Shoebox

Appearance

Features Overview ​

Shoebox provides powerful tools for organizing and enjoying your family archive.

Core Features ​

πŸ“Έ Multimedia Archive Management ​

Organize photos, videos, and audio recordings in a unified archive.

  • Supported Formats: JPEG, MP4, MP3, and more
  • Local Storage: All files stay on your computer
  • Centralized Metadata: Rich contextual information for each item
  • Fast Search: Quickly find items by person, date, location, or source
  • Smart Person Sort: People appear under all their last names (maiden and married), so they're easy to find regardless of how they're known

Learn more about Archives vs Collections

🎞️ Slideshow & Photo Frame Mode ​

Display your memories dynamically with auto-cycling slideshows.

  • Auto-Advance: Configurable 1-30 second intervals
  • Photo Frame Mode: Full-screen display hiding all UI
  • Speed Control: Adjust with left/right arrow keys during slideshow
  • Direction & Random: Forward, backward, or shuffle playback
  • Smart Pause: Auto-pause when window loses focus

Slideshow Mode Guide

πŸ‘€ Face Detection ​

AI-powered face recognition to identify people in your photos.

  • Automatic Detection: Scan photos for faces
  • Manual Tagging: Associate faces with people in your archive
  • Visual Overlays: See tagged faces directly on photos
  • Multiple Models: Choose from SSD, MTCNN, or TinyFace detectors

Face Detection Guide | Advanced Technical Details

πŸ—‚οΈ Collections ​

Create subsets of your archive for sharing or thematic grouping.

  • Flexible Selection: Choose any combination of items
  • Non-Destructive: Collections reference original files
  • Export Ready: Share collections with family members
  • Multiple Collections: Create unlimited themed sets

Collections Guide

οΏ½ Multiple Archive Management ​

Organize your collection across multiple archives while maintaining person identity consistency.

  • Person Import: Transfer person records between archives preserving identifiers
  • Archive Import: Merge archives with intelligent conflict detection
  • Collaborative Workflows: Share subsets, receive edits back, integrate changes
  • Flexible Organization: Thematic archives, time periods, or project-based splits
  • Conflict Detection: Never overwrites data - flags differences for manual resolution

Managing Multiple Archives Guide

οΏ½πŸ“ Rich Metadata ​

Document the context and stories behind each item.

  • People: Link items to biographical data
  • Dates: Precise or partial (year, month, day)
  • Locations: Multi-level hierarchy (city, state, country)
  • Descriptions: Free-text narratives and transcriptions
  • Sources: Track who provided items (person with date received)
  • Safe Cleanup: Delete orphaned metadata for removed media files and unused person records

Metadata Guide

🎡 Playlists & Inverse Playlists ​

Attach time-based playlists to items and move between related media in both directions.

  • Attached to Items: Add playlist entries to photos or documents that jump to specific audio/video moments
  • Automatic Inverse Playlists: Referenced audio/video automatically lists the items that point to it under β€œReferences”
  • Bidirectional Navigation: Click either side to jump between related media

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts ​

Navigate efficiently without touching the mouse.

  • Up/Down Arrow Keys: Navigate archive chronologically
  • Mouse Hover: Preview items by hovering in navigation list
  • Sort Control: Use the dropdown at the bottom of the window to change sort order
  • Letter Keys: Toggle filters and displays
  • Spacebar: Enter/exit slideshow mode
  • Custom Shortcuts: Menu access keys and more

Complete Keyboard Reference

Platform Support ​

Shoebox runs on all major desktop platforms:

  • macOS: 10.13 (High Sierra) or later
  • Windows: Windows 10 or later
  • Linux: Modern distributions with AppImage support

Built with Electron for consistent experience across platforms.

Privacy & Ownership ​

Your Data, Your Control ​

  • No Cloud Required: Everything stored locally
  • No Accounts: No sign-up, no login, no tracking
  • No Uploads: Files never leave your computer
  • Open Format: JSON-based data structure you can access directly

Offline-First ​

  • Works Anywhere: No internet connection needed
  • Fast Performance: Local processing, no network delays
  • Always Available: Access your archive anytime
  • Complete Control: Own your files and metadata

Technology ​

Shoebox is built with modern web technologies:

  • Electron: Cross-platform desktop framework
  • Vue 3: Reactive user interface
  • face-api.js: AI-powered face detection
  • Vite: Fast build tooling

Open source under the MIT license.

Getting Started ​

Ready to organize your family archive?

  1. Install Shoebox
  2. Explore the sample archive
  3. Create your own archive
  4. Try slideshow mode

What's New in 3.0.0 ​

Latest release highlights:

  • ✨ Complete slideshow system with photo frame mode
  • 🎯 Speed control, random mode, and direction reversal
  • πŸ“‹ Reorganized Collections menu for better discoverability
  • πŸ› Fixed metadata display persistence and UI bugs
  • πŸ“š Improved documentation and keyboard shortcuts

Release Notes

Getting Help ​

Explore the sidebar to dive deeper into specific features!

Released under the MIT License.

Copyright Β© 2001-2026 Marvin E Budd