Multimedia Issues - Can local multimedia files be added to Reunion's database?

[Michael Friedman]

I have a copy of Reunion on my desktop and on my laptop with the family file stored in Dropbox so I can switch off working on it. Lately, a couple people in family tree groups I'm part of on Facebook have been posting old photos of relatives. When I drag a photo from Safari / Facebook to the multimedia window, the photo is added seamlessly with the file path being "~/Pictures/Imported Media/..." which tells me the image is now in the Reunion database - I THINK. Other times I use Ancestry.com. When I stumble across an image and I choose to download it, the file automatically saves to my local machine's Downloads folder. Using the "+" (Add media items) icon on the multimedia pane, I can navigate to the downloaded photo and add it to Reunion. The thing is, it doesn't look like Reunion adds it to the Imported Media folder rather it simply references where the file is. This causes problems because when I'm using Reunion on my desktop machine, photos I've downloaded on my laptop it can't find and vice versa when I'm on the other machine. Why doesn't Reunion import local files and add them to the Imported Media directory so they're available across machines? It seems to do this for the photos files I'm getting from Facebook. Thoughts?

[Bob White]

Please read the section on MultiMedia in the built-in manual. By the time you are finished, you will know the answer. I advise this as opposed to one of us preparing a long answer that duplicate the manual.

[Mark]

...which tells me the image is now in the Reunion database...

The file is not in Reunion's database. It's in a folder on your Mac that Reunion creates to hold images dragged from a website, added via ReunionTouch, etc.

The thing is, it doesn't look like Reunion adds it to the Imported Media folder rather it simply references where the file is.

That's correct. Only images that aren't on your Macs hard drive already (e.g. images dragged from websites, added via ReunionTouch) or images added from Photos (so that you don't have to worry about Photos changing it's database format) get put into the Imported Media folder. That folder was specifically created for this purpose.

Why doesn't Reunion import local files and add them to the Imported Media directory...

Because the image is already on your hard drive.

...so they're available across machines?

The Imported Media folder is not synced across your devices, at least not by Reunion.

HTH

[thomprod]

...Thoughts?

Here is what works well for me (your mileage may vary): I want to be able to see Reunion multimedia on my MacBook (using Reunion 12), iPad or iPhone (using Reunion Touch). I put all media files in a folder I call "Reunion Pictures" which is in my Dropbox. That's where I point Reunion to look for multimedia files.

[Mark]

I want to be able to see Reunion multimedia on my MacBook (using Reunion 12), iPad or iPhone (using Reunion Touch). I put all media files in a folder I call "Reunion Pictures" which is in my Dropbox.

FYI, it's not necessary to put your multimedia in Dropbox for ReunionTouch - ReunionTouch uses thumbnails that are stored inside the family file, which are synced automatically along with the family file via Dropbox. It's only necessary to keep the multimedia in Dropbox if you're syncing to another Mac and want them available there, or if you want to view them outside of Reunion (e.g. via the Dropbox app) on your iOS devices.

HTH

[Michael Friedman]

Mark (and others) - can you offer some best practices regarding multimedia storage? I'd like to hear where and how people keep photos and documents organized especially when using Reunion across different machines and platforms such as desktop and mobile? Also of interest would be whether you have separate storage locations for sensitive documents and if you make them available across devices in Reunion?

Unfortunately, I haven't done a good job in this area so my 1,000 or so photos, birth death certificates, marriage documents, census records, etc. are stored in a mix of Photos, desktop folders and Reunion's imported media folder on my desktop and laptop. Before things get more out of hand, I need to come up with a long-term solution on how to deal with this.

[Mark]

Mark (and others) - can you offer some best practices regarding multimedia storage?

This really comes down to personal preference. As far as Reunion is concerned, you can store the multimedia where ever you'd like -- so long as they're somewhere inside your users Home folder. There is a folder that Reunion creates for this purpose, it's:

Pictures/Reunion Pictures/

But you aren't required to use that folder. Anything beyond that comes down to whatever works best for you.

HTH

[Art Landrey]

Can the various “scattered” photos be moved into the Imported Media folder so that all the Reunion-accessed photos are in one place?i

[theKiwi]

Can the various “scattered” photos be moved into the Imported Media folder so that all the Reunion-accessed photos are in one place?i

Yes - you can move them all together and Reunion should keep track of where you've moved them to.

You can check on this afterwards by going to Reunion ------> Preferences ------> Multimedia and click the "Repair Multimedia Links" button. Reunion will report if it couldn't find any of the linked images.

Roger

[kyuck]

Unfortunately, I haven't done a good job in this area so my 1,000 or so photos, birth death certificates, marriage documents, census records, etc. are stored in a mix of Photos, desktop folders and Reunion's imported media folder on my desktop and laptop. Before things get more out of hand, I need to come up with a long-term solution on how to deal with this.

I keep a Text file and my birth, marriage, census, death photos in the Sources Folder with the source number (and a, b, c...) at the start of the file name.