Control Which Image Shown in a Note's Thumbnail/Snippet View

[marcelo 72]

I do like the new layout with larger thumbnails, except for one thing: Evernote seems to choose as thumbnail the largest image within a note. But it is rather annoying, for it seldom coincides with the image which would enable me to recognize a note at once. Can I somehow force Evernote to use a specific image as thumbail?

Marcelo

[agsteele 2,353]

This is a known request and had been almost forever in Evernote terms. I am pretty sure that it isn't the highest priority so enjoy your Evernote renaissance but don't hold your breath waiting for this to arrive.

[agsteele 2,353]

It's easy to believe since it had never been a feature in Evernote. Perhaps it should be but there is no evidence that it has ever been or will ever be. 🤕

[gazumped 10,335]

I think they're prioritising "make it faster and more reliable" over "make it look nice".

[PinkElephant 6,222]

The workaround has been described already: Create a new note with just the picture you want used as thumbnail, a second with the other content. Wait until the server has created the thumbnail, then merge the notes, or copy the content over.

This is first a PITA, making it necessary to touch the content several times, and we had reports the thumbnail was changed later, based on the added content. So it is a mixed proposition, at best.

Posting here has no effect - to reach EN staff issue a support ticket.

[Nicole Bertsch 7]

I did a support ticket. Everybody should do this. I'm so angry about this issue. The thumbnail-thing is so annoying....

[gazumped 10,335]

4 hours ago, SxWerks said:

Most ridiculous.

What is?  That something designed 20 years ago doesn't include the single tweak you personally require?  Most folks might tend to think - "I could suggest that as a new feature,  or add my vote for that feature to an ongoing poll collecting those votes" but I guess some could be offended that an app that nowhere claims to do something,  isn't actually providing that feature...

[gazumped 10,335]

2 hours ago, TedChuang said:

many advanced features in competing platforms

..I'm not sure that all of them do thumbnails!  I do know Evernote don't comment in areas like this,  so if choosing your thumbnail is important to you,  you should follow the work-arounds that have been mentioned many many times before,  or find a competitor that provides this functionality - Evernote may include this is their next update - or leave it for another year or two while they work on something they give a higher priority.

[GeckoGroen 0]

It's a shame that after 13 years this function isn't implemented.
I have a bunch of clips that have the wrong thumbnail, by which I can't recognise the item in question.

Evernote is still the best web note taking app, but it is by a hair.

[Eduardo Estefano 88]

Em 10/06/2023 at 07:39, GeckoGroen disse:

It's a shame that after 13 years this function isn't implemented.
I have a bunch of clips that have the wrong thumbnail, by which I can't recognise the item in question.

Evernote is still the best web note taking app, but it is by a hair.

I think this feature will never get implemented unfortunately. Still using EN daily but I gave up on trying to get the right thumbnail to show. 
 

The way it works now, for some of my notebooks the thumbnail is useless as all of them show the first image it found -> my company logo 

[netguru2000 5]

Crikey. I'm a paying customer, not sure if that matters. Anyway, visual recognition seems like 101 in the note biz. I know I'm waisting my time if after 12 years they haven't created a solution despite a lot of interest but just in case... 

Dear Evernote, 

When searching for notes I use my eyes and images help. The algorithm you currently use now is not effective, in fact, it makes things more confusing. Please offer a way to set the image that's most helpful/useful to the customer.

Thank you,

Visual Guy

[PinkElephant 6,222]

No „Dear EN“ around here.

If you want to contact EN, use a support ticket.

[mnewcome 0]

So frustrating. I have both personal and business Evernote accounts. In my personal account, I keep a record of all of my sewing patterns, including the image of the pattern cover. Invariably, Evernote picks an image of the pattern dimensions and NOT the image of the actual item. This makes recognition of the item while scanning an impossibility. How is this STILL not a feature! 

It's nearly enough to make me finally quite Evernote. And if you're listening Evernote, that's my entire team I'd like to move. 

[gazumped 10,335]

4 hours ago, mnewcome said:

And if you're listening Evernote

This is a mainly user-supported forum.  Try contacting Support. 

Since it's now much easier to create links between notes,  I'm using a "table of contents" note with one image in an 'Index' notebook linked to one or more other child notes in a library.  View the Index notebook and you see only the image you chose to include.  Choose one note to see it's linked child(ren).

Evernote's new owners have only been around for 6 months and have been fixing speed and reliability.  Image choices may be on their radar at some time in the future,  but until then there's only work-arounds...

[Myztique 3]

From what I can tell this note was created in 2011, TWELVE (12) years ago.

I saw an earlier reply that asked us to put our responses here as they take our suggestions/feedback seriously.

So all I can say is after 12 years, users are STILL UNABLE TO CHOSE THE IMAGE TO USE ON THE THUMBNAIL?! REALLY?!

I would appreciate hearing from EN on why this has not be resolved after 12 years?

[gazumped 10,335]

9 minutes ago, Myztique said:

I would appreciate hearing from EN on why this has not be resolved after 12 years?

Hi. 

1. New owners took over Evernote six months ago,  since when they've been concentrating on making basic operations faster and more reliable - and fixing a few bugs along the way.  They'll get around to dealing with suggestions at a later date.
2. In all the 12 years you mentioned,  Evernote have never commented on any individual post in any of the Forums - I wouldn't expect them to start now.
3. A couple of work-arounds have already been mentioned here - they're easy to use.
4. As users,  we're allowed to make suggestions... as owners Evernote may or may not decide to adopt them.  It's entirely their choice,  no justification necessary.
5. This is a -mainly- user-supported Forum,  and it's never necessary to SHOUT to get attention. Please don't.

[Myztique 3]

Thanks for the update.  I just updated to 10.60 but still not able to chose the photo I want in the thumbnail.

I'll make that suggestion to the new owners, daily, if I have to.

 

[gazumped 10,335]

12 minutes ago, Myztique said:

I'll make that suggestion to the new owners, daily, if I have to.

There's nothing like a well thought out,  reasoned explanation of the need for a new feature to motivate a company to consider spending a lot of money developing and releasing it.

[Myztique 3]

I am not the only one who wants this feature.  It has been asked for and gone unanswered for 12 years.  I am also a premium subscriber who just wants a functional app.  This app has gone downhill since I started using it 10 years ago.  More noticeable recently.  Hey what would you use if you wanted to leave Evernote?  I am looking!

[s2sailor 1,394]

1 hour ago, gazumped said:

There's nothing like a well thought out,  reasoned explanation of the need for a new feature to motivate a company to consider spending a lot of money developing and releasing it.

Maybe the best way to show the need is with a few examples.

I have hundreds like this.  These are just a few recent ones.  I'm sure these are all nice people, but their images don't help with the subject matter at all.  This is mainly an issue with web clips for me.  Web clips usually contain several images, and at least one of them would capture the subject well.  If only I could select the one I want ...

[Eduardo Estefano 88]

3 horas atrás, s2sailor disse:

Maybe the best way to show the need is with a few examples.

I have hundreds like this.  These are just a few recent ones.  I'm sure these are all nice people, but their images don't help with the subject matter at all.  This is mainly an issue with web clips for me.  Web clips usually contain several images, and at least one of them would capture the subject well.  If only I could select the one I want ...

I have employee files as Evernote notes. It would be great to see the picture of the employee in the note instead of some random meaningless document picture. 
 

for me I think about 20% of the l pictures selected as the thumbnail make sense. The rest are meaningless. 

[gazumped 10,335]

I already suggested this above I think - but to avoid any extensive editing,  how about simply having an 'index' note with only the picture of the employee and any other details you need quickly,  plus a link to the original note filed in a 'library' notebook somewhere...?

[gazumped 10,335]

The thing about work-arounds is they will work immediately,  while waiting for Evernote to 'fix' something takes anywhere from months to years, depending on whether and when they will schedule the work.  The Editor is probably a bit complicated,  so they'll want to collect all possible fixes and features in one place and then decide which to implement.  Unless they're working on the Editor already,  I doubt you'll see any progress this year...

[s2sailor 1,394]

2 hours ago, gazumped said:

while waiting for Evernote to 'fix' something takes anywhere from months to years,

Who’s waiting?  If my usage of Evernote depended on this I would have moved to a different app years ago.  I’ve been a user since 2007 so this obviously isn’t holding me back but it is an irritant that I hope the team sees fit to rectify some day.

[gazumped 10,335]

27 minutes ago, jaranovich said:

Choosing a note's thumbnail is one of the most important usability features.  This issue has been raised 12 years ago and is likely wanted by most users, it being still unresolved is a reflection on Evernote's management.  As the notes that we have accumulated over time cannot be ported effectively and efficiently to another application, Evernote's users are  hostage to a company that, as in this case, disrespects its customers.  Shame on you!

Wow. I'm impressed. You could not be more wrong.

1. Choosing the thumbnail is not my - or many others' - most important feature
2. The issue was raised 12 years ago with the previous owners,  as a suggestion;  there are new owners now who haven't had time work out their priorities yet.
3. This is NOT wanted by 'most users'  - 544 votes here is slightly outclassed by a 200 MILLION silent majority.
4. Notes are fully downloadable from the Notebooks page as HTML PDF or ENEX files and many competitors offer conversion routines if you want to move.

Evernote,  like Word and Acrobat and Lightroom is a software package that invites suggestions from users for possible improvements.  It is not required that the company comment on suggestions,  or explain when or whether they will extend their product.  Suggest away - but it's Evernote's decision if they do anything with that information.

 

 

[Eduardo Estefano 88]

10 horas atrás, gazumped disse:

I already suggested this above I think - but to avoid any extensive editing,  how about simply having an 'index' note with only the picture of the employee and any other details you need quickly,  plus a link to the original note filed in a 'library' notebook somewhere...?

Yes this workaround would work for any note you would want to have control over the thumbnail if you have a static environment.  But it is very cumbersome, especially when working in a team and when you start sharing and linking notes. 
 

If you would like to update the employee picture then it would be a pain to go through all linked and shared notes and rework everything. Not very productive for a productivity app. 

[s2sailor 1,394]

I really wish the 200 million number wasn’t bandied about.  It is terribly misleading and only used to falsely strengthen a point.  What is the origin of that number?  Included, I’m sure, are abandoned, multiple and free accounts.  What none of us know is the number of paying users, and that is really the metric that should be used.  What percentage of these paying users visit the forum and vote?  I would speculate far fewer still.  All we can gather out of forum votes are some trends.  Vote totals shouldn’t be used as absolute.

[gazumped 10,335]

12 hours ago, Boot17 said:

Just curious if you even use the Snippets view?

Not usually,  no.  Don't get me wrong - I'd probably use the 'choose thumbnail' option if we get one,  but it's low down the priority of getting things faster and more reliable,  and tidying up a zillion other things.

11 hours ago, s2sailor said:

only used to falsely strengthen a point.

Y'mean like "most important usability features" or "wanted by most users"?  My point was that the Forums here are not the pinnacle of customer feedback for Evernote - Facebook and Reddit have several active groups,  plus there's the blog and Youtube,  and all the direct feedback to CS and Support.

And let's not forget

1. These are suggestions not instructions.
2. Some requests may be commercially or technically easier than others.
3. Some requests may be commercially or technically faster to implement than others.
4. Evernote -like most other companies- is unlikely to say whether or when a feature will be added.
5. End of the day - the company doesn't have to explain or justify its decisions to users.

[s2sailor 1,394]

On 8/14/2023 at 6:21 AM, gazumped said:

• Evernote -like most other companies- is unlikely to say whether or when a feature will be added.
• End of the day - the company doesn't have to explain or justify its decisions to users.

I agree, but I would also suggest that Evernote can't be held up as an example of company success.  They were once at mythical unicorn status to now ... sold.  The VCs got tired of waiting and got what they could.  Once the current fix activity settles down, the new owners might consider a little more transparent engagement with their user base.  Poor communication wasn't Evernote's only problem, but it was certainly a contributor.

[Boot17 873]

I've only posted recently in this thread -- a dozen times over maybe the last couple of years compared to its 12 years of existence. I've only found two ways to get satisfaction from the thumbnails:

#1 - Only have one image and one image only in your note. This is, of course, not really a good or practical solution.

The best solution that I am now using is my recently discovered #2 option:

#2 - Don't use the snippet or card view. Seriously.

I used to be a big time snippet view person. That's all I used and the thumbnails were pretty much worthless. So why did I persist using it? I don't know.

Now I'm using the side list view on Desktop and I am in ignorant bliss of the thumbnails (probably joining with some of you) and am finding the side list view better in some ways anyway (easier to see the date modified, tags, easier to switch sorting on modify date or title). Should have just been using it a long time ago.

 

Dear Snippet View,

You're dead to me.

Signed, @Boot17

 

Ah, peace at last... 🤣

(Just some light-hearted jesting there... but really, I'm finding the side list view more useful now for me personally.)

[ChipWhitehouse 2]

PLEASE! Please, please, please. I desperately want to be able to change the thumbnail pictures. If I accidentally upload a wrong image and then delete it, the thumbnail still remains! We really need the ability to decide what thumbnail image is shown. Even have the ability to upload a separate image that isn’t in the note. It’s September 2023… 10 years later?! ASKING FOR THIS FEATURE! PLEASE! 

[gazumped 10,335]

5 hours ago, ChipWhitehouse said:

PLEASE! Please, please, please. I desperately want to be able to change the thumbnail pictures. If I accidentally upload a wrong image and then delete it, the thumbnail still remains! We really need the ability to decide what thumbnail image is shown. Even have the ability to upload a separate image that isn’t in the note. It’s September 2023… 10 years later?! ASKING FOR THIS FEATURE! PLEASE! 

Hi.  The new owners have been in place for most of this year,  and seem to be spending their time fixing up old code that the original software engineers put togther in something of a hurry.  The current focus is on improving stability and speed.  Until that's done I don't think they'll be messing with details like this - and even if they do,  unless they're working on it already,  I'd imagine the production timeline is several months at least.  Unless and until they get there,  there's an easy fix which has been mentioned above.  Create a new note with the correct picture(s) copy the old note content across.  Delete old not with wrong pictures.  Easy.