Master Training Manual 📖📸
Version: 1.0.17 (Build 18) | Last Updated: September 2026 | Audience: Analog Photographers, Workshop Instructors & Beta Testers
A Comprehensive Field & Archival Guide for Analog Photographers
Table of Contents
1. Core Philosophy & Onboarding
Zero Cloud Dependence: No user accounts, no logins, no cloud tracking. All databases, preferences, and thumbnails stay stored strictly on your device.
First-Run Welcome Screen: Guides you through adding your first Camera, Lens, and Film Stock. Quick settings allow configuring automatic thumbnails, on-device face detection, and export resolutions up front.
2. Gear Library & Equipment Pairing
The Gear Library organises your equipment and taxonomy into two distinct sections:
⚙️ EQUIPMENT & KITS 🏷️ TAXONOMY & TAGS ├── Camera Kits ├── Subjects (Who / What domain?) ├── Cameras ├── Content (Specific details?) ├── Lenses └── Intent (Purpose / Project?) ├── Film Stocks └── Accessories (TCs, Filters, Flashes, Viewfinders)
Camera Cross-Referencing & Fixed Lenses
Camera Associations: Link interchangeable lenses, teleconverters, filters, flashes, and viewfinders to specific camera bodies.
Fixed-Lens Cameras & TLRs: Adding a TLR (e.g. Yashica Mat-124G or Rolleiflex 2.8F) or compact camera automatically creates and pairs its fixed lens (Yashinon 80mm f/3.5) in your database.
Half-Frame Support: Selecting 35mm Half Frame on cameras (e.g., Pentax 17) automatically doubles expected exposure counts (e.g. 36 exp → 72 exp).
3. The 3-Axis Tag Taxonomy (Subject • Content • Intent)
Fotologue uses a 3-axis taxonomy to classify exposures:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 3-AXIS TAXONOMY │ ├──────────────────────┬──────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┤ │ 1. SUBJECT │ 2. CONTENT │ 3. INTENT │ │ (Broad Domain) │ (Specific Details) │ (Purpose & Project) │ ├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┤ │ • Urban / Built │ • Architecture │ • Study (Process/Inquiry) │ │ • Nature │ • Street │ • Series (Curated Body) │ │ • Events │ • Wildlife │ • Documentation (Journal) │ │ • People │ • Portrait │ • Commission (Client Assignment)│ └──────────────────────┴──────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────┘
Building a Book or Exhibition: Create a custom Intent Sub-Tag under Series (e.g. Series > Urban Decay or Series > Monoliths). Attaching this tag exports directly into Adobe Lightroom or Capture One as Intent|Series|Urban Decay, allowing instant smart collection grouping for book layouts!
4. Smart Face-Aware Detection vs. Named People Tags
Understanding how Fotologue handles human subjects:
Face-Aware Detection (On-Device ML)
What It Does: Scans live camera viewfinder frames in real-time using Google ML Kit to detect whether a human face is present in the shot.
How It Helps: When a face is detected:
The light meter adjusts exposure suggestions to favor skin tones.
The log creation screen automatically highlights People category tags.
Privacy & Biometrics: Face detection is 100% ephemeral and local. Fotologue stores no biometric face hashes, templates, or facial recognition profiles.
Named People Tags
How to Tag Specific Individuals:
In the Gear Library, navigate to Subjects > People (or Taxonomy & Tags).
Add custom sub-tags for specific individuals (e.g. People > John, People > Sarah).
When logging a shot detected with a human, select your custom name chip (John or Sarah) in one tap.
5. Smart Camera Kits
One-Tap Quick Fill: Pre-configure favourite equipment combinations (e.g. Leica M6 + 35mm Summicron + Tri-X 400).
Field Speed: Selecting a Kit on the Add Log Screen fills Camera, Lens, Film, ISO, and accessories in a single tap.
6. Field Workflow & Metering Calibration
The Pro Calibration Wizard
Transform your phone into a precision light meter via Settings > EV Calibration:
Stage 1 (The Void): Measure the sensor "Noise Floor" with a covered lens to eliminate internal electronic noise.
Stage 2 (The Balance): Calibrate signal gain against an 18% grey card or neutral wall.
Live Metering & Pre-Visualization
Metering Modes: Toggle between Spot and Centre-Weighted metering.
Film Look Simulations: Pre-visualise scene contrast in live-view with B&W, C-41 (Colour Negative), or E-6 (Slide/Reversal) colour profiles.
Scene Thumbnails: Capturing a scene thumbnail creates a visual fingerprint attached to the log.
7. Digital Contact Sheet & In-Grid Gap Adjuster
Open the Digital Contact Sheet via the top bar icon on the Timeline.
┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ #01 [IMG] │ │ #02 [IMG] │ │ #03 [IMG] │ │ #04 [GAP] │ ◄─ Tap to shift +1 / -1 ├───────────┤ ├───────────┤ ├───────────┤ ├───────────┤ │ 1/125 f/8 │ │ 1/250 f/4 │ │ 1/60 f/11 │ │ Skipped │ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘
In-Grid Gap Adjuster
If a frame was skipped on film or unlogged:
Skipped Frame Placeholder: Displayed as #04 Skipped / Gap.
Gap Actions: Tap any skipped slot or active frame card to:
"Insert Additional Gap (+1 Offset)": Shifts subsequent frame numbers forward by $+1$.
"Remove Gap / Pull Frames Back (-1 Offset)": Shifts subsequent frame numbers back by $-1$ to fill the gap.
"Log Exposure for Frame #N": Opens AddLog pre-filled for that exact slot.
8. Camera Macro Copying & Scanner Matching
When photographing negatives with a DSLR/mirrorless macro setup or flatbed scanner:
To automatically pair XMP sidecars in Adobe Lightroom or Capture One, the XMP sidecar filename must match the RAW/TIF file name (e.g. DSF1024.xmp for DSF1024.RAF).
Setting Up Macro Copying Options
In the Export Sheet or Settings:
Enable Macro Copy Filename Matching.
Select or save a Camera Preset:
Fujifilm RAW: DSF prefix, 4 digits (DSF1024.xmp).
Canon RAW: IMG_ prefix, 4 digits (IMG_4821.xmp).
Nikon RAW: DSC_ prefix, 4 digits (DSC_0050.xmp).
Sony RAW: DSC prefix, 5 digits (DSC00050.xmp).
Set Start File Number (e.g. 1024).
Sequence Direction: Choose Forward or Reverse (for inverted film strip feeding).
9. Printable PDF Proof Sheets & Archiving
Export as Printable PDF Proof Sheet: Generates an A4 PDF contact proof sheet complete with:
Header: Camera, Film Stock, Roll Number, Exposure Count, Date, Creator & Copyright notices.
Darkroom Grid: Format-adaptive layout (6 columns for 35mm, 3 columns for 120 format).
Frame Cards: High-res scene thumbnails, frame rebate badges (#01, #02), and exposure metadata (1/125 @ f/8, ISO).
Usage: Print physical proof sheets for negative storage sleeves or client presentation binders.
10. Privacy, Backups & Portability
100% On-Device Storage: No telemetry, analytics, or external trackers.
On-Device Face Detection: Biometric data is processed in-memory via Google ML Kit and never saved or transmitted.
SAF Backup & Restore: Create full JSON backups or restore complete gear and exposure databases via standard Android Storage Access Framework (SAF) in Settings.