Image MetaHub

This project was renamed from local-image-browser-for-invokeai to Image MetaHub. All links and references have been updated.

A desktop application for browsing, searching, organizing, and generating AI images locally. Designed for performance with large collections, featuring powerful metadata filtering, custom tagging, side-by-side comparison, and direct A1111 integration for image generation.

All processing is performed locally on your machine. No data is sent to external services, and no internet connection is required after installation (except for A1111 API calls if you use the generation feature).

For detailed changes and updates, see the Releases page.

Releases & Updates

This project uses automated release management to ensure consistent, informative release notes:

• Cross-platform builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Rich release notes generated from CHANGELOG.md
• Auto-updates available in the desktop application
• Release guide available in RELEASE-GUIDE.md

For maintainers: See RELEASE-GUIDE.md for the automated release workflow.

Key Features

AI Image Generation Integration

• A1111 Integration: Direct image generation using Automatic1111 API - browse images, customize parameters, and generate variations without leaving the app
• Real-Time Progress Tracking: Live generation progress with batch support (e.g., "2/3" for batches, percentage for single images)
• Full Parameter Control: Edit prompts, negative prompts, CFG Scale, Steps, and Seed with support for both fixed and random seeds
• Seamless Workflow: Transforms Image MetaHub from a viewer/organizer into a complete AI image generation workflow tool

Advanced Search & Filtering

• Deep Metadata Search: Full-text search across all PNG and JPEG metadata including prompts, models, and generation parameters
• Precise Filtering: Filter by Models, LoRAs, Schedulers, image dimensions, generation steps, CFG Scale, and date ranges
• Multi-Format Support: Works with InvokeAI, Automatic1111, ComfyUI, SwarmUI, Easy Diffusion, Midjourney, Niji Journey, Forge, DALL-E, Adobe Firefly, DreamStudio, and Draw Things generated images (PNG and JPEG, including sidecar JSON and C2PA manifests)

Organization & Tagging

• Custom Tags System: Add custom tags to images with autocomplete, tag filtering with OR logic, and visual tag display on image cards
• Favorites System: Mark and filter favorite images with star icons, bulk operations, and persistent favorite status
• Bulk Operations: Add/remove tags and favorites from multiple images at once
• Smart Conditional Rendering: Tags & Favorites section only appears when current folder contains tagged or favorited images

Enhanced User Experience

• Multiple Themes & Light Mode: Choose from multiple color schemes including light mode for bright environments and multiple dark themes with persistent theme preference
• Side-by-Side Image Comparison: Compare images with synchronized zoom/pan, collapsible metadata panels, and keyboard shortcuts (perfect for comparing upscalers, checkpoints, or samplers)
• Enhanced Image Selection: Multiple selection methods including drag-to-select boxes, clickable checkboxes, and traditional Ctrl+Click/Shift+Click
• Right Sidebar Preview: Hover over thumbnails to see instant preview with metadata in a collapsible right sidebar
• Multiple Directories: Add and manage multiple image directories simultaneously
• Configurable Settings: Control cache location, automatic update preferences, and cache management
• Resizable Grid: Adjust thumbnail sizes for optimal viewing on any display
• Command-Line Support: Launch with a specified directory for automation workflows
• Developer Mode: Access development server from local network devices
• Persistent Directory Visibility: Control which roots and subfolders contribute to the gallery using tri-state checkboxes
• Tri-State Folder Selection: Combine root folders with specific subfolders using inherited checkbox states that persist between sessions

Performance & Large Collections

• Optimized for Scale: Efficiently handles 30,000+ images without performance issues
• Smart Caching: Subsequent folder loads take seconds instead of minutes by processing only new files
• Memory Efficient: Lazy loading and background processing ensure responsive performance
• IndexedDB v2 Persistence: Separate storage for user annotations (favorites, tags) with efficient tag-based queries and fast filtering

File Management

• Direct File Operations: Rename and delete files within the application (Desktop version)
• Metadata Export: Export complete image metadata to JSON or readable TXT files
• Fullscreen Viewer: Distraction-free image viewing with keyboard navigation

Installation

Desktop Application (Recommended)

1. Go to Releases
2. Download the installer for your system (.exe for Windows, .dmg for macOS, .AppImage for Linux)
3. Run the installer and launch the application

Run from Source

git clone https://github.com/LuqP2/image-metahub.git
cd image-metahub
npm install

# Option 1: Run in browser only
npm run dev

# Option 2: Run Electron app with optional directory
npm run dev:app
npm run dev:app -- --dir "/path/to/images"

Command-Line Usage

Desktop Application (Production)

# Windows
ImageMetaHub.exe --dir "C:\path\to\images"

# macOS/Linux
./ImageMetaHub --dir "/path/to/images"

Development Mode

# Start Vite dev server only (browser access)
npm run dev

# Start Electron app with Vite dev server
npm run dev:app

# Start with initial directory
npm run dev:app -- --dir "/path/to/images"

The dev server automatically binds to 0.0.0.0, making it accessible from other devices on your local network. Check the console output for the network URL.

Quick Start

1. Launch the application and click "Change Folder" to select your AI-generated images directory
2. Subfolders are indexed automatically on first run; adjust directory visibility later from the folder sidebar if needed
3. Wait for initial indexing (may take a few minutes for large collections)
4. Hover over any thumbnail to see instant preview with metadata in the right sidebar
5. Use the left sidebar to search and filter your images by metadata, models, or generation parameters
6. Click any image to view detailed metadata in fullscreen modal with management options
7. Use "Update" button to quickly index new images without re-processing the entire collection

Connecting Image MetaHub to AUTOMATIC1111

Image MetaHub talks to AUTOMATIC1111 through its HTTP API. You just need to enable the API in A1111 and point Image MetaHub to the correct URL.

1. Enable the API in AUTOMATIC1111

1. Close the web UI if it's running.
2. Open your webui-user.bat (or the script you use to launch A1111).
3. Find the line with COMMANDLINE_ARGS= and add --api to it, for example:

   set COMMANDLINE_ARGS=--api

4. Start AUTOMATIC1111 again using that script.
5. Make sure you can open the web UI at something like http://127.0.0.1:7860/.
6. If you open http://127.0.0.1:7860/docs and see the Swagger page, the API is enabled.

2. Point Image MetaHub to your A1111 instance

1. Open Image MetaHub.
2. Go to the app settings/preferences (gear icon).
3. Look for the section related to AUTOMATIC1111 or image generation.
4. Set the Base URL to your A1111 address. In most local setups, that will be:

   http://127.0.0.1:7860
   

5. Save/apply the settings.

After this, Image MetaHub will use your local AUTOMATIC1111 instance to generate images directly from inside the app, using your own models and hardware.

Technical Details

• Frontend: React 18 with TypeScript
• Desktop: Electron with integrated auto-updater
• Storage: IndexedDB for persistent local caching
• File Access: File System Access API (browser) / Node.js filesystem (desktop)
• Directory Scanning: Configurable recursive subfolder scanning with user preference persistence

For comprehensive technical information, see ARCHITECTURE.md.

Privacy & Security

This application operates entirely offline:

• All processing happens on your local machine
• No accounts, telemetry, or network requests (except auto-updater)
• File system access requires explicit user permission
• All data remains on your device

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue for major changes to discuss the approach first.

Roadmap

Completed ✅

• Advanced range filters for Steps, CFG Scale, Dimensions, and Creation Date
• Virtual scrolling for large collections with ImageTable component
• Configurable subfolder scanning with user preference persistence
• Right Sidebar image preview with metadata display
• Multi-Selection support with Ctrl+Click and drag-to-select
• Comprehensive hotkey system and keyboard navigation
• Metadata export to JSON and readable TXT formats
• Fullscreen image viewer with keyboard controls
• File operations (Show in Folder, Delete, Rename in Desktop app)
• Custom tagging system for image organization (v0.10.0)
• Image comparison view for side-by-side analysis (v0.10.0)
• Batch operations on selected images (v0.10.0)
• Favorites system with filtering (v0.10.0)
• A1111 Image Generation Integration (v0.10.0)
• Multiple Themes & Light Mode (v0.10.0)

Medium-Term

• Advanced AI-powered image analysis and auto-tagging
• Integration with other generation tools (ComfyUI API, etc.)
• Custom metadata fields and templates

Long-Term

• Plugin architecture for extensibility
• Image similarity search powered by AI embeddings
• Optional cloud sync for tags and collections

License

Licensed under the MPL 2.0.

This is an independent project and is not affiliated with Invoke AI, Inc.