CineLog Feature Guide
Explore features, section walkthroughs, and screenshot previews to get the most out of CineLog.
The Dashboard is your personalized command center. It welcomes you by name, displays real-time counters of your saved movies and series, provides quick access to unfinished titles with the Continue Watching shelf, recommends cinema through taste-driven Discover rows, and dynamically renders interactive collection carousels directly on your home screen.
Screenshots & Preview
Dashboard home showing personalized welcome, real-time library stats counters, and custom collection stream carousels.
Tips
- Stats counters for Movies and Series update automatically whenever titles are added, edited, or removed
- Pick up right where you left off with the Continue Watching carousel for titles currently in progress
- Explore personalized Discover rows ('Because you watched...', Trending, New Releases, curated genres and languages) tailored to your preferences
- Enable 'Show in dashboard' on any Smart Filter or Custom Anthology Collection to surface it as an interactive carousel shelf
- Interact directly with carousel cards: tap to view details, toggle watch status, or record quick reactions
- Recommended Discover rows can be turned on or off anytime under Settings → Account → Content Preferences
The Library houses your entire personal cinema catalog across 4 dedicated views: Movies, TV Series, Franchises, and Collections. Execute real-time searches, build multi-criteria filter rules, sort with precision, group titles into visual clusters, and instantly turn filters into dashboard shelves.
Screenshots & Preview
My Library view featuring media tabs, live search, multi-condition filters, sorting, grouping, and interactive movie cards.
Tips
- Switch seamlessly across 4 dedicated tabs: Movies, TV Series, Franchises, and Collections with live count badges
- Filter your collection across multiple dimensions: Origin Country, Genre, Release Year, Watch Status, and Rating with flexible operators
- Organize your titles with dynamic sorting by Rating, Release Date, Date Added, or Alphabetical title
- Group titles into collapsible visual categories by Genre, Release Decade/Year, or Watch Status
- Use 'Save as Shelf' to turn any active filter combination directly into an auto-updating carousel on your Dashboard
- Poster cards feature release year, rating, country, and 1-click status & reaction toggles in the card footer
Never miss a theatrical or streaming release. The Release Calendar provides an interactive monthly overview and chronological schedule feed tracking upcoming premieres and release dates for all titles in your watchlist and library.
Tips
- Quickly jump across months and years with intuitive navigation spanning from your birth year up to 5 years into the future
- Filter your calendar schedule by All Releases, Movies only, or TV Series only
- Desktop layout presents a synchronized Monthly Calendar Grid alongside an interactive chronological Schedule Feed
- Mobile and tablet devices include responsive Grid and Feed view toggles for easy browsing on any screen size
- Click any calendar day to open the Day Release Modal with full poster cards, countdown badges, and quick watchlist actions
- Use 'Jump to Today' to instantly return to current releases in a single click
Explore TMDB's catalog of 800,000+ movies and TV series with CineLog's dedicated search and discover hub. Filter by genres, release year range, countries, and ratings, browse live catalog recommendations, and add titles to your library in one click.
Screenshots & Preview
Search catalog with media type filters, year and language selectors, and 1-click watchlist toggles.
Tips
- Access the full-featured Search page anytime via the primary sidebar or mobile navigation bar (/search)
- Switch between Movies (/search/movies), Series (/search/series), and Franchises (/search/franchises)
- When not searching for a specific title, explore an auto-updating Discover feed with deep genre, country, year, and rating filters
- Results load smoothly with infinite scrolling as you browse deeper into TMDB's catalog
- Add titles directly to your watchlist, or mark them as watching/completed with 1-click card status controls without leaving the page
- Sort discover results by Popularity, Rating, or Release Date to unearth hidden gems
Every title features an immersive cinematic presentation with a full-bleed backdrop hero, high-resolution artwork, detailed specifications, cast & crew gallery, embedded official video trailers, regional streaming availability, and TV series episode tracking.
Screenshots & Preview
Title detail page featuring backdrop hero, comprehensive metadata, action bar (watchlist, status, share, reactions), specifications, and cast & crew gallery.
Tips
- Check 'Where to Watch' to find regional streaming providers (Subscription, Rent, Buy via Netflix, Prime, Disney+, Apple TV, and more)
- Watch official YouTube trailers and teasers directly inside the Media tab without leaving CineLog
- For TV Series: Select seasons, mark individual episodes as watched, and track completion progress bars
- Take immediate actions in the hero bar: toggle watchlist status, update watch progress (Plan to Watch, Watching, Completed, Dropped), or share links
- Explore franchise cards to see if a title is part of a larger saga, view sister films, and follow the entire franchise in one click
- Add any title directly to your custom anthology collections with the 'Add to Collection' menu
Organize your cinema your way using two flexible systems: auto-updating rule-based Smart Filters that query your library dynamically, and curated Custom Anthology Collections that let you hand-pick movies and TV shows into personalized shelves.
Screenshots & Preview
Smart Collections builder showing multi-condition filter pipelines (AND logic), sorting, grouping, drag-and-drop reordering, and display toggles for library & dashboard.
Tips
- Two powerful collection paradigms: rule-based Smart Filters (automatic queries) and Custom Anthology Collections (manual curation)
- Open the Collection Studio sheet from the Library or card actions to create or edit custom collections with live previews
- In Custom Collections, hand-pick titles, reorder them via drag-and-drop, and choose custom order, timeline, or status view modes
- In Smart Filters (Settings), construct multi-clause filter pipelines with AND logic across Genre, Country, Year, Rating, and Watch Status
- Toggle 'Show in dashboard' on any collection to surface it as a horizontal carousel on your home page
- Toggle 'Show in library' to access the collection from library chips and filter selectors
- Master toggle in Settings allows turning Smart Filters on or off system-wide anytime
Track and complete entire cinematic universes, sagas, and multi-part film series. CineLog automatically groups franchise titles into chronological release timelines with completion progress bars and unreleased title tracking.
Tips
- Browse all followed film sagas in the dedicated Library Franchises tab
- Track completion progress with live percentage bars (titles watched vs. total entries in the franchise)
- View franchise entries arranged in chronological release order so you always know what to watch next
- Follow or unfollow franchises directly from franchise cards in the library or from title detail pages
- Quickly add all movies from a franchise into a custom collection with one click
Express and track your sentiment for every movie and show. Choose between three reaction levels — Dislike, Like, and Love — available directly from title detail hero headers or straight from poster card footers in the library grid.
Screenshots & Preview
Contextual reaction popover directly on library poster cards for instant sentiment logging without leaving the grid.
Action bar reaction sentiment pill (Dislike, Like, Love) on title detail pages.
Tips
- Three sentiment tiers: Dislike (thumbs down), Like (thumbs up), and Love (heart)
- Log reactions instantly from the library grid or search cards by clicking the reaction button without opening the title page
- Log or update reactions on any title's detail page via the dedicated action bar pill
- Active reactions are visually highlighted with color-coded badges on cards
- Titles you 'Love' and 'Like' help power personalized recommendations on your dashboard
- Build Smart Filters targeting titles you 'Love' to generate an auto-updating favorite films shelf
CineLog adapts to your cinema taste from day one through a streamlined onboarding wizard and comprehensive Content Preferences in Settings.
Tips
- 5-step onboarding wizard for new accounts: Format Lean (Movies, TV, Both), Favorite Genres, Spoken Languages, Era & Certification Ratings, and Starter Title Picker
- Fine-tune your preferences anytime under Settings → Account → Content Preferences
- Toggle 'Recommended rows on dashboard' to control algorithmic recommendation carousels
- Your taste preferences actively shape the discover rows on your Dashboard and default browse results in Search
Configure your CineLog environment, manage account identity, customize recommendation preferences, and organize custom collection pipelines through a unified System Preferences interface.
Screenshots & Preview
User Profile & Credentials configuration: update username, email, display name, and secure password updates.
Tips
- Organized into two distinct sections: 'Account' (User Profile & Content Preferences) and 'Filters' (Smart Filters)
- Update your unique username, email address, and optional Display Name for personalized greetings
- Change your account password securely with real-time requirement validation
- Manage Smart Filters: toggle system-wide activation, create new filter rules, and drag-and-drop to reorder dashboard shelves
- Account deletion dialog with confirmation safeguards to permanently remove your account and data if needed
CineLog is built as a Progressive Web App (PWA), providing a fast, distraction-free native application experience on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android without requiring an app store download.
Screenshots & Preview
Progressive Web App installation prompt for desktop and mobile home screen installation.
Tips
- Look for the browser install prompt or install icon in your address bar for one-click setup
- Desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave): Click the install icon in the URL address bar or select Install CineLog from the browser menu
- iOS Safari: Tap the Share button, select 'Add to Home Screen', and tap 'Add'
- Android Chrome: Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) and select 'Install app' or 'Add to Home Screen'
- Enjoy a dedicated standalone window with no browser tabs, search bars, or browser clutter
- Offline caching via background service worker ensures ultra-fast page loads and smooth navigation