Online access to all my pictures

[stipe_marinovic]

Hi!

I have fast internet connection and permanent IP address where I work, and I

would like to setup a server for hosting my own pictures, so that I can access

them from where ever I'm. External hard drives would be plugged in using USB for

storage.. what I'm need is a program that will allow me to upload, a lots of

images (sometimes raw, sometimes jpg) and fill in informations about them.

When I need a picture, I would log in, enter keywords and the program would

generate and offer me a thumbnails and mid-size pictures for instant use, and

also link for downloading RAW.. is there any program like that avaliable or do I

have to make my own program using php, dcraw and mysql?

Is there any other solution?

Thanks in advance for any answer or advice!

Best regards,

Stipe

[bdp]

Any FTP program will let you upload files of anytype to your server.

 

The logging in part is all part of the webpages and scripting and how you design it, not the FTP part.

 

You're looking at a few different programs to do what you need.

[stipe_marinovic]

yes, thank you! but is there any free program to do that all? all in one?

Basically I'm looking for free stock program with only one user and without selling part of stock program. :)

[emre]

So you want a cataloging program; take a look at idImager. Where do you want the keywords do be stored?

[stipe_marinovic]

> So you want a cataloging program; take a look at idImager. Where do you want the keywords do be stored?

 

Yes, that's right. Cataloging program with internet front end.

Is there any open source / free one?

[emre]

Picasa.

[stipe_marinovic]

Picasa?

 

Isn't it just for cataloging and publishing pictures online not for accessing database from internet?

[emre]

Oh I see: you want to do the cataloging online too. What do you mean by database? Does it have to be synchronized locally and remotely, or is it sufficient to have tagged files online?

[eugene_scherba]

<p>My site (PHP) does everything you mentioned except storing RAW files online (I

thought that would be a silly idea for RAW files that range from 6 to 15 MB). I do, however,

have a Bash shell script for uploading RAW files via browser and feeding them to dcraw (I

didn't have a use for the script for two years now, so I abandoned it) that used to be

integrated into my site.</p>

 

<p>The code, however is not the easiest one to set up as so far I'm the only user... (on the

plus side, I plan on working on it to make it easier to set up for other people).</p>

 

<p>Drop me an email if you're interested. I myself am interested to hear which features

people find necessary for such a site and which they can live without.</p>

[troy_brown]

I use Lightroom as my application of choice, and export the pictures to a Gallery 2 website on my server. As long as you don't minimize metadata all the keywords will remain and you can use the search features of Gallery to find your pictures and download them. I haven't used RAW photos on the website tho. It takes a few steps and I wish there was a simplier way, but I find it is the easiest so far.

 

-Troy

[rory_edge1]

Since you asked about other solutions...

 

If I wanted to do this, I'd take a good look at GoToMyPC and similar programmes that allow one to use a remote computer to directly access one's personal computer. It costs about $70 per year, but it would seem to be simpler and less time-consuming than than trying to do this via an interface with a server.

[rory_edge1]

By the way, GoToMyPC is available for 30 day free trial: www.gotomypc.com

 

A couple of competing products:

 

LogMeIn: www.logmein.com (also a 30 day trial; there is a free version, but it does not support file transfer between the remote and main computer)

 

PCAnywhere: http://www.symantec.com/norton/products/overview.jsp?pcid=pf&pvid=pca121 (free trial not offered)

[stipe_marinovic]

Thanks everyone for suggestions!

 

Thanks Rory, I never consider that solution. It sounds interesting!

 

The thing is.. I'm writing articles for sailing clubs webpage, and I travel a lot. Sometimes some guy becomes a new state champion, or he did something, and I know I have his picture somewhere on some dvd at home, but I'm few days away from home, so I have to search the web, try to find picture of that guy, that boat.. and things complicates (author rights etc).

Since I'm not payed for that and sailing club is non profit organization.. we are interested in open source or free solution.. or I could make some if there is no free one.

 

The ideal solution would be.. when I'm at home - download all pictures on server and enter keywords.

Run a script that would generate (from raw or full size jpg using dcraw or gd library) 200px thumbnail and 800*600px picture which is big enough for article.

Once I log in from internet.. there sould be some sort of keyword search form.. which would offer me thumbnails with metadata written along side them as results and link for downloading 800*600 picture and full size jpg or raw.

Does something like this egsists?

If not.. it would probably be a very good tool for journalists and professional photographers when they are on the road and they or their editors require some picture they took long time ago.

[troy_brown]

Stipe,

 

I think Gallery 2 is exactly what you need from the 'free' web side of the house. It is highly customizable and it sounds like you are comfortable with programing, so you could make it do exactly what you want. As far as importing the pictures, I use Lightroom, but you could use any program you like. As long as the JPGs have the embedded keyword metadata, then Gallery2 will see it when you import it, and its built-in seach function will search for those keywords. I know that Lightroom isn't free, but it has made the process of tagging, keywording, and exporting sooooo easy. But any DAM product should make easy work of this.