Chapter 2: Photo Import & Indexing
2.1 Adding Photo Folders
Adding Methods
Method 1: Via Menu
- Click the menu icon (≡) at the top of the sidebar
- Select "Add Folder"
- In the folder selection dialog, choose a folder containing photos
- The software automatically starts scanning after confirmation
Method 2: Drag and Drop
- Drag a folder from your file manager to the sidebar area
- Only one folder can be dragged at a time; release the mouse to complete the addition
Notes
- Multiple folders can be added
- It is recommended to add top-level folders; the software automatically scans subfolders
- Initial scanning of large folders may take considerable time
- Ensure the folder has read permissions
2.2 Scanning & Indexing
Automatic Scanning Mechanism
After adding a folder, the software automatically:
- Traverses the folder and its subdirectories
- Identifies supported image formats
- Extracts EXIF metadata (shooting time, camera model, GPS coordinates, etc.)
- Generates thumbnails
- Analyzes image visual features (for AI search and grouping)
- Detects faces and extracts facial features
Indexing Progress
During indexing, the status bar displays:
- Number of files scanned / total files
- File path currently being processed
- Estimated remaining time (when processing a large number of files)
The bottom status bar updates indexing progress in real time.
Post-Indexing Processing
After indexing is complete, AI features run automatically:
- Face Clustering: Groups similar faces into the same person
- Geolocation Aggregation: Aggregates photo locations by GPS coordinates
- Similarity Grouping: Creates groups based on image similarity
- Tag Generation: AI automatically generates descriptive tags for photos
These background tasks complete automatically after indexing.
2.3 Folder Management
Folder Tree Navigation
The folder tree at the bottom of the sidebar displays the structure of all added folders:
- Click a folder name to expand/collapse subfolders
- Click a folder to navigate to the folder browsing view
- Each root folder has a remove button (×) on the right to remove that folder
Browsing Modes
In the folder browsing view, there are two browsing modes:
Current Folder Only: Displays only photos directly in the current folder, excluding subfolders
Include Subdirectories: Displays photos from the current folder and all subfolders
Switching: Use the toolbar in the folder view to toggle between modes.
Monitoring Folder Changes
The software supports real-time folder change monitoring:
- New Files: Automatically detects and indexes newly added photos
- Deleted Files: Automatically marks deleted files
- Updated Files: Automatically updates the index for modified files
This feature can be enabled or disabled in settings (see Chapter 12).
2.4 Scan Configuration
Supported Image Formats
In Settings → Scan Settings, you can choose which image formats to index:
WEB Formats: JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, WebP, AVIF, TIFF, ICO
HEIF Formats: HEIC, HEIF
RAW Formats: CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG, ORF, and more
Tip: Unchecking unneeded formats can reduce scan time and storage usage.
Minimum Image Size Filter
You can set a minimum image size (in pixels); images smaller than this size will be ignored.
- Default: 144 px
- Minimum: 64 px
- Recommendation: Adjust as needed to filter out thumbnails and other small images
Ignore Rules
Use ignore rules to exclude folders or files you don't want indexed:
Steps to Add a Rule:
- Go to Settings → Scan Settings → Ignore Rules
- Click the edit button
- Enter the rule content
- Select the rule type
- Click Add
Rule Type Descriptions:
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Contains | Ignores paths containing the specified text | thumbnails ignores all paths containing "thumbnails" |
| Glob | Matches using wildcard patterns | *.tmp ignores all .tmp files |
| Regex | Matches using regular expressions | ^temp_ ignores files starting with "temp_" |
2.5 Index Maintenance
Manual Index Rebuild
When search results are abnormal, after adding a large number of photos, or when the database is corrupted, you can manually rebuild the index. Path: Menu → Settings → Data Rebuild (Rebuild tab).
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| Rebuild Index | Full rebuild: resets the index, deletes all analysis data, then re-executes the complete indexing process |
| Rebuild Groups | Provides three sub-options: Faces (re-cluster people), Places (re-aggregate locations), Images (recalculate similarity groups). You can also click "All" to rebuild everything at once |
| AI Rebuild | Choose one from OCR / Blur Quality / Semantic Features to rebuild only the corresponding AI analysis data |
| Rebuild EXIF | Re-extracts EXIF metadata for all photos |
Rebuild operations may take a long time; it is recommended to run them during idle periods.
Refresh Index
If the indexing process is interrupted (e.g., the program exits abnormally), you can use "Refresh Index" in the sidebar menu to resume from the current state without starting over.
Remove Missing File Records
After photo files on disk have been moved or deleted, you can enable "Auto Remove Missing" in Settings → Index Options to let the software automatically clean up records of non-existent files. This can also be triggered manually in the Data Rebuild tab.
Optimize & Reset Database
In Settings → System Settings:
- Optimize Database: Compresses and optimizes the database to improve query performance
- Reset Database: Clears all data — use with caution
Next: Read Chapter 3 to learn how to efficiently browse and view photos.