Picture Sorting Script

This PowerShell solution efficiently sorts large collections of pictures into a folder structure based on the "Date Taken" metadata. Available as both a command-line script and a user-friendly GUI application.

🖥️ User Interface Options

GUI Application (Recommended)

• Modern WPF Interface: Easy-to-use graphical interface
• Real-time Progress: Live progress bar and statistics
• Interactive Logging: Comprehensive log window with color-coded messages
• Folder Browser: Click to browse for source and destination folders
• Test Mode: Preview operations without moving files
• Configuration Panel: Adjust thread count and other settings

Command-Line Script

• Automation-friendly: Perfect for scripts and batch operations
• Parallel Processing: Uses PowerShell's ForEach-Object -Parallel for maximum efficiency
• Flexible Parameters: Full control over all sorting options

Features

• Parallel Processing: Uses all CPU cores for maximum efficiency
• Metadata Extraction: Reads Date Taken from EXIF data using multiple methods
• Smart Organization: Creates Year/Month folder structure (e.g., 2023/03-March/)
• Unsorted Handling: Pictures without Date Taken or with dates before 1995 go to "Unsorted" folder
• Duplicate Management: Automatically handles duplicate filenames by appending numbers
• Test Run Support: Preview what will happen without actually moving files
• Comprehensive Support: Handles various image formats (JPG, PNG, TIFF, HEIC, RAW, etc.)
• Real-time Monitoring: Progress tracking and detailed logging

Requirements

• PowerShell 5.1 or later (PowerShell 7.0+ recommended for command-line version)
• Windows with .NET Framework
• WPF support (standard on Windows, required for GUI)

Usage

🖥️ GUI Application (Easiest)

1. Launch the GUI:

   .\Launch-PictureSorterGUI.ps1

2. Configure settings in the interface:

   • Browse for source folder (containing your pictures)
   • Browse for destination folder (where sorted pictures will go)
   • Optionally enable "Test Run" to preview without moving files
   • Adjust thread count if needed

3. Scan files to see how many pictures were found

4. Start sorting and monitor progress in real-time

💻 Command-Line Usage

Basic Usage

.\Sort-PicturesByDate.ps1 -SourcePath "C:\MyPictures" -DestinationPath "C:\SortedPictures"

Test Run (Preview)

.\Sort-PicturesByDate.ps1 -SourcePath "C:\MyPictures" -DestinationPath "C:\SortedPictures" -TestRun

Custom Thread Count

.\Sort-PicturesByDate.ps1 -SourcePath "C:\MyPictures" -DestinationPath "C:\SortedPictures" -ThrottleLimit 8

Using the Example Script

.\Example-Usage.ps1

📁 Files in This Package

1. Launch-PictureSorterGUI.ps1 - Main launcher for the GUI application ⭐
2. PictureSorterGUI.ps1 - WPF-based graphical user interface
3. Sort-PicturesByDate.ps1 - Core command-line sorting script
4. Example-Usage.ps1 - Interactive command-line example
5. README.md - This documentation file

Parameters

• SourcePath: Source directory containing pictures to sort (required)
• DestinationPath: Destination directory for organized pictures (required)
• ThrottleLimit: Number of parallel threads (default: CPU core count)
• SupportedExtensions: Array of file extensions to process
• TestRun: Perform a dry run without moving files

Output Structure

SortedPictures/
├── 2023/
│   ├── 01-January/
│   ├── 02-February/
│   └── 03-March/
├── 2024/
│   ├── 06-June/
│   └── 12-December/
└── Unsorted/
    ├── photo_without_date.jpg
    └── old_photo_1994.jpg

Performance

• Optimized for hundreds of thousands of files
• Uses all CPU cores by default
• Minimal memory footprint with streaming processing
• Typical performance: 100-500 files per second (depending on hardware and file sizes)

Safety Features

• Test run mode for verification
• Duplicate filename handling
• Comprehensive error reporting
• No modification of source files (only moves)

Supported Formats

JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, TIF, BMP, GIF, HEIC, RAW, CR2, NEF, ARW

🚀 Quick Start

1. Download/clone all files to a folder
2. Right-click on Launch-PictureSorterGUI.ps1 → "Run with PowerShell"
3. Or open PowerShell in the folder and run: .\Launch-PictureSorterGUI.ps1
4. Use the GUI to select folders and start sorting!

📄 Licensing

Picture Sorter uses a dual licensing model:

✅ FREE for:

• Individual users (personal use)
• Non-profit organizations (501(c)(3) or equivalent)
• Educational institutions (schools, universities, libraries)
• Open source projects
• Small businesses with annual revenue under $1,000,000 USD

💼 Commercial License Required for:

• Large companies with annual revenue over $1,000,000 USD
• Government agencies and contractors
• Commercial service providers using this software

Why dual licensing?

• Keeps the software free for individuals and small organizations
• Provides sustainable funding for continued development and support
• Ensures priority support for commercial users

Need a commercial license? 📧 Contact: licensing@picturesorter.com
🌐 Web: https://picturesorter.com/licensing

For detailed terms, see LICENSE.md and LICENSE-FREE.md

Troubleshooting

1. Permission Errors: Run PowerShell as Administrator
2. Execution Policy: Run Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
3. GUI Won't Load: Ensure .NET Framework and WPF are installed (standard on Windows)
4. COM Errors: Restart PowerShell session if you encounter COM object errors
5. Large Collections: For very large collections (1M+ files), consider processing in batches