Ability to rename snapshots in Darktable

I would really like the ability to rename a snapshot in Darktable because I often try different modules or settings when working challenging images. The default naming system does not work well for me. I just wonder if I am the only person who feels this way. I would propose the way we can rename processing modules should also be the case for snapshots.

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Since snapshots are not tied to anything they might not be that helpful but on the other hand you can just make a duplicate at any stage and those can be named and the name can be used as an element in the exported filename?? At least the duplicate has the info to recreate it. The snapshot doesn’t really, I guess if you are careful and don’t compress your history stack it does record the line number which is useful…but not descriptive. Integrating these two features as you can in Art is nice…

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Snapshots are really helpful when comparing sharpening and denoising options with challenging images. I would just like to be able to note the option or setting used in the snapshot.

Same to me, since switching between versios takes much more time compared to playing with snapshots. And I love to visually switch-slide-compare settings. So I would surely vote for such feature :blush:

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I am going to put in a feature request. I like the way ART handles snapshot but really they are more like duplicates. They reset the edit but there is no overlayed comparison . So I propose what if we leverage the code in DT and via and option or modifier creating a snapshot offers the option to create a duplicate. Duplicate naming is managed and integrated so again this could be leveraged to name the snapshot with the same name . So I think it would be a proposal to link the two but not require a when sale change to DT… Does that sound useful??

Unfortunately that’s not how snapshots in dt are used/implemented. Snapshots are restricted in many ways, there are more like Screenshots. I see no chance to find a current dev getting into this.

It is the sliding comparison from snapshots that I want and need. Snapshots are absolutely a great feature in DT. Duplicates are also excellent but serve a different purpose. I was hoping that the new feature that allows me to name instances of processing modules, which is really helpful, could be easily implemented for snapshots. I sadly don’t code, so I have no idea how big an ask this is for the developers and I appreciate they donate their time and need to focus on what has the greatest impact on the continuing development of DT. BTW, I have used screenshots in a similar way as snapshots but they lack the fantastic swipe ability of DT’s snapshots.

So I fail to see why some means to create a duplicate at the time the snapshot is taken is really a deviation or that hard. Would you not just be supplying an option to essentially trigger the duplicate function. It would be some code to offer to name it but again that shouldn’t be too hard should it… Naming snapshots is another thing. they are gone after you leave the edit so it seems like a bit of work for something that disappears…

Hi Todd, thanks for reading and responding to my post. I agree that if naming a snapshot is a lot of work for developers I would not want them wasting time on something that just disappears. But when I saw the new feature to easily name new instances of the processing modules I just thought this same method applied to snapshots would be really helpful. Since developer had already coded this for the processing module I am hoping in my naivety that it would be simple to apply to the snapshots using similar code. I am a heavy user of snapshots so it would be helpful to me, but I am not sure if many others would agree.

Well my suggestion to automate the creation of a duplicate was tied to the way I sometimes use the feature… For example if I want to compare a base image say my final edit with some other versions. I just snapshot it and then advance through the duplicates and compare each to the snapshot…I know that there is likely a way to use the culling mode like this but working this way I stay in darkroom view and if I want to edit anything I can on the spot based on the comparision…so rather than try to remember what all the snapshots are I could do it this way… I could name them and they would be persistent ie I would have them next time I go into DT rather than lose them at the end of the session. Of course this could lead to extra duplicates that are in need of being discarded but its not hard to reject a bunch and then delete them at some point…

Thanks Todd. But the swipe feature is critical when trying to workout the best denoise or sharpening method. Switching between duplicates relies to much on subjective memory. In GIMP they have a split preview view that allows you to swipe across the image to check sharpening etc. But snapshots are more powerful way of working. Sometimes I just write with pen and paper a list of what each snapshot is. My original post came about yesterday while I was trying to denoise a 4000 ISO image taken with a compact camera (Olympus TG6). With so many denoise options in DT I was able to find a good solution that retained detail but made the noise acceptable. Lots of snapshots were used to compare the options.

I like duplicates when I just want to have a whole new go at the processing. For instance, Filmic behaves so differently depending on where you set the exposure module to begin with. Duplicates just let me have a whole new take on the image. Also being a teacher of DT I like to be able to show the students the finished edit and then create a duplicate and guide them though the steps.

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No you still have it right…so you set the snapshot…just hit space bar and the next duplicate comes up against the snapshot you set for a base…so lets say you do a base edit …no denoise and then you do 4 different denoise edits…set the snapshot to the base then just advance…you have the slider view to compare for each image…I’m not say it replaces or is better its just that you can still sort of simulate it and since you can rename these you can hang on to the editing strategies and know what you did…In this way you can independently tweak one of the strategies…and compare with the slider against the base edit…this is more flexible than snapshots…if you are working within one edit and doing a progression I would say a set of snapshot would suffice but again you will lose all those variations as well when you exit DT or clear them for a new image

I didn’t say or mean your idea would not be possible or too demanding to be implemented …

My point was more: snapshots have often be discussed over the years and - yes - they are nice to have sometimes but they are very restricted and incorrect in some ways. Thus i can’t see a current dt dev getting into this. But - feel free to join :slight_smile:

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Well stated. At this point I really don’t need this feature. Also I don’t have the expertise to implement it. I was more thinking that it might be nice for others that do need it… 4 more years to retire…Hoping to have more time for hobbies and new learning then :grin:

That’s what I thought 7 years ago… :rofl:

Oh now your killing me :wink:

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I just found that one can achieve somethimg quite near to the described user story also with versions, but without having the cost of time when switching the two versions.

I’m using R&Darktable on Win10. When I finished processing Version 1, I did a duplicate, did my changes and clicked on Version 1 again but missed the double-click for switching. It turned out, that the main view (still being in Version 2) of the darkroom was replaced by the last rendition of Version 1.

Perhaps this helps, but I’m not sure if it’s a feature or a bug :blush:

It’s a documented feature.

Hold down the left mouse button on a thumbnail to temporarily show that version in the center view.

https://darktable-org.github.io/dtdocs/en/module-reference/utility-modules/darkroom/duplicate-manager/

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