The Main Screen

On top of the main screen is the main menu. Under it is a toolbar containg the most frequent tasks you will perform. On the left side is the Films Tree containing one node for every Film (folder) you have. On the right side you can see the current Film's images (thumbnails), and under it the information about the selected image (or about the selected Film if no image is selected).

Menus

Starting from the top menu we have File, Film, Image/Video, Language and Help. Film contains the exact same menu that pops up if you right click on a Film node. Image/Video contains the exact same menu that pops up if you right click on an image. From Language menu you can change your current language.

The File Menu contains these items:

  • Save. This will save your data file (XML). You don't really need to Save it as Cheez will save it when you exit (and only if you have made changes).
  • Show. Show will ask for the path to a folder and then add this folder as a new Tree node but not as a Film. This means you will be able to see the images contained in this folder but not enter any information about them. External folders are also saved (so you will find them again next time you start Cheez). Also you can drag images from them to one of your Films. To remove an External folder right click on it and select Delete. This will NOT delete the folder or the images. It will only remove the node from your tree.
  • Find. This will pop up the Search window. Read more in the Searching section.
  • Web album. This will start the Web album creation process. Read more in the Web albums section.
  • Change Films location. From here you can change the default location where images are stored. Read more in the Changing Store location section.
  • Preferences. This will pop up the Preferences window. Read more in the Preferences section.
  • Exit. This will Exit the application.

    The Film Menu always refers to the currently selected Film. You can get the same menu by right clicking on a Film node. It contains the following items:

  • New Film. Create a new Film under the selected Film. The name will be "New Film". You can always change the name by pressing F2 and typing the new name.
  • Refresh. This will refresh the images under the selected Film (and depending on your preferences under all included films too). Refresh has two main functions: first it will recreate the thumbnails of images (again based on your preferences). So if you change the dimensions of thumbnails (in preferences) you must refresh. Secondly it will scan for any new or deleted images and folders under the Films folder. If it finds new images/folders it will ask to Import them. If it finds that images are missing it will ask if you want to remove them from your data file (so you won't see them anymore). Refresh can take a lot of time (if the thumbnails are being recreated), so don't do it unless you have a reason (e.g. if you have edited some images with external programs).
  • Sort films by name. This will sort all included films by name.
  • Add keyword. Read more in the keywords section.
  • Rename. This will allow you to rename the film.
  • Delete. Deletes a Film and the corresponding folder on disk. Be careful with it (it will ask for confirmation). Deleted folders/images will go to the Recycle bin of Windows, so you can always restore them.
  • Copy film to. This will ask for a location and then copy the corresponding film's folder to that location (including folders and files).
  • Export film. This will export the Film (and all included images and films) to a ZIP file. This file will also include the thumbnails and the information you have entered for images. You can send this file to a friend so he can see your image collection. This is a great way to exchange image collections with your friends.
  • Import Many. This is also found as a button on the toolbar. Pressing it will ask for a folder to import. Images will be imported from that folder to the selected Film. This folder will not be created as a new film. Read more at the Importing Images section.
  • Import One. Use this to import one image.
  • Import film. If some friend sends you a ZIP file exported by Cheez, containing some of their images, use this to import it. You will also see their descriptions.
  • Slide Show. This will initiate a slide show of the images contained in the current film and all included films.
  • Properties. Displays the number of folders and images contained in this film and all included films.


    • The Image/Video Menu refers to the currently selected images or videos. You can get the same menu by right clicking on a selected image/video. It contains the following items:

  • View. Opens the View window to display the image. Read more at the Viewing section. If many images are selected one window for every image will be opened.
  • Refresh. Refreshes the selected images.
  • Exif Info. Opens a window displaying the Exif info found in the image. Exif data are stored in an image by a digital camera. Read more at the Exif info section.
  • Open with. This will pop up a submenu containing your favorites programs to edit images/videos. In order to create your favorite list of programs select "Choose Program" from the submenu.
  • Add keyword. Read more in the keywords section.
  • Copy. This will copy the image in the Clipboard (so you can paste it to other applications). This option will appear for images only.
  • Copy to. This will ask for a location and copy the selected files there.
  • Mail. This will open the Send by mail form. Read more here.
  • Rotate Left. Rotates selected images 90 degrees left. This option will appear for images only.
  • Rotate Right. Rotates selected images 90 degrees right. This option will appear for images only.
  • Edit. This will open the Edit image form. Read more here. This option will appear for images only.
  • Rename. Allows you to rename the selected files. If you have more that one file selected you can use the *n operator. This will rename your files using an increasing number e.g. selecting two images (a.jpg and b.bmp) and renaming to "File-*n" will result in "File-0001.jpg" and "File-0002.bmp".
  • Delete. Deletes the selected files. Be careful with it (it will ask for confirmation). Deleted images can be found in the Recycle bin of Windows.
  • Print. This will open the printing form. Read more here. This option will appear for images only.
  • Slide Show. Starts a slide show of all selected images. This option will appear for images only.


    • General tips

  • You can select multiple images using the Control key to select/deselect specific images. Holding down the Shift key will select all images from the first clicked image to the second clicked image.
  • You can drag and drop selected images to other Films
  • You can drag and drop folders and images from Windows Explorer to Cheez. Moreover you can drag and drop images from other applications e.g. Internet Explorer.
  • You can drag and drop Film nodes over/under/into other Films so you can order the Films Tree the way you want.