15.5. Using f-spot

SUSE LINUX Documentation Chapter 15. Digital Cameras and Linux / 15.5. Using f-spot
	15.4. Using Digikam		15.6. For More Information

f-spot is a managment tool for your collection of digital images tailored for the GNOME desktop. It allows you to assign different tags to your images in order to categorize them and offers various neat image editing options.

The first time you run f-spot, tell it where to find the images to import to your f-spot collection. If you already have a collection of images stored on your hard drive, enter the path to the respective directory and optionally include subfolders. f-spot imports these images into its database.

	Tagging Images on Import
If all the images you are importing belong to the same category, you can attach the appropriate tag on import. Select ‘Attach Tag’ and choose the matching tag from the drop down menu.

Figure 15.5. Importing Images to f-spot

f-spot's main window is divided into three main areas. Categories, tags, and detailed information for the selected images are displayed in a sidebar to the left and a thumbnails of all images bearing the selected tag or category or, if none is selected, the entire collection is displayed in the right part of the window.

Figure 15.6. f-spot's Main Window

A menu bar right at the top of the window allows you to access the main menus. A toolbar below offers several different functions depicted by a matching icon:

Rotate (Left or Right): Use this shortcut to change an image's orientation.
Browse: The ‘Browse’ mode allows you to view and search you entire collection or tagged subsets of it. You can also use the time line to search images by creation date.
Edit Image: This mode allows you to select one image and do some basic image processing. Details are available in Section 15.5.6, “Basic Image Processing with f-spot”.
Fullscreen: Switch to fullscreen display mode.
Slideshow: Start a slide show.

15.5.1. Downloading Pictures From Your Camera

Import new images from your digital camera connected to the USB port of your computer using ‘File’+‘Import from Camera’. The type of camera is detected automatically.

Figure 15.7. Import from Camera

f-spot launches a preview window displaying all the images that are available for download from camera. The files are copied to the target directory specified via ‘Copy Files to’. If ‘Import files after copy’ is selected, all images copied from camera are automatically imported to f-spot's database. Tagging can be done on import, if you select the appropriate tag with ‘Select Tags’. If you do not want to import all images on your camera to your database, just deselect the unwanted one in the preview window.

15.5.2. Getting Information

Once you select an image, some basic statistical information on this image is displayed in the lower left part of the window. This includes the filename, its version (copy or original image), the date of creation, its size and the exposure which was used in creating this particular image. View the EXIF data associated with the image file with ‘View’+‘EXIF Data’.

15.5.3. Managing Tags

Use tags to categorize any of your images to create manageable subsets of your collection. If, for example, you would like to get some sort of order in your collection of portrait shots of your loved ones, proceed like this:

Select the ‘Browse’ mode of f-spot.
In the left frame of the f-spot window, select the ‘People’ category, right-click it, then choose ‘Create New Tag’. The new tags then appear as subcategories below the ‘People’ category:
1. Create a new tag called Friends.
2. Create a new tag called Family.
Now attach tags to images or groups of selected images. Right-click an image, choose ‘Attach Tag’, and select the appropriate tag for this image. To attach a tag to a group of images, click the first one then press Shift and select the other ones without releasing the Shift key. Right-click for the tag menu and select the matching category.

After the images have been categorized, you can browse your collection by tag. Just check ‘People’+‘Family’ and the displayed collection is limited to the images tagged Family. Searching your collection by tag is also possible through ‘Find’+‘Find by Tag’. The result of your search is displayed in the thumbnail overview window.

Removing tags from single images or groups of images works similarly to attaching them. The tag editing functions are also accessible via the ‘Tags’ menu in the top menu bar.

15.5.4. Search and Find

As mentioned in Section 15.5.3, “Managing Tags”, tags can be used as a means to find certain images. Another way, which is quite unique to f-spot, is to use the ‘Timeline’ below the toolbar. By dragging the little frame along this time line, limit the images displayed in the thumbnail overview to those taken in the selected time frame. f-spot starts with a sensibly chosen default time line, but you can always edit the time span by moving the sliders to the right and left ends of the time line.

15.5.5. Exporting Image Collections

f-spot offers a range of different export functions for your collections under ‘File’+‘Export’. Probably the most often used of these are ‘Export to Web Gallery’ and ‘Export to CD’.

To export a selection of images to a web gallery, proceed as follows:

Select the images to export.
Click ‘File’+‘Export’+‘Export to Web Gallery’ and select a gallery to which to export your images or add a new one. f-spot establishes a connection to the Web location entered for your web gallery. Select the album to which to export the images and decide whether to scale the images automatically and export titles and comments.

Figure 15.8. Exporting Images to a Web Gallery

To export a selection of images to CD, proceed as follows:

Select the images to export.
Click ‘File’+‘Export’+‘Export to CD’ and click ‘OK’.
f-spot copies the files and opens the CD writing dialog. Assign a name to your image disk and determine the writing speed. Click ‘Write’ to start the CD writing process.

Figure 15.9. Exporting Images to CD

15.5.6. Basic Image Processing with f-spot

f-spot offers several very basic image editing functionalities. Enter the edit mode of f-spot by clicking the ‘Edit Image’ icon in the toolbar or by double-clicking the image to edit. Switch images using the arrow keys at the bottom right. Choose from the following edit functions:

Sharpen: Access this function with ‘Edit’+‘Sharpen’. Adjust the values for ‘Amount’, ‘Radius’, and ‘Threshold’ to your needs and click ‘OK’.
Crop Image: To crop the image to a selection you made, either choose a fixed ratio crop or the ‘No Constraint’ option from the drop-down menu at the bottom left, select the region to crop, and click the scissor icon next to the ratio menu.
Red Eye Reduction: In a portrait shot, select the eye region of the face and click the red eye icon.
Adjust Color: View the histogram used in the creation of the shot and correct exposure and color temperature if necessary.

	Advanced Image Processing
Professional image editing can be done with the GIMP. More information about The GIMP can be found in Chapter 17, Manipulating Graphics with The GIMP.