DigiKam
Encyclopedia
digiKam is an image organizer
and editor using KDE Platform
. It runs on most known desktop environments and window managers if the required libraries are installed. It supports all major image file formats
, and can organize collections of photographs in directory-based albums, or dynamic albums by date, timeline, or by tags
. Users can also add captions and ratings to their images, search through them and save searches for later use. With the plugins they can also export albums to 23hq, Facebook
, Flickr
, Gallery2, Google Earth
's KML files, SmugMug
, Piwigo, Simpleviewer, burn them on CD, or create web galleries.
removal, color management
, image filters, or special effects. digiKam is the only free photo management application on Linux that can handle 16 bit/channel images. Digital Asset Management
is the mainstay of digiKam.
The 0.10 version is a hallmark in development as it integrates digiKam in the KDE Platform 4 environment, which is now available on all major platforms as Unix-like, Mac OS X, and Windows (XP, Vista and 7). New features are: XMP metadata, DNG
format read and write, database file is independent of photo libraries, enabling remote paths, multiple roots and offline archives, improved database with much more metadata that can be searched, e.g. camera or lens, Marble integration for geolocation, non-modal image editor, live search boxes in both sidebars and main window, and many more.
New features in the 0.9 series includes a GPS locator and synchronization, iPod Photo upload support, an advanced metadata editor, better support for the Raw image format
(using dcraw
included in digiKam), full color management, a light-table, pan-tool in Image Editor and Preview mode, improvements in usability, and many new plugins.
Digikam 2.0 will be released in July 2011, sporting a number of new features, including:
digiKam is written in C++
using Qt/KDE Platform
.
2005, 2008, and 2010 Readers' Choice Award in the category Favorite Digital Photo Management Tool.
Image organizer
An image organizer or image management application is application software focused on organizing digital images. Image organizers represent one kind of desktop organizer software applications.- Common image organizers features :...
and editor using KDE Platform
KDE Platform
KDE Platform is a set of frameworks by KDE that serve as technological foundation for all KDE applications. Ever since KDE’s brand repositioning the Platform is released as separate product in sync with KDE’s Plasma Workspaces as part of the KDE Software Compilation 4...
. It runs on most known desktop environments and window managers if the required libraries are installed. It supports all major image file formats
Image file formats
Image file formats are standardized means of organizing and storing digital images. Image files are composed of either pixels, vector data, or a combination of the two. Whatever the format, the files are rasterized to pixels when displayed on most graphic displays...
, and can organize collections of photographs in directory-based albums, or dynamic albums by date, timeline, or by tags
Tag (metadata)
In online computer systems terminology, a tag is a non-hierarchical keyword or term assigned to a piece of information . This kind of metadata helps describe an item and allows it to be found again by browsing or searching...
. Users can also add captions and ratings to their images, search through them and save searches for later use. With the plugins they can also export albums to 23hq, Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, Flickr
Flickr
Flickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
, Gallery2, Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
's KML files, SmugMug
Smugmug
SmugMug is a paid digital photo sharing website.- History :Chris MacAskill and Don MacAskill started the original company to build a new video game-oriented web service in February 2002. By August 2002, though, their focus shifted...
, Piwigo, Simpleviewer, burn them on CD, or create web galleries.
Features
digiKam provides functions for organizing, previewing, downloading and/or deleting images from digital cameras. Basic auto-transformations can also be deployed on the fly during picture downloading. In addition, digiKam offers image enhancement tools through its KIPI (KDE Image Plugins Interface) framework and its own plugins, like red-eyeRed-eye effect
The red-eye effect in photography is the common appearance of red pupils in color photographs of eyes. It occurs when using a photographic flash very close to the camera lens , in ambient low light. The effect appears in the eyes of humans and animals that have no tapetum lucidum, hence no...
removal, color management
Linux color management
Linux color management has the same goal as the color management systems for other operating systems: to achieve the best possible color reproduction throughout an imaging workflow from its source , through imaging software , and finally onto an output medium...
, image filters, or special effects. digiKam is the only free photo management application on Linux that can handle 16 bit/channel images. Digital Asset Management
Digital asset management
Digital asset management consists of management tasks and decisions surrounding the ingestion, annotation, cataloguing, storage, retrieval and distribution of digital assets...
is the mainstay of digiKam.
The 0.10 version is a hallmark in development as it integrates digiKam in the KDE Platform 4 environment, which is now available on all major platforms as Unix-like, Mac OS X, and Windows (XP, Vista and 7). New features are: XMP metadata, DNG
Digital Negative (file format)
Digital Negative is an open raw image format owned by Adobe used for digital photography. It was launched on September 27, 2004. The launch was accompanied by the first version of the DNG specification, plus various products including a free of charge DNG Converter utility...
format read and write, database file is independent of photo libraries, enabling remote paths, multiple roots and offline archives, improved database with much more metadata that can be searched, e.g. camera or lens, Marble integration for geolocation, non-modal image editor, live search boxes in both sidebars and main window, and many more.
New features in the 0.9 series includes a GPS locator and synchronization, iPod Photo upload support, an advanced metadata editor, better support for the Raw image format
RAW image format
A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor...
(using dcraw
Dcraw
dcraw is an open-source computer program which is able to read numerous raw image formats, typically produced by high-end digital cameras. dcraw converts these images into the standard PPM and TIFF image formats...
included in digiKam), full color management, a light-table, pan-tool in Image Editor and Preview mode, improvements in usability, and many new plugins.
Digikam 2.0 will be released in July 2011, sporting a number of new features, including:
- Face detection and tagging support
- XMP sidecar support
- Reverse geocoding
- Image versioning
- Pick Labels & Color Labels support to improve photographic Work-flow
- Many new RAW decoding features
Other Operating Systems
- WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
: digiKam is included as part of the KDE on Windows project. It can be installed by selecting the digiKam-msvc library from within the KDE Installer. - An official port can be compiled for Mac OS XMac OS XMac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
from source or using MacPortsMacPortsMacPorts, formerly called DarwinPorts, is a package management system that simplifies the installation of software on the Mac OS X and Darwin operating systems. It is a free/open source software project to simplify installation of other free/open source software...
. - Most Unix-likeUnix-likeA Unix-like operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, while not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification....
OSs are supported.
Technical Information
| KDE Imaging Sprint | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Venue | Date |
| 2008 | Genoa Genoa Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria.... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
10/31-11/2 |
| 2009 | Essen Essen - Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
11/13-11/15 |
| 2010 | Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
8/27-8/29 |
digiKam is written in C++
C++
C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
using Qt/KDE Platform
KDE Platform
KDE Platform is a set of frameworks by KDE that serve as technological foundation for all KDE applications. Ever since KDE’s brand repositioning the Platform is released as separate product in sync with KDE’s Plasma Workspaces as part of the KDE Software Compilation 4...
.
Awards received
digiKam has been awarded the TUXTux Magazine
Tux Magazine was a Linux magazine aimed at Linux desktop end users, specifically those who use the KDE desktop environment. Tux's mission was to help Linux take over the desktop market....
2005, 2008, and 2010 Readers' Choice Award in the category Favorite Digital Photo Management Tool.
See also
- KPhotoAlbumKPhotoAlbumKPhotoAlbum is an image viewer and organizer for Unix-like systems created and maintained by Jesper K. Pedersen. The core philosophy behind its creation was that it should be easy for users to annotate images and videos taken with a digital camera...
- F-SpotF-SpotF-Spot is an image organizer, designed to provide personal photo management for the GNOME desktop environment. The name is a play on the words F-Stop and G-Spot.-Features:...
- Comparison of image viewersComparison of image viewersThis article presents a comparison of image viewers and image organizers which can be used for image viewing.-General information:Note 1: Adobe Bridge comes included in the price with the Adobe Creative Suite CS2, Adobe Production Studio and Photoshop Elements 4 for Mac OS X...
External links
- Official digiKam site (with complete feature list)
- Official Kipi-Plugins site (with complete feature list)
- Digikam user wiki