Overview

Learn what dummy pictures are and how they can help you organize your collections.

What are dummy pictures?

Dummy pictures are "mock" pictures containing text that a real image may later replace. This way, you can create a fully searchable digital archive even if the images are in a traditional picture archive. For example, the text in the dummy images can contain information about where the original image is stored. At a later stage, FotoStation can be used to merge the text in the dummy image with the real image file.

Creating a dummy picture

1. Go to File > New > Dummy picture.
2. Select the folder where the dummy picture will be saved and a file name (FotoStation will suggest a file name automatically.)
3. The text editor opens and you can caption the dummy picture. You can also open a previously saved IPTC file by opening the File menu in the text editor and then choosing Open template, or select a template in the Templates menu.
4. Select OK in the text editor to create a new dummy picture, apply text to it, and so on. 

Tip: Dummy pictures can also be created automatically when importing text records from a text file (not when importing text from a database though). This way, you can create a fully searchable text archive and merge the dummy pictures with the original files later, provided that the dummy pictures are given the same name as the original file. When exporting text records from an archive in the first place, the file name can be included (it is included by default when using the Fotoware standard format), meaning that dummy files will automatically be given the same name as the files from which their metadata originates. This makes it very easy to merge the dummy files with their original files later.

Merging a dummy with a real image

Note: Merging dummy images as described here only works when the pictures are stored locally. It will not work over FWP.

To merge the dummy with a real image and transfer the text from the dummy to the real one, right-click the dummy thumbnail and choose Replace this dummy picture with image file. Then select the image file with which you wish to merge the dummy. A dialog box appears, presenting the following choices:

Use file name from: Choose whether the new file should be named after the dummy or the file with which you are merging it.

Use location from: Choose where to store the new image. You may choose between storing it in the folder where the dummy image is located, or in the folder of the selected image file.

Use file date from: Choose between preserving the file date of the dummy or the selected image file.

Text handling: Either add the dummy text to the existing text in the image, or replace the existing text with the dummy text.

Delete the selected file after the replace operation: If this box is checked, FotoStation merges the dummy and the selected file into a new file and deletes the originals. Otherwise, the original selected image will remain unchanged. Either way, the dummy is removed.

Apply to all selected. Use same source folder and settings: This option applies only if you have selected many dummy images in your archive. Then, selecting this option makes FotoStation assume that all the files with which to merge the dummy files are located in the same folder. For this feature to work correctly, the dummy images must have the same name as the file with which its text is merged.