Getting Started (Server)

Tin Man Server is a professional command-line tool for batch processing, metadata extraction, creating thumbnails, copying media with SHA256 verification and report generation designed to support high-volume video production and post-production workflows.

Compatible with both Windows and macOS, Tin Man Server is licensed to handle a wide range of professional formats, including Apple ProRes & ProRes RAW, Avid DNxHD/HR, ARRIRAW, Blackmagic RAW, Canon RAW, Panasonic AVC-Ultra, RED RAW, and Sony RAW & XAVC.

Installation & Access

After installing Tin Man, the Server CLI is available at:

macOS:

"/Applications/Calibrated Tin Man.app/Contents/Server/tinman-server"

Windows:

"C:\Program Files\Calibrated\Tin Man\tinman-server.exe"

The installer automatically configures command-line access:

• Windows: Adds C:\Program Files\Calibrated\Tin Man to your system PATH

• macOS: Creates a symlink in /usr/local/bin

After installation, you can use tinman-server directly from any Command Prompt on Windows or Terminal on macOS.

Quick Start

View all available commands and options:

tinman-server --help
tinman-server --version

RAW Colorspace & GPU Options

These general options come before your input files and apply to the whole operation. The RAW colorspace flags set the output colorspace for all RAW files; the GPU flags control compute and encoding:

# Set all RAW files to Rec. 709 with tone mapping
tinman-server --raw709tonemap /path/footage/ metadata --output-dir /path/reports/

# Set all RAW files to Log
tinman-server --rawLog /path/footage/ export --preset mov_prores422_hq --output-dir /path/exports/

# Use CUDA instead of OpenCL (Windows / NVIDIA only)
tinman-server --gpu-cuda /path/footage/ export --preset mp4_h264_10mbps --output-dir /path/exports/

# Enable GPU hardware encoding
tinman-server --gpu-encode /path/footage/ export --preset mp4_h264_10mbps --output-dir /path/exports/

Additional RAW colorspace flags: --raw2020, --rawHLG, --rawPQ, --rawACES.

Extract Metadata

Generate comprehensive metadata reports in multiple formats:

# PDF report (default) with Rec. 709 conversion with Tone Mapping for Thumbnails
tinman-server /path/footage/ metadata --output-dir /path/reports/ --rec709tonemap

# CSV report
tinman-server /path/footage/ metadata --output-dir /path/reports/ --format csv

# Multiple formats at once
tinman-server /path/footage/ metadata --output-dir /path/reports/ --format csv pdf xlsx

# JSON with all metadata types
tinman-server /path/footage/ metadata --output-dir /path/reports/ --format json

# Contact sheet report
tinman-server /path/footage/ metadata --output-dir /path/reports/ --type contactsheet --format pdf

# Both clips and contact sheet reports
tinman-server /path/footage/ metadata --output-dir /path/reports/ --type clips contactsheet --format pdf

Custom Report Configuration

# Generate default config file
tinman-server generate-config --output my-config.json

# Use config for reports
tinman-server /path/footage/ metadata --config my-config.json --output-dir /path/reports/

Generate Thumbnails (currently free)

Extract thumbnail images with extensive control:

# Single thumbnail per file (320px wide, default)
tinman-server /path/footage/ thumbnail --output-dir /path/thumbs/

# Three evenly distributed thumbnails (start/middle/end)
tinman-server /path/footage/ thumbnail --output-dir /path/thumbs/ --position-count 3

# Six evenly distributed thumbnails (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%)
tinman-server /path/footage/ thumbnail --output-dir /path/thumbs/ --position-count 6

# Time-based thumbnails with intervals
tinman-server /path/footage/ thumbnail --output-dir /path/thumbs/ \
  --time-count 5 --time-interval 1.0 --usesubdirs

# Custom naming with prefix and timecode index
tinman-server /path/file.R3D thumbnail --output-dir /path/thumbs/ \
  --nameprefix Dailies --nameindex timecode

# with Rec. 709 conversion with Tone Mapping
tinman-server /path/file.braw thumbnail --output-dir /path/thumbs/ \
  --startframe 100 --size 512 --quality 95 --rec709tonemap

Export & Transcode

Export and transcode media files using system presets or custom configurations:

# List all available system presets
tinman-server export --list-presets

# Export using system preset to ProRes 422 HQ
tinman-server /path/footage/ export --preset mov_prores422_hq --output-dir /path/exports/

# Export using custom preset JSON file
tinman-server /path/footage/ export --preset /path/my-preset.json --output-dir /path/exports/

# Override preset resolution to half
tinman-server /path/footage/ export --preset mov_prores422_hq --output-dir /path/exports/ \
  --resolution half

# Override preset bitrate (target and max in kbps, H.264/H.265 only)
tinman-server /path/footage/ export --preset mp4_h264_10mbps --output-dir /path/exports/ \
  --bitrate 12000 16000

# Export with custom naming pattern to 10Mbps H264
tinman-server /path/footage/ export --preset mp4_h264_10mbps --output-dir /path/exports/ \
  --naming "{date}_{source}_{timecode}"

# Export image sequence with custom frame numbering
tinman-server /path/file.R3D export --preset imageseq_dpx_10bit_rgb_be \
  --output-dir /path/exports/ --index-prefix "." --index-min-size 6 --index-offset 1

Copy Files with Verification (currently free)

Copy media files with checksum verification:

# Copy single file
tinman-server /path/input.R3D copy --output-dir /path/backup/

# Copy folder preserving structure
tinman-server /path/footage/day1/ copy --output-dir /path/backup/day1/

# Overwrite existing files
tinman-server /path/footage/ copy --output-dir /path/backup/ --overwrite

Multi-Threading

Process files faster with concurrent operations (1-5 threads - default 1):

# Metadata extraction with 3 threads
tinman-server --threads 3 /path/footage/ metadata --output-dir /path/reports/ --format csv

# Export with 3 threads
tinman-server --threads 3 /path/footage/ export --preset mov_prores422_hq --output-dir /path/exports/

# File copying with maximum threads (5)
tinman-server --threads 5 /path/footage/ copy --output-dir /path/backup/

Chaining Commands

Execute multiple operations in a single command:

# Generate both metadata report and thumbnails
tinman-server /path/input.R3D metadata --output-dir /path/reports/ thumbnail --output-dir /path/thumbs/

Progress Output

By default, Tin Man Server outputs JSON-formatted progress suitable for parsing by automation tools:

# JSON progress (default) - ideal for automation
tinman-server /path/footage/ metadata --output-dir /path/reports/

# Human-readable progress
tinman-server --progress=no-json /path/footage/ metadata --output-dir /path/reports/

The JSON progress output includes file processing status, progress percentage, errors and warnings, operation results, and timing metrics.

Input Methods

# Single file
tinman-server /path/input.R3D metadata --output-dir /path/reports/

# Multiple files
tinman-server /path/file1.R3D /path/file2.braw metadata --output-dir /path/reports/

# Folders (recursive by default)
tinman-server /path/footage/ metadata --output-dir /path/reports/

# Don't scan subfolders
tinman-server --no-recursive /path/footage/ metadata --output-dir /path/reports/

# File list from text file
tinman-server @filelist.txt metadata --output-dir /path/reports/

Claude Cowork Plugin

Tin Man Server includes a Claude Cowork plugin for macOS and Windows, allowing you to run all Tin Man Server operations through natural language in Claude AI. Install the plugin from the GitHub repository.

Other MCP Clients

To connect Tin Man Server to any MCP-compatible client, add the following entry to your client's MCP configuration file.

Windows:

"tinman-server": {
  "command": "C:\\Program Files\\Calibrated Software\\Tin Man\\python\\python.exe",
  "args": ["C:\\Program Files\\Calibrated Software\\Tin Man\\Server\\tinman_server_mcp.cpython-310.pyc"]
}

macOS:

"tinman-server": {
  "command": "/Applications/Calibrated Tin Man.app/Contents/PlugIns/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/bin/python3",
  "args": ["/Applications/Calibrated Tin Man.app/Contents/Server/tinman_server_mcp.cpython-310.pyc"]
}

Support

For complete command reference and all available options:

tinman-server --help

For questions or workflow consultation: [e-mail]

Download Tin Man: https://www.calibratedsoftware.com/tin-man/trial/