Ghostyak Notes v1.0.0 is released

Ghostyak Notes v1.0.0 is released. Thank you to everyone who used the beta through October. This release includes everything that landed between beta v0.1.5 and v0.1.13.

From beta to a 30-day trial

The release is a trial: every feature is available for 30 days from the day you first launch it. When the period ends you can still open and read documents, find within a document and export to PDF with your handwriting, but writing and searching all documents are no longer available. Your documents and handwriting are not deleted.

Unlike the beta, installing a new version does not extend the period. Installing v1.0.0 on a PC that ran the beta starts a fresh 30-day trial.

To keep going you need Pro. Pro is a one-time purchase, and one key activates up to 3 devices. Purchasing is being built and will be available soon. See Compare Trial and Pro for details.

New home screen

The library home has been redesigned. The brand color is now navy, and the app icon is new.

• The app opens on the Recent view, and the Continue reading shelf at the top opens the document you were reading, right where you left off.
• The Bookmarks and Marked text views on the home screen gather bookmarks and marked text from every document, grouped by document, and each document can be collapsed and expanded.
• Search on the home screen is split by the view you are in (Recent, All documents, folders and so on).
• Drag folders and documents to move or delete them, including documents that are open. Select several cards with Shift and Ctrl.
• When there are many folders, folder cards show up to two rows, and folders in the left list can be collapsed.

Merging documents and new notes

• Select several documents in the library and merge them into one.
• Press + on the tab bar to create a new note right away.
• Drop several PDFs at once and they are added to the library without opening each one.

Writing and marking

• Tool settings are now tabs. Each slot has its own color and thickness, and you can pick your own colors. Switch tools with the number keys 1 to 7.
• Shapes get a line palette, opacity, no outline and custom colors. Resize a selection with the edge handles; Shift and Ctrl keep the proportions.
• Text in text boxes can be highlighted, underlined, struck through or covered. A cover can be made see-through for a moment with Translucent in its menu.
• The eraser also erases text boxes.
• The menus for selected text and marks have been merged into one.

OCR

• Images placed on a page are recognized too, so you can select and find text on them.
• Next to Find on the toolbar there are now OCR this page and OCR whole document buttons.
• Automatic OCR can be turned on and off in Settings, and it uses less CPU when it is on.

Minimap and navigation

• The app now draws its own scrollbar, so it shows the whole document in single- and two-page views, and it sits to the right of the minimap.
• The minimap shows where outline entries really are, and you can choose outline levels (1, 2, 3). Scrolling the wheel over the minimap moves the strip without moving the document.
• Links inside the original PDF are followed, and the mouse back and forward buttons move between places.
• The toolbar gains a page field and a rotate page button, and the zoom steps include the fit-to-page level.
• Change thumbnail size in the page overview and the sidebar with Ctrl+wheel. When there are many tabs, they shrink to an equal width.
• Shortcuts have been reorganized: F4 or Ctrl+B for the left sidebar, F9 for the page overview, and Alt+1 to 8 for the sidebar tabs.

Also

• Newly added documents are found even while the index is being rebuilt.
• The splash screen appears faster and only stays on the first launch.
• Fixed the document jumping while dragging the minimap's wide bar, the view shifting when toggling the cover page, and more.

It is a full release, but there is still plenty to polish. If anything gets in your way, please let us know.

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