Filter Forge Librarian to simplify installation of library filters

GMM, is this what you were referring to in
this thread when you wrote:

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We're working on something separate from the Filter Forge software itself (belonging to the overall FF infrastructure though). Should be available before 5.0 beta, maybe this summer.

I haven't seen any discussion surrounding this tool. Does anyone actually use it?

I am actually confused about how to use Librarian.
I purchased FilterForge 4 some days ago, after testing the trial for the given period, and the activation went well.

I had also purchased 'Filter Library Backup 4.0' and 'Filter Forge Librarian' at the same time, but had to send a reminder after 3 business days in order to receive a download link. It was only ONE download link for 'Filter Forge Librarian', while the 'Filter Library Backuo 4.0' was still not mentioned anywhere.

Prior to receiving the 'Filter Forge Librarian' download, during the 3 days of waiting, I manually downloaded quite an amount of filters and had no problems to install them in Filter Forge.

Now, after additionally installing 'Filter Forge Librarian', it seems that nothing has changed inside Filter Forge at all. I can nowhere find any new additional functionallity? When I tried to start 'Filter Forge Librarian' manually fr om the installation location, it told me that 'Filterforge and Librarian are already running'. But WHERE?

I'm somehow expecting I can open any additional TAB or window where I might be able to manage my existing filters and download additional filters in batches, but such functionallity is nowhere to be found (except the filter library which had already been there prior to addon installation...)? It is hard to even know what I am searching for, because up to now I could nowhere manage to find some kind of list of features for 'Filter Forge Librarian'? The 'Librarian' installed without any manual, and in the original 'Filter Forge 4'-Manual the 'Filter Forge Librarian' addon is not mentioned.

- So how can I find out how to use 'Filter Forge Librarian', and where to even find it?
- What about the 'Filter Library Backup 4.0', should I have received any second download link for this? Wh ere is it, and how to use it?

I would be really grateful for some assistance, and I strongly recommend to add some documentation and manual to this addon software.

@Charlie@Bytefactory3D:

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It was only ONE download link for 'Filter Forge Librarian'

That's correct: this package contains the library backup and Librarian software.

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When I tried to start 'Filter Forge Librarian' manually fr om the installation location, it told me that 'Filterforge and Librarian are already running'.

That's also intended: you cannot run two copies of any Filter Forge software (including Librarian) simultaneously.

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where I might be able to manage my existing filters

You don't need any auxiliary software to manage *existing* filters: this functionality is built in Filter Forge. Librarian allows you to load *additional* filters into your Filter Forge.

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So how can I find out how to use 'Filter Forge Librarian', and where to even find it?

Have you installed Librarian from the download link?

I am right on the edge of going ahead and buying the Librarian after erceiving an email today, but thought I'd research it first.

Pardon me if I am wrong, but I think what Charlie@Bytefactory3D is actually trying to ask is: "So I installed it, NOW WHAT???" To someone already familiar with it everything seems ludicrously obvious, to those who are coming in from the dark, the question begs an answer like, "Open Filter Forge -> go up to the ____ Tab in the upper left -> select "______" -> Browse and select filters -> Press "Add to Library" -> Use Filter Forge as normal with all your cool newly installed filters!" Or something to that effect. (FYI: TOTALLY contrived instruction example!!! This is NOT actually how to use the Librarian!)

As I said, I have not quite yet purchased it, so don't know if this is merely a case of RTFM (Read The Flippin' Manual!) or everyone just assumed it would be SO OBVIOUS. Again, pardon me if I am wrong.

Your answer could determine if I buy in, or hang back.

@Erik Pedersen: Librarian is so simple that it doesn't come with a manual. You almost guessed how to use without ever looking at the program! Except for this:

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Open Filter Forge -> go up

You don't open Filter Forge, you open Librarian for that It is a separate program that doesn't run simultaneously with Filter Forge.
And no, I'm not sure Charlie@Bytefactory3D actually installed and launched the program he/she has purchased.

Okay, thanks for the clarification!
And just to be RIDICULOUSLY clear: Open Librarian, sel ect filters, install filters. Then exit Librarian and open Filter Forge to enjoy the newly added filters fr om the Library archive. Is it like that?

Last question (probably): I have a Lifetime Filter Forge account. What's the model for the Librarian? Lifetime also? Version X.x within .x? Maybe tied to the Filter Forge versions? (i.e. if you buy Librarian for FF4, you would need to repurchase for FF5?)

Please clarify the longevity of our purchase.

I'm excited to try it out!

Sorry I have been travelling for a while.

@Erik Pedersen: Thank you for your comment, you were exactly right. I am new to FilterForge, have just tried the Trial version for some days during the available time. After installation of FilterForge I had no problem at all using it, neither any proplem downloading and installing Filters manually.

But after downloading and installing the two addons I was lost, nothing at all had changed inside FilteForge, no shortcut had been created on the desktop to start anything, and when I located the Librarian in a folder under 'Programs', and tried to start it from there, it refused, telling it was already running... Yes I had FilterForge running by that time, but how do you expect someone to know, that an addon to a software can only be run if the software is first shut down? See, I am experienced with computers since 1982, I do programming in C, Python, Lua, have in former times prorgammed in PASCAL, LISP and of course all numerous dialects of BASIC. I have studied Psychology, Business Sciences and yes, Informatics. I have been working (between others) as an international IT Consultant for various development aid organizations in Africa. And, I am active in Digital Arts for around 10 years, Poser 5 to 2014 GameDev, DAZ-Studio, Cinema4D, Lightwave 11, HEXAGON, Paintshop Pro 9 to Paintshop PRO X7, and God knows how many supporting tools and softwares...

It took me many hours to finally figure out how to use the addons Librarian and 'Backup'. Starting from the assumption, that the addons were meant to download filters from the FilteForge Site into FilterForge, and manage them there. As I said it took me hours to discover that instead 'Backup' was not intended to backup my Filters on a regular basis, but instead just contained a copy of those Filters and will never backup with new, additional filters. Second error which took me long to figure out was, that Librarian is actually not a Librarian, but instead an external data base manager which can shift filters to Filterforge just from my own computer from a different location. So the intention is obviously to keep the real installed filters inside Filterforge only few, to avoid long startup times. So I am supposed to shift only some few filters from my harddisk to inside Filterforge, and later delete them from Filterforge (I have not yet figured out how to do this, though...), so to install other filters for another image or session.

At least this is what I believe so far. I may be wrong, though, because I had to figure all this out without any assistance through a manual, all by myself. It took me hours of trial and error.

Please let me, as a professional IT person, tell you, that NEVER, NEVER EVER any professional computer software should be rushed to a client without a proper documentation and manual. I don't want to hear 'it is so easy to use, we can just be lazy and skip a manual', because obviously even someone with an IQ of 145 plus several university diploma, Informatics being one of them, at the age of 58 years with 30 years of experience in using and programming computers can misunderstand this software and waste a lot of precious time figuring out all by himself, how the whole thing is intended to be used. Really.

If I can spend the above typing and time to explain to you, that any professional software needs a manual, why can't YOU spend just the same little time and not more text than you find in my post, to explain in a little manual some very important details to newcomers?

If you are not able to 'think newbie', so ask someone like me, I can tell you.

So for me, the whole thing is over now, I don't need any more help. But it took me many precious hours which I would have preferred spending on USING the software, instead of trial and error figuring out how the whole components are supposed to be handled. Do you think this is a good way for an enterprise frustrating customers out of lazyness or negligence? Really, what is the cost of a one page manual about the concept and how to get started? Why are you desperately insisting it is made for idiots, instead of avoiding making customers feel like idiots?
Wish you good luck, Charlie

@ Erik Pedersen
Hi Erik, thank you for some hints

In my case, Filter Forge 4 seems to become increasingly slower to open, and I related this to the increased number of filters I had installed. I may be wrong, though, and I have not yet verified with a stop watch. And this is why I assumed that an addon like 'Librarian' makes any sense. Because if unlimited number of filters can be installed inside Filter Forge, why then should I use 'Librarian', which basically saves the filter collection OUTSIDE Filter Forge (and refuses to start when Filter Forge is running...) and can inject filters in batches into Filter Forge? According to your information, I could just install all of them (this would be the socalled 'Librarian Backup-File') into Filter Forge and there would be no need and functionallity in 'Librarian', not true?

Man, it's really disturbing they let us play 'guessing games' over the functionallity of the 'Librarian' and the 'Librarian Backup' instead of providing a professional feature list somewhere to be found (prior to purchase!) and a little one page manual about how installation is supposed to be done, and what are the intentions of the software and how to get started WITH MY PURCHASE.

You know, when I purchased Filter Forge 4, I had tested the trial before and was convinced of a good quality software. Then upon purchase, there was also the offer for the 'Librarian' and 'Librarian Backup' addons. I had no clue what these things would be doing. I tried to find any product description anywhere, but failed to find any feature description apart from 'it's so helpful'... But trusting in the quality I had seen in Filter Forge itself, I decided to add them to my purchase, well assuming there would be some description or manual included. But I tell you, there was NOTHING at all, not even the smallest readme file...

I'm also using Filter Forge fr om inside, as plugin, like you, but I use Paintshop Pro X7 (64bit). Otherwise it works well in this environment, even working on single layers, which seems not to work in newer Photoshop editions from what I heard.

So I have no problem with Filter Forge itself, it's a great piece of software, and being used to shader node systems in Poser, Lightwave and other applications, wh ere I have been programming layered materials for years already, I'm sure I will soon start scripting my own complex filters. The filter collection which is already there, is awsome for sure.

On other question about Librarian:

On the left side of the Librarian dialog there's the panel with filter categories.
Additionally there are two additional categories on the bottom of the list: "Searches" and "Updates".

Does anyone know what the "Updates" category is for?

Since Librarian relies on the locally installed Library Backup and there are no update tools in the menu bar, I assume the whole Library Backup is updated every once in a while by manually downloading and installing a new one (only with each new FF release?). Looks like no individual filter updates are possible from within Librarian unless it's an automated background feature.
With this point of view you can understand I'm confused with the presence of the seemingly redundant "Updates" category.

I hope someone can clarify the use of the "Updates" category.

Cheers,
Roberto

Thanks for the explanation.

(Note: I purchased Librarian only recently).
Librarian apparently knowing about more recent versions present in FF made me wonder if it also "remembers" which filters were added to FF in the past. Indeed I noticed the check marks are still there. And it goes further: Librarian also knows if filters were deleted in FF.
Interesting Librarian is way more connected with FF than I initially assumed. I thought it was only one-way traffic: adding filters to FF.

Good material to add to the Librarian Quick Guide I'm currently working on (in this thread the complaints of Librarian lacking documentation tempted me to write one). No idea yet where to put the Quick Guide; FF Wiki (alone) isn't really an obvious destiny for a manual as I don't suspect all Librarian users think of (or ever) visiting the wiki. So my current best solution is uploading to my own web domain and giving a link in this thread.

Roberto

Hi Darcy,

Information regarding the use of Librarian I once put together in a guide in pdf format. However, I'm planning soon to upload a new version: the current guide is aiming at owners (and contains a mis-assumption) while the new guide will also aim at those who still have to decide which product(s) suit them best.

Below I will answer your question to the point anyway because it's a clear question and you're right it's a waste of time figuring everything out yourself (due to lacking docs) while others likely have a plain answer.

Filter Forge uses its own filter library which for the convenience I call its 'Local Library': actually present in a folder on your computer.
You can delete filters or add filters via the online Filter Library which for now I assume you know how it works.

Now there are two alternative 'backup versions' of the online Filter Library: versions that allow you to have ALL filters of the online Filter Library in your possesion right on your computer. So no internet connection required to add filters to Filter Forge but both products are actual backups so they are dated and are only updated on an occasional base. These backups are made by the Filter Forge company and a download link to the backup file is send to license holders via email.

Product 1 is 'Library Backup'. It's over 2GB large and is supposed to be manually copied to the local Filter Library (folder) of Filter Forge. This means you have ALL (almost 11,000) filters loaded into Filter Forge every time you start Filter Forge. Selecting filters individually to copy to the local Library of Filter Forge is possible but very time consuming with the non-descriptive numbered filter file names (you could browse through the filter example image thumbnail folder, write down the name, look for it in the filter folder and copy both files to the respective folders in the local Filter Library of Filter Forge).

Every time a Library Backup update is available the Filter Forge company will send you the download link by email. A Library Backup version 4 only works with Filter Forge 4. Upgrading Filter Forge means you also -if you want- should order a new Library Backup.

Product 2 is 'Librarian' which is a filter library browser on itself depending on a locally (on pc) installed filter library, a backup of the online Filter Library actually. Thus a Librarian license requires a Library Backup license. Ordering Librarian you also have to pay for a Library Backup but you will get one download file for 'Librarian' containing both products. The file is only over 500MB large (only one example image per filter).
Librarian allows you to browse through ALL filters in the separate Library Backup folder, select which filters you want to add to Filter Forge and finally send them to Filter Forge. Filter Forge and Librarian can not run at the same time so once using Filter Forge and deciding to add filters, you need to close Filter Forge and start Librarian.

Every time a Librarian (including Library Backup) update is available the Filter Forge company will send you the download link by email. A Librarian version 4 only works with Filter Forge 4. Upgrading Filter Forge means you also -if you want- should order a new Librarian.

No idea if it's supposed but I (Librarian license owner) receive two emails when a Library Backup update is available: on for Library Backup and one for Librarian. You can NOT use the large Library Backup file for updating the Library Backup of Librarian. Both files have a different folder structure. Librarian users must use the smaller Librarian update file while both contain the exact same filters, despite the difference in file size.

Darcy, I hope this made your issue clear and helps you choose the product that suits you best.
As for 'double upgrade' costs you always could consider buying perpetual licenses which are available for all products. The break-even point of the extra costs is only two or maybe three upgrades away.

Cheers,
Roberto

Hi Charlie,

Great to hear the efforts were of any use

Yes, there was an update in the mean time: the latest update of both, Librarian and Library Backup were released Februari 18th 2015. At least that was the last time I received email.

The update announcement should have been arrived by email. Assuming you haven't changed your email address the email notifications (Librarian update and Library update) might have been ended up in your spam folders.
If not there then I'd suggest contacting Filter Forge; note that you need the Librarian download and NOT the Library Backup download.

I have no idea of the rate of updates being released; I bought Librarian on December 25th 2014 and so far only got once (2 months ago) an update announcement.

Roberto

Librarian Quick Guide (Filter Forge 4) has been updated to one for Filter Forge 9: see this post on the forum.

Roberto