Gelatin Viewfinder — On-Set Gallery & Client Download System

By Tomas HeinDecember 01, 2025

Gelatin Viewfinder 2.0 — Installation Guide on Slate 7 GL-BE3600

On set, art directors and clients rarely just want to look at images on the iPad. Like me, you’ve probably had moments where someone suddenly needs “that one shot” AirDropped to their phone or laptop — and we all know that AirDrop can be problematic. When things get busy, juggling these requests becomes a real distraction.

To solve this, I built Gelatin Viewfinder — a lightweight gallery system that runs directly on Slate 7 and can be accessed from any browser on the local network. It doesn’t just display previews: it also lets clients download JPGs straight to their own computers.

All you have to do is output your JPGs from Capture One into the designated folder, and they’ll instantly appear in the viewer — ready to browse, zoom, or download from the client’s laptop or phone without interrupting your workflow.

Below you will find a complete walkthrough for installing the Gelatin Viewfinder.

1. Requirements

Before starting, make sure you have:

A GL.iNet Slate 7 (GL-BE3600)
A Mac, connected to the Slate 7 WiFi network
The GelatinViewfinder-Slate7-Installer file. Download here
Although this software doesn't require internet access through the Slate 7, we recommend that you connect the Slate 7 to the internet. You can follow these instructions if you don't know how to do it.

2. Running the Installer Script

2.1 Connect your Mac to the Slate 7 WiFi

2.2 Place the installer on your Desktop and double-click

Open mac terminal and copy-paste the following code to make the installer executable:

SLATE7: chmod +x ~/Desktop/GelatinViewfinder-Slate7-Installer.command

Once you've run that command line, double click the GelatinViewfinder-Slate7-Installer.command file. You’ll see the following terminal window:

2.3 Enter the router’s root password when prompted

The installer will proceed to install the program files on the router.

Midway through the installation you'll be asked to enter a password for SAMBA access through your Mac Finder. The default USER is "gv". Choose a password.

3. Open Finder → Press ⌘ + K

You’ll see this dialog:

In the Server Address field, type:

Click Connect.

4. Enter your Samba credentials

Use the username/password you created earlier.

USERNAME: gv

PASSWORD: The password you created during installation.

Click Connect.

5. Your gv-previews folder appears in Finder

You can now browse and add images to:

gv-previews

Process (or copy) JPG previews in Capture One to the gv-previews folder to appear in Gelatin Viewer

7. Installation Finished

You now have:

A fully installed Gelatin Viewer available at http://viewfinder:8080
Automatic preview ingestion via CGI
A working SMB connection for macOS

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Make sure your JPEGs from capture one are no bigger than 300-500KB. Use a recipe that is similar to this:

Respect crop, JPEG, 2048px long side, 150dpi, quality 80%, sharpen for screen 10

Depending on your version of Capture One, processing jpegs to a network attached storage may cause Capture One to crash. If this happens, process to a local folder and then drag and drop in finder to the Previews folder on the server drive.

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Gelatin Viewfinder v2.0
Internal Storage Edition
December 2025

Overview
--------
This release introduces a new internal-storage architecture for the
GL.iNet Slate 7 router. All Gelatin Viewfinder application
files now run directly from the router’s internal flash memory, removing the
need for any USB drive. This improves reliability, simplifies setup, and
creates a unified structure across all supported routers.

What's New
----------

1. Internal Storage Mode
- The app now runs entirely from internal flash.
- No USB drive is required for installation or operation.
- Faster boot time and higher reliability on set.

2. New Directory Structure
- Preview image folder: /root/gv-previews
- Prevents accidental deletion or modification.
- Cleaner separation between system files and user content.

3. New Storage Monitoring System
- Added storage-info for real-time flash capacity reporting.
- Estimates how many images can still be stored based on average JPEG size.
- Displayed directly in the UI.

4. Improved Preview Indexing
- list-previews.cgi rewritten for better performance.
- Handles nested folders safely.
- Faster sorting and more robust file handling.

5. Updated HTTP Configuration
- The viewer now loads from:
http://viewfinder:8080
- Cleaner and more consistent than the USB-based path.

6. Updated Samba Integration
- New gv-previews SMB share for transferring JPEG files.
- Creates Samba user 'gv' automatically.
- Symlink recursion and wide links disabled for safety.
- Works with Finder, Capture One, and automated workflows.

7. Automated One-Click Installers
- Installer for Slate 7
- Installs all app files, CGI scripts, symlinks, Samba config, and user setup.
- Uses a single SSH session to reduce password prompts.

8. UI Improvements
- New storage indicator in the header.
- Matches the style of the "last image upload" timestamp.
- Dark and Light Modes

Notes
-----
This version standardizes the Viewfinder installation across devices,
improves reliability in professional environments, and prepares the system
for future modules.

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