GERBING Software

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Operational area of image data base software :

With GERBING fotoalbum 13 (fotos.exe) you can look selectively for fotos or videos in a data base in which you have stored keywords and location. After the search in the data base you can display the found fotos or videos. At the installation a small example data base is laid out. Enlarging the example data base to your own data base is very simply possible with the tool Fotosmdb. GERBING fotoalbum 13 also can be started directly from a CD or DVD or the USB stick oder an external harddisk. That is possible, because the synchronisation is not lost between data base and files, if you copy your Fotoalbum (files, data base and programs) on another data medium. To do the copy you even need no special tool, the windows explorer will be sufficient. A data base is the only one way out, if users can not overlook or find again their variety of fotos or videos any more. You can import the EXIF and/or IPTC fields of your fotos. GERBING Fotoalbum 13 uses a microsoft access data base.

Data types/Formats:
The program fotos.exe distinguishes at the fotos in

- native data types

- link data types

Native data types are 'BMP', 'CUR', 'DIB', 'EMF', 'GIF', 'ICO', 'JPG', 'WMF'. 
A native data type is immediately understood by the internal processing functions and all navigation requests like 'Go to another foto' or zoom work in a flash.

Link data types are '3FR', 'ACR', 'ANI', ' ARW', 'B3D', 'CAM', 'CLP', 'CPT', 'CRW', 'CR2', ' CS1', ' CS4', ' CS16', 'DCM', 'DCR', ' DCS', 'DCX', 'DDS', 'DJVU', 'DNG', 'DWG', 'DXF', 'ECW', 'EMF', 'EPS', 'EEF', ' ERF', 'FITS', 'FPX', 'FSH', 'G3', 'HPGL', 'ICL', 'ICS', 'IFF', 'IMA', 'IMG', 'IW44', 'J2K', 'JNG', 'JP2', 'JPC',   'JPEG', 'JPM', 'KDC', 'LBM', 'LDF', 'LWF', ' MDF', ' MEF', 'MNG', 'MRW', 'MRSID', 'NEF', 'NGG', 'NLM', 'NOL', 'ORF', 'PBM', 'PCD', PCX', 'PEF', 'PGM', 'PIC', 'PICT', 'PNG', 'PPM', 'PSD', 'PSP', 'QTIF', 'RAF', 'RAS', 'RAW', 'RGB', 'RLE', 'SFF', 'SFW', 'SGI', 'SID', ' SR2', 'SRF', 'SUN', 'SWF', 'TGA', 'TIF', 'TIFF', 'TTF', 'WAD', 'WAL', 'WBMP', 'X3F', 'XBM', 'XPM'.

For a link data type the internal processing functions are not applicable. The program must execute a link on another program to display these data types. There happens exactly the same as if you would have double clicked this image file in the Windows Explorer.

The program can play videos with the data type

'AVI', 'MPG', 'MPEG', 'MOV', 'MPE', 'ASF', 'ASX' , 'WMV'

Product features of image data base software:

Differences to other foto data base software:

The greatest disadvantage of all products comparable with GERBING fotoalbum 13 is firstly the lack of a filenames list for the simultaneous indication of all keywords and for editing the keywords clearly and simply, secondly all compared products want to be universal tools and do a variety of other functions as to archive find and display. Thirdly the comparable products cannot work with free keywords.

Features in detail

Manage fotos/videos through several albums

Sometimes, it is more convenient to break down your foto/video collection into several parts, especially if it consists of several tens of thousands of images. For example, your foto collection may contain fotos of your hobby (oldtimers) and private fotos (family and children). Just use the 'Ctrl + K' key to start the export to copy album parts into other albums.

Powerful search

The major requirement of any foto/video cataloging software is to be able to quickly find an image when it is required. GERBING Fotoalbum 13 offers a variety of ways to do this:

-a filtering mask where you select AND or OR operation

-additional filtering by date, grouping filter for maximal five persons

-search for FileName or FileNameShort

-search for any user defined field which can contain EXIF information as camera model, capture date, etc.

-additional filter 'First hit per year'. So it is possible for example to pursue the annual development of a child. Only the file found first per year is shown.

User defined database fields

You can add user defined text fields at any time to the database (see tool Fotosmdb). With the help of Microsoft Access You can add user defined numeric fields to the database. If somebody collects fotos of cars, he can for example create the fields performance, year of construction, cubic capacity.

Sorting by any criterion

You can sort and group fotos/videos by any criteria just by clicking the column headline in the filename list.

The missing links problem

Sometimes, files or folders are renamed outside of GERBING Fotoalbum 13 using Windows Explorer or some other application. In this case, some data base systems can lose track of links to the original imported files. GERBING Fotoalbum 13 has a solution to this problem. The solution can be found in the tool fotosmdb.exe. There are the functions Check1 and Check3. Check1 checks each data base record whether any foto or video found in the field filename really exists. Then you can delete records with not existing filenames. If you use the function Check3 in the next step you find fotos/videos beeing no more or not yet in the data base and can them include into the data base.

Move database fields back to IPTC fields of JPG fotos

This function is interesting for users which use IPTC fields in their JPG fotos. In principle it is the reversal of the import of IPTC fields. The function is created for users having imported the IPTC fields of their fotos to the keyword fields of the database and then have done a lot of editing and changing the database fields. Now there are possibly big differences between the keywords in the database and the keywords in the JPG fotos. With the function 'IPTC...' in the tool fotosmdb.exe such users can synchronize the keywords in the database fields and in the IPTC fields of the JPG fotos.

Actions with the actual file

It is not necessary to have built in image processing functions. You can jump from the actual file to your favorite Application connected with the filename extension. This and other actions can be selected from the filename list. Here you have an overview over all these actions:

1.Open for the actual file the Application connected with the filename extension

2.Open the print program for the actual file

3.Open the window 'New email'

4.Open an explorer window where the actual file is selected

5.Open RenamMdb for the actual file

6.Select only the records marked by marker column

7.Delete files marked by marker column in data base and folder

8.Go to the hyperlink

Network support and multi user environment

What is a multi user environment? That means you install 'GERBING Fotoalbum' on a local network computer. Read at FAQ.

Change between too languages

You can change the language between english and german at every point after the installation. The only conditions are that you start the program newly and that the data base is not write protected.