and past the extra details into the videodb

[DTravel]

Collectorz might have something suitable. http://www.collectorz.com/ I use their Movie and Book Collectorz programs, their Comic Collectorz might work for you.

[befuddled]

I was wondering the same thing. I came across collectorz as DTravel above mentions. It looks good and price is reasonable. I also found Catalog Organizer Deluxe. You can find it here: http://www.primasoft.com/deluxeprg/catalog_organizer_deluxe.htm It touts itself as simple and easy to use, which would be great for a novice, but it costs twice as much as Collectorz.

I also found Reader Ware, which is a plain jane site, but purports to be able to do what you want, and it's about the same price as Collectorz.

Between the three, I hope you find what you're looking for. If I find something I think is outstanding, I'll post again.

[chip]

After finding this thread earlier tonight I downloaded http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/.
After monkeying with it for a bit I can honestly say that I like it very much.

So far all I have done is import filmographies of my favorite starlets from the IAFD (a continual work in progress). I managed to find a way to do this by creating CSV's for each performer and importing them. With the IAFD plugins not only do you get a movie data plugin but a performer plugin. Then the program automatically cross-references the cast lists just like the IAFD. Couple glitches here and there but nothing that makes me not want to use it.

Click on a performers name and their index comes up. Import their page and all of their bio comes up but only the movies you have imported. So say you grabbed a filmography of someone that starred in 4 movies with "Victoria Paris". Click on Victoria's name and only the 4 movies would come up. Import her movie list and they all come up. Sweet!

I'm only beginning to scratch the surface of this program. You can set up multiple databases. Like having one just for filmographies, one for an adult DVD collection along with clips and another for mainstream movies etc...
Plus you can query a zillion databases.

What a way cool program!

[TwoSheds777]

Videophile II is the tool for this kind of cataloging. I can't say enough about how useful it is. All of the suggestions in this thread centre around rigidly enforced structures due to the limitations of the file system. VPII was designed to get around that. Add one or many tags to files, link tags, create synonyms etc. Generates file previews and aloows you to browse all your stuff from an armchair via it's TV mode.

[Rommelbommel]

Forget DVDs for archiving, use one or more external harddisks. It comes cheaper and it's more comfortable.

[TwoSheds777]

Forget DVDs for archiving, use one or more external harddisks. It comes cheaper and it's more comfortable.

Of course, but you need a way of cataloguing all your stuff so that it is properly managed even when your external hard disks (or DVD's if you insist) aren't connected. For that you need a media library...

[star78]

I have some questions for you :

- how to you manage your pictures collection ? (software, database, ...) ?
- how to be sure to have all the pictures, with the good names, with good quality, for one model ?
- is there a index of pictures for some models ?

Thanks.

[onehourplus]

Having seen the above posts I learned a lot, but frankly I'm adverse to installing a lot of file-management software for this purpose. Call me old school, but I just keep my stills and video clips in Windows Explorer directories. Subdirectories are fine for the latter, but I find it useful to have all the stills in the same directory for purposes of running a slide show with Picasa, for example.

With many thousands of stills in one directory, I find it absolutely necessary to manage the filenames in some rational way. For pornstars, I just name the file after the star, first name first, e.g. Gina-Valentino-blah-blah-blah... This way my collection for Gina, or anyone, can be organized in alphabetical order very simply under Windows Explorer. (Watch out for the connectors - _ etc., which can mess up the alphabetical order of a sort by name or a search if not used consistently.)

Now here's my question: Many jpegs that I download from VEF seem to have a standard file naming convention, such as 30071_GV05_123_143lo.jpg. I expected to find this explained somewhere but it has eluded me, so please forgive me if this is something everyone else knows about and I have somehow overlooked it. In any case, I find such filenames not very useful in an alphabetic system, and end up modifying them such as:
Gina-Valentino_30071_GV05_123_143lo.jpg

So, if the mostly-numeric VEF jpeg filename with an "lo" on the end really does have a good reason, would someone please clue me in?

Thanks!

[CarlC]

If there is still a chance to add an answer on this topic, I like to suggest to have a look at this small and tiny program called "IrfanView". It comes as a basic windows *.exe with a lot of plug-ins. Most of all picture-formats can be shown; there is an integrated slide-show function and in tumbnail-mode there are a lot of functions you may have wanted. A lot of video-formats will be supported also. Try this url for more information and free download: http://www.irfanview.de/

[hos]

Now here's my question: Many jpegs that I download from VEF seem to have a standard file naming convention, such as 30071_GV05_123_143lo.jpg.

there is no such convention for filenames. a filename like given with your example is rather the result of the image file host which has been used to post the image, in your case it's imagevenue. filehosts sometimes modify original filenames, to include some host-internal flags or random chars to avoid a situation that a new uploaded file overwrites an existing file.

With many thousands of stills in one directory

if you ask me, this is not recommended, due to performance issues if you open such a big folder. even if you like to have all images stored in the same folder, you can use aliases to gain a better sorting.

test on your own: create a folder named "Gina" somewhere on your drives. include a second folder "Gina's Gallery #1" (or whatever) and then create aliases from your original files by:

- selecting all Gina images which belong to the same gallery from your main image folder
- drag the selected files into folder "Gina's Gallery #1" and (important!) hold the ALT-key before dropping the selected files into folder "Gina's Gallery #1" (by leaving left mouse button).

this way you have the images together without working with duplicate files, instead you just have an alias of the file which is small in size an leads to the original version if you click it. it's far more easy to find and browse your Gina images this way. You can always change those folder names where your aliases are stored in, but (usually) you can't change the path (drive, folder and/or filename) of the original files. if you do, the stored path in the alias doesn't work anymore.

there are multiple methods how to organize your images with aliases, just do some tests to find the solution which fits your needs. it's definitly more easy than to rename each file in a single folder to get a "data structure".

[DTravel]

As Hos notes, many of the file names are modified by the file hosting site. At one point I had cataloged and posted the standard name changes performed by many of the commonly used hosts but it seems to have been lost or deleted. If Hos or one of the other Mods can tell me where it should go I can repost that list.

The particular file name you listed above ("30071_GV05_123_143lo.jpg") was hosted by ImageVenue. IV adds a five or nine digit number prefix (30071_) and a suffix of _122 or _123 plus a 1 to 4 digit number followed by "lo" (_123_143lo). In this case the original file name was simply "GV05", all the rest was added by ImageVenue.

[DTravel]

Here is that post I mentioned above regarding how image hosts rename files. Please note: not all of these image hosts are allowed on this forum.

List of how Image Hosts rename files

The intent of this listing is to help users recognize and, if desired, remove or reverse the file name changes that popular image host services perform. I ask for the help of other posters in both expanding and maintaining this listing. I may not be familiar with hosts that you use and companies change their procedures and standards. Please post what you find and I will add them to this listing. I will try to use a standard format for ease of use, if you want to report additions or changes using the same format would ease my making changes but you are not required to do so. Also, I try to include a Regular Expression search string but I am not a RegExp guru. If any of you are good with RegExp, please feel free to suggest changes and improvements. (Note: My use of "filename" is not meant to be literal, just an indicator of where the original file name would be in the string. If you know the specific file name you could, of course, substitute that. A more general search would replace (filename) with (.*).)

For the 'Special Characters' sections, I am basing them on the results of uploading test files to the host. Specifically, I tested for substitutions to the following non-alphanumeric characters: `~!@#$%^&()-_=+[]{},'; and a blank space. I do not plan to test for the following characters as there are issues with using them in filenames on MS Windows based computers anyways: *\/?:"

I am also not going to explore what happens when a particular file name goes thru multiple host services. It is simply infeasible to test in a practical way as the possibilities expand exponentially. And where would we stop? Two host sequences, three, four, five? Assuming your brain doesn't go *POP* I'm sure you can see the problem.


Format
<Host Name>:
Prefix/Suffix: Verbal description of any prefixes or suffixes the host adds to the file name
Regular Expression: template for above.
Standard search: template for above.
Special Characters: What the host does with these non-alphanumeric characters in the file name.
Notes: Any special information on the host.


ImageVenue.com:
Prefix/Suffix: Both. A five digit numeric prefix with underscore spacer and a two part suffix; part one is an underscore spacer followed by "122" or "123", part two is another underscore spacer followed by a one to four digit number (1 thru 9999) and the lowercase letters "lo".
RegExp: ([0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]_)(filename)(_12[2-3]_.*lo)
Standard search: ?????_*_12?_*lo
Special Characters: `~!@#$%^&()=+[]{},'; and space are deleted. - (hypen) is replaced with _ (underscore). _ (underscore) is unchanged.
+++
ImageVenue.com #2 (27 Feb 2011):
I have recently noticed that ImageVenue appears to have made a slight change to their rename format for some uploads. The prefix for some files is a nine digit number instead of five digit. The suffix and special character treatment appear to be the same as before.
RegExp: ([0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]_)(filename)(_12[2-3]_.*lo)
Standard search: ?????????_*_12?_*lo


Image Haven.net (banned host):
Prefix/Suffix: Prefix. A ten character uppercase alphanumeric string with underscore spacer.
RegExp: ([A-Z,0-9][A-Z,0-9][A-Z,0-9][A-Z,0-9][A-Z,0-9][A-Z,0-9][A-Z,0-9][A-Z,0-9][A-Z,0-9][A-Z,0-9]_)(filename)
Standard search: ??????????_*
Special Characters: `!@#$%^{};,=[] are replaced with an underscore and two character alphanumeric (possibly printer codes?). ~&()+ are replaced with _ (underscore). ' and space are deleted. - and _ are unchanged.


Image Shack (banned host):
Prefix/Suffix: None. (Formerly Image Shack added a three character lower case alphanumeric suffix with no spacer. Usually one alpha and two numeric characters or vice versa.)
RegExp: N/A
Standard search: N/A
Special Characters: `~!@#$%^&()-_=+[]{},'; and space are deleted. Additionally, the ' character causes Image Shack to delete all of the file name prior that character. (So abc'def.jpg becomes def.jpg.)
Notes: Image Shack removes capitalization, all uppercase letters will become lowercase. File names are truncated at 23 characters.


ImageBam:
Prefix/Suffix: None.
RegExp: N/A
Standard search: N/A
Special Characters: `~!@#$%^&()=+[]{};, and space are deleted. - and _ are unchanged. ' (Apostrophe) has a / character inserted in front of it which causes problems with downloading and saving the image file.
Notes: The file names are not listed in the UBB code. File names are truncated at 50 characters.


Sharenxs.com:
Prefix/Suffix: None.
RegExp: N/A
Standard search: N/A
Special Characters: ' causes Sharenxs to delete everything prior it in the file name, so abc'def.jpg becomes def.jpg. ; causes Sharenxs to delete everything after it in the file name, so abc;def.jpg becomes abc.jpg. All others are unchanged.


radikal.ru:
Prefix/Suffix: N/A - see Notes
Regular Expression: N/A - see Notes
Standard search: N/A - see Notes
Special Characters: N/A - see Notes
Notes: Russian language site. The entire file name is dropped and replaced with a random 12 character alphanumeric string.


PhotoBucket.com:
Prefix/Suffix: None?
Regular Expression: N/A?
Standard search: N/A?
Special Characters: Unknown
Notes: I am unable to test PhotoBucket as they do not allow free, unregistered uploads.


Imagefrog.net:
Prefix/Suffix: 5 digit numeric prefix with underscore spacer.
Regular Expression: ([0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]_)(filename)
Standard search: ?????_*
Special Characters: Deletes all non-alphanumeric characters.
Notes: ImageFrog's rules state "This service is offered to those looking for personal image hosting. If any of your images uses excessive bandwidth we may delete the image from our servers with no prior notice and, at our discretion, suspend or terminate your account." So I would not suggest them as suitable for use on forums such as this. File names are not included in the thumbnail code.


****************:
Prefix/Suffix: 7 digit numeric prefix with underscore spacer.
Regular Expression: ([0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]_)(filename)
Standard search: ???????_*
Special Characters: _#$%^()`~!@{};,=+[]' and space are replaced with hyphen. & is replaced with the letter "a".
Notes: Upper case is changed to lower case. It appears that a string of non-alphanumeric characters will be replaced with a single hyphen rather than each character being replaced individually.

[onehourplus]

if you ask me, this is not recommended, due to performance issues if you open such a big folder. even if you like to have all images stored in the same folder, you can use aliases to gain a better sorting.


You're certainly right about performance issues. The old XP machine could not keep up with generating icons for screen display. Windows 7 is a lot better, but I agree that over 18,000 images in a single directory is not optimum. I shall try what you suggest, and thanks!

I'm also glad I asked the question, because now we have DTravel's useful post on image naming habits of the various hosts. Here I'll add an opinion: Never use a blank space in a filename, even though it's now permitted. I've downloaded usenet video clips with balnks in the filename and gotten only the characters up to the first blank, without even the extension to tell the computer which of the many video types it is. That problem can be irritating to fix. - and _ make good separators of words in filenames and don't cause this problem.

[boneym]

Directory Opus is my substitute for all those programs mentioned in previous posts. Since I've gotten it 2 years ago, it has replaced Windows Explorer, FSViewer, ACDSee and whatnot else.

At launch, the program shows the 2D flat miniature preview. But those are configurable in size, 1 or 4 minipics, for each folder separately.

http://img156.imagevenue.com/loc478/th_069553495_Zwischenablagebild0_122_478lo.jpg (http://img156.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=069553495_Zwischenablagebild0_122_47 8lo.jpg)

Naming the porn-folder "my bedroom" and putting the background of a bed on it luckily has prevented everyone ever to sneak into it. Almost always(!) somebody exclaims with a surprise "oh your bedroom... I don't wanna see what's in there" then I smile :) It's like auto-self-explanatory, but (what else?) it looks like this:

http://img177.imagevenue.com/loc544/th_069558154_Zwischenablagebild2_122_544lo.jpg (http://img177.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=069558154_Zwischenablagebild2_122_54 4lo.jpg)

And my games folder:

http://img43.imagevenue.com/loc478/th_069556913_Zwischenablagebild1_122_478lo.jpg (http://img43.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=069556913_Zwischenablagebild1_122_47 8lo.jpg)

But that was'nt everything that Directory Opus is good for, it's main features include, but not limited to:

http://img146.imagevenue.com/loc115/th_069561392_Zwischenablagebild3_122_115lo.jpg (http://img146.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=069561392_Zwischenablagebild3_122_11 5lo.jpg)
selecting and to rightclick pictures for converting/resizing

http://img198.imagevenue.com/loc447/th_069563519_Zwischenablagebild4_122_447lo.jpg (http://img198.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=069563519_Zwischenablagebild4_122_44 7lo.jpg)
mass-renaming of files with numerical sequences

http://img258.imagevenue.com/loc165/th_069565245_Zwischenablagebild5_122_165lo.jpg (http://img258.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=069565245_Zwischenablagebild5_122_16 5lo.jpg)
auto switching to detail mode with graphical display of folder size

*) creating a folder in replacement of an FTP-connection
*) uploading pics to **********/flickr with the press of a button
*) searching duplicate files
*) synchronizing folders on content change (for backups?)
*) copy&pasting into explorer automatically copies the content of the clipboard into a new file, like for example, a .txt if you have had text in the clipboard, or .jpg when it is a screenshot

With this nifty explorer I can recommend, keeping huge discs organize is no problem. But please don't sue me for speaking german, all those screens are in my language.

[TwoSheds777]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Windows (or any other OS) file system is too inflexible for managing collections of anything large. That's what collection managers are for. The problem is not in storage but in retrieval: A good Collection Manager will allow meta-data to be associated with content so that you can find very specific items easily and quickly. For video content, I recommend Videophile II. For pictures, there are things like ThumbsPlus etc.

Edit: Also, with collection managers, you tend not to have to worry about filenames because that is not typically how you retrieve data. Therefore you don't have to concern yourself with re-naming and other silliness like how a given file host prefixes its image names. Honesty, you guys are making hard work out of something that is not necessary!

[scrumbo69]

Sorting and categorising your porn collection is half the fun! I have around 15gb of pictures and videos that I am attempting to catalogue. I've adopted a file naming structure as follows:

First part is a three letter photoset identifier
Second part is a two letter straight/lesbian/solo identifier
Third part is the photo number within the set
Fouth part is free-form comments

So the very first photo in my collection happens to be of Jo Guest and an unidentified other girl so the file name is: aaa-gg-01-jguest.

These are all filed in an assortment of Windows folders but I want to give these a good tidy up and perhaps manage via photo-manageemnt system such s Picasa.

[star78]

I was thinking of making a software that :
- scan a directory to find all the pictures (name, size, date) and make a signature (md5/sha)
- read a public dictionnary of all known set/pictures for a person
- compare the existing pictures with the dictionnary
- ask to delete duplicate pictures on your HD
- ask to rename pictures that has a bad name
- tells the missing pictures
- ask to delete the pictures that is not in the dictionnary (bad format, not existing, ...)
- propose a link to download missing pictures
- ...

What do you think ?

[TwoSheds777]

There is no public (or otherwise) database of all known picture sets and that is central to your plan and therefore design...

[star78]

There is no public (or otherwise) database of all known picture sets and that is central to your plan and therefore design...

When i say "public", i was thinking of a database that everyone can read and modify-with check (-> add new set, add better quality pictures or missing pics, correct mistakes, ...)

i know that it must be created by "us" and that it is a huge work for some pornstar.

[TwoSheds777]

I guess it's do-able. It's a very big task, though, and there would be many issues, I'm sure...

[onehourplus]

Never mind all that, Two-Sheds. Let's just hear more about those sheds of yours. :D

[hos]

I've already mentioned that i use ACDSee for my organisation. If anyone is interested how this could look like, here are some examples which gives you a hint how i work.

1. basic profile

I only add a new model to my regular index, if some infos are clear:
- A working model name I use to start a profile, including a reference (iafd for example) for the ID
- at least one completely catogorized profile image (always face to upper chest, always portrait format).
Usually I've already have a first gallery and maybe a movie clip of this model, so after adding all info and sorting it into my A-Z folders, it looks like this:

http://thumbnails51.imagebam.com/17749/879f77177489772.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/879f77177489772)

Here you already see a very important folder in relation to all my models - it's called "Similar" where i add aliases to model profiles of similar looking girls. this makes it very easy to find other models later (if you have a huge model index you will always come to situations like "damn, i know her, but what was her name?". The "Similar" folder is a good helper to find her if you just can remember a similar looking model).

You also see how i organize the profiles : I store all names (and where they come from), I store links to model databases and model threads and I set category tags for the profile images to be able to start deep selective searches.

Beside, I only store 1 sample image (always landscape format) of a gallery - and if the gallery contains more than 1 model, I simply create aliases of this image into the gallery folder of the other model(s). This way you save disk space and also you will save time if you also tag gallery images with categories (have done that earlier, but today i only tag the model profile images. It was too time consuming with my collection (>5000 different models). I do the same with movie preview images.

The main files (galleries and movies) are stored elsewhere, this way it's more simple to remove backupped files and folders without disturbing your model database.


2. extended profile

the more you add to your collection, the more you will find for models you already have collected. It's not uncommon that a model has different looks or some remarkable/unique body parts like tattoos, moles, scarves, piercings etc. To take care of that, I add more profile images and store these remarkable body parts with cropped images into a separate folder. All further profile images are categorized as well to find this model if I search for attributes which aren't part of her main profile image (the main profile which stores links and aka-names always has the #-prefix to have this image on top position in a model folder).

http://thumbnails41.imagebam.com/17749/79b7cf177489776.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/79b7cf177489776)

within "Diverse" i store single images i have for a model. I only store images separate as gallery if the set has at least 5 images.


3. unknown models

My unknowns are collected similar, just in different folders:

a) Unknowns with running Index:
http://thumbnails39.imagebam.com/17750/8950f7177495947.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/8950f7177495947)

b) Unknowns already requested in Model ID Request Forum. Here the model index is based on the Post ID.
http://thumbnails25.imagebam.com/17750/b10fbb177495959.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/b10fbb177495959)

Male and Shemale Performers aren't organized deeply, those indexes are rather "simple helpers" to find female models they have worked with - at least this was my idea when i've created the data structure. Sadly my time limited, so these folders are still rather pointless cause there's not much stored yet. New or uncategorized models are not part of my model directory.

I've also installed some further workflows you can't see in these examples (like separated covers, PDF galleries, acting demo clips), but i guess this short introduction will help you to get an idea of it.


Some nice advantages of ACDSee is the search on those categories you've created. You can combine those categories and add exclusion filters and finally you can create contact sheets from the results with a few clicks.

[Rommelbommel]

I was thinking of making a software that :
[...]
What do you think ?
I've always wanted something similar to ROM renamers/managers, but for porn.

The software has to be generic and easy to use, the databases in a format that is also easy to maintain by other people. So anybody that feels like it could create a "dat" with his own topic, a group contributes to a straight porn movies one, others maintain a gay/lesbian one, someone else is collecting and renaming magazines/scans, another looks after DVD covers...

The user could download the dat he wants, tell the software to check a certain folder and it would create a list of the wrongly named files and rename them if he wants.

[TwoSheds777]

Never mind all that, Two-Sheds. Let's just hear more about those sheds of yours. :D

I don't even have two sheds, I've only got one. I've had one for some time, but a few years ago I said I was thinking of getting another, and since then some people have called me "Two Sheds".