2009-01-17, 21:53
@billyad
I have just had some time to mess around with the thumbnail generator and I must say it works really well! I do have some suggestions which I am sure you have already considered but here they are just in case.
1. An option to generate thumbs for all episodes that don't have them. Also, a check box to generate thumb for any new episodes you scrape that don't already have one on thetvdb.
2. A set capture time option. Right now I believe it is capturing a shot at 20 seconds into the episode. Unfortunately, most shows are still in the opening credits at 20 seconds, so most of the thumbs I have generated so far have been the exact same image.
3. An option to re-generate thumbs on the episode edit screen. This would be if you are not happy with the thumb created automatically. Instead of just recapturing the thumb as it does currently, I would suggest something like this. You choose a time increment. Such as 60 seconds and then you choose parameters like between 5:45s and 20:22. Then it would generate a thumb every 60 seconds between those two time frames. These thumbs would then be shown to the user in a window just like the fanart chooser window. You could then pick the one that you like best and the rest will be automatically deleted. Having a few images to choose from would actually save time in the long run, instead of picking random timestamps until you happen to grab a suitable frame.
A slider that could just move frame by frame would be nice too. Perhaps a small player window to preview the frames. I guess whichever you think would be best.
4.The ability to set thumbnail size. I personally don't mind having large thumbnails. Actually I prefer them. Some people might like smaller thumbs that go fit into the 400x300 tvdb standard. This also affects suggestion 5.
5. As mentioned previously, the ability to export all thumbs for a particular show to an external folder saved as Show - SSxEE - Name.jpg. That way they can easily be added to thetvdb to help the community. With the added ability to be more selective of what thumbnails you create, as suggested above, you will be able to contribute "good" thumbs to thetvdb instead of the usual autogenerated thumbs which they frown upon for good reason.
Hopefully you find some of this helpful. Thanks again.
On a side note, I hope you saw my post in reply to the studio/production company issue. This thread is big and it must be hard for you to keep track of Let me know if you need more info on that issue as well. Cheers.
I have just had some time to mess around with the thumbnail generator and I must say it works really well! I do have some suggestions which I am sure you have already considered but here they are just in case.
1. An option to generate thumbs for all episodes that don't have them. Also, a check box to generate thumb for any new episodes you scrape that don't already have one on thetvdb.
2. A set capture time option. Right now I believe it is capturing a shot at 20 seconds into the episode. Unfortunately, most shows are still in the opening credits at 20 seconds, so most of the thumbs I have generated so far have been the exact same image.
3. An option to re-generate thumbs on the episode edit screen. This would be if you are not happy with the thumb created automatically. Instead of just recapturing the thumb as it does currently, I would suggest something like this. You choose a time increment. Such as 60 seconds and then you choose parameters like between 5:45s and 20:22. Then it would generate a thumb every 60 seconds between those two time frames. These thumbs would then be shown to the user in a window just like the fanart chooser window. You could then pick the one that you like best and the rest will be automatically deleted. Having a few images to choose from would actually save time in the long run, instead of picking random timestamps until you happen to grab a suitable frame.
A slider that could just move frame by frame would be nice too. Perhaps a small player window to preview the frames. I guess whichever you think would be best.
4.The ability to set thumbnail size. I personally don't mind having large thumbnails. Actually I prefer them. Some people might like smaller thumbs that go fit into the 400x300 tvdb standard. This also affects suggestion 5.
5. As mentioned previously, the ability to export all thumbs for a particular show to an external folder saved as Show - SSxEE - Name.jpg. That way they can easily be added to thetvdb to help the community. With the added ability to be more selective of what thumbnails you create, as suggested above, you will be able to contribute "good" thumbs to thetvdb instead of the usual autogenerated thumbs which they frown upon for good reason.
Hopefully you find some of this helpful. Thanks again.
On a side note, I hope you saw my post in reply to the studio/production company issue. This thread is big and it must be hard for you to keep track of Let me know if you need more info on that issue as well. Cheers.