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Fellow2000 · Mar 19, 2004, 07:46 PM

I was wondering if there was a global setting on OS X that I could enable image thumbnails. I know after working with an image in Photoshop or downloading one from Safari, the finder will always show a thumbnail of the image as the icon instead of the generic file-type icon.

I would really like to have all my images appear this way no matter where they came from or what program I was using.

dtriska · Mar 20, 2004, 02:49 AM

It's not an OS X setting that does this. The app that creates the graphics file has to create the preview for the Finder to use.

There are a number of scripts and apps that will do this for existing files. Search VersionTracker.

zachs · Mar 20, 2004, 03:15 AM

Can't you just do View > Show View Options, then check "Show Icon Preview"?

Fellow2000 · Mar 20, 2004, 12:41 PM

zachs > I think you need to read my post again. That is already enabled. I have a bunch of copied files that still do not show thumbnails though.

dtriska > Would you happen to know the name of just one of these apps or scripts? I searched both MacUpdate and VT and the only thing that came remotely close was software for creating thumbnail images for webpages.

Art Vandelay · Mar 20, 2004, 01:39 PM

Originally posted by Fellow2000:
zachs > I think you need to read my post again. That is already enabled. I have a bunch of copied files that still do not show thumbnails though.

I think you need to reread your own post. No where in it does it say that you have the Finder icon preview setting enabled.

Anyways, all image files show a thumbnail on my Mac when it is enabled.

dylanw · Mar 20, 2004, 08:32 PM

I think that the Finder displays thumbnails for some image types and not for others. I get previews for JPGs, but not for PDFs or PSDs.

Also, I've found that if I have a window open with JPGs showing, and I edit and save one of the JPGs, the Finder relaunches when it tries to update the icon. This was a new issue in 10.3.

ibobunot · Mar 21, 2004, 01:49 AM

ThumbNailer X 2.2

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/10777

Chuckit · Mar 21, 2004, 03:53 AM

Originally posted by dylanw:
Also, I've found that if I have a window open with JPGs showing, and I edit and save one of the JPGs, the Finder relaunches when it tries to update the icon.

That's an interesting spin to put on it.

I remember my old Windows 98 computer "relaunched" a lot too.

Fellow2000 · Mar 21, 2004, 05:07 AM

Originally posted by Art Vandelay:
I think you need to reread your own post. No where in it does it say that you have the Finder icon preview setting enabled.

Anyways, all image files show a thumbnail on my Mac when it is enabled.

hmmm, I think by saying that after downloading and image or working on something in photoshop it would show a thumbnail it would be safe to assume that I had it enabled right?

Fellow2000 · Mar 21, 2004, 05:14 AM

Ok, here is something odd, I only use column view in the Finder. When I use icon view, I see all my pictures with thumbnails. In column view, only some of them are. Is there any way to get all icons in column view show up as thumbnails?

ibobunot > I will download that but it doesn't look like it has anything to do with what we are talking about here. It looks like it is a separate app for viewing photos, I am just trying to get thumbnail icons in the finder.

Chuckit · Mar 21, 2004, 06:37 AM

Originally posted by Fellow2000:
Ok, here is something odd, I only use column view in the Finder. When I use icon view, I see all my pictures with thumbnails. In column view, only some of them are. Is there any way to get all icons in column view show up as thumbnails?

That's the thing � column view doesn't show icon thumbnails. The thumbnails you're seeing are custom icons that some program (e.g. Photoshop) has put on those files. You can get pic2icon if you want to make all your pictures that way. Be warned, though, it'll bloat the size of your files by a little bit (since they'll be holding a preview picture as well as the actual picture).

paully dub · Mar 21, 2004, 08:27 AM

I'd recommend Quickimage neat little app that lets you make thumbnail icons, as well as a view, edit, copy, change format. So simple and elegant - just a contextual menu plugin.

ryju · Mar 21, 2004, 08:52 AM

Originally posted by dylanw:
I think that the Finder displays thumbnails for some image types and not for others. I get previews for JPGs, but not for PDFs or PSDs.

Oddly enough I get previews for those file types. Some of the bigger images just don't show up so I use Pic2Icon.

Art Vandelay · Mar 21, 2004, 01:33 PM

Originally posted by Fellow2000:
hmmm, I think by saying that after downloading and image or working on something in photoshop it would show a thumbnail it would be safe to assume that I had it enabled right?

You don't spend much time on these forums do you?

It is never safe to assume anything. Unless someone spells something out, you can't assume they did it around here.

Developer · Mar 21, 2004, 02:18 PM

Originally posted by Fellow2000:
hmmm, I think by saying that after downloading and image or working on something in photoshop it would show a thumbnail it would be safe to assume that I had it enabled right?

Both Internet Explorer and Photoshop create custom icon (previews) when saving files. These have nothing to do with the icon previews the Finder creates on the fly.

Fellow2000 · Mar 22, 2004, 04:06 AM

Originally posted by Art Vandelay:
You don't spend much time on these forums do you? It is never safe to assume anything. Unless someone spells something out, you can't assume they did it around here.

Ok, maybe assume was the wrong word. How about "common sense?" Is that too much to ask? If I see a thumbnail after downloading an image than I obviously have thumbnails turned on, otherwise I would see a generic icon. Common sense.

Chuckit · Mar 22, 2004, 07:34 AM

Originally posted by Fellow2000:
If I see a thumbnail after downloading an image than I obviously have thumbnails turned on, otherwise I would see a generic icon. Common sense.

As Developer already explained (in the reply right above yours), this is not true.

Fellow2000 · Mar 22, 2004, 01:10 PM

Originally posted by Chuckit:
As Developer already explained (in the reply right above yours), this is not true.

He said for Internet Explorer and Photoshop. Nowhere do I see Safari on that list, is it included?

I tried pic2icon and it worked but only changed about half the pictures in a folder with about 200 photos. Very strange I wonder why it would do this and maybe if I am missing some criteria.

ryju · Mar 22, 2004, 02:47 PM

Originally posted by Fellow2000:
He said for Internet Explorer and Photoshop. Nowhere do I see Safari on that list, is it included?

I tried pic2icon and it worked but only changed about half the pictures in a folder with about 200 photos. Very strange I wonder why it would do this and maybe if I am missing some criteria.

Restart the Finder and all the thumbnails should work.

Chuckit · Mar 22, 2004, 02:59 PM

Originally posted by ryju:
Restart the Finder and all the thumbnails should work.

Yep. The Finder sometimes has a problem recognizing icon changes.

diamondsw · Mar 22, 2004, 05:54 PM

Originally posted by Fellow2000:
He said for Internet Explorer and Photoshop. Nowhere do I see Safari on that list, is it included?

I tried pic2icon and it worked but only changed about half the pictures in a folder with about 200 photos. Very strange I wonder why it would do this and maybe if I am missing some criteria.

What people have been trying to say is there are *many* programs that do their own thumbnail generation, and this is clouding the issue. You provided insufficient details for your problem, made assumptions, and then have been snippy when people try to clarify and help. You'd certainly get no help from me.

On other topics, who else finds it ironic that OS X does *not* preview PDF files?

Art Vandelay · Mar 22, 2004, 07:15 PM

Originally posted by diamondsw:
On other topics, who else finds it ironic that OS X does *not* preview PDF files?

I think they do not show previews of PDFs (except in Column view) because most PDFs are text. A thumbnail of text wouldn't look much different than TextEdit's rtf icons.