The Polimake Desktop explorer: view, sort and inspect

When you open a folder, Polimake Desktop shows its files in the explorer. It works like Windows File Explorer, but with thumbnails of everything, a quick look and a panel that tells you what's in each photo or video.

Move around your folders

1. Open a folder from Libraries or from the sidebar.
2. Double-click a subfolder to go into it.
3. Use the path at the top to go back to any level, or Alt+← and Alt+→ to go back and forward. Alt+↑ goes up to the parent folder.

If you type with a folder open, Polimake jumps to the first file whose name starts with what you typed. To search inside, use the Search this folder… box at the top.

Change the view

Click the Views button to open its menu:

• What to show: Grid or List.
• Size: makes thumbnails bigger or smaller. Also with Ctrl++ and Ctrl+-, and Ctrl+0 to go back to the normal size.
• Name and File size: show or hide that information under each thumbnail.
• Folders first: puts folders before files.
• Sort by: Name, Date, Size or Type.

Each tab remembers its view.

Filter by type

Next to the search box is the File type filter. It starts on All; choose Images, Videos, Audio, Documents or Folders to see only those. Depending on the type, you can narrow it further: by Orientation, Resolution, Duration or whether the video has Sound.

Quick look

Select a file and press Space to see it large without opening any program.

• ← and → move to the previous or next file.
• • and - zoom the image in and out; 0 goes back to the original size.
• In a video or audio file, Space pauses it and the arrows belong to the player.
• Esc closes quick look.

The info panel

Right-click a file and choose Show info. A panel opens alongside with several tabs:

• General: size and dates and, if the photo or video has them, the Camera, Lens, Codec or Frames per second details.
• Analysis: under What's in the picture, the tags Polimake added by looking at the image on your computer. Click a tag to search for everything that shares it. If it hasn't looked at it yet, you'll see Pending.
• Scenes: in videos that have been split into scenes, each scene with its moment. Click one to play from there.
• Transcripts: in videos and audio files that already have a transcript.

In the General tab you'll also see Similar: other files that look like this one.

To force tagging on a photo or video, right-click it and choose Tag what's in the picture › Tag. To redo it, Tag again (replace existing tags).

Work with your files

Right-clicking a file gives you the usual actions, and they change the real files on your disk:

• Open or Open with, to open it with another program.
• Show in File Explorer, to see it in Windows File Explorer, and Copy path.
• Rename (also with Enter), Copy, Cut and Paste (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X and Ctrl+V).
• New folder, or New folder with items if you have several selected.
• Delete (Delete key): sends it to the Windows Recycle Bin, where you can restore it from.

Shift+Delete deletes without going through the Recycle Bin. It asks you to confirm with Delete permanently first, because it can't be undone.

If a file with the same name is already there when you copy or move, Polimake asks what to do: Replace, Keep both or Skip.

Under Process image and Process video you also have Regenerate thumbnail if a thumbnail comes out wrong, and for videos Generate thumbnail strip and Generate proxy.

Frequently asked questions

Does deleting in Polimake delete the file from my disk?

Yes. The explorer works on your real files. Delete sends it to the Windows Recycle Bin, and Shift+Delete deletes it for good after you confirm.

Where do the "What's in the picture" tags come from?

Polimake adds them by looking at your photos and videos with its vision model, on your computer. Nothing is uploaded to do it.

Why does a file say "Pending" in Analysis?

Because Polimake hasn't looked at it yet. Tagging runs after the folder is read; you can wait or force it with Tag what's in the picture.

Can I see hidden files?

Polimake leaves out hidden and system files, so they don't appear in the explorer. To see them, use Windows File Explorer.