ubuntu-photographers team mailing list archive

[Alexey Fisher <bug-track@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hallo all,

i currently working project which should improve photo workflow, (at
leas for me). It is first stage - photo import and data interpretation.
Please read it and leave you constructive comments, correction or
provide information of you camera.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AbFkvIsLQ3VzZDU3NzUybl8yN2RkdHA2cXpq&hl=de


What is it about?

This projects target are digital point and shot cameras (DSLR cameras
mostly not so complicated, but if are they are welcome too). It should
interpret all information we can find to group and sort photos.

Why do we need this?

Modern cameras produce images, audios, videos, make panoram or interval
photos. Many cameras write good metadata, most of them not. For example:

     1. 1) Panasonic do not write creation date of video and audio in to
        files (fix me if I'm wrong). Only possibility to find it is to
        use file system creation date. Mostly, after files are copied to
        PC this information is lost.
        
     1. Nikon has nice panorama tool. All photos has same name like
        normal photos do. No extra exif metadat is written (fix me if
        I'm wrong). Only possibility to recognize it is to read folder
        names. Normally all this lost after import.
        
     2. Most cameras can do audio comments for images. This is mostly
        lost too.

TODO:

      * Test if all metadata of video and audio files can be read by
        standard player of your distribution.
        
      * Make it work for gstreamer! and mplayer/ffmpeg?
        
      * Check what your camera can do and what information can we use.
        Be a computer forensic for short time and play with your camera.
        If you found some thing new and it is not documented here,
        please contact me (bug-track at fisher-privat.net).
        
      * Help to write documentation (correct my English).
        
      * Help to write code. Integrate it to tracker (gnome). Integrate
        it to rapidphotodownloader. Write standalone simple import tool
        for photos.

Description of DCIM:

     1. Each folder contain maximum 200 images and videos. For each
        image you can create 1 audio comment. So each folder should have
        max 400 files (images + audio comments) 
        
     1. The root (level 1) contain always DCIM and MISC.
        
     2. DCIM (level 2) contain only folder. Each folder is maximum 8
        chars (105CANON, CANONMSC, 101NIKON, 101_PANA, 101_FUJI)
        
     3. DCIM level 3 contain files max 12 chars (dos 8.3)
        


Known Patterns:

xxx – number. Mostly it is count number and do not make any relevance.
Except it has same number with other file than these files are related
(mostly audio comment to some image).

     1. Nikon:
        
             1. DCIM level 2:
                
                     a. xxxNIKON (main image folder)
                        
                     b. xxxP_xxx (panorama folder)
                        
                     c. xxxINTV (folder for interval pictures)
                        
                     d. xxxSOUND (folder for voice recording)
                        
                              * level 3, can be found in each folder:
                                
                                      * DSCNxxxx.(JPG,AVI,WAV) –
                                        Standard image, video or audo.
                                        If WAV file has same xxxx number
                                        like JPG, then it is audio
                                        comment of this JPG file.
                                        
                                      * SSCNxxxx.JPG – resized image.
                                        Source image and resized image
                                        have different number, but same
                                        creation time.
                                        
                                      * FSCNxxxx.JPG – changed image
                                        with some simple filter. Source
                                        image and changed image have
                                        different number, but same
                                        creation time.
                                        
     2. Canon:
        
             1. DCIM level 2:
                
                     a. xxxCANON – standard folder, contains every
                        thing?
                        
                              * IMG_xxxx.JPG – standard image
                                
                              * STh_xxxx.JPG – panorama batch. h – is
                                letter A,B,C,D... xxxx image number.
                                First panorama image is always
                                STA_xxxx.JPG
                                
                              * MVI_xxxx.(AVI,THM) – video. THM is
                                thumbnail (jpg format) of AVI file. THM
                                has same xxxx number like AVI.
                                
                              * SND_xxxx.WAV – If WAV file has same xxxx
                                number like JPG, then it is audio
                                comment of this JPG file.
                                
     1. Fuji
        
             1. DCIM level 2:
                
                     a. xxx_FUJI – standard folder for all
                        
                              * DSCFxxxx.(JPG,AVI,WAV) – standard file
                                name.
                                
                              * More info needed.
                                
     1. Panasonic
        
             1. DCIM level 2:
                
                     a. xxx_PANA – standard folder for all
                        
                              * Pxxxxxxx.(JPG,MOV) – standard file name
                                for all?
                                


Canon Example:


|-- DCIM 

| |-- 105CANON 

| | |-- IMG_0540.JPG ← just image

| | |-- IMG_0541.JPG 

| | |-- IMG_0542.JPG 

| | |-- IMG_0543.JPG 

| | |-- IMG_0544.JPG 


| | |-- MVI_0554.AVI ← video

| | |-- MVI_0554.THM ← tumbnail of video MVI_0554.AVI 

| | |-- SND_0540.WAV ← audo comment for image IMG_0540.JPG 

| | |-- STA_0548.JPG ← panorama S01E01

| | |-- STB_0549.JPG ← panorama S01E02

| | |-- STC_0550.JPG ← panorama S01E03

| | |-- STD_0551.JPG ← panorama S01E04

| | |-- STE_0552.JPG ← panorama S01E05

| | `-- STF_0553.JPG ← panorama S01E06

| `-- CANONMSC 

| |-- 105.CTG 

| `-- D.CTG 

|-- MISC 

|-- AUTPRINT.MRK 

`-- AUTXFER.MRK