Gallery/Library? Getting started

I am now thoroughly testing NCS for my own use. In webcamXP, I had this “Gallery” which makes snapshots in a configurable way.

I am sure that NCS has somethign equivalent… only I cannot find it:
If I open the website and go to Library or Gallery or Timeline - all of them are empty.
I am sure this is my fault - but could you please help me get started? Thanks a lot!

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In Config features for each camera you have Timelaps which should correspond to snapshot I think.
-Henrik

Yup, that does the trick. Thank you!

Hmm, or rather: it does not (which probably is my fault again - but the manual unfortunately is not up to date, compared with the software), so I’d like to have some more advice:

What do I have to put into “Tme Lapse”?

I would supsect that the below settings would take a snapshot every minute, but they don’t :frowning:

So, can you please explain the settings?

  • Frame Interval (Input): I guess, this means how often something will be recorded.

  • Frame Interval Unit: ok, this seems clear, I selected “Minute”.
    So, together the two first settings mean, that after ONE MINUTE a recording will take place, over and over again.

  • Frame Duration (Output): how many frames are to be taken (i.e. one for a snapshot)

  • Frame Duration Unit: here, I ca only select time values not “pictures” - but which time to select for a still image?

  • Encoding Method: I think stillImages is correct for snapshots.

Anyway, the settings in my screenshot do NOT create pictures in the gallery. Any idea?

A new version of the manual is on the way.
This is a little tricky I think also.
Frame Interval is the time between two pictures. Now it is 1 minute.
The Encoding Method is StillImages: first image is displayed in the Library. All the images are stored in the Timelaps folder in ProgramData-Moonware- …
If the EncodongM is video: all images are put together in a video that is saved in the regular Library and can be played as a normal recording. Frame Duration is the time that each picture will show on the video. With the settings above picture1 will be shown in 1 sec than the video will show picture 2 in 1 second etc.

Oh, man… now I am really confused :fearful:

At this tme, I do not want to create nor record movies.
What I’d like to do is grab a picture each hour (the entry of one minute was for the test only) and have it in my “gallery” - just the same as the webcamXP gallery did.
(Later, I will collect these pictures an make a movie from them - but this is another story.)

Could you tell me which settings I have to enter to reach this goal? Thank you!

Update:
I just checked it an saw that in C:\ProgramData\Moonware\Netcam Studio\Server\Library\TimeLapse, there actually are the snapshots I was planning to have.

So, I’d alter my question: How can I show these pictures from with NCS’s web interface (like the webcamXP gallery function)? Is that possible?

What you have in the picture above. Just change 1 minute to 1 hour.

Yes, thanks, as I mentioned: “one minute” was for test purpose only.
And I really have all the snapshots in the Timelapse folder. Fine.

But I see no way to actually DISPLAY these pictures from within the web interface (e.g. “timeline” seems to be empty).

I guess that I still do not understand your concept between this fetaure :frowning:

As you say you cannot display these pictures within NCS. Therefore, you have the possibility to automatically generate a video based on these still images that can be shown in NCS Library, web interface, Timeline, …

So, to answer your last question. Viewing still images within NCS is not possible.

Because timelapse is not meant to capture to gallery at fixed interval! it’s meant to create timelapses…

To add images at fixed interval to the gallery create a rule that does so. you have to use the timecounter variable % the number of seconds interval that you want…

Thanks, Henrik & Steve.

So, to answer your last question. Viewing still images within NCS is not possible.

Oh, this is a drawback against webcamXP (at least until I understand what Steve said in his answer :wink: ).
Would you consider to put this feature onto the wishlist ?

timelapse is […] meant to create timelapses

Ok, but could you give me a working example?
Can I take a picture every minute and make a movie out of it?
Do you have any suggestions for a standard configuration?
Can I watch this movie only after it is finished?
So to say, I cannot create that movie “continously”, but I would have to create “one day - one movie” or so?

To add images at fixed interval to the gallery create a rule that does so

But this is still high art for me - would you be so kind and help me with that or even give me an example?
And, if I have that kind of rule, can I watch the pictures from within the NCS web client after that?

There is no such things as being a drackback to webcamXP. it’s another product and they work differently. I created netcam studio to get away from some limitations in webcamXP so they just work differently and do not have much in common…

Here an example of rule which will capture an image (and add it to the gallery) every 5 seconds.

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Again: no offense meant. Maybe my wording was not correct:
By “drawback” I meant to describe something rhat was/is “better” (IMHO) in webcamXP :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
If there is a working alternative in NCS, then everything is fine, of course.

I tried our your rule, and it works. Thank you.

However… how can I get “rid” of these many test grabs I produced?

  • I deleted them in the data directory: did not help, except that I could not open them again. Ok.
  • I “reindexed” the database, but this still did show the deleted pix - only as “no thumbnail”.
  • The only way to delete them is to select them one by one and delete them from within the NCS client. Is that so?

“Normally” I would expect that deleting them on file level and reindexing the database would do the same. Doesn’t it?

… and I’d still like to have a hint how I can manage to create a movie like this:

  • one movie per day, grab one pic every hour, show every pic for two seconds.
    (As I understodd that is what timelapse is for. Correct?)

BTW: I had thre impression that after adding my rule Timelapse has been sitched off automatically.
Is that so? Or is this a limitation of the not (not yet) licensed version?

And “Sorry” for asking so many questions - but Timelapse is not up-to-date in the manual… and “Rules” are not covered at all. :frowning:

Hmm, thanks for those rules, but I still have a problem with that.
I have two rules, one for source one and one for source two.
But now I see that every hour FOUR snapshots are taken:

  • Is it possible that the rules will be evaluated twice every time?
  • Or is it possible that source selection within the rules is not evaluated?
    I will try to find that out and come back later.

For the new version NCS 1.6.1.0 it says
-Fixed some rules are triggered twice when the condition is met

This might be what you experience?

Yes, it seems so:
To find out whether my two rules are triggered twice, or if each of the rules snapshots both cameras, I disabled one of my rules. (I thought: If I get two identical pictures, then it is ONE rule triggered twice. And if I get two different pictures, it is ONE rule taking two snapshots.) And… what happens? As I get two identical pictures, but from one cam only, It seems the rule is simply triggered twice.

What did you say, when will the new version be available? -)

You find it here Netcam Studio 1.6.2
-Henrik

Thanks a lot! I installed it - and it seems to be siginificantly faster - at least the web server does deliver much speedier.
Remark: It is still “EEinzelansicht” where it should be “Einzelansicht”:

(BTW: I posted some corrections for the German translation into the respective thread.)