FAQ
1. What can I do with Dekoh Photos?
2. What do I need to run Dekoh Photos?
3. Is Dekoh free?
4. Can I try out Dekoh Photos without adding my photos?
5. How do I organize my photos?
6. How do Collections work?
7. If I delete a Collection, will it delete the photos on my hard drive?
8. How do I navigate between Collections?
9. Will using Dekoh Photos affect my other photo management software?
10. Can I display different Collections differently?
11. What is photo metadata?
12. Will the photo metadata I provide be available to other software?
13. What is tagging? And why should I tag photos?
14. What if too many similar tags accumulate and clutter?
15. How do I share my photos?
16. Can I choose specific photos for sharing?
17. Can I share with someone who does not have Dekoh account?
18. How do I invite people to see my photos?
19. Can my friends view my photos in a slideshow?
20. Can my friends comment on my photos?
21. Can my friends access anything on my desktop that I haven't shared?
22. Will the photos I share be uploaded?
23. If I haven't shared with a particular person, can they see my photos?
24. Can I save thumbnails of my photos for use elsewhere?
25. How do I publish photos to my Flickr account?
26. Can I share anything I choose to with others?
1. What can I do with Dekoh Photos?
Dekoh Photos is digital photo management and sharing software that runs on your computer. It combines the features of desktop photo management software with those of popular photo sharing websites—with no storage limits or fees.
Unlike photo sharing websites, where you have to upload photos, Dekoh allows you to share photos directly off your desktop. It's easy, convenient, and private, because you choose exactly who gets to see what. And Dekoh allows you to share more photos, because you can share whatever's on your desktop.
2. What do I need to use Dekoh Photos?
You need the following to use Dekoh Photos:
Operating System: Windows, Linux or MacOS X
Browser: Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari
Memory: 512MB, 1GB preferable
Software: Java (if you don’t have already, installer finds out and prompts you to install) and Dekoh Desktop
Need more info? .
3. Is Dekoh free?
Dekoh Photos is entirely free. There are no premium accounts and no limits on how many photos you can manage or share.
4. Can I try out Dekoh Photos without adding my photos?
Sure. When you install Dekoh Photos, you'll see two small photo Collections provided as samples. You can try all the features, including sharing, before you start working with your own photos.
5. How do I organize my photos?
The first step is to import your photos into Dekoh Photos. When you import, Dekoh Photos automatically organizes all photos found in the folders (or directories) you selected. Then it creates a portal with different Collections (albums). You'll see a thumbnail photo representing each Collection, and all photos in the same Collection are displayed together. The titles, descriptions, date-time, and other metadata found inside your photo files are automatically read and shown.
6. How do Collections work?
A Collection is a group of photos, much like an album. But because a Collection is virtual, it may include photos that appear in more than one folder. Also, you may copy the same photo into multiple Collections. Photos in a Collection are shown together as thumbnails, and you can view them in a slideshow.
7. If I delete a Collection, will it delete the photos on my hard drive?
Deleting a photo or a Collection within Dekoh Photos will not affect anything stored on your hard drive.
8. How do I navigate between Collections?
When import is complete, go to My Collections, where you'll find your Collections. To open a Collection, click on the thumbnail photo representing that Collection. Breadcrumbs at the top let you know where you are. For example:
All > Trips > Lake Tahoe
shows that you are in your Lake Tahoe Collection, which lives inside your Trip Collection. Each of these links is clickable and takes you to that particular Collection.
9. Will using Dekoh Photos affect my other photo management software?
No. Dekoh Photos does not disturb the location of any of your photos, and any other photo software will continue to work.
10. Can I display different Collections differently?
You can change the template used to display any Collection by choosing a different template. Some templates provide theme, color, text size, and font choices. More templates will become available as we grow. If you're a graphic designer, you may want to explore Dekoh Photos installation, where you can change the style sheet or build your own template.
11. What is photo metadata?
Digital cameras and most photo-editing software save certain information about the photo (date and time it was taken, etc.) inside the JPEG file. They all use a common standard, called EXIF and IPTC tags. You can view and change some of these metadata with Dekoh Photos.
12. Will the photo metadata I provide be available to other software?
Yes. Adding and editing metadata in a large Collection of photos can be a tedious job; Dekoh Photos ensures that you have to do it only once. Any metadata changes you make are stored in the JPEG files as per standards, so they stay with your photos and are available to other software programs.
13. What is tagging? And why should I tag photos?
A tag is a simple name or word (a bit like a keyword) that you associate with a photo or a Collection. It's an easy way to classify and quickly recall items that have something in common. For example, if you tag every photo in which you appear with your name, then you can bring up all the photos that feature you, across all Collections, with just one click. It's worth the effort.
14. What if too many similar tags accumulate and clutter?
No problem. You can edit/rename/merge tags, and Dekoh Photos will change all occurrences of those tags in all Collections. Choose Tag from the top menu and click on Advanced. The Tag Cloud provides numerous ways to view and change the tags.
15. How do I share my photos?
You can share a Collection or any select photos. Just go to that Collection and click “Share” in the menu at the top. Then enter the email addresses of your friends, or select them from your contacts.
16. Can I choose specific photos for sharing?
Sure. Just drag and drop the photos you want to share into the Selection Tray. You can continue to add photos to the Selection Tray as you browse through your Collections. If you find it difficult to drag too many photos, turn on the “Click to Select” mode under the Selection Tray. That allows you to click on the thumbnails to add them. Once you have the right set of photos in the Selection Tray, click “Share” in the top menu and follow the steps above.
17. Can I share with someone who doesn't have a Dekoh account?
Yes. Your friends don't need Dekoh accounts to see what you have shared. They just need a browser and Internet connection to visit your Dekoh Network URL, which will be yourID.dekoh.net. (Note: Your friends can't view your Dekoh.net URL unless you have shared photos with them; when you do share, they see only the photos you have shared with them.)
18. How do I invite people to see my photos?
Dekoh automatically sends an email invitation to the people you shared with. The invitation includes a password for login, unless they are a Dekoh member, in which case they can log in with their Dekoh ID on your Dekoh network site.
19. Can my friends view my photos in a slideshow?
Your friends can view the photos you shared as thumbnails, individual pictures, or in a slideshow. The photos appear in whatever template you have selected for them.
20. Can my friends comment on my photos?
Friends in a share can comment on your photos, and you can reply.
21. Can my friends access anything on my desktop that I haven't shared?
No. Your friends see only what you have shared with them and nothing more.
22. Will the photos I share be uploaded?
There is no uploading involved. The shared photos will be served to your friend directly from your desktop.
23. If I haven't shared with a particular person, can they see my photos?
No. If you haven't shared with a person, that person cannot see any of your photos. Dekoh Network will not even let that person log in to your Dekoh.net site.
24. Can I save thumbnails of my photos for use elsewhere?
Yes. When viewing a photo, click “Make Thumbnail” to clip the photo and make an image in various sizes and shapes. Then set this thumbnail for that JPEG, or save and use it for some other purpose.
25. How do I publish photos to my Flickr account?
Dekoh provides a separate tool called myFlickr, which enables a two-way synchronization of your desktop Collection and your online account. This tool helps you to simultaneously keep track of photos you have on your desktop and on the web. A similar tool for PhotoBucket will be available with a future version of Dekoh Photos.
26. Can I share anything I choose to with others?
No. You are expected to adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy which you accepted when you registered for Dekoh account.