Calf Trail Thoroughfare

Geotagalog 2.0 update

2010 February 26

I'd like to get Geotagalog 2.0 out as soon as possible.

First: there's a confession I have to make. This major upgrade is the first version of Geotagalog I've actually used.

Of course I had "used" Geotagalog 1.x quite a bit, to make sure every feature worked as intended. But those versions didn't really fit my own personal workflow. I'd much rather tag photos after they're in iPhoto. I'm guessing I'm not alone.

I've been using an early alpha of Geotagalog 2.0 for a few months now, but that version hadn't worked well for others. There were some complicated, frustrating issues that needed to be solved before it would be ready to release. I took a much-needed break to get a clearer perspective (and to finish the first versions of Photon Star and Sesamouse). Then ten days ago, Geotagalog went back onto the workbench for another major overhaul.

New new workflow options

Geotagalog is meant to be an incredibly easy way to geotag photos. Version 1.x let you essentially GPS-enable any supported camera, without any undue fuss. Geotagalog 2.0 extends this powerful simplicity to situations where it's not ideal to import directly from the camera. I spent the last week redoing all the new workflow options I'd been using so that they can work better for everyone. The improvements are exciting, and I'm much happier with the new features now.

I'd like to get a little feedback on how the latest version is working. There are some notes and a download of the current build on a private page — please email if you're willing to test some brand new code.

New system requirements

One consequence of the new workflow code is that Geotagalog 2.0 will require Snow Leopard (10.6). From our update statistics, it looks like this won't be much of a problem. Converting the rest of the code to take advantage of Snow Leopard will help future 2.x releases become even more betterfied.

No map

This was the other complicated issue with the 2.0 release. Ever since we pioneered the "drag-to-track" geotagging method in Mercatalog, I've wanted to provide customers with a detailed enough map to take full advantage of visual geotagging. I have reached the unfortunate conclusion, however, that there are no good map options for a shareware app like Geotagalog.

The problem isn't a technical one: I've already written code to show detailed map tiles from any source. (In fact, the main reason I wrote Sesamouse was so I could test pinch zooming in this new map framework.) Geotagalog can't have a detailed map because for a small company like Calf Trail, there are no suitable sources that we're allowed to use. Big companies can afford the hefty commerical access fees, and individuals can make free map mashups. We're stuck somewhere in between.

So Geotagalog 2.0 will not have a detailed map. That's the short term plan. The long term plan is to change the global mapping industry. The medium term plan is to attempt one or more incremental workarounds — stay tuned to see what happens!

So that's a much needed update about a much needed update. Remember, all licenses purchased since this previous post are eligible for a free upgrade to Geotagalog v2. Keep in touch, and don't forget to ask us for that 2.0 alpha link!

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Organizing thoughts

2010 February 18

Now that Photon Star is out of beta, let's talk about the big picture.

Grape fields across a canal, small thumbnail (Here is a little picture.)

Digital cameras make it very easy to collect everyday images. Some people might say, too easy. We wouldn't say that, but as the hikes and vacations and get-togethers blur together through many years, it becomes harder and harder to find the right photo among thousands and thousands of snapshots.

That's where Photon Star's efficient rating workflow, and Geotagalog's straightforward geotagging come in. They take the drudge work out of two very important aspects of organizing photos. When an evening's outing can add hundreds of photos to your library, curation becomes a necessary chore. What we want is for that task to happen as efficiently as possible, so you have more time to spend just enjoying your photos (or out finding even better ones)!

Certainly Calf Trail is just one of many software designers working on photo-related software. Our goal is to keep writing focused applications that help you catch up and keep up with your photos. If there's ever an angle you'd like to see better developed, let us know! Your emails, reviews and comments are one of the brightest highlights of our work.

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Photon Star

2010 February 11

LOCATION: SECTOR 001
STARDATE: 11002.11
MISSION: "PROJECT FLOWRATE"
OBJECTIVE: ENSURE PHOTON STAR READY FOR CIVILIZATION.

Photon Star lets you rate pictures with a surprisingly efficient workflow. Use your Mac's remote control or keyboard to enjoy rating photos from an iPhoto album. Just give thumbs up or down in each rating stage: up promotes a photo to the next stage, down holds the photo for that rating level.

Working through multiple stages might sound slow, but the consistent up/down decision brings you into a great flow. (Calf Trail can't claim full credit for this — the idea was inspired by part of this blog post by a fellow who makes some great Flickr tools for the Mac.) There are a few other workflows hidden in Photon Star, but this simple method remained our favorite.

Photon Star is still in beta, although you can already buy it at a discounted "early bird" price. Please try the demo and let us know what you think!

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