How can I get rid of the white border around picture icons in Finder window

Merry Christmas.
Not only do I agree with richisgame that this border is unwarranted, but have we noticed that it's impossible to make that sidebar disappear by narrowing it to zero? I use the Finder as a photo preview with a dark background (as in richisgame's fourth image), but with no sidebar. In Leopard I can get rid of that sidebar only if I also sacrifice the tools at the top.

I really hope Apple people are reading these messages: there are many users like richisgame and myself who are only asking for simple, very simple things. But instead we get useless or even irritating eye-candy.

I've spent the last three days investigating whether it's now (more than a year after release!) possible to switch to Leopard. It was impossible because of the bug of number format customisation (noticed that the International pane no longer has a customise button for numbers? Try to work in English with ISO dates, euro currency and metric units. You cannot have an apostrophe as thousands separator. But I found a patch).

I support the request to remove these white borders, or at the very least get the ability to switch them off.
The Finder was the greatest step forward in personal computing when it came with the 1984 Macs and it has been my only reason to stick with Macs. Leopard needs to be fixed.

It's admittedly a very strange issue. It deals with how Leopard sees the icon - if the file preview is already embedded in the icon, then it displays with no border, if not, then it uses the white frame. Test this by going to that folder with both in it and click View/Show View Options. In there, de-check "Show icon preview", and you should see the bordered icons go to default file type icons and the unframed ones remain the same. I honestly don't know how to re-embed the image in the icon data, as it does not play well with the typical paste in on Get Info. Hope this gets a solution rolling, because it's something that's bothered me as well.

That would explain some of the get info issues (I've noticed when you edit videos, moving from folder to folder updates the quicklook icon also). However, it still isn't a solution, as even with those new icons you create, they don't "fit in" perfectly (no drop shadow). It appears some programs and processes on the computer (Image Capture for one) automatically add a special version of a thumbnail icon, yet the user cannot replicate it. Also still looking for a more permanent (and less time-consuming) solution.

The same problem has just appeared on my MacBook under 10.5.4. All of a sudden, my imported JPEG images — straight from the camera — have a white border around the Finder thumbnails. I’ve made no changes to the OS or to any of my preferences. This is occurring with a camera I’ve used numerous times along with a new model.

The same issue did crop up on occasion under the Tiger OS but this is a first for Leopard. It’s very frustrating, as I prefer the Finder for sorting images rather than iPhoto — along with borderless icons over a dark background. The problem has been inconsistent as well. Some icons have the border, others do not. I thought I had solved it in Image Capture, by selecting the option to “create custom icon...”, but that is now working only part of the time.

Preview now insists on adding the white border when saving files — even with files that previously had no such border. I tried simply re-naming a file and the border shows up. The same issue is taking place with PhotoComplete, a third party image editing app. I’ve used this program many times before with no thumbnail problems.

The only solution I’ve found so far concerns the venerable GraphicConverter. Importing from the camera, renaming an existing file, converting a generic icon into a custom thumbnail — GraphCon does not add the white border to my image thumbnails. The program can also add a sub-menu to the Finder’s contextual menu, allowing one to convert a generic icon into a thumbnail — on the fly.

I believe it's functionally not correct to be performing as it does. As such, I'll be filing a bug report when I have a chance. Additionally, I'd suggest submitting feedback to Apple on the matter as well.
Of course, anyone who has a permanent solution is welcome also.

In case this thread is still being followed, I didn't find a reason, but did find a partial solution to the white border (generic icon versus custom thumbnail). Leopard's Automator has a workflow item called Add Thumbnail Icon to Image Files. By combining this with Get Specified Finder Items and Get Folder Contents, you can quickly have Leopard assign custom thumbnail icons to your image files so they will not have the white border (secondary benefit: though the files are a little larger now to accommodate the thumbnail, there is no loading time to generate their previews when opening the folder in Finder).

thanks, that's great.
i'm creating thumbnails for my entire pictures directory now. it's actually freeing up some space, it seems!
i really hope it doesen't interfere with some iphoto libraries..

now i'm trying to figure an automator workflow that adds thumbs only to newly created images in finder, that i can run from time to time.

That would be a great Automator script to have, I agree completely. Before adding thumbs to my pictures, I did a few tests with iPhoto '09, and with a referenced library, it worked fine.

I have the EXACT same wishes: No white frame / border around Leopard FINDER images; and being able (like one could in TIGER) to eliminate the sidebar while still keeping the tools at the top.

Tiger gave the 3 choices; Leopard -- only the two...

Any Haxie or hack or ??? to solve this?

Thanks-- maybe "Snow Leopard" (likely not, since Apple probably thinks many people will hide the sidebar and then, 2 years later never get it back and think that they'd like to have a sidebar...)- But a choice please - for those of us who would like a choice-- even if we need a multi-step procedure.

Steve
Saturday 28 February 2009

Could you walk me through this procedure? Let's say I have a folder with 10 jpg images, all with the white border. How would I use Automator and "combine it with Get Specified Finder Items" etc. to transform all 10 of those to borderless finder images (icons)?

THANKS,

Steve

Get Selected (or Specified) Finder Items --> Add Thumbnail Icon to Image Files.

OK- great and I was able to "write" an automator 'script' and even batch converted about 300 jpg's from one folder.

QUESTION: This changed all the photos in that folder to the current time and date for both MODIFIED ON and CREATED ON.

Is there a way to KEEP THE ORIGINAL Created-on and Modified-on dates via this (or slightly modified) method? I remember one program -- I believe ColorFolders or a program like that, which asks if you want to change the created/modified dates when you change the color of the file/folder-- I'll have to check on that-- but I mention that because there seems to be a way to PRESERVE those settings.

Thanks and any comments appreciated.

Steve
Wednesday 4 March 2009

Yeah, I noticed that too...I don't know of any workaround, because you are modifying the files.