Table of Contents
Configuring visual markers in archives
Applies to: FotoStation Pro and Client - See comparison here.
29. March 2025
Table of Contents
File markers are visual, customizable indicators that can be used to draw a user's attention to certain assets in an archive.
Configuring file markers
File markers are visual, customizable indicators that can be used to alert a FotoStation user about files that meet specific criteria and should be given special attention. In FotoStation, you can configure up to five different image marker sets, each of which can contain ten different markers that are applied based on custom criteria. Image markers do not alter image data or change files in any way – they are merely visual indicators that FotoStation displays when files meet the set criteria.
Setting up an image marker
- Go to File > Configuration. The Fotostation configuration window opens.
- Expand the Archivesnode.
- Select the archive to which you want to apply image markers.
- In the Advanced options section, select an image marker set dropdown list.
- Select Edit to open the image marker editor.
Each marker set has 10 marker positions available in the Marker Position dropdown list at the top of the window.
By selecting or clearing the Draw marker position checkbox, you can enable or disable each marker position individually within each marker set. - When you are finished editing, select OK to save your changes.
Choosing a marker type
There are three types of markers to choose from: Draw colored frame, Draw colored cross, and Draw bitmap.
Select Color to choose a color for the frame or cross.
You can choose the thickness of the line by entering the number of pixels in the Line width field.
The example below shows a red, colored cross with a line width of 5 on one asset.
Bitmap markers
When choosing to draw a bitmap, you can pick one of the included bitmaps by selecting it in the dropdown list.
The example below shows the information bitmap with a value of 20 in each offset field on three assets.
You can also import a custom bitmap by selecting Import. FotoStation lets you use any image format as a file marker, but you should make sure that it isn’t so large that it occupies too much space within the thumbnails themselves. A custom bitmap can be placed anywhere inside the thumbnail frame by adjusting the values in the X and Y Offset fields, but keep in mind that altering the size of the thumbnail grid will affect the result. You may find the offset adjustment useful if the conditions defined make several markers appear on a thumbnail. Then, adjust the offset values to avoid overlapping markers.
Setting transparency
You can make part of an imported file marker transparent by selecting the Use Transparency checkbox and then Transparent Color. To find the exact color in the file marker that you want to make transparent, use the color picker in the Edit mode in FotoStation or Photoshop. Then, define this color manually in the color dialog that opens when you select Transparent color in Fotostation.
Choosing when a marker should be shown
In the Show this marker if area, there are two dropdown lists and a metadata field where you can define simple conditions that must be met for the marker to be shown. Choosing the conditions is similar to setting up a basic search: Select a metadata field in the first drop-down list, then choose Contains, Does NOT contain, Is empty, and Is NOT empty in the second field. If you choose Contains or Does NOT contain, you can specify a text string in the metadata field.
If these conditions aren’t specific enough for your needs, you can specify a more advanced search to define even stricter conditions. To do this, select Use advanced search and select Advanced search. This opens the full search dialog where you can set up a search with operators and specify additional attributes. However, remember that the advanced search does not support expressions with parentheses or quotation marks to specify strings. Searches on which markers are based are client-side only, so you will never see these searches executed on an Index Manager server, even if the archive itself is hosted by Index Manager.
Default markers
In the lower part of the marker dialog, the following options for different asset states are available:
Draw printed marker - Shows when an asset has been printed
Draw notes marker - Shows when an asset has a note. Click the note to edit it.
Draw license marker - Shows when a usage license has been applied.
Draw transfer state marker - Shows a green marker on assets successfully transferred via FTP or HTTP Upload sub actions. A red marker indicates an incomplete transfer.
Draw version marker - Shows image version (a Color Factory server setting related to archive management)
Draw offline marker - Shows on files stored using the Offline Manager feature.
Draw RAW file marker - Shows on RAW format images.
Draw GPS marker - Shows when an asset has GPS data.
Draw classify marker - Shows whether a file is tagged or rejected.
Draw rating marker - Shows the asset's rating.
Naming the marker set
To give the marker set a more descriptive name, enter a new name in the Marker Set Name text field.