New app for making "exif notes"

team_player · Mar 17, 2018

Hi again everyone! I've published version 1.10.0 in Play Store. This is once again a bit of a bigger update. Here's a brief list of changes:

Select multiple frames or rolls by long pressing on a frame or roll.
Batch edit frames by selecting multiple frames and then pressing the edit icon. Batch edit options so far are frame count and location.
UI improvements
Performance improvements
Bug fixes

The ability to select multiple frames and batch edit their frame counts should be of use, when you have to add new frames in the middle of the frames list. So far the only batch edit options are frame count and location. What other options would you like to see?

Things on top of my to-do list currently are:

Manual override of aperture value (for exceptional aperture values such as f/1.1 and f/1.7)
Adding a complementary image to a frame using the phone's camera
Ability to add multiple filters to a frame
Mutli-line roll headers for long roll names

Mick Fagan · Mar 22, 2018

Thank you Tommi, changes/additions like these are always appreciated.

Mick.

BabakFarshchian · Mar 30, 2018

team_player said:
Hi again everyone! I've published version 1.10.0 in Play Store. This is once again a bit of a bigger update. Here's a brief list of changes:

Select multiple frames or rolls by long pressing on a frame or roll.

Batch edit frames by selecting multiple frames and then pressing the edit icon. Batch edit options so far are frame count and location.

UI improvements

Performance improvements

Bug fixes

The ability to select multiple frames and batch edit their frame counts should be of use, when you have to add new frames in the middle of the frames list. So far the only batch edit options are frame count and location. What other options would you like to see?

Things on top of my to-do list currently are:

Manual override of aperture value (for exceptional aperture values such as f/1.1 and f/1.7)

Adding a complementary image to a frame using the phone's camera

Ability to add multiple filters to a frame

Mutli-line roll headers for long roll names

Thanks a lot Tommi! I have used the new features. It seems like selecting multiple items has a bug. This is what happens (I think):
- I press and hold down a roll in the film roll screen.
- The screen changes to allow multiple selection etc.
- I archive a roll.
- The app force closes.
- When I open the app the roll I archived is archived. So whatever happens in your code happens after archiving is done.
- I think the same happens if I change from archived to active. Not sure.

I hope this helps you to locate the bug. I use a Sony E5823 with Android 7.1.1.

team_player · Apr 2, 2018

BabakFarshchian said:
Thanks a lot Tommi! I have used the new features. It seems like selecting multiple items has a bug. This is what happens (I think):
- I press and hold down a roll in the film roll screen.
- The screen changes to allow multiple selection etc.
- I archive a roll.
- The app force closes.
- When I open the app the roll I archived is archived. So whatever happens in your code happens after archiving is done.
- I think the same happens if I change from archived to active. Not sure.

I hope this helps you to locate the bug. I use a Sony E5823 with Android 7.1.1.

Thanks for the info! I was able to find one bug related to archiving, which at least caused the same error as some of you have experienced (according to Play Store crash reports). This fix will be included in the next update, and hopefully it will fix the issue for you as well.

There will also be some other minor improvements as well as a new feature, which I have been developing for quite a while.

BabakFarshchian · Apr 4, 2018

team_player said:
Thanks for the info! I was able to find one bug related to archiving, which at least caused the same error as some of you have experienced (according to Play Store crash reports). This fix will be included in the next update, and hopefully it will fix the issue for you as well.

There will also be some other minor improvements as well as a new feature, which I have been developing for quite a while.

Thank you! Actually now I see a crash happens also by simply changing view from active to archived rolls. Probably related.

Ivo Stunga · Apr 4, 2018

Thanks for the app - getting really better and better. A few ideas though:
For sake of data, could it be possible to install app/move it to SD card? Phone can go to shit, SD card - not so easily.
And as I have to deal with frame numbering on daily basis, is it possible to make the frame No. changing funcionality more straightforward? Because as of now I'm not so sure how that works. A selected group is shifted, but I guess it could be done more user-friendly. Like - shift frame count from this point onwards to desired value and all frames after/before (depending on direction) would be shifted accordingly. Or some better way I cannot think of, because I tend to end up with frames -1.
Oh, is there a place for frame 00? I shoot that quite often too lol, and tend to avoid it now because of the numbering thing being kind of funny to deal with : )

team_player · Apr 8, 2018

Hey again everyone! Another weekend has gone by and I’ve finished another update. Version 1.11.0 should be available in Play Store for you to download.

This time I have mainly worked on a feature, that allows you to add complementary pictures to frames using the phone’s camera or gallery application. You can add complementary pictures to frames from the frame edit window. Complementary pictures can also be exported and imported as a compressed .zip file (from the app’s settings), in case you want to switch phones or preview the picture files on your computer. Note however, that complementary pictures are stored separately from the app’s SQL database, which stores all other information (rolls, frames and gear). This is because SQL databases are suboptimal for storing large binary files, such as pictures.

The update naturally includes some bug fixes. I've also improved the method of how I release new versions in Play Store. From this version onwards, I should be able to extract even more information out of crash reports sent to Google Play.

Things now left on my immediate to-do list:

Manual override of aperture value
Adding multiple filters to a frame
Multi-line roll headers for long roll names
Storing flash information

Ivo Stunga said:
Thanks for the app - getting really better and better. A few ideas though:
For sake of data, could it be possible to install app/move it to SD card? Phone can go to shit, SD card - not so easily.
And as I have to deal with frame numbering on daily basis, is it possible to make the frame No. changing funcionality more straightforward? Because as of now I'm not so sure how that works. A selected group is shifted, but I guess it could be done more user-friendly. Like - shift frame count from this point onwards to desired value and all frames after/before (depending on direction) would be shifted accordingly. Or some better way I cannot think of, because I tend to end up with frames -1.
Oh, is there a place for frame 00? I shoot that quite often too lol, and tend to avoid it now because of the numbering thing being kind of funny to deal with : )

Frame count 0 is totally possible. When/after adding the first frame, just change its frame count to 0. Following frames will be numbered starting from 1.

I'll have to think about what would be the easiest way of shifting frame counts of preceding/subsequent frames. As of now, the batch edit feature is your best option. Just select the frames whose frame count you want to shift, click on the edit icon and select "Edit frame counts".

As for data preservation, I suggest you make copies of your Exif Notes database by exporting it in the app's settings. This .db file can then be saved to your SD card or Dropbox, for example. Later it can imported on your new device, should your old device get lost or break down. This is a feature I use extensively while testing, as I have made a backup of my sample database containing some rolls, frames and gear.

Having the application's data in internal storage is ultimately more convenient, because the internal storage is always mounted and accessible (this is guaranteed). Conversely, complementary pictures are stored in external storage. However, they are not visible to the user or any other application. But as I said, you can export them as a .zip file to any location you want.

I hope this helps.

Ivo Stunga · Apr 9, 2018

Sure it helps, but I was refering to situation I recently encountered:
Film Roll defined > Development time > Splashing some developer on my phone which has Darkroom Timer installed > Phone goes dead > So does my last roll data.

Managed to repair my phone, but almost lost a roll. That's when the idea about SD card came in. I do those manual backups after every/every second roll just to be sure : )

team_player · Jul 16, 2018

Another summer holiday, another summer update. I've just released version 1.12.0 to Google Play store. Changes this time include:

Bug fixes
UI improvements (e.g. multi line roll titles)
Frame's aperture value can now be manually overridden for custom aperture values (e.g. f/0.95 and f/1.7)
Exposure compensation increments are now camera specific (third stop or full stop)

Hopefully I will have time to push out another update during my summer holiday, no promises though. Here are a couple of things still left to be implemented:

Ability to add multiple filters to a frame
Ability to add fixed lens cameras

Ivo Stunga · Jul 17, 2018

Nice one!

BTW - what's your take on adding a Adapter field? Because one can have an adapter+lens+filter. Say - macro rings + lens + CPL.
Aaand maybe you could include app settings too in that DB backup? Like - Copyright info, Artist name, Paths and all?

GLS · Jul 17, 2018

I use this app routinely, so thanks for the hard work!

I think the ability to add multiple filters should be a development priority, as using more than one for landscape photography is very common. As it stands I have to select one filter and then manually type in the others in the "notes" section.

nikodemus · Oct 22, 2018

Just started using this after trying out all the apps for this purpose I could find - yours is clearly the most useful one, so much appreciated!

I do have some wishlist items, though!

1. Customizing lists shutter speeds instead of specifying a stop increment and range.
2. Customizing lists apertures instead of specifying a stop increment and range.

...if I had access to source I would be willing to work on them myself.

team_player · Oct 27, 2018

I'm glad we have a couple of happy new users, welcome to the thread!

Progress has been a bit slow since the last update. Partly because of work and partly because of the type of development I've been doing. This time I have been focusing on the back-end database to make it more robust and easier to maintain. Changes included in v1.13.0 (alfa, more about this later) are:

Database overhaul: added foreign key references and removed some not-null constraints
Frames can have multiple filters
Rolls can be added without specifying a camera
Fixed deprecated Google Maps Geocode API calls (formatted addresses should work again)

This is the largest update to the back-end database so far and it includes recreating some underlying tables. I've been trying to test the update process as much as possible, but the lack of test cases is my main deficiency. This is where some of you hopefully come in!

I've created a closed alfa relase in Play Store, which is open only for those who want to enroll. I've already included myself and @Ivo Stunga, who I know to be an early adopter. If you want to participate, send me your Google account email address (via PM or email), and I'll add you to the distribution list. This is so that Play Store recognizes you as an "authorized tester". If you don't want to take part in testing, you can simply ignore all of this; nothing changes for you.

Before you download v1.13.0 however, I highly recommend you export and backup your current database in case anything goes wrong during the update. Then you can clear the app data, uninstall it, go back to v1.12.0 and restore your old database. If you do this, everything should be just fine.

Here's the link to the Play Store testing page: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.tommihirvonen.exifnotes. It should have a brief guide on how the testing works.

This way of testing is a bit new to me as well. What I hope to gain by doing this, however, is to make sure, that the full public release doesn't mess with anyone's data. I know Ivo at least has accumulated quite a large database. So if the update works for you, then it should work for everyone. Since I am literally a one-man team, this is basically my only option to do any sort of large scale testing with various databases and devices. I am quite excited though to see how well this works. Thank you to everyone beforehand and let me know your experiences! Hopefully I'll be able to release these new features in the public version soon as well.

Ivo Stunga · Nov 24, 2018

Woah, thanks, I feel honored a bit

This app testing via Play Store is new and interesting to me, so I'll do it!
It's not that large of a database - about 100 rolls, but should be sufficient I guess. Maybe my tiny background in acceptance testing will come in handy too

Hope I'll be of some use!

Ivo Stunga · Jun 30, 2019

Hello there!
Is your sweet project still alive?

team_player · Aug 6, 2019

Ivo Stunga said:
Hello there!
Is your sweet project still alive?

Hi Ivo! Sorry for the delayed response, it seems like my email notifications about new posts on this thread do not work.

Yes, the project is still alive! However, development has been and probably will continue to be quite slow compared to a couple of years back. Life inevitably goes on and new things start to take up more and more of your time (in my case mainly work).

This summer I did start to develop automated instrumentation tests for the app. These will help me to publish new releases faster, when I don't have to do the entire test suite manually. I've also migrated part of the source code from Java to Kotlin. This reduces the number of source lines of code dramatically, making maintenance and development easier.

I've also maintained the backlog of new features to be implemented. Don't worry, your requests are still there. I hope to release a new update with new features this autumn/early winter. So stay tuned, I will make a post about it here as usual when it's out.

Ivo Stunga · Aug 6, 2019

Thanks, will be waiting - have a blast!

Popmar · Dec 6, 2019

Hi,

great app! You could add a film type? (e.g. Roll name: BW roll no.2, Film type: Kodak TriX)

Thaks

team_player · Jan 11, 2020

Hi everyone and a very happy 2020 to all!

I decided to write a quick update on the status of Exif Notes development and let you know of an upcoming release. I had some time off from work during Christmas holidays, which allowed me to focus a bit on app development.

I've implemented some new features, fixed a few bugs on newer versions of Android (Q) and polished some UI elements as well. Here's a brief list of improvements to come in the next release:

Added flash used and light source properties to frames.
Added database of film stocks, which can be maintained along with other gear. Film stock database is prepopulated with currently manufactured stocks. Source of preadded film stocks: https://emulsive.org/reviews/film-r...plete-a-z-plus-thoughts-on-the-future-of-film
Added film stock/film type property to rolls.
Rolls can be batch edited.
Improved roll UI items and presentation.

This is not a comprehensive list of all changes, and some new features might be implemented before release. One thing I'm already looking into is allowing the user to filter rolls when showing all rolls on map. The goal is to release the next version during January. In addition to new features, I've done a lot of code refactoring and migrated more classes from Java to Kotlin.

I've also decided to drop support for pre-Lollipop devices starting from the next version. According to Play Store statistics 99% of Exif Notes users are already running Android L or newer. Dropping support for older versions makes the development faster and easier, since some features would require twice the amount of code and a lot of research to work on older devices. I will investigate if it's possible to configure the Play Store page in a way, that allows pre-L users to download an older version of the app.

Stay tuned for the upcoming release! Hopefully I will be able to publish it soon. And as always, feedback and suggestions are more than welcome!

Ivo Stunga · Jan 11, 2020

Woah, that's a lot of changes! Yeah, my 5.0 device too is starting to show its ugly aged face, will probably have to upgrade soon enough.

THANKS, will be waiting!

team_player · Jan 11, 2020

Ivo Stunga said:
Woah, that's a lot of changes! Yeah, my 5.0 device too is starting to show its ugly aged face, will probably have to upgrade soon enough.

THANKS, will be waiting!

Yeah, it's been difficult finding phones old enough to do legacy testing on to make sure the app works on old devices as well. However, you should still be good to go compatibility wise, if you are running Android 5.0. That means new app versions will still work on your phone.

runswithsizzers · Jan 11, 2020

I guess I should have asked this question before spending 2 hours getting the Google Play Store installed on my Amazon Fire, but...
Does your app run a tablet, like the Amazon Fire?

I was finally able to get the Google Play Store installed, but I cannot find your App in the store. Maybe it only shows apps for tablets, or ?

I can easily find your app in the Google Play Store when I search for "Exif Notes" from my iMac desktop computer or from my iPhone - but not when I search from my Amazon Fire.

The Amazon Fire HD 6 running Fire OS 5.6.1.0 is the only Android(ish) device I have. Any suggestions?

team_player · Jan 12, 2020

runswithsizzers said:
I guess I should have asked this question before spending 2 hours getting the Google Play Store installed on my Amazon Fire, but...
Does your app run a tablet, like the Amazon Fire?

I was finally able to get the Google Play Store installed, but I cannot find your App in the store. Maybe it only shows apps for tablets, or ?

I can easily find your app in the Google Play Store when I search for "Exif Notes" from my iMac desktop computer or from my iPhone - but not when I search from my Amazon Fire.

The Amazon Fire HD 6 running Fire OS 5.6.1.0 is the only Android(ish) device I have. Any suggestions?

Hmm... Accoring to Wikipedia, Fire OS 5.6.1.0 should be using Android 5.1.1 under the hood, so it should be compatible with Exif Notes and with future versions as well. Exif Notes is not "optimized for tablets" in the sense, that the layout is exactly the same on phones and tablets. There might a filter/setting in your Play Store app, which only shows apps optimized for tablets.

If you cannot find it in Play Store, you can search for the APK installer file on Google. There are several websites, which host the APK installer files. You can download the installer file and do the install yourself (much like on a PC). At least this site seems like a reliable option: https://apkpure.com/exif-notes/com.tommihirvonen.exifnotes

The only downside to this approach is, that you have to manually download and install updates when they are released. Otherwise the app works exactly the same.

runswithsizzers · Jan 12, 2020

team_player, I can't find any kind of filters or settings associated with the Google app(s) on my Fire tablet which look like they might be limiting my seach results in the Google Play Store.

According to what I read on <this link> (much of which I don't understand), there may be some kind of filters, but they may have been set when I installed the app (?)

But more likely, it's something like this (from the discussion in the link):

"People around the globe must we wondering why they cant see some apps on playstore on a specific device although they can see those apps on their computer or their friend's phone.
This is mainly because most apps on the playstore have compatibility issue. Some apps are compatibile with your android device while others are not depending upon your phone model, android version, resolution etc."

And <this link> says about the same thing:

"If you can’t find your app on some Android devices, it’s possible that those devices aren’t supported or are excluded by your app. Learn how to review your app’s device compatibility and excluded devices.

Also, make sure that the Android devices you’re using are supported for use with Google Play."

So anyway, I'd like to try your app, but it looks like that is not going to happen on my old Amazon Fire tablet. Good luck with the continued development of Exif Notes - and if you think there might ever be an iOS version for my iPhone, put my name on your list of interested persons.

Popmar · Jan 20, 2020

Hi,

it would be possible to add an ISO value (or push / pull value) to each frame? For diafine users.

Thanks

New app for making "exif notes"

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