Adding same keywords to multiple images

How can I add keywords, or change keywords, to multiple selected images at the same time instead of having to do it one at a time? Or can I? I know how to change or add to metadata on multiple images, but it won't retain the keywording changes on all the images.

Be sure you are selecting multiple images in the GRID mode in the Library panel not the FILMSTRIP mode. Then if you add a keyword to multiple images it will actually stick. You can also delete keywords from those selected images.
Jeff

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Adding/Deleting keywords for multiple images

Well, I'm finally paying the price for bad keyword management and I'm trying to clean up my nightmare of a system now but running into trouble.
I'm using Lightroom 3.2.
My workflow follows one of two types:
1) I'm shooting something specific (soccer games) and I import the shots and immediately assign the appropriate keywords (soccer, which kid it is, which tournament it is)
2) I've taken shots of multiple events/subjects and I haven't had time to download and organize. I will then import with a 'file later' tag so I can easily search and keyword them later and then re-use the card.
Well 'file later' is now about 3000 images! Doh!
I'm going through and properly assigning them but I'm having a lot of trouble with what I *think* should work in Lightroom.
There are several things here:
First, if I choose the 'File Later' keyword, it will pull up the metadata filters options on the top of the grid view. No matter what I do, I can't make it go away. If I do get it to go away, I wind up viewing ALL my pictures which is not what I want.
Second, if I choose multiple pictures by ctrl-clicking or shift-clicking, It appears I can assign a keyword to multiple shots. I cannot REMOVE a keyword from multiple shots. Lightroom seems to only want to remove the keyword from one picture at a time even if they are all selected.
Third, the painter tool does not work...at all. Enabling it and then selecting and applying or removing does nothing.
So, what am I looking for here?
Organizing for these should be pretty easy since most are in blocks and I can apply the same keywords quickly. However, removing the keywords one at a time is a huge pain.
What am I doing wrong?
Thanks

First, if I choose the 'File Later' keyword, it will pull up the metadata filters options on the top of the grid view. No matter what I do, I can't make it go away. If I do get it to go away, I wind up viewing ALL my pictures which is not what I want.
This is the filter dialog - of course if you close it you turn back to All Photographs. Try creating a Smart Collection based on your File Later keyword - this collection will automatically populate all your images that have that particular keyword. Once you have keyworded the pictures from e.g. one particular shot, just remove the File Later-KW and those images will disappear from the collection.
Second, if I choose multiple pictures by ctrl-clicking or shift-clicking, It appears I can assign a keyword to multiple shots. I cannot REMOVE a keyword from multiple shots. Lightroom seems to only want to remove the keyword from one picture at a time even if they are all selected.
I'm not sure why you can't remove keywords from multiple images - it just works fine here by selecting multiple images and delete the keyword.
Most of the times I use the Keyword List to assign/delete keywords because in my opinion it is the easiest way - I just browse thru my list or filter for a particular kw and tick the box on the left.
Creating a hierarchical keyword list can further simplify your work. For example the location: organize the final keyword xyz-Soccer Stadium into other keywords like Town>County>State>Country>Continent>Places, then you only have to tick the last keyword xyz-Soccer Stadium and with that assign all of those keywords in the hierarchy (I know thats kind of a complicated explanation...but I suggest you play around a bit and then you will get the full picture ).

Adding keywords to multiple images - Help!

I'm getting really frustrated. I've been a long time iPhoto user, but my husband bought me Aperture and I'm trying to move to it. . . .anyway, I'm trying to add keywords to some of my pictures (I miss my "hot keys"). I have the Keyword Controls open on the bottom of the split view window and I've set up a variety of keyword preset lists. . . Anyway, the problem that I am having is when I select multiple images to apply a keyword to, it is only applying the keyword to the "primary" (meaning the boldly outlined in white) image - even though the other images as selected (outlined in a less bold white boarder) the keywords are not assigned to them. It's like I have to add the keywords to each image one at a time. I've looked at a bunch of the material online and it's clear to me that you are SUPPOSED to be able to add keywords to multiple images at a time. Anybody have any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks for the tip, it was really bugging me! Pitty you cant just click on the Keyword in the display rather than have to drag and drop it! I know you can use the control bar but for each item here I think a max of 12 or so are displayed, when you use hundreds of keyword to catalog medical images its not very handy, iphoto was much easier in this regard!
cheers
Rper

Can't add or remove a keyword from MULTIPLE images

Hi:
I've tried the trick of using SHIFT-RETURN (instead of RETURN) to REMOVE a keyword instead of adding it, after you type in the keyword in the Add Keyword box of the Keyword Controls window.
However that only removes the keyword from the current active image:
even if I have multiple images selected, only the current "active" image gets updated.
(Using aperture 2.1.1 on mac os x 10.5.4.)
Any pointers on what the problem might be?
(UPDATE: same problem exists in reverse: trying to ADD keyword to multiple images using one of the keyword buttons, but only currently active image is updated, the other images in my selection are NOT updated with the new keyword.)
Regards, Strathglass
Message was edited by: strathglass

Now that I discovered the problem also exists trying to ADD keywords, I was able to search for and find the answer in these fora:
The solution:
just had to select "Edit->Primary Only" so that the check mark went away from "Primary Only"!
Regards,
Strathglass

Removing keywords from multiple images when the keyword isn't in the list?

So, I know that the method for removing a keyword from multiple images is to select the images, type the keyword in the inspector and press Shift-Return.
However, that doesn't seem to work if the keyword I want to remove is not in the keyword database (i.e. it's not in the keyword HUD).
For example, I deleted the iPhoto keyword group from the keyword HUD because I decided I didn't like that. I've got a bunch of photos that still have keywords like "Beach (iPhoto)". Typing "Beach" Shift-Return does nothing. Typing "Beach (iPhoto)" Shift-Return does nothing.
Adding an iPhoto group back to the HUD and a child keyword of Beach and then Typing "Beach" Shift-Return works, but I can't believe that's how it's supposed to work.
Is that the only way to do this? I've got a lot of those old iPhoto keywords to remove and that's going to be a major pain... there must be a better way.
PowerMac Dual G5 2.0 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

I don't know if this will help you or not but it contains the roots of what you would need to script the removal of unwanted and unlisted keywords.
-- script begins
tell application "Aperture"
  -- set the target to the "Smart beetles" album at the top level of the library.
  tell album "Smart beetles" of folder ""
    -- get a list of the images in the album.
    set x to every image version
    -- move through the images one by one, deleting and creating the appropriate keywords
    repeat with i from 1 to x's length
      tell x's item i
        -- Note. if the keyword is top level, then the parents value is "".
        delete (every keyword whose name is "Australia" and parents is "Location")
        make new keyword with properties {name:"Sydney", parents:"Location"}
      end tell
    end repeat
  end tell
end tell
-- script ends

Assign Keyword to multiple images

The book which comes with the Aperture3 software says that you can assign a keyword to multiple images without having to assign it individually to each image. Using the keyword HUD I cannot get it to assign a keyword to all images in a stack or images which have been group selected. Also I have looked at the manual on line and it says one can do this. How do they do it using the split view browser and stacks or grouping?

Interesting. I just tried it again, on Aperture Version 3.0.3 running on a 2008 MacBook Pro and OS 10.6.4 (Snow Leopard). I stacked two masters then selected both within the stack, both appeared in the viewer window. I dragged a keyword from the Keyword Hud over one of the pictures in the viewer window. When the photo border changed to green, I let go of the mouse button and Aperture applied the keyword to both masters. Next I selected one photo, then made an adjustment which created a stack of the master and the version. I repeated the procedure and Aperture applied the keyword to both the version and the master.
OH! Do you have "stack picks only" checked in the Photo Filter? That would prevent the keyword from being applied to the lower photos in the stacks.
By the way, the photos don't have to be stacked to apply keywords, other effects, to multiples. They merely have to be selected.

Applying keyword to multiple images

I'm going through many thousands of images applying keywords. The keywords are applied with Option 1, 2, etc.
I am finding that if I have more thn ne image selected, hitting option 1 applies the keyword to the first image only. Is this expected bahavior? Is there a way for me to apply the same keyword to many images in a selection all at once?
Michael

Make sure you don't have Primary Only set.
It's the middle icon ar the bottom of the browser window.

Is it possible to remove a keyword from multiple images?

There has to be some way to delete a keyword from multiple images, yet I can't figure it out. I know you can replace keywords via lift and stamp, but sometimes I may need to remove a keyword while leaving other different keywords in other images. If this cannot currently be done it needs to be fixed.

1. select the images you want to remove a keyword from
2. in the keyword field at the bottom type in the keyword you want to remove
3. hold down shift, and hit enter
Instead of assigning the keyword to the selected images, the keyword will be removed.

Removing keyword from multiple images at the same time

None of the documented methods seem to work for me.
1     Select all the images. Go to Metadata > Remove Keyword [my keyword] - the keyword is only removed from the image that is selected in the batch - i.e the one that has the yellow border round it to show it's the active image.
2     Select all the images, enter [my keyword] in the Add Keyword field when Keyword Controls is visible and press Shift + Enter - does the same thing as 1 above (removes it from the active image only).
3     Select all the images, Shift Click on the keyword that I have in my Keyword Controls in the Control Bar - does the same things as 1 above.
So all these methods, which are supposed to work, do not work for me. The removal of the keyword is only applied to the image that has the yellow border showing it to be the currently active image in the selected batch - the remaining selected imaged still retain the keyword. I can remove it "one at a a time" but it would be great if I could find a solution as to why this isn't working.
Any ideas?
If it helps, I'm running Aperture 3.1.3 in OS X 10.6.8.
thanks
Alan

Based on the frequency with which this trips up users, the Aperture team is going to have to add a much stronger visual indication that "Primary Only" is active. Marching ants, anyone? Or a pink selection marquee?
At least in the Viewer when multiple Images are selected the thin white selection marquee is dropped when Primary Only is active. There is no such change in the Browser.

Adding keywords to multiple images

After Re installling Aperture (reinstalled entire system when persistant mail problems got the better of me) I can no longer add k/words to multiple images as I could before. I recall oringally having the same trouble but cannot remember now how I solved it. Am I in the wrong veiw mode perhaps? I am correctly selecting multiple images its just when I drag the keyword/s to one of them that is the only one that will receive them. Any ideas would be grartefully received.

Magic, thanks for your advice people, Merry Christmas from downunder Im knee deep in paper wrapping as I write and no doubt will find all my gadgets without batteries by days end.

Adding keywords to multiple images stopped working

When I was first using Aperture, I was able to select multiple images and add a keyword in the metadata area, and they keyword would apply to all the images. After a few months, it started to only apply the keyword to ONE of the selected images (whatever was the last one selected). Ever since, I've had to use the lift and stamp tool instead, but that's vastly more of a pain.
A friend who also uses Aperture still is able to select multiple images and have the keyword apply to all, and he has the latest version of Aperture. The feature worked with all his versions of OS X 10.4, and now with Leopard too.
So what gives? Anyone know if there's any way to fix this?

Yes, there's a way to fix this. Press 'S'.
This toggles something called 'Primary Only' which controls whether all selected images are keyworded, rotated etc. or just the image with the thicker white border.
You can also change it via Edit>Primary Only where you will see a checkmark if it's active, and also via the control strip at the bottom of the window, just to the left of the rotate buttons.
Ian
P.S. I can recommend downloading the podcasts from http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/aperture/, one of the ones with Joe Schorr specifically goes through Primary Only among other things.

How do use the same crop for multiple images.

I have a number of images that I want to use the same crop on. Instead of go through the whole slow process for each image is there a way to use the same crop for all of the images?
And in iPhoto there was a way to copy the adjustment settings to multiple images, I can't see how to do that in aperture.

Use the "Lift&Stamp" tool:
Crop one image.
Lift the crop using the "Lift" tool.
Select the other images.
Stamp the crop adjustment to all of them.
But caution: By default "Lift" will copy all Metadata tags and all adjustments, but the gps data. If you only want to transfer the cropping rectangle, deselect all lifted items but the crop adjustment before stamping.
Regards
Léonie

Display of keywords for multiple images error in LR5

In LR5, when two images are selected in Library view, the results in the Keyword Tags panel are incomplete. In my instance, two images were selected. They have some common keywords and those are properly displayed. However, the keywords assigned to only one image appeared with an asterisk in previous versions of LR, a behavior I would like to see continue.
In my instance, one keyword for, we'll say, Image A only, appears but with no asterisk, it should display an asterisk. And, one keyword unique to Image B does not appear at all when both images have been selected, it too should appear with an asterisk.
I'm on a Mac running 10.8.4 and LR CC.

Are you in GRID view when you have the multiple photos selected? The asterisk only shows up in Grid view. I am also on 10.8.4 and it works for me.

Applying the Same Keywords to Many Images

A few days ago I was able to select a group of images and, using the keywords HUD, drag a keyword on to them and Aperture would aspply the keyword to them all.
However... today it will only add the keyword to the image i drag it to rather than the whole group. WHAT HAVE I DONE WRONG!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!
Yes... I am using 1.5

You have pressed the Toggle Primary Only button or shortcut.
Press "S" to switch it off.

HELP! - adding keywords to multiple images in Bridge

I have about 2000 images that a client wants multiple people to add keywords to. Is there a way to export thumbnails and keywording fields to excel and reimport when the keywords have been added? Photos are of different locations and need to be emailed to those locations. I am trying to streamline this...any suggestions?
Thanks!
~Angela

Please have a look at these threads...
http://www.ps-scripts.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2365&sid=5ce3d97ec7e1e7ed06bcc9e04bdd8c0 5
http://www.ps-scripts.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=3463&sid=5ce3d97ec7e1e7ed06bcc9e04bdd8c0 5
One is to extract the data to a CSV file the other is to import data from a csv or tab delimited file.

Adding same keywords to multiple images

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