Initial setup

The setup wizard opens on first launch. You can change anything you choose here later in settings.

Data store location

This is where your images, videos, and database are stored. Choose “Create new” and continue. To put it on an external SSD or another drive, see Data store and backup.

To view from another device such as a phone or tablet, turn this on and set a password. To use it only on your own PC, leave it off and continue. For details, go to View from a phone or tablet.

FFmpeg / Poppler

Both are external tools used for importing.

FFmpeg — Lets you import videos and GIFs. Thumbnails and previews are generated automatically, so you can browse and play them like images.
Poppler — Lets you import PDFs. Each page becomes an image, forming a stack you can read with page navigation.

If they are installed, they are detected automatically. You can skip them. Setup steps are collected in Set up external tools.

AutoTag

A local AI analyzes the content of an image (a person’s features, composition, colors, and more) and suggests tags automatically. It saves you from tagging one image at a time, and it lets you find similar images with “Find similar”. All analysis runs on your PC, and images are never sent anywhere.

Because it requires a model download, you can skip it and set it up later.

Open Browser

When finished, “Open Browser” opens http://127.0.0.1:6777. From then on, you do everything in the browser.

The app stays resident, so you can reach it from a browser even after closing the window. You can also set it to start when you sign in.

First-run tutorial

The first time you open Caramel Board in the browser, a tutorial starts automatically. Following it walks you through creating your first library (name, emoji icon, and theme color), adding your first stack (drag and drop), and trying out the basic viewer controls. Your first library automatically gets pins for Favorites, Images, Books, and Videos. You can skip it anytime with “Skip tutorial”. To add more libraries or change these settings later, go to Manage libraries.

Run setup again

You can reopen the wizard from “Run setup again” in settings. Your data is kept.

For import details, see Import images, videos, and PDFs. To add or separate libraries, go to Manage libraries.