I have tried to stop the creation of cache images.
Under Preferences->Album I have unchecked Cache thumbnails.
I have searched through other setting for the project and skin used and haven't found reference to cache.

Unless there is a requirement for cache, how would I disable them completely?

And those cached images are used only within the application - they aren't used for the album itself in any way. If you get rid of them, it just means your Explore view might be a little slower to come up, since it will have to extract thumbnails for its display every time.

I thought I understood that settings use.
However, the cache is created only when I Make album.

If the files are used for creating the album, why would they be retained after the album building is complete and jAlbum has been exited?

If these files are thumbnails and I have asked not to create them, shouldn't that be honored?

Here's the stats on one album:
Size: 24.04 GB (7,161 objects)

Cache images created: 11

All are video thumbnails. Some m4v, some mov
Not all video files need a thumbnail created it seems.
Perhaps that is the avenue of attack?

Or just leave the default settings alone. In its default mode, jAlbum copies images and videos to the project directory, instead of keeping links to them. In that mode, there will never be any .jalbum files in your source directories. My Pictures and Videos folders have no jAlbum content in them at all.

Disk space is cheap.

And I think you can safely assume that jAlbum never creates control and cache files just to keep itself busy or entertained. There really are reasons for the existence of these files.

You have been given two solutions to this "problem," but you are refusing to use either of them. Either set jAlbum to copy objects to the project directory, or use the mirror option. Why do you reject both solutions?

Deleting the cache files is the wrong "solution" - those files exist for a reason.

Or do you just want to keep arguing?

Thanks again for the illuminating answer.
But, what exactly does the setting do then?

I didn't realize that getting clarification on an option that doesn't seem to do what it says was arguing.

Must keep that in mind henceforth.

I've been given workarounds, not 'solutions'.

Though disk space is not the issue of my question, why would I want to spend disk space to 'solve' something that the setting (that is the issue) should solve?

The cache files created are 1.61 MB
The source directory is 46.2 GB

Perhaps that duplication is fine in your world, but it's silly in mine.

The cache files, in this case, do not continue to exist for any reason except that they are not removed on jAlbum exit. None. The program still opens, functions, does all it should without them. Doesn't make a difference in scrolling through the project, saving, changing, making.

Why do you continue to do anything except deal with a setting that says one thing and doesn't do it? That is a textbook example of argumentative behavior.

The setting does exactly what it says it will do. It doesn't create cached thumbnails for images that lack embedded thumbnails.

It doesn't apply to videos. It doesn't say that it does.