cjoprey
Member
Scanning stamps for my website...
Posts: 1,443
What I collect: Belgium (predominantly), British Commonwealth (older ones), WW (whatever comes my way...)
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Post by cjoprey on Aug 11, 2020 8:35:35 GMT
Hi PostmasterGS - thanks for all the updates to this amazing tool! I do have a question. I just tested with the latest Windows x64 version running on Windows 10. When I save a single file it does remember the extension and the filename, but not the folder it was loaded from - it always defaults to the "This PC" location, which means I have to go and find the place I got the file from each time. It would be fantastic if it could default to the location the file was loaded from. Thanks again for all the work on this!
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tobben63
Member
Stamp eat sleep repeat
Posts: 1,866
What I collect: I collect to much, world wide!
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Post by tobben63 on Aug 11, 2020 8:56:30 GMT
Hello cjoprey I agree with you it is a fantastic tool. Try this. EDITAnd now I see that I had v1.31 not v1.34 Have updated now and testing.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 11, 2020 11:10:11 GMT
It would be fantastic if it could default to the location the file was loaded from. Go to Settings, Interface Settings, and change it to Open to Last Folder.
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cjoprey
Member
Scanning stamps for my website...
Posts: 1,443
What I collect: Belgium (predominantly), British Commonwealth (older ones), WW (whatever comes my way...)
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Post by cjoprey on Aug 11, 2020 17:16:54 GMT
Hi PostmasterGS - I've now tried with all three settings. If it set to "Open to OS default folder" or "Open to user default folder" it all works as expected. If I set it to "Open to last folder" neither the "Load", "Save as" buttons do anything - no window is opened, so I cannot proceed.
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,642
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Aug 11, 2020 20:45:52 GMT
SAPG will this work with Scribus 1.5.3? I tried 1.5.5 and found it a bit buggy and went back to 1.5.3
Looks very interesting!!
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 11, 2020 21:10:23 GMT
cjoprey , I'm unable to duplicate the problem. It works properly on my Win10 machine. Can someone else with a Win10 x64 installation see if the Open to Last Folder setting is working for them? If working properly, the load/save dialog window should remember the last folder you were in.
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cjoprey
Member
Scanning stamps for my website...
Posts: 1,443
What I collect: Belgium (predominantly), British Commonwealth (older ones), WW (whatever comes my way...)
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Post by cjoprey on Aug 11, 2020 23:53:44 GMT
Thanks for checking PostmasterGS - I did some more digging and managed to resolve it by using the "Reset settings" menu option, and then redoing all my settings. Now it all appears to be working.
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Post by michael on Oct 21, 2020 15:55:09 GMT
I found earlier versions of this product inconsistant as I was scanning my pre1930 stamps with a white background. However, for my South Atlantic stamps from 1930 to 1970 I'm using a black background so I thought I'd give it another go. Works great, has saved me lots of time, thank you PostmasterGS
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Post by PostmasterGS on Dec 15, 2021 23:49:40 GMT
I’ve just uploaded a new update for StampFix, v1.45. Here’s what’’s new and why. Auto Detection Toggle — Since a much earlier version (v1.10?), the app has had the ability to process images of a single stamp and images contains multiple stamps (extracting multiple stamp from a single image). The code to process these two types of images is different. Prior to drag and drop being added, the button the user used to load the images told the app which process to run. But, with the addition of drag and drop, there needed to be a way for the app to tell whether to run the single-stamp process or the multiple-stamp process. So, I implemented some code to test each image as it was loaded and auto-detect whether it contained an image of a single stamp or multiple. As it turns out, this auto-detection wasn’t 100% accurate. The auto-detection ID’s stamps by looking for edges between light and dark, and certain combinations were misread more than most — dark stamp with a heavy cancel, or more commonly, a single postcard or cover would often be detected as a multiple because the app would detect not only the light postcard on a dark background, but also the dark stamp on the light postcard. So, I added the ability to disable the auto-detection and force the app to process the image being loaded as 1-stamp/postcard/cover per image or a 2+ stamps/postcards/covers per image. If you know the images you’re loading are all 1 item per image, selecting the 1-per image setting will ensure a more accurate result. Same for multiple. One warning — if batch processing multiple files or a folder with images containing both singles and multiples, make sure it’s set to Auto-Detect. Otherwise, you might not get accurate results — you might still get an accurate result with Multiple selected, but you definitely won’t with Single selected. Loaded — The app will now show you the filename of the file that’s currently loaded, if any. Rearranged Buttons — because I need to keep the app below a certain size for those using lower screen resolutions, I had to move some things around. Several of the buttons that were previously on the left sidebar are now across the top. Instructions — in conjunction with this release, I’ve added more instructions to the StampFix page on my website here. There are lots of animated GIFs, so it may be a little slow to load the first time. In observing comments about the app from various sources, it became obvious that a lot of people were not getting the results they would like out of the app. Inevitably, the issues were easy to fix by tweaking their settings, but most had never watched the tutorial videos and had no understanding of what the individual settings did. They were just using the default settings and then giving up when those settings didn’t work well for them. So, I decided to add a written set of instructions with photos in the hopes that maybe this will help those who are having difficulty getting the best results. It’s unfortunate that the app can be complicated at times. The more features the app has, the more complicated it is to operate without understanding what the various settings do. I could make it easier to operate with less customization options, but that would mean removing some of the features. If you’re using the app and not getting the results you want on any image, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I can usually fix it by finding the right settings for you, or as happened in this instance WRT the auto-detect, implement a fix and release an improved version.As always, download is here.
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brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
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Post by brightonpete on Dec 16, 2021 3:00:46 GMT
1.4.5 is broken under Mac OS X Monterey (12.1) - rats! On running, it comes up with this...
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Post by PostmasterGS on Dec 16, 2021 3:11:26 GMT
brightonpete , A few questions: Does the prior version work for you on Monterey? Are you using the version with JRE bundled or not? Is your Mac an M1 or Intel? EDIT: I suspect it's because your Mac has an M1 processor. If it's a newer Mac (last year or so), it probably is. If so, try this. 1. Go to Finder / Application, right click on PMGS StampFix.app and select Get Info2. In the General section, the Kind line probably says Application (Intel). This shows that the app was designed for Intel-based Macs, not M1-based. 3. You should see an option that says Open using Rosetta. Check it. The M1 Macs can still run Intel-designed apps using an emulator called Rosetta — see here. 4. Try running the app. MacOS may ask you to install Rosetta if this is the first time using it. It's safe to do so — it's part of MacOS. I'm working on building a version that's M1-compatible without relying on this fix, but without access to an M1 Mac (I'm on a new iMac, but I got one of the last Intel-based ones), it's hard to get some of the source files I need to bundle with the app and to test the new code. May have to wait until I upgrade my MacBook in few months.
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brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
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Post by brightonpete on Dec 16, 2021 13:10:10 GMT
I'll have to go back in Time Machine to resurrect the older version. I hadn't used it in a while. My iMac is OLD, it's based on Intel, and it was the bundled version with JRE.
I'll check and get back to you in a bit...
After a bit, I am back on v1.34 and it still works. BTW I am on Monterey 12.1 which was just installed 2 days ago.
Peter
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,642
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Dec 16, 2021 15:09:36 GMT
I'm on a iMac 2015 running Mojave and here's what I get when I try to launch
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Post by PostmasterGS on Dec 16, 2021 19:00:27 GMT
That's really strange. I do all my coding on a Mac and it works fine on Big Sur. Let me look into it.
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,642
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Dec 16, 2021 19:14:02 GMT
Java is current (I checked)
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Post by PostmasterGS on Dec 16, 2021 21:38:17 GMT
brightonpete / stainlessb I just uploaded a new version. Give it a try and please let me know if it works. I tried it on my MacBook with Mojave and it opened correctly.
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,642
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Dec 16, 2021 22:33:25 GMT
new version works!!!
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Post by PostmasterGS on Dec 16, 2021 23:43:41 GMT
Glad to hear it. This is frustrating. I recently bought a new iMac, and getting everything set-up correctly to code this stuff is proving to be impossible. Different versions of Java, OpenCV, IntelliJ, install4j, etc., each of which has to be installed as just the right version with just the right setup to make everything work. I though I had it setup to mirror what was on my old iMac, but I guess not. Luckily I still have my old iMac, so I was able to rebuild the app and re-package it pretty quickly.
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,642
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Dec 17, 2021 0:44:27 GMT
I personally am not looking forward to the day I have to replace my iMac. I have not gone beyond Mojave as I know some software I use either has no upgrade or is very expensive and I cannot justify for as much as I use those programs
Thanks for your time and effort to develope this. I won't say I use it all the time, but when I do it is very helpful!
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 28, 2022 22:09:43 GMT
New version uploaded -- v1.51. This version fixes a bug (a.k.a. a typo) that was rendering the drag and drop inoperable under certain circumstances. As usual, download is here.
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Post by clivel on Mar 28, 2022 22:16:10 GMT
New version uploaded -- v1.51. This version fixes a bug (a.k.a. a typo) that was rendering the drag and drop inoperable under certain circumstances. As usual, download is here. So, when do we get the Linux version
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 28, 2022 22:35:16 GMT
So, when do we get the Linux version I've tried on several occasions to get a Linux version working, but I keep hitting a wall. The image processing within the app is done by OpenCV, Java version. To make OpenCV work, I have to package each operating system's OpenCV libraries within the app. To get those libraries, I have to build a version of OpenCV for that OS, which has to be done within that OS, and I don't have a Linux machine. I tried installing Linux on a dual boot to get the files, but didn't have any luck getting a good build of OpenCV. On top of that, due to some changes in later versions of OpenCV and Java, it has to be a very specific combination of OpenCV and Java versions, both of which are older versions that aren't easy to find and build on newer machines. I've actually had to keep my old iMac operational for the sole purpose of maintaining the app, as I can't get the right combination of Java and OpenCV versions on my new iMac or my Windows computer.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Apr 24, 2022 4:51:39 GMT
I’ve just uploaded a new version of StampFix, v1.54. As usual, download is here. This version includes two new features, both by user request. First, a change to the order in which individual stamps are extracted from a larger image when using the Batch from Image feature. Often, when scanning stamps, a user will place them on the scanner in rows and expect that the resulting images will be numbered in the order they were on the scanner, from top-left to bottom-right. Until now, the stamps were ordered in the order the software detected them, which is roughly bottom to top, without a lot of regard for left to right. (See example order in v1.51 screenshot below). This led to a lot of renaming to get the stamps named in the proper order. With v1.54, the stamps are numbered in a more logical order, from left to right in rows from top to bottom. For this to work best, the stamps need to be in rows. If the stamps are scattered all over the image, or if there’s a random stamp in one row that’s much taller than the rest so that it intrudes on the row below, it will cause some odd results because it throws off the row detection. Here's the same image as above in v1.54. Second, this version includes the ability to further customize the filenames when batch processing using the Batch Folder/Files/Image processes. Filename customization is Pandora’s Box, and it gets very complicated very fast. There’s a reason there are entire apps devoted just to renaming files. But, here’s the logic behind this addition. If you’re going to use this feature, please read carefully, because the renaming behavior isn’t always intuitive or obvious. There’s a new block of inputs in the left sidebar. This block includes blanks for the prefix, core filename, and suffix. It also includes blanks for separators to go between the prefix/core and core/suffix. The checkboxes at left of the prefix/core/suffix blanks will cause those fields to iterate. Iteration works as follows: 1. If iterate is checked and the box is blank, it will insert integers starting at 1. (ex. first stamp would be 1, next is 2, etc.) 2. If iterate is checked and the box contains only an integer (ex. 100), the integer will iterate starting from that number. (ex. first stamp is 100, next is 101, next is 102, etc.) 3. If iterate is checked and the box contains mixed text — IOW, not a pure integer — (ex. 3A), it will append an integer iterating from 1 (ex. first stamp would be 3A1, second would be 3A2, etc.) One caveat — when using Batch from Image (but not Batch Files or Folder), new unique filenames must be generated since you’re creating multiple files from one. In the past, these new files automatically received integer filenames iterating from 1. This is still the case unless you override this behavior using the new options. If you leave all renaming checkboxes/blanks empty, the app will automatically check the box to iterate the core so it can create core filenames iterating from 1. Also, the feature that allows you to prevent overwriting of source files is still available. Because of this, if that option is checked, you may still see additional dashes/integers (Ex. -2) appended to filenames as necessary to avoid overwriting files of the same name in your output folder. These new renaming options are also available on the Edit Individually screen when using Batch from Image. The renaming works the same way here. If you’d like to watch it in action without generating the files, you can go here and play with the options, hitting Apply to watch the filenames generate. With an update this large, I suspect there may be a few bugs here and there. If you find one, please let me know. If the numbering or renaming aren’t behaving as you think they should or if you just can’t figure out how to make it work, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Also, I haven’t yet updated the detailed instructions on my website to reflect these additions. I’ll try to knock that out tomorrow.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Apr 26, 2022 0:21:19 GMT
I just posted a minor bug fix version, v1.55. This just fixes a cosmetic issue where, under certain circumstances, the reset button was shrinking when you hovered over it.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Apr 28, 2022 2:16:16 GMT
Another bug fix release today, v1.56. This version fixes the following: 1. Reinstates the option to change the file format upon saving. When re-arranging the layout for v1.54, I deleted the box to set the file extension and just forgot to put it back. It's back now. 2. Fixes a bug in the option to alter the image size by a percentage upon saving. Previously, all the options in this selection box could be saved as a default except for the "Percentage" option. Apparently, this bug has existed since the first version of the app. I guess I now know how many users actually use that option! 3. Fixes some cosmetic bugs caused by the recent interface changes.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 20, 2022 16:12:28 GMT
Anyone here using StampFix on Win11, and if so, are you having any issues?
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Philatarium
Member
Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 1,032
What I collect: Primarily focused on Japan, but lots of other material catches my eye as well ...
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Post by Philatarium on Aug 20, 2022 17:45:05 GMT
Is anyone using PMGS’ terrific application StampFix on a WIndows 11 machine? My Windows 7 machine bit the dust recently, and I now have a new Windows 11 one, and I cannot get the app to work. It opens up, but I cannot get it to recognize and process any of my images. (I’m using some that worked on my Win7 machine.) Whether using the drag and drop method, using the Batch Image Processing ‘image’ button to navigate to the file, or using the Drag/Drop Target tool to drag the image to the little window that opens, StampFix does not recognize the image I’m trying to process. It seems like it has to do with permissions, either folder, app, or both. I’ve tried to set them as liberally as I can, but I’ve had no luck yet. Has anyone encountered a similar problem, or is anyone a Windows 11 maven? Thanks in advance! P.S. I’ve already been in touch with PostmasterGS about it, which is what I think prompted his post above.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Sept 24, 2022 3:07:00 GMT
New version (v1.58) uploaded that fixes a bug that was preventing files from being processed if all these conditions were met:
1. Batch Folder or Files 2. "Output to:" unchecked 3. Overwrite prevention checked 4. File extension set to "Same as Source"
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Post by PostmasterGS on Oct 27, 2022 19:46:22 GMT
New version (v1.60) uploaded. This version fixes the lack of resolution data (DPI) in TIFF files. When you save as a TIFF, the resolution should now be correctly reflected in the metadata. This was a major pain to do, so please let me know if it doesn't behave as you expect. I had previously managed to get the DPI working with PNG and JPG, so this leaves BMP as the only one of the common scanner output formats that doesn't receive the proper DPI, and I doubt it ever will. BMP is virtually impossible to write metadata to without an insane level of coding. As always, download is here.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Nov 15, 2022 16:58:46 GMT
New version (v1.62) uploaded. This is a bug fix version. With v1.60, I added the ability to have the resolution properly set in the metadata if generating TIFF files. Or so I thought. TIFF files can store resolution metadata in multiple ways. The method I was using in v1.60 to store the resolution in the metadata -- as the number of pixels per mm -- was the easier solution, but forced an app or OS opening the image to do some math to convert pixels/mm to pixels/in. Apparently, there are variations in how different apps and operating systems handle the rounding of infinitely repeating decimals when they do math, causing an annoying "bug". I scan my stamps at 1200ppi, and when I opened the resulting images in Photoshop, Gimp, or Windows, the resolution was properly shown as 1200ppi. But in MacOS, which is my main OS, they showed as 1199ppi (actually, 1199.9999 repeating). My OCD couldn't let that go. I think that's fixed now. As always, download is here.
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