Embedding IPTC Metadata without Exporting

Does anyone know of a way to write the IPTC data (keywords, descriptions, etc) to the actual file without exporting from Aperture. The problem with exporting is that I have about 20,000 photos, all with keywords, scattered around many folders. If I export, I either need to export one folder at a time (there are hundreds) to preserve the project/folder structure or I need to export them all and loose the folder structure.
Am I correct about this assumption?
Any suggestions for how to either preserve the structure during an export or change the IPTC information in the original file without exporting?
Will synching up to Flickr write the metadata to the file?

goodquestions wrote:
Does anyone know of a way to write the IPTC data (keywords, descriptions, etc) to the actual file without exporting from Aperture.
yes. use the metadata inspector>IPTC-Expanded. select the photo and input the information into it.
you can also select at the bottom of the metadata inspector "IPTC" make sure "Hide Empty Tags" is deselected and check the ones you want to see on your list. if you don't see what you want in the list you can also make your own
EDIT: you can also rearrange the order of the items listed by dragging them up or down
or download the different protocol lists from
http://www.iptc.org/cms/site/index.html?channel=CH0086
and import them into aperture
The problem with exporting is that I have about 20,000 photos, all with keywords, scattered around many folders. If I export, I either need to export one folder at a time (there are hundreds) to preserve the project/folder structure or I need to export them all and loose the folder structure.
Am I correct about this assumption?
you can always do a query search in your library and export the group of photos according to the search input to it's own folder (you can make at export). for example, city, byline, into a folder
Any suggestions for how to either preserve the structure during an export or change the IPTC information in the original file without exporting?
see above or when exporting select "edit" and "Include Metadata" this will export your IPTC info with the photo
Will synching up to Flickr write the metadata to the file?
not sure but there is a buggy plugin for this (hasn't worked for me):
http://www.flickr.com/tools/aperture
victor
Message was edited by: victor maldonado

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Some missing and corrupt IPTC metadata on export

As a Lightroom user I'm trying Aperture 3, I may be missing something or failing somewhere...
I've imported some RAW files which already have IPTC metadata, captions, copyright, keywords etc. On export the copyright field has corrupted, the symbol © becomes ¬© and a few fields are missing. I don't have a date, rights usage and the image is marked as unknown copyright status.
All of that data (except copyright status) appears in Aperture so I'd expect to see it in an exported JPEG. Everything appears as I expect when making a JPEG from Lightroom.
Thanks for any comments or advice.
DG

Novak Yo wrote:
As a matter of fact, it doesn't export costum filds at all.
By definition, custom fields are non-standard, and therefore aren't included in the exported file as they won't mean anything to other software. This has been the case since Aperture 1.0 and has absolutely nothing to do with other metadata problems.
Your website will likely be reading IPTC tags so if you want the information to be readable you'll have to find some appropriate IPTC tags to store the information in.
Ian

Importing files with embedded IPTC metadata - Workaround?

I was hoping the the "metadata improvments" that Apple delivered with Aperture v.1.1 would include the ability to import legacy files with IPTC and XMP metadata embedded by Photoshop, iView, Photo Mechanic, and other similar programs.
Unless I am missing something that ability is still not a part of the Aperture program.
I really like Aperture and think Apple has got many things right in the new program. I would like to make it my primary tool for digital image management. That would require the ability to read into the Aperture Library the metadadta written by other programs.
Does anyone have a workaround for importing files that lets other programs IPTC tags be imported or connected with the files.
Thomas
G5 dual 2.7Ghz Mac OS X (10.4.6) http://www.thomaswhitephoto.com

Gilles-
I think your problem is likely that you have the option to stack the copy with the original turned on. First, right-click on one of these photos and go to the stacking menu. If Unstack is not grayed out then you have a stack -- select Unstack to reveal all copies.
To change the automatic stacking of edited copies from Photoshop, when you next choose to edit a file, in the bottom left corner of the dialog is the check box for unstacking. Clear it, and that choice should "stick" until you change it again.
Hope this helps!
Tony

Import images WITHOUT any IPTC metadata

I've been racking by brain trying to work out how to do this, but cannot find a way, I'm sure it's something simple.
When I import my files the keywords are always imported and put into the top of the keyword directory instead of nested in folders I have organised in the keyword HUD. To solve this I have to remove all the new keywords, then import my IPTC metadata using iView Media Pro and the excellent Annoture.
Is there a way to import images without any IPTC data coming with them? I have tried 'Add Metadata From: All IPTC' and had it set to replace and left the fields blank, but this did not work.
Any ideas?

Ok, half way there. I downloaded an app called Pref Setter to edit the preferences by deleting the array strings that I no longer needed.
Also you can adjust the hierarchy of the auto completion data. I found that helpful with the copyright field since they all start off the same.
Need to still find a way to have the data automatically entered from a default setting, with out having to start typing.

How to write IPTC metadata to files without opening the file?

HI,
I'm trying to run a script (preferably in JS) that allows me to write metadata to a file. I can acheive this very easily by opening the file, but I'd need to batch process many large images, so opening them would cause severe slowness. The purpose of adding the metadata to the files is to search upon them in Bridge.
We're using CS5, but have CS6 if it's better to use.
My Script
// set current doc ref
var docRef = app.activeDocument;
// Set caption in active document
docRef.info.caption = "Some Meta-Data";
Do I need to use bridge to write the metadata without opening the file? Or can running the script in PS allow me to do so?
Thanks,
Tom

Its easy if you use XMP metadata.
app.activeDocument.info.caption (in photoshop script metadata)
and it is the same field as:
     Dublin Core namespace
     namespace:     http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/
     Property:          description
you change description on XMP = you are changing the same image.info.caption
Your answer is here:
http://forums.adobe.com/message/5743730#5743730

Sort by IPTC Metadata

Many of my photos were digitized with a slide scanner and I have manually assigned them an IPTC Metadata "date created". In Photoshop Express and Bridge, I can sort by this date, which puts all of my photos automatically in chronological order.
It seems that Aperature is too antiquated and will only sort by the Exif "image date", which is the date I scanned the slides, and within this date by file name (random). Am I missing something, or is there no way to sort by the "date created?".
Sad and disappointing if Apple really missed this.

You seem to be leading with your chin a lot in these posts - luckily for you I've used up my quota of jokes and ripostes for today...
If you are using referenced mode for your photos, they're right where you left them in the hard disk and you can open them with whatever you like. If they've been actually imported into Aperture's library (ie managed mode) it's possible but not desirable nor recommended.
If your aperture is suffering from general out of order randomness it sounds like you haven't spent much time setting up the structure to work like you think:
1. What is your general structure for projects?
2. Do you use blue folders to group projects (by location, year, client or whatever)
3. What is your taxonomy for keywording?
Why would you want to want to try to get to the images directly? Aperture is supposed to hide the anarchy of the way you've stored the photos on the disk and allow you to slice and dice to your heart's content. In starting to use Aperture I changed the project and folder structure in it three times in two months, without ever changing the physical location of the files on the disk. To borrow a phrase from lolcat... "ur doign it wrong"
Regards,
Calx

IPTC metadata behavior with faces

With Aperture 3.5.1, a new behavior has been introduced -- writing the name assigned with Faces into the Keywords.
This is problematic because:
1. It changes the keyword nomenclature and taxonomy
2. It is not implemented correctly.
1. I have already established a keyword taxonomy loosely copying the principal of the BDB keyword:value approach. For example, I have established these keywords:
event
location
family
relative
trip
I then assign keyword to the photo such as:
event:birthday
location:home
family: Mom, family: Dad, family: Bill
Separately of course I can geo-locate the photo, and of course include a caption. In the case of scanned images, the date may also be modified.
In the past, I have used the 'Write IPTC metadata to original; feature to record this data structure within the IPTC structure. Then I can search, sort, and organize the photos, within Aperture or in a third party tool. Some search engines (swish-e for example) can examine IPTC metadata to allow one to automate the searching. [In fact I wrote a filter to do this for swish-e http://search.cpan.org/dist/SWISH-Filter/lib/SWISH/Filters/IPTC2html.pm#AUTHOR].
With its new behavior, Write IPTC Metadata to Original, now modifies the photo to include additional keywords, not in the keyword HUD or taxonomy, and also adds these new keywords to the Keyword HUD list.
This is problematic because it removes control of the keywords from the archivist and it may expose sensitive information, such as the REAL NAME of an individual identified using Faces.
2. The names added by this function to the keyword list are incorrect! In aperture, keywords are separated by commas (',') and then sorted alphabetically (likelyalphanumerically). However names may contain commas. For example, I am a "Junior" and I can write my name as 'Bill, Jr' to distinguish myself from my father. So after writing the IPTC metadata for images that have names assigned, the keyword list is now modified to include 'Bill' and 'Jr.' as new keywords.
Now I understand that IPTC does not include a way of identifying individuals by (x,y) location within the image. Nevertheless there are conventional ways to write captions (left to right, front to back) to identify all individuals. There is no need for Aperture to invent a new convention.
Also, this new feature/bug introduces confusion, as searches for my father must now be structured as 'Bill NOT Jr.' And it add no value to the search process.
Is there a swtich available in aperture to restore the original behavior, that is, write the keywords that have been assigned and DO NOT make up new keywords?

With its new behavior, Write IPTC Metadata to Original, now modifies the photo to include additional keywords, not in the keyword HUD or taxonomy, and also adds these new keywords to the Keyword HUD list.
Not only with "Write IPTC Metadata to Original", also when exporting a version.
Is there a swtich available in aperture to restore the original behavior, that is, write the keywords that have been assigned and DO NOT make up new keywords?
My experiments have shown (for Faces) that this is toggled by the Aperture Preference "Export > Include Face Information into the exported photos". Try, if disabling this preference will stop this for your library. I have not yet tested the similar option for "Places".
2. The names added by this function to the keyword list are incorrect! In aperture, keywords are separated by commas (',') and then sorted alphabetically (likelyalphanumerically).
This is clearly a bug. Submit a bug-report, if you have a Developer account, or use the feedback form:
Apple - Aperture - Feedback

Appending Metadata without losing keywords?

I am trying to append some metadata on some RAW Canon files, 1D Mark III, that had has some light keywording already done do it before I appended the metadata. When I do this, append the metadata, I lose the all keywords. Is there a work around for this?
I am using the most recently updated Mac version of CS4, on Mac 10.4.11, MacPro 2.66 Ghz Dual Core, with 8 GBs of Ram.
Thanks,
Daniel Root
Portland,OR

Let me describe my workflow,
I use Adobe Photodwonloader for ingestion files. In this app I have set :
- the folder where the files have to go to
- a new rename wit yyyymmdd and a sequence number (keep original filename in
metadata)
- convert to DNG
- back up original Raw files to a separate disk
- and adding a copyright template to the metadata.
Hitting the OK button once does this for all the files. After ingestion and
caching in Bridge all the files now have a basic template in it
The files I want to have metadata written to ( in my case the IPTC fields
for description, date created and place - state and country are also in the
template and only now and then the state has to be altered).
For this I use the content en metadata panel.
In Bridge prefs I have set the metadata fields that are important for me to
visible with a checkmark. This results in a very small number of lines in
this panel. I select the files that need the same metadata and point mouse
or pen tool to the description field.
In here I type, when ready I hit the tab key that brings me to the next
visible field, and so on. At last I hit the enter key in the numeric keypad
and I'm done for the next session without any pop up menu in the way.
If you select an other file to add metadata without hitting the enter key
you will be prompted with the pop up message. However, there is a checkbox
in it that says: don't show again
Hope this helps for you.
S there a faster way to change metadata without affecting the keywords?

Can I choose what metadata is exported?

I'd like to export photos with some metadata (copyright, date, etc...) but not with others (camera model, lens model, etc...) Is there some way to control what metadata is exported with a file?

You do not have much control over that.
You cannot prevent the export of the EXIFmetadata tags. They will be exported with originals or edited versions, since they are stored in the original image file.
When you are exporting original files, you can disable the export of IPTC metadata, for the edited versions these data will be included.
Also, in the Preferences > Advanced panel is an option, to enable/disable the export of location data with the images.
One way to prevent the export of certain IPTC data would be to simply duplicate all versions to exported, collect the duplicates in an album, and flag them,so you can easily recognize them again. Then batch change all duplicates of the image versions and erase the metadata tags that you do not want to export. Export the edited duplicates and delete them afterwards again.
This will only worrk for the IPTC tags; to prevent the export of EXIF tags you would need to clear the EXIF tagswith exiftool or a similar tool. Aperture will not allow to change them.
Regards
Léonie

Is there any way to merge 2 video layers to one without exporting?

Is there any way to merge 2 video layers into one without exporting as a new QuickTime movie? I have tried opening a blank player to copy and paste into, but it always forces it to be layered, even when I change the layer numbers both to zero. I tried extracting the video layers and omitting the audio tracks. Then I saved it as a new self contained movie. I am trying to burn the video to dvd with Roxio Easy Media Creator 9's MyDVD on WIndows XP, but I am also using a MacBook with QuickTime Pro. MyDVD will only recognize one video and audio layer at a time, hence, the other layers get skipped. There should be an easy way to merge two video layers without having to export it as a new movie, which takes 2 hours for this 2 hour TV show. Thanks for any answers.

Just closing this topic.

Writing IPTC Metadata to Masters

I know some of this has been discussed, but I've got a few more questions on the topic. To ensure my captions, keywords, and location information is always available no matter what cataloging software I use, I wish to write my IPTC metadata to the master images. Here are my concerns:
1) I have altered the Creator, Headline, Source, Caption, Keywords, Location, City, State/Province, and Country fields - I assume all of these will be written to the masters since they're IPTC standard? Are there length limits for these fields (that is, is there a risk that some will be truncated)? Are there any drawbacks to writing these tags to the masters? (I know many people here don't want their originals touched, but as long as it doesn't affect the quality of my jpegs, I'm fine with it.) Most of my recent photos have GPS metadata - I have not altered these, nor have I added location data to photos that didn't originally have them, so I'm assuming those fields wouldn't be affected?
2) Is there no IPTC-standard field for people shown in a photo? (I know Aperture/iPhoto's Faces is proprietary, and I'm guessing so is Adobe's People field in their XML metadata.) Should I then just assign people's names as keywords, or is there a better way? (This wouldn't be a problem, as relatively few of my photos have human subjects.)
3) I have a library of about 45,000 pictures, all of which (except for about 1400 movies) have had some piece of metadata altered. I've noticed Aperture starts to get slow after I've been working in it for a while - so, should I write the tags in stages, or should I just highlight all of them at one time and let it work? About how long should it take?
4) Finally, I've tested writing the tags to the masters on a few of them, and I've noticed the "date created" shown in the Finder gets changed to the current date and time - Does this mean the entire file was re-created? Would Time Machine have to then re-copy all of them? (My masters total 153 GB, so that might take a while to back up.)
I know this is a lot at once, but it was a fair amount of work to migrate from iPhoto to Aperture (even with Aperture's convenient import feature) since iPhoto's cataloging tools are different from the IPTC standard. I'm contemplating another migration, and I don't want to have to go through all that again.
Thanks in advance.

Thanks all... as I've been digging into this digital asset management concept for a few years now, and there's more to it than I could have imagined!
viskwal: That's about what I figured. Actually, tagging Faces as keywords will be easy for me since I already have a smart album for each person in Faces. (They're in folders by context - that is, classmate, coworker, family member, etc. - just in case, years down the road, I see a name and don't remember how I know that person.)
As for locations, I could go back and locate all my photos from before I had the GPS-equipped camera, but I haven't bothered, so I don't know how you'd save that data. I've also been shooting exclusively jpeg since it's got built-in metadata (and I don't do any post-processing), so I have no experience with RAW.
Michael Hobi: Thanks for the link - I think I'm ok as far as those lengths are concerned. (I have a few long names in the Location field, but that wasn't mentioned there.) As for the write time, that's actually about what I figured - it won't be instantaneous, but at least I'm reasonably sure it won't go on for days. (My original import from iPhoto took 17 hours!)

How to preserve metadata when exporting non-jpgs from iPhoto?

I have a problem with an iPhoto library, and need to move the photos to an undamaged library. (I have been able to confirm that the problems are specific to the library and not to individual images or with other iPhoto libraries on the same computer, and rebuilding options have not helped.) I can export the processed jpgs intact with the metadata (titles, descriptions, keywords) that I added manually in iPhoto, import them to another library, and the metadata is intact. But unless I convert the TIFF and NEF originals to jpgs, they lose the metadata on export.
Is there a way to get these original format files into another library with their format and metadata intact?

1. Why not simply rebuild with iPhoto Library Manager
This will do that process for you - and preserve as much of that metadata as possible, along with Albums and much of your organisaion.
2. You can't export the Original plus the added metadata, then you wouldn't be exporting the Original. You can export the Tiffs as tiffs though, and that can include the additional metadata.
3. There is no way to write the additional metadata to the NEFs.
Regards
TD

Question Regarding IPTC Metadata

I've migrated my iPhoto library into Aperture for the expanded geotagging and metadata support, and it was exhausting. (I had Keyword Manager for iPhoto, and Aperture didn't preserve my hierarchy of keywords, though it imported everything else beautifully.) Anyway, I'd like to leave myself open to the possibility of switching to a different program if necessary, so I'm wondering what information would carry over. My questions are as follows:
1) In the "Write IPTC Metadata to Masters" option, what exactly gets written - I assume everything under the IPTC core, right? (In particular, I've modified the Country/State/City/Location fields, keywords, comments, creator, and source, and it would be a pain to redo all these for 45,000 pictures.)
2) I presume the aforementioned option only alters the metadata and preserves the original image intact; is this correct? Would there be any repercussions to writing these changes to the masters instead of just keeping them within Aperture's database? It seems a lot of users here insist their originals remain completely untouched.
3) Is there an IPTC standard for hierarchal keywords, or will I have to recreate the keyword structure in any photo management software I use? (I've experimented with a trial version of Lightroom 3, and I don't even see a way to manage keywords in it...)
4) Can face tags be written to the metadata? I assume Aperture has its own proprietary format for tagging faces on the photo, but would there at least be an IPTC standard field in which you could list the people tagged in the photo?
In short, I switched to Aperture because iPhoto's tagging options were inadequate for properly organizing my 45,000 photo library. As I did some research on how to effectively make the transition, I found there was a lot more to this "digital asset management" concept that I realized, and so I'm hoping to get some input from some more experienced users. I'm a real stickler for precision and logic in my organization, and it looks like the IPTC core standard has all the fields I need. Thanks in advance!

Just another update ... I did some experimenting and found that the "Write IPTC Metadata to Masters" command does at least write the fields I mentioned in the original post. (Those were the only ones I changed on the test photo.)
Does anyone know offhand if a manually changed date will get written to the master, or will the file still have its original date? (I could test this too, but if someone knows, then I don't have to.)
Also, most importantly, does the option actually resave the entire master with the updated info, or does it somehow just write the metadata? I ask this because I've read that jpegs lose some data to compression every time they're saved, and I'm wondering if writing those tags will cost the photo some quality.

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Embedding IPTC Metadata without Exporting

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