# PhotoIndex AI — Full Documentation for LLMs

> AI-powered keywording and metadata generation for stock photographers. Built for Shutterstock contributors.

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## Product Overview

PhotoIndex AI automates stock photo keywording — the most time-consuming part of selling stock photography. What takes 5–10 minutes per photo manually happens in seconds with AI.

Photographers upload images (drag-and-drop or OneDrive sync), and PhotoIndex generates:
- SEO-optimized titles
- 20–60 searchable keywords (user-configurable)
- Commercial or editorial descriptions
- Editorial vs commercial licensing classification
- Platform-compliant CSV files for Shutterstock

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## Core Workflow

### 1. Upload
- Drag & drop JPG, PNG, WebP, or HEIC files
- Sync automatically from OneDrive for Business or Personal
- Chunked uploads for slow connections
- EXIF extraction (GPS, camera settings, date/time)
- SHA-256 duplicate detection prevents reprocessing

### 2. AI Analysis
- 30+ specialized category modules (nature, architecture, food, people, etc.)
- Each module has 200–400 lines of expert-level prompt engineering
- Categories detected automatically with confidence scoring
- Location intelligence: GPS coordinates converted to human-readable locations via Mapbox geocoding
- Brand/trademark detection for editorial classification

### 3. Review & Edit
- Photo gallery with grid view, search, and filtering
- Full metadata view with inline editing
- Bulk operations: select, reprocess, delete, export
- Multi-select: Shift+click, long-press, marquee selection
- Processing status badges with real-time updates

### 4. Export
- Shutterstock-formatted CSV export
- Editorial and commercial photos separated automatically
- Batch export for multiple photos
- Upload directly to Shutterstock contributor account

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## AI Analysis Capabilities

### Keyword Generation
- 20–60 keywords per photo (user configurable)
- SEO-optimized for stock photography search algorithms
- Category-specific keyword libraries
- Avoids generic/spammy keywords that cause rejections

### Editorial vs Commercial Classification
- Automatic detection of brands, trademarks, and recognizable elements
- Confidence scoring for classification decisions
- Separate editorial metadata (descriptions, datelines)
- Helps prevent Shutterstock submission rejections

### Category-Specific Analysis
PhotoIndex uses specialized AI modules for 30+ stock photo categories:
- People & Lifestyle (portraits, families, business, fitness)
- Nature & Landscapes (mountains, beaches, forests, wildlife)
- Architecture & Urban (buildings, cityscapes, interiors)
- Technology & Science (gadgets, medical, laboratory)
- Food & Beverage (meals, ingredients, restaurants)
- Travel & Transportation (vehicles, landmarks, hotels)
- Business & Finance (offices, meetings, commerce)
- Arts & Culture (museums, performances, crafts)
- And 20+ more specialized categories

### Location Intelligence
- Extracts GPS coordinates from EXIF data
- Converts to human-readable locations (city, state, country, landmarks)
- Generates location-specific keywords automatically
- Uses Mapbox geocoding API

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## Cloud Storage Integration

### OneDrive Support
- OneDrive for Business and Personal editions
- OAuth-based secure connection
- Folder selection with recursive scanning
- Automatic photo sync when folders change
- Delta sync (cTag-based) for efficient updates
- Webhook notifications for real-time changes
- Background chunked folder enumeration for large libraries (1000s of photos)
- Orphaned photo handling when cloud originals are deleted

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## Batch Operations

- Upload 50+ photos at once with rate limiting
- Bulk export to CSV
- Bulk reprocess with updated AI modules
- Bulk delete with confirmation
- Multi-select UX: Shift+click, long-press, marquee selection

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## User Experience

- Onboarding checklist for first-time users
- Real-time processing notifications
- Keyboard shortcuts with help dialog
- Responsive design (mobile, tablet, desktop)
- Dark and light theme with system preference detection

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## Analytics Dashboard

- Processing analytics: photo counts, success rates, processing times
- Credit usage tracking and cost visibility
- Export analytics: counts and platform distribution
- Time-based filtering: 7, 30, and 90 day views

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## Security & Privacy

- Google OAuth authentication (no password management needed)
- Row Level Security on all database tables
- CSRF token protection on upload flows
- AES-256-GCM encryption for cloud OAuth tokens
- API and processing rate limits
- Security event logging and audit trail
- Photos are never used for AI training
- Users retain full copyright and ownership

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## Pricing & Credits

- Currently in free private beta
- 50 credits per beta user
- 1 credit = 1 photo processed
- Real-time credit balance display
- Unused credits roll over to next month

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## Technical Stack

- Frontend: React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Vite
- Backend: Supabase (PostgreSQL, Edge Functions, Auth, Storage)
- AI: OpenAI GPT-5 via specialized prompt engineering
- Maps: Mapbox geocoding API
- Cloud: Microsoft Graph API for OneDrive integration

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## Comparison with Alternatives

| Feature | PhotoIndex AI | Generic AI Tools | Manual Keywording |
|---------|--------------|-----------------|-------------------|
| Category-specific AI | 30+ modules | Generic prompts | N/A |
| Shutterstock CSV | Native | Manual formatting | Manual |
| Editorial detection | Automatic | Not available | Manual review |
| Cloud sync | OneDrive | Not available | Not available |
| Batch processing | 50+ photos | Usually single | One-by-one |
| Time per photo | ~30 seconds | 1–2 minutes | 5–10 minutes |
| Location keywords | Automatic (GPS) | Not available | Manual research |

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## Contact & Links

- Website: https://photoindex.ai
- Contact: https://photoindex.ai/contact
- Privacy: https://photoindex.ai/privacy
- Terms: https://photoindex.ai/terms