NeoFinder Forum

Today, we give you NeoFinder 8.5!

It has a long list of new abilities, improvements, and of course, bug fixes, because we actually do fix the bugs.

As always, we will write many posts with the new features here in the next weeks, there is a lot to cover!

If you want to read the list with new features, here it is: https://www.cdfinder.de/news.html

To download the new version, use the built-in Updater in NeoFinder itself, or download it from our Downloads page: https://www.cdfinder.de/download.html

The ability to Import foreign catalog files was always a unique ability of NeoFinder, to help you keep track of your data immediately, regardless of where it is stored.

NeoFinder 8.5 adds yet another Importer to the impressive list, the XML "schema" files created by LTFS (Linear Tape File System) drivers.
https://github.com/LinearTapeFileSystem/ltfs

Run the regular Importer, and select the LTFS option in the Format menu.
Then select the XML "schema" files created by your LTFS software. That's it.



The NeoFinder Users Guide has more about how to Import foreign Catalogs into NeoFinder:

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/3/3.6/import.html

NeoFinder 8.5 can catalog Sony DSF and DSD audio files for you, including song metadata (duration, bitrate, and such), CoverArt and all ID3 tags.

More about how NeoFinder supports cataloging your music library: https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/15/neofinder_music.html

NeoFinder 8.5 introduces a special READER mode license.

If you have a valid NeoFinder Business license, you can ask us for that READER license file.
When this special license file is activated, NeoFinder will show the term "Reader" in its main window title, so you can always see what is activated.

An active READER license will lock the database for that user, no changes can be made, but the entire database can be used to view catalogs and perform searches.
It is possible to Export photos, generate Photo and Video Contact Sheets, Web Galleries, and run all searches and report types available in NeoFinder.
It is not possible to change or create Albums or Smart Folders, or add or modify catalogs.

The READER is counting as a regular NeoFinder license for the total number of users in your NeoFinder Business License. You can activate either your regular NeoFinder Business License OR the NeoFinder READER license per user.


https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/2/2.11/license_kinds.html

NeoFinder 8.5 offers an expanded AutoUpdater, in which schedules can be repeated every nn hours (nn being 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, or 12 hours.)

That will make it a lot easier to keep your Catalog up-to-date, even when the people in your company create a lot of new data all the time...

We have updated the NeoFinder Users Guide with the new option.

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/3/3.9/auto-updater.html

We have expanded the very popular Video Converter in NeoFinder 8.5 for you!

It can now copy Metadata from the original video to the newly created export file.

This contains the full XMP record, the EXIF Capture Date (or video creation date), and also any existing GPS GeoTag.

Just select the option, and your metadata will be copied.

The NeoFinder Users Guide has more about that:
https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/22/22.8/v ... erter.html

The Find Editor in NeoFinder 8.5 has a new OTD "On This Day" search option for the EXIF Capture Date.

That way, you can quickly get all photos and videos that were taken on this day in any year!

Combine it with a "Kind is..." parameter to get only Photos or only Videos, if you wish.

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/5/5.2/findeditor.html

For very large and complex setups, you can now place Aliases of Catalog files in the NeoFinder Database folder. (Business License only)

Previous NeoFinder versions allowed Aliases to folders, but now NeoFinder can also handle catalog file aliases. That way you can give uses access to catalogs in different database folders on a NAS or server.

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/2/2.2/neo ... erver.html

The map in NeoFinder 8.5 has a new context menu!

That menu offers to copy the exact clicked location as a GPS GeoTag to the Clipboard, so you can either paste it later into selected photos or videos in NeoFinder, or use it in any web service or other application that needs a GPS coordinate.

If a single Pin is shown in the Map, you can center the visible Map area to this location. For a single Pin, you can also have NeoFinder move it exactly to the clicked location, which is a super fast and efficient way to correct slightly off locations (created by the iPhone or GPS trackers before these can connect to enough satellites for a more precise location!)

NeoFinder also offers to show the clicked location in a web service like OpenStreetMap or Google Maps, and in the Google Earth application on your Mac, if you have installed it.

If the Clipboard contains a valid GeoTag, the context menu will also allow you to center the Map display on that exact coordinate.

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/20/20.1/n ... inder.html

What is that POI? Click on a point-of-interest in the Map of NeoFinder and see what hides behind the nice icon! Another click into the map will remove that name "bubble."

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/20/20.1/n ... inder.html

The Sideshow in NeoFinder 8.5 can be controlled with the mouse. A mouse click proceeds to the next item, a longer mouse click returns to the previous photo.

This makes it easier for a presentation with a projector, where you have a simple Bluetooth mouse in your hand as the controller.


https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/8/8.15/slideshow.html

NeoFinder 8.5 has an improved Scripts menu that can show folders and their contents, so you can group your AppleScript commands nicely into folders.

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/9/9.2/neo ... -menu.html

NeoFinder 8.5 gives you access to GPS GeoTags of photo and video files using AppleScript Automation.

This contains the GPS longitude, latitude, and even the altitude as well.

You can even write new coordinates, if you want to!

Check out the NeoFinder script dictionary with your favorite Script Editor, or Script Debugger.

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/9/9.1/neo ... onary.html

We have released Neofinder 8.5.1 for macOS 14 "Sonoma" today!



We worked our way through the entire test suite for NeoFinder in the new macOS 14 "Sonoma", and found several bugs in macOS that we have to adjust in our code.

But we were able to get NeoFinder 8.5.1 running as smoothly as possible, and here it is!

Please note that we still very highly recommend to wait a few months before updating to macOS 14, so that Apple can fix at least some of the new bugs first.

What is new in Neofinder 8.5.1?

Certified to run in macOS 14 "Sonoma"
Ends trying to catalog EPS or EPFS (encapsulated PostScript) metadata and thumbnails in macOS 14, as Apple has removed the PSConverter
Works around a bug in macOS 14, where Apples NSOutlineView yet again behaves differently when starting to edit a name
Photo Contact Sheet is now available in the context menu for a folder or photo
GPS GeoTags in the Clipboard are recognized in the N 45° 5' 52.440" , E 7° 20' 34.865" format, and can be used to add that location to a file, or show it in the Map
Slideshow settings improve editing the time delay between slides
The context menu command to find photos taken near a GPS GeoTag location now asks for the maximum distance using a new map dialog
Fixes a problem in the Inspector displaying both hierarchical keywords, and "regular" Keywords in some cases
Fixes some minor issues
NeoFinder 8.5.1 requires Mac OS X 10.12 or newer, Intel or Apple ARM M1 or M2

Enjoy!

Download the new version:
https://www.cdfinder.de/download.html

The built-in video converter in #NeoFinder 8.5 can now select "pass-through" for both or either Video and Audio, to move the selected data unchanged to the exported movie file.

Check out the NeoFinder Users Guide for more details!

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/22/22.8/v ... erter.html

Fresh installations of #NeoFinder 8.5 have a new Smart Folder named "Photos taken "On This Day" (OTD)" that does exactly this, it shows you all photos taken on todays date in any year.

You can easily change this Smart Folder to show just videos, or all files, or music, by changing the "Kind" parameter quickly.

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/6/6.2/mod ... older.html

You can now select any catalog files, or folders, and add these to the AI work list to get AutoTags, face detection, and text recognition in NeoFinder.

Previous versions of NeoFinder had only allowed that for entire Catalogs, so this is much more flexible.

And wow is that improved AI detection code in NeoFinder fast on Apple M1, M2 and M3 chips. Really wow. Try it!

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/30/30.5/i ... lysis.html

NeoFinder 8.5 improves the handling of the very British place names in England when looking up Place Names from GPS GeoTags!

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/20/20.5/g ... _name.html

Especially the interesting "Town", "City" and "County" names that are used for these locations are handled better now by NeoFinder.

NeoFinder 8.5 improves cataloging of MKV videos by reading additional metadata, such as an embedded cover art, or film related information, such as artist, or year data.

This of course had already worked for more common movie container formats, such as MOV and MP4, but now for mkv containers and others.

https://www.cdfinder.de/guide/22/22.2/m ... adata.html

Sometimes we just improve small things in #NeoFinder.

Like in the Places window, which now show the GPS coordinates not just as numbers, but nicely formatted.

Much better to read and use.