All right, let's, uh, let's dive in today.
We are taking a deep dive into image, which is a self-hosted way to
manage all those photos and videos.
Yeah.
You know, it's like taking back control of your memories and storing them
securely, you know, instead of giving them to Google or Apple, especially
these days, you know, with all these data leaks and hacks, it's like,
yeah, who knows where your photos end up, right?
And, you know, it's so interesting to see just how many people are,
you know, realizing this and they're switching over to self-hosting
solutions like image.
It's a trend I'm really excited about and image in particular, you know,
they have this amazing origin story, right?
It's like that classic, uh, you know, built for love kind of story.
Yeah, definitely.
Or the creator, um, it seems Alex, he's an engineer and he basically just
wanted to build a better, um, photo management system for his wife because,
you know, she wanted a alternative to Google photos.
It's such a relatable story, isn't it?
I mean, so many of these great projects start from, you know, just
a personal need and then, um, blossom into something much bigger.
And in image case, it's really blossomed.
It's gone from this like little passion project to this thriving open source app.
Yeah.
They have thousands of users now.
It's amazing.
And they've been releasing features like crazy all throughout 2023.
They've added, um, facial recognition, partner sharing, even support
for 360 degree photos.
It's incredible how quickly they're developing.
Yeah.
And the numbers are pretty impressive.
Millions of downloads of the server software, over 22,000 installs on Android.
And their discord community is just buzzing.
I think they have over 4,500 members now.
They've even been featured on some big podcasts like self hosted and the verge
cast.
Yeah, they're definitely getting a lot of attention for good reason.
And it seems like the perfect time for their new partnership with FUTO.
Can you tell us a little bit about, um, what FUTO is and why this
is such a big deal for image?
Sure.
So FUTO is all about, you know, empowering users.
By building open source software alternatives to, uh, the big tech companies.
So it aligns perfectly with image values then.
Absolutely.
And this partnership is huge for image because it allows the core developers to
work on the project full time.
So no more side hustle.
They can really focus on image.
Exactly.
And that means faster development, more features, you know, plus FUTO is
committed to keeping image open source under the AGPL license.
So it stays free to use.
Yeah.
That's the beauty of it.
That's fantastic.
And it's interesting because they're also changing their funding model.
They're moving away from donations.
Yeah.
That was a pretty big announcement.
I don't see that very often.
You know, open source projects moving away from donations.
Well, the image team believes that, you know, if users truly value the software,
they should be willing to, um, to pay for it, to support its development.
Exactly.
And it makes sense, right?
I mean, these developers are putting in a lot of work.
It's not about being greedy or anything.
No, not at all.
It's about building a sustainable ecosystem where developers can actually
make a living.
So instead of relying on donations, they're creating a way for users to directly
invest in the product.
Exactly.
But don't worry, all the features will still be free.
Oh, that's good to hear.
They're just introducing a lifetime license option for those who want to, you
know, really support the project.
That makes a lot of sense.
So you still get all the benefits of image, but you have the option to
contribute if you want to precisely.
I like that a lot.
So before we move on to all the amazing features of image, let's just take a
moment to think about what we've covered.
We talked about image journey, you know, from a personal project to this
thriving open source app, the explosive growth they've seen and this innovative
approach to funding, what stands out to you the most?
I think for me, it's the emphasis on privacy and control image is really
putting users back in charge of their data.
Absolutely.
And we're going to delve even deeper into some of those key features and explore
the impact image could have on the future of photo management.
So stay tuned.
Welcome back.
Did you have a chance to, you know, process all that?
It's a lot to think about.
Yeah, it really is.
But speaking of a lot to think about, let's, uh, let's dive into some of those
features that make image such a, you know, compelling alternative to, uh, those
big photo services.
One thing that's always been a pain point for me is speed.
You know, especially with a huge photo library, how does image handle, uh, you
know, large libraries?
They've actually put a lot of work into optimization.
Remember all those weekly releases?
Oh, right.
Yeah.
A lot of those were focused on performance, especially for large libraries.
So it's not all just, um, you know, bells and whistles.
They're really focused on the foundation.
Yeah.
They want to make sure it runs smoothly.
Makes sense.
Well, kind of, you know, technical stuff are they doing?
Well, for example, they use video hardware transcoding.
Okay.
What's that?
So basically it offloads the heavy lifting of video processing to your
device's hardware.
So it's faster.
Much faster.
So you can scroll through thousands of photos and videos without any lag.
That's what I like to hear.
But, um, performance isn't everything, right?
What about search?
Can it handle, you know, those kind of vague searches, like beach
vacation or dog playing fetch?
Absolutely.
They use CLIP technology, CLIP technology.
Yeah.
That's pretty advanced that basically allows the app to actually
understand what's in your photos.
Whoa.
That's cool.
Yeah.
So you can search for like sunset or mountains and get really accurate results.
It's like having an AI assistant that knows my photos better than I do.
What about facial recognition?
Is that a thing?
It is.
And it's not just basic facial recognition either.
You can cluster photos based on recognized individuals, rename faces,
manage person information.
You can even search your entire library for photos of specific people.
That's super useful.
I'm always trying to find those old photos of Tamella.
If I was like my childhood dog, you know.
Exactly.
And speaking of sharing memories, they have this really cool partner sharing feature.
Oh yeah.
I was reading about that.
So partners can seamlessly share photos and videos, but here's the cool part.
It merges their timelines.
What do you mean?
So you get a unified chronological view of their shared memories.
That's amazing.
No more separate albums or like trying to figure out whose photo came first.
Right.
It's a much more natural way to experience memories together.
I like that a lot.
Okay.
But what about the more, um, you know, techie stuff?
Do they have like custom storage labels or support for raw files?
They do.
They've got all that custom storage labels, support for XMP sidecar files,
compatibility with all the popular raw formats.
Sounds like they're catering to both, you know, casual users and serious photographers.
Yeah.
They're trying to strike a balance.
They even have this feature that automatically creates slideshows based on
events, locations, or people.
It's like having your own personal photo curator.
Okay.
But now for the big question, security.
We're talking about storing our photos on our own servers.
How secure is that?
That's a great question.
Security is obviously paramount and Emic takes it very seriously.
Now a deep dive into their security measures is probably, um, a bit beyond the
scope of our conversation today, but they've implemented robust authentication
systems and they offer things like two factor authentication.
Okay.
So they've got all the bases covered.
They do.
And they're constantly updating things to stay ahead of any potential threats.
That's good to hear.
So where does image go from here?
Well, they actually have a public roadmap.
Ooh, a roadmap.
I love that transparency.
Me too.
So on the roadmap, they've got things like auto stacking, burst photos, basic
photo editing, even more automated workflows, you know?
Wow.
They're not slowing down.
Not at all.
They're also exploring fine-grained access controls for users and API keys.
Okay.
Getting a bit technical there.
Yeah, but it shows they're thinking about advanced customization.
Ambitious.
But before we move on, I think it's important to acknowledge that, you know,
self-hosting isn't for everyone.
Right.
It definitely takes a certain level of technical comfort.
You got to be willing to manage your own server.
Exactly.
So for those who aren't ready for that, what are some alternatives?
Well, there are a number of, you know, cloud-based services that prioritize privacy.
Any specific ones you'd recommend.
I don't want to endorse any specific ones, but it's crucial to do your research.
Good point.
Look into those terms of service and privacy policies.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
But let's bring it back to image.
Yeah.
What's the key takeaway here?
I think image represents a shift in how we think about our photos and videos.
It's not just about storage or sharing anymore.
It's about ownership control, taking back control of our digital lives.
Exactly.
It's a powerful message.
It is.
And that brings us to another fascinating aspect.
It makes open source nature.
Let's dive into that after we take a moment to gather our thoughts.
You know what I was thinking during the break?
Image isn't just like a piece of software.
It's more like a, a philosophy, you know, right.
It's about saying, Hey, I want to own my data.
I want to do things differently.
Exactly.
And speaking of doing things differently, let's talk about that open source thing.
Yeah.
Open source.
Those who don't know basically means the code behind image is like totally open.
Anyone can see it.
Yeah.
Anyone can see it, change it, even distribute it.
Right.
That's the beauty of it.
It's like they're saying, Hey, come on in, see how we built this and feel
free to, you know, make it better.
It's all about transparency.
Which is huge.
Yeah.
Especially when it comes to like our personal photos, you know, it
builds trust, you know, you can actually see how your data is being handled.
No more like secret algorithms or shady stuff.
Exactly.
And it also, um, fuels innovation, you know, how so well, because
anyone can contribute.
Oh, right.
Yeah.
So you have developers from all over the world working together
to make the software better.
It's like a global brain, right?
Kind of.
It's the power of the community.
And Immick wouldn't be where it is today without that community.
Definitely not.
So many new features, so much progress.
All thanks to those contributors.
It's amazing.
So if someone's listening to this and they're thinking, Hey, I
want to get involved, where do they start?
The best place to start is their GitHub repository.
GitHub.
Yeah.
That's where all the code is.
Okay.
And what about like actually talking to people?
They have a great discord server.
Discord, right?
Very active community.
Awesome.
Okay.
Before we wrap up, I want to touch on that funding model one last time.
Moving away from donations is a bold move.
It is, but it shows how committed they are to, you know, building a sustainable
future for open source.
It's like they're saying, Hey, if you love this, put your money where your
mouth is exactly support the developers, help them keep building amazing
software and all the features are still free, right?
Absolutely.
The lifetime license is just an option for those who really want to go all in.
Exactly.
It's inspiring to see a project like this, you know, in a world where it's all
about like big tech and their own agendas.
I know what you mean.
Image is like a breath of fresh air.
It really is.
It shows that we have a choice.
We don't have to settle for the status quo.
We can build a better digital world.
Absolutely.
And that's what image is all about.
It's about empowerment.
It's about privacy.
It's about taking control.
Well said.
So to everyone listening, I hope you've learned something new today.
Maybe you're even inspired to, you know, give them it a try.
Check it out.
Or maybe you're just excited about the future, a future where technology serves
us, not the other way around.
That's the dream.
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive into image.
It's been a pleasure.
Absolutely.
Until next time.