Guide

Use a VPN for Remote FTP Access

FTP can send login information and file data without encryption, depending on the server configuration. If you need to use FTP from outside your home or office, avoid exposing the FTP port directly to the public internet. Connect to your home or NAS network through a VPN first, then add the FTP server in TorchPhoto using its internal LAN address.

SMB is also usually best kept inside a local network. If your NAS supports SMB and your VPN allows access to devices on the home LAN, you can connect through the VPN first and then add the SMB server with its local address instead of opening SMB ports to the internet.

• FTP remote setup: VPN + local FTP address
• Why it helps: the VPN places your device on the local network and reduces direct exposure of plain FTP traffic
• SMB remote setup: VPN + local SMB address, when your NAS and VPN routing support LAN access
• Modern VPN option: WireGuard is simple, fast, and widely recommended
• Avoid when possible: direct public FTP or SMB port forwarding for private photo storage

How Instant Thumbnails Work

Instant thumbnail generation lets TorchPhoto create thumbnails quickly without downloading the full original file from your server. TorchPhoto reads only enough original data to build a preview, so large folders can be prepared faster and with less waiting.

You can choose Low, High, or Ultra for instant thumbnail generation. Low prioritizes speed and is the best choice when you want thumbnails as quickly as possible, but a small number of items may fail to generate. High reads more source data to improve the success rate. Ultra reads the most source data and may take longer, but it can further improve the chance of creating thumbnails for difficult files. All three options produce thumbnails with the same final dimensions and storage quality.

If an instant thumbnail still fails, you can generate it later with TorchPhoto's high-quality thumbnail improvement feature. Thumbnail improvement creates standard high-quality TorchPhoto thumbnails without the instant-thumbnail limitations, so failed instant thumbnails can still be completed reliably.

• Low: fastest instant thumbnail generation, with a chance that some thumbnails may fail
• High: reads more source data than Low to increase thumbnail generation success
• Ultra: reads the most source data and may take longer, but offers the best chance for difficult files
• Recommended flow: start with instant thumbnails, then use thumbnail improvement for failed items or thumbnails that need better detail

Browse Generated Thumbnails by Date or Location

Tap the Timeline Viewer button on the server list to browse generated thumbnails across your registered servers. Choose Year, Month, or Day to change the date grouping, or choose Location to explore items that contain GPS metadata on a map.

To jump to another date, tap the date heading at the top of Timeline Viewer. In Year view, select a year. In Month view, select a year and then a month. In Day view, select a year, month, and day in order. The picker shows only dates that actually contain generated thumbnails, so unavailable dates are not presented as empty destinations.

TorchPhoto sorts an item by its embedded capture date when that date has been verified. If no usable capture date is available, it uses the file modification date instead. Recently captured items appear first. Newly generated or regenerated thumbnails save available capture-date and location information immediately; run Metadata Scan to fill this information for older thumbnails.

The Location view groups nearby items according to the map zoom level. A marker shows a representative thumbnail and the total item count; zooming in separates the group into smaller areas, and tapping it opens a regional timeline with Year, Month, and Day views. Items without GPS metadata remain available in the date timeline but do not appear on the map.

• Generate thumbnails before using Timeline Viewer
• Use Year, Month, Day, or Location from the timeline controls
• Tap the date heading to jump through the available year, month, and day hierarchy
• Change the grid between 3 and 8 columns when you need a different thumbnail size
• Connect to the server when you need to open, save, or share a full original that is not stored locally

Update Capture Dates and Locations for Existing Thumbnails

On the server list, long-press the Timeline Viewer button. TorchPhoto first prepares the list of eligible items, then opens Metadata Scan and begins working. You can cancel during preparation. The scan includes photos and videos that already have generated thumbnails; it does not crawl every original file on the server or add items that have no thumbnail.

Metadata Scan records an available capture date and GPS location in TorchPhoto's local thumbnail metadata index. It normally reads only the parts of an original that are needed. For a video whose metadata cannot be confirmed from a partial read, TorchPhoto can temporarily download the complete original once for a deeper check and remove the temporary file afterward. A completed full check is remembered so a video that genuinely has no such metadata is not downloaded in full on every scan.

Keep the scan page open until it finishes. TorchPhoto prevents the screen from sleeping while work is active and shows counts for Capture Date, Location, and Unable to Verify. Tap Stop when necessary; after the current work stops safely, the button changes to Close. Missing metadata is normal—TorchPhoto never invents a date or location that is not present in the original.

• Use it after updating from an older version, or when dates and map locations for existing thumbnails look incomplete
• Only thumbnail-backed items are scanned
• Items without a verified capture date use their file modification date for sorting
• The scan also removes stale metadata records whose matching thumbnails no longer exist and rebuilds timeline data

Reset Feature Tips

If you dismissed a TorchPhoto tip and want to see it again, open Settings, scroll to the bottom, and tap Reset Tips. Tips for the related features will appear again the next time you enter their screens or perform their actions.

Reset Tips changes only the saved tip visibility. It does not remove registered servers, thumbnails, captions, media, subscriptions, or other app settings.

• Open Settings and scroll to the bottom
• Tap Reset Tips
• Return to the related feature to view its tip again

Help Improve TorchPhoto When a Diagnostic Notice Appears

If TorchPhoto detects diagnostic information that may help explain an error, a diagnostic item can appear in Settings. Please tap Send Error whenever possible. TorchPhoto prepares a feedback email with the diagnostic report attached so the problem can be investigated and improved. Review the prepared email, add any helpful details about what you were doing, and send it.

Diagnostic reports are not uploaded automatically. Choosing Ignore closes the notice without sending a report, so use it only when you do not want to report the issue. Sending the report is the most useful option because the technical context can make an intermittent problem possible to reproduce and fix.

• Open the diagnostic item shown in Settings
• Tap Send Error and review the prepared feedback email
• Add the steps that led to the problem, then send the email

View and Organize EXIF and IPTC Information

Long-press a supported photo or video in the viewer to open its metadata. TorchPhoto displays the information that is actually embedded in the file, including available file details, EXIF camera data, capture date, location information, and IPTC fields such as title, headline, description, keywords, creator, credit, copyright, and location names. EXIF and IPTC labels help identify the source of each field.

An IPTC title is not the same as the media filename, and IPTC information is separate from TorchPhoto's own caption feature. If a file does not contain a particular field, TorchPhoto leaves it out rather than inventing a value. Viewing and organizing metadata in TorchPhoto does not modify the original file on your server.

Use the edit button beside the metadata close button to choose which EXIF, IPTC, file, and location fields are visible. Drag the fields to arrange them in the order you want. These display preferences are saved as app data and are included in TorchPhoto's supported backup and restore process.

• Long-press supported media to open the metadata view
• Use the EXIF and IPTC labels to identify each type of information
• Open Edit to show, hide, and reorder metadata fields

Display Selected Metadata Directly in the Viewer

Open Settings and enable Custom Popup, then open its popup settings. The feature is off by default on a new installation. Choose the metadata fields to display and arrange their order. Each field can use a custom display title and font size. You can also set a temporary display duration or keep the popup visible, adjust its background transparency and text shadow, and decide whether it appears after TimeMapStamp.

Lock Position places the popup at the Top Left or Top Right of the media's actual displayed area and applies the matching text alignment automatically. When Lock Position is off, press and hold only the popup box in the viewer, then drag it to the desired location. TorchPhoto remembers the saved position. Quickly double-tap the popup to hide it.

The popup appears after the original media and its metadata are ready in supported image, video, GIF, APNG, animated WebP, and AVIF viewers. Starting to zoom hides it for the current item so it does not cover the enlarged media. The popup does not replace the full metadata view opened by long-pressing the viewer, and its settings do not modify the original file.

• Go to Settings, enable Custom Popup, and open Popup Settings
• Choose fields, titles, sizes, timing, transparency, shadow, and position
• Long-press the popup to move it when unlocked, or double-tap it to hide it

Show, Hide, and Explore from TimeMapStamp

When TimeMapStamp is enabled and usable information is available, it appears when the viewer opens and remains visible until you hide it. Briefly tap the information card or mini map to hide it. While it is hidden, tap the lower area of the screen to show it again. The state you choose is preserved as you swipe between photos and videos, and the interaction does not prevent the viewer's normal swipe gestures.

In PRO, long-press the time area to open the daily timeline for that date, or long-press the mini map to open the location-based timeline for that place. In FREE, long-pressing the mini map opens the location in the Maps app. These visibility and long-press actions provide subtle haptic feedback.

The first time you hide TimeMapStamp, a short guide explains these controls. Choose not to show it again if you no longer need it. To view the guide later, open Settings and use Reset Tips.

• Briefly tap TimeMapStamp to hide it
• Tap the lower area of the screen to show it again
• In PRO, long-press the time or mini map to open the matching timeline
• In FREE, long-press the mini map to open the location in Maps