The problem is not leniency as it is age. Sesame, not being a dedicated image browser, spends less time keeping up (especially with .jpg files) with the latest and (usually not so) greatest changes to the format. So far with the nine of so image browsers I test regularly against problem images sent in, Sesame falls right in the middle in terms of format compatibility. Only constantly updated programs (on the list do much better).

Our image widget is in need of an overhaul. The image compatibility library groups (those people that define what a .jpeg is, or a .png is) release new libs with updates and changes every couple of weeks. We cannot, of course, simply link to these libraries in a commercial product. So it is a painstaking task to integrate changes as they make them. The Sesame code, does, however, support the largest subset of images types within .jpg.

I'll see if I can do more...

I took a look at the image you sent me in a .jpeg analysis program to see if I could find why it stops in Sesame 3/4s of the way down the image.

Here is its report:

FILE = 7848_38.jpg
File Format = JPEG
JPEG SOI 0xffd8
  <JPEG_APP0> 0xffe0 length 16, "JFIF"
    Version     = 1.2
    Units	 = dots/inch
    Xdensity    = 72
    Ydensity    = 72
    XThumbnail  = 0
    YThumbnail  = 0
  </JPEG_APP0>
  <JPEG_APP1> 0xffe1 length 4637, "Exif"
    TIFF(MM) 0x4d4d 0x42 ifd offset = 8 (+ 30 = 0x26/38)
    <IFD0> 7 entries starting at file offset 0x28=40
	Orientation			   = 1 = "0,0 is top left"
	XResolution			   = 72
	YResolution			   = 72
	ResolutionUnit			= 2 = "pixels per inch"
	Software				= "Adobe Photoshop 7.0"
	DateTime				= "2003:12:01 08:45:42"
	ExifIFDPointer			= @186
	<EXIF IFD> (in IFD 0) 3 entries starting at file offset 0xbc=188
	  ColorSpace			    = 65535 = "uncalibrated"
	  PixelXDimension		     = 215
	  PixelYDimension		     = 322
	</EXIF>
    </IFD0>
    <IFD1> 6 entries starting at file offset 0xe8=232
	Compression			   = 6 = "JPEG compressed thumbnail"
	XResolution			   = 72
	YResolution			   = 72
	ResolutionUnit			= 2 = "pixels per inch"
	JPEGInterchangeFormat	     = @324
	JPEGInterchangeFormatLength     = 4335
    </IFD1>
    #### Start of JPEG thumbnail data, length 4335 ####
    <JPEG_SOI>
	<JPEG_APP0> 0xffe0 length 16, "JFIF"
	  Version     = 1.2
	  Units	 = dots/inch
	  Xdensity    = 72
	  Ydensity    = 72
	  XThumbnail  = 0
	  YThumbnail  = 0
	</JPEG_APP0>
	<JPEG_APP13> 0xffed length 12, Adobe_CM - unknown format (not dumped: use -A)
	</JPEG_APP13>
	<JPEG_APP14> 0xffee length 14, Adobe - unknown format (not dumped: use -A)
	</JPEG_APP14>
	<JPEG_DQT> length 132
	<JPEG_SOF_0> length 17, components=3, height=128, width=85
	<JPEG_DRI> length 4
	<JPEG_DHT> length 319
	<JPEG_SOS> length 12  start of JPEG data, 10880 pixels
    <JPEG_EOI> JPEG length 4335
    #### End of JPEG thumbnail data ####
  </JPEG_APP1>
  <JPEG_APP13> 0xffed length 3930, Photoshop 3.0 - unknown format (not dumped: use -A)
  </JPEG_APP13>
  <JPEG_APP14> 0xffee length 14, Adobe - unknown format (not dumped: use -A)
  </JPEG_APP14>
  <JPEG_DQT> length 132
  <JPEG_SOF_0> length 17, components=3, height=322, width=215
  <JPEG_DRI> length 4
  <JPEG_DHT> length 319
  <JPEG_SOS> length 12  start of JPEG data, 69230 pixels
END OF FILE
 

I then translated the file into a neutral format and saved it as a .jpg again and re-ran the report:

FILE = 7848_38a.jpg
File Format = JPEG
JPEG SOI 0xffd8
  <JPEG_APP0> 0xffe0 length 16, "JFIF"
    Version     = 1.1
    Units	 = dots/inch
    Xdensity    = 72
    Ydensity    = 72
    XThumbnail  = 0
    YThumbnail  = 0
  </JPEG_APP0>
  <JPEG_COM> length 23: ""Created with The GIMP""
  <JPEG_DQT> length 67
  <JPEG_DQT> length 67
  <JPEG_SOF_0> length 17, components=3, height=322, width=215
  <JPEG_DHT> length 26
  <JPEG_DHT> length 64
  <JPEG_DHT> length 25
  <JPEG_DHT> length 37
  <JPEG_SOS> length 12  start of JPEG data, 69230 pixels
END OF FILE
 

The resulting file shows up in Sesame without error. In both cases this is the "brief" report. If you look carefully at the first report, you will see (well and deeply embedded) the line:

#### Start of JPEG thumbnail data, length 4335 ####
 

Followed a couple of dozen lines later by:

#### End of JPEG thumbnail data ####
 

The stuff in-between is the necessary info to show you not the original image, but a thumbnail of that image (embedded in the same image file!). Much of the simplification of the second report is due to the format *not* retaining a thumbnail of the image within the image. I see that this image also believes itself to be produced by Photoshop. Is this true? It also appears to be the raw output of a digital camera. In either case, do you have a setting to tell it not to embed thumbnails? If not, image command line tools, like the oft recommended Image Magick toolset, can reformat your images into a standard .jpg, and by being on the command line can do so to whole directories of images at a go.
[/code]

While we're on the subject, please note that the image browser only refreshes the image in the preview pane when the mouse is used to select the file from the file list on the left. It does not refresh the image when using the cursor keys.

Users are annoyed when scrolling through hundreds of photos and can't preview unless they press Enter or click with the mouse.

Just FYI.

Thanks,
Steve

Tell them to get a faster computer.

Just kidding. I understand. We use Acdsee here for photo browsing and it loads a preview instantaneously. I guess its becuase its an image viewer and nothing else.

We are fortunate that Sesame allows us to copy a filename from Acdsee and paste it into an LE in Sesame. When dealing with thousands of images, its a real timesaver.

Thanks for listening.

Steve