I am currently working on a new function for WIA-Loader to automatically tag images during import without using an online service. Until now, WIA Loader could only do this via an external provider (Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services). The new function now loads a locally available ONNX model and lets it evaluate the imported images. The result is a list of keywords for the respective image. The quantity and quality of the keywords determined depends on the ONNX model used.

If you would like to try this out, you will need:

• A purchased WIA-Loader license from the Microsoft Store
• The current WIA-Loader beta version.
• A suitable Resnet ONNX model. I have been using this one so far

In the new version there is a new import step called ‘AutoTag’. You add this to the profile and select the previously downloaded ONNX model in the step settings. Now you can test the tagging by starting an import or right-clicking on an image in the preview and selecting ‘Automatic tagging (offline)’.

With the ONNX model linked above you can get a pretty good result, but it’s still miles away from what you can get from Microsoft’s online service. I am trying to find a better model or perhaps even train my own. I could then distribute this directly with the download from WIA-Loader…..