Rapid Photo Download 0.9.0 is now stable, and available to download.
The app, which makes mass importing photos and videos from SD cards, smartphones and USB devices easier, switches from GTK to Qt for this release. We reported on this change when we covered the beta release back in April.
Being built and designed by a photographer, Rapid Photo Downloader is a bespoke tool tailored for a specific use-case and is. Powerful photo renaming and subfolder generation features position the app as a pro-tool that belongs in the open-source software toolbox for photography enthusiasts.
The app is not (as some often assume from the name) an internet download manager.
Rapid Photo Download 0.9.0
Rapid Photo Downloader 0.9.0 is a huge leap over the previous stable release, v0.4.11, released well over two years ago, and the official changelog is well stocked as a result.
Aside from the big differences in UI there are some really handy improvements and new features,
For example, RPD now shows the storage space used by photos, videos, and other files on the device(s) you’re importing photos from, as well as the projected storage space on device you’re downloading to. When there isn’t enough space to complete the import downloading is disabled.
If you’re using the Unity desktop (or one that uses the libunity spec) you’ll see a progress bar and number of files to be downloaded on the app launcher.
- Revamped Qt interface
- Supports all cameras supported by gPhoto2, including smartphones
- Remembers previously downloaded files to avoid duplicates
- Timeline features groups photos/videos based on the time elapsed between shots
- Revamped renaming and subfolder generation rules, including color-coded editor
- Various thumbnails improvements, including new sorting options
- Thumbnails for RAW and TIFF photos generated and displays in most file managers, including Caja, Nautilus and Nemo
- Audio files on some professional cameras imported with video
- Much, much more.
Damon Lynch, the developer behind Rapid Photo Download, says he hopes that a Snap app and AppImage of the new release will be available soon.
If you installed the earlier development builds you will be able to update to the stable release within the application.
Keen to learn more? Want to install the app? You’ll find all the details you need on the Rapid Photo Download website.
On a related note, the developer has written an article about how Rapid Photo Downloader works under the hood which you may find an interesting read.