First Launch
Welcome to your first time opening Shoebox!
What to Expect
When you launch Shoebox for the first time, you'll see a sample archive already loaded. This sample demonstrates the app's features without requiring you to set up your own data first.
Exploring the Sample Archive
The sample archive includes:
- Photos: Various family photos showing metadata examples
- Videos: Sample video clips with descriptions
- Audio: Voice recordings and historical audio
- Face Detection: Pre-tagged faces showing the face detection feature
- Rich Metadata: People, places, dates, sources demonstrating the data structure
Take a Tour
Try these actions to familiarize yourself:
- Navigate: Use ↑/↓ arrow keys to move through items
- Sort: Use the Sort dropdown at the bottom of the window to change sort order
- Filter: Toggle filters with Ctrl+Shift+P/A/V (Photo/Audio/Video) or use checkboxes at the bottom
- Slideshow: Press Space to start an auto-cycling slideshow
- Face Tags: Press Ctrl+Shift+F to toggle face tag overlays
- Metadata: Click the expand icon to view detailed information
Understanding the Interface
Navigation List (Left)
Browse your archive:
- Scrollable list of all items
- Shows thumbnails and basic info
- Click or use arrow keys to select items
- Selected item highlighted
Preview & Metadata (Right)
The right side displays the selected item in two sections:
Preview Area (Top Right):
- Large photo display
- Video player with controls
- Audio player with controls
- Face tag overlays (toggle with Ctrl+Shift+F)
Metadata Panel (Below Preview): Shows detailed information about the selected item:
- Description
- People (with face detection indicators if tagged)
- Date
- Location (clickable links for multiple locations)
- Collections (when expanded)
- Accession number (when expanded)
- Link/filename (when expanded)
- Playlist entries (if any)
- References (items that reference this media)
- Source person and received date (when expanded)
Tip: Double-click anywhere on the metadata panel to toggle between compact and detailed views.
Filter Controls (Bottom)
Control what appears in the navigation list:
- Sort dropdown: Order by Date, Person, Location, File, Source, or Accession
- Media type checkboxes: Show/hide Photos, Audio, or Videos
- Collection dropdown: Filter to specific collection (if collections exist)
- Limit checkbox: Restrict view to selected collection only
- Show Face Tags: Toggle face detection overlays on photos
Next Steps
Once you're comfortable with the sample archive:
- Plan Your Archive: Decide which media files to include
- Organize Files: Gather photos, videos, audio into folders
- Create Archive Structure: See Creating Your Archive
- Import Metadata: Add people, places, dates, descriptions
Sample Archive Location
The sample archive files are located in:
- macOS:
/Applications/Shoebox.app/Contents/Resources/resource/ - Windows:
C:\Program Files\Shoebox\resources\resource\ - Linux:
[AppImage mount]/resources/resource/
Don't Modify Sample Files
The sample archive is part of the application bundle. Changes won't persist across updates. Instead, create your own archive following the Creating Your Archive guide.
Keyboard Shortcuts Reminder
Don't forget to check the Keyboard Shortcuts reference for efficient navigation!
Getting Help
If something isn't working as expected:
- Check the guides in the sidebar
- Review keyboard shortcuts
- Visit GitHub Issues
- Email marvbudd@gmail.com
Ready to create your own archive? Continue to Creating Your Archive.