Managing iphoto keywords

I currently have two iphoto libraries (one was transferred from iview) with some overlap of pictures and some overlap of keywords. I'd like to combine them to one library, eliminate the duplication of photos, and keep all keywords from both libraries with elimation of duplicated keywords. I also want all the keywords to be searchable in spotlight and not just in iphoto. Im not sure this is possible.. and I'm considering using adobe bridge in place of iphoto.
1. Is there an automated way to combine the libraries and eliminate duplications in photos and keywords?
2. Is there a way to search iphoto keywords in spotlight (not just in iphoto). Would there be an advantage to use adobe bridge for this? If I use adobe bridge is there a way share the keywords?
3. Are their 3rd party applications currently available that will help or should I keep my fingers crossed that a future version of photo7 will come out and help me manage keywords?
thanks!

Oh no, You should be able to edit them there. It sounds like there may be some damage to the library. First try this: make a temporary, backup copy (if you don't already have a backup copy) of the library and try the following:
1 - delete the iPhoto preference file, com.apple.iPhoto.plist, that resides in your
User/Home()/Library/ Preferences folder.
2 - delete iPhoto's cache file, Cache.db, that is located in your
User/Home()/Library/Caches/com.apple.iPhoto folder.
Click to view full size
3 - launch iPhoto and try again.
NOTE: If you're moved your library from its default location in your Home/Pictures folder you will have to point iPhoto to its new location when you next open iPhoto by holding down the Option key when launching iPhoto. You'll also have to reset the iPhoto's various preferences.
If that doesn't help Try this: launch iPhoto with the Option key held down and create a new, test library. Import some photos and check to see if the same problem persists. If you can edit the keywords in the Info tray as expected then your current library is damaged. Post back if that's the case.
If you can't edit them in the new library you may have to reinstall iPhoto. To do so you'll have to delete the current application and all files with "iPhoto" in the file name with either a .PKG or .BOM extension that reside in the HD/Library/Receipts folder and from the /var/db/receipts/ folder,
Click to view full size
Then install iPhoto from the disk it came on originally.

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IPhoto keywords no longer appearing in Spotlight

Ever since the update last week, Spotlight is not indexing any new keywords that I've assigned to photos in iPhoto. I'm using iPhoto 7.1.4. I tried clearing the index using the Terminal command, "sudo mdutil -E /", and while it did rebuild the index, I can't use Spotlight to search any iPhoto keywords at all. Is there any way to fix this?

I've always hated Leopard's approach to storing photos.
This is not a Leopard approach, it's a iPhoto 08 approach.
They make two copies of every file and then they tuck it away in a 'packaged directory' so you can only use iPhoto to access them.
When you import a pic to iPhoto it copies the file, then it makes a tiny thumbnail. If you edit it performs the edits on a copy. Again, this is not a "Leopard Approach" or even an iPhoto 08 approach. Preserving the original is a feature of iPhoto since the beginning.
though it's easy to get around that).
But why would you want to "get around that". Don't change anything in the iPhoto Library Folder via the Finder or any other application. iPhoto depends on the structure as well as the contents of this folder. Moving things, renaming things or otherwise making changes will prevent iPhoto from working and could even cause you to damage or lose your photos. Anytime you access the Library via the Finder or any other app you risk damaging your Library.
You know, iPhoto is your Photo Manager, just like your Address Book is your manager for addresses and iTunes for your Music. If you're using a Manager for anything then it makes sense to actually use it.
I have to open iPhoto anytime I want to search for an image.
No you don't.
There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto, and iPhoto doesn't even have to be running:
For 10.5 users: You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Apple-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. If you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto. With 10.5 you can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.
Or, if you want to access the files with iPhoto not running, then create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use THIS
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
All of the above are a: faster and b: safer than rooting around in the folders of the iPhoto Library.
Regards
TD

Spotlight does NOT find iPhoto keywords

Hi,
maybe you guys can help me.
Spotlight does not find any of my iPhotos attached with keywords.
My System is: Mac OS 10.4.4 and iPhoto 6 (5 did not work either).
This is what I have tried so far:
- repaired permissions more then once
- rebuilt the spotlight database through the terminal
- marked my iPhoto folder as privacy in the spotlight preferences and unmarked it
- removed all keywords (1. try: marked all together; 2. try: marked all together and put them in a new empty list) , closed iPhoto, opened it and gave all an dummy keyword; removed the dummy keyword and assigned one-by-one for some iPhotos new keywords
- archived the iPhoto database and let it built up by iPhoto again
- ran the comboupdater of 10.4.4 again
The last try I am thinking on is a "archive&install" of Tiger but maybe you have another idea???
PS: Whats strange is that when I look at the processes while assigning keywords, the process 'mdimport' starts to work... but again, Spotlight does not find the iPhotos by keywords.

I also had this happen to me several times. Once when I first moved to OS X 10.4 and again when I had to reload my computer. Each time I had archived my iPhoto library to a second drive, installed the OS on a clean formated drive and then copied the iPhoto Library back into my home directory.
From that point, Spotlight would refuse to search for files via keywords. That is, until I updated the photo. By select each photo and changing somthing about the photo, wether editing the photo, changing its star rating to something else and back again, or even adding keywords to the photo, even putting a comment of a blank space in for each photo, doing anything to the photo that would update the xml file would cause that entry to get updated and in turn allow the photo to be searchable by keyword via Spotlight.
There are scripts available that can actually put the iPhoto keywords into the photo file iteself. The one I am using also needs to have GraphicConverter installed. This way I can search either through iPhoto or Adobe Bridge for the Photos that I want to use.
PPC G4 1.4GHz Mac OS X (10.4.2) 1GB RAM, 120GB HD x2, SuperDrive, 128MB ATI Graphics Card

Photoshop (Elements) Keywords to iPhoto Keywords

I haven't tried it yet, but Rob from osxhints.com has written a new script for getting Photoshop keywords assigned as iPhoto keywords. If you are switching from Windows and have been using the Photoshop Elements Organizer's Tags, you can use this to move your tags to iphoto, too.
In Elements, first use the Organizer's Write Tags to File command before you move your photos to the Mac, then run this script:
http://scriptbuilders.net/files/iphotoiptckeywordimportexportutilities1.0.html
EDIT You can also use it to assign iPhoto Keywords as IPTC metadata keywords for PS and other apps that use those.

Thanks for the info Barbara!
Lori

How to edit items in IPhoto "keywords"

How do I edit the contents of the i photo "keywords' file

Why do you want/need to edit the file? You edit the keywords by typing them into the Keywords brick in the "Info" panel or using the "Manage My Keywords" panel - you can launch it from the "Window" menu. Then press the "Edit Keywords" button.
Regards
Léonie

With the latest upgrade to iPhoto, Keywords no longer display under the photo, even when Display Keywords is turned on. Does anyone know why?

With the latest upgrade to iPhoto, Keywords no longer display under the photo, even when Display Keywords is turned on. Does anyone know why?

Keywords have been moved into the Info tray at the right. Don't know why it was changed. You can send a request to change it back to Apple via http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphoto.html.
OT

Migrating iPhoto keywords to Aperture Keywords

There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding iPhoto keywords in Aperture. Aperture seems to treat keywords imported from iPhoto differently to keywords assigned in Aperture. Does anyone know a way to get the iPhoto keywords to display in the Keyword HUD? I think once we've achieved that we could successfully migrate our keywords into Aperture, arrange them in hierarchies etc.
Would be good. Ideas?

You can add them manually to the Keyword HUD. Make a top-level keyword called "iPhoto" and put all the iPhoto keywords under it. You can then remove them and add them using the keyword buttons.

Iphoto keywords versus Aperture keywords

I was happy to succesfully import my iPhoto library. But surprised that the keywords were distinct from Aperture keywords. That is, I have a keyword "Birds" in iPhoto, but when I go and add the keyword "Birds" (by typing it in the box) to a new photo, I now have two keywords, "Birds" and "Birds (iphoto)" which are distinct. I want them to be the same. How do I do that?

As DaveyJ pointed out, the iPhoto keywords are in a sub-level.
Your best course of action (this will take a while) is to create a smart album and set it to show all images with one of the keywords in the iPhoto group/level.
Once Aperture shows you the applicable set of images, use the Keywords Control bar to add the non-iPhoto version of the keyword to all of the images; i.e., Select All, then click the keyword. With all of the images still selected, use the Keyboard Controls bar again and shift-click on the iPhoto version of the keyword. This will remove it from the selected images.
You could write an AppleScript to help with this process. I've been experimenting and it can be done. You would use a Smart Album to gather the iPhoto keyword images together and then run the script to remove the iPhoto keyword and add the non-iPhoto keyword.
Here's an example script (that works) to get you started:
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
iMac Duo Core 2GHz 2GB Mac OS X (10.4.6)

IPhoto Keywords absent in Yosemite

Since upgrading to Yosemite I cannot access my iPhoto Keywords. Selecting Keywords in View does not work. No keywords show beneath any photo.
Edit Keywords displays a panel of Keywords, but nothing can be done with them.
Adding a Keyword to a photo using the Info panel does not work either.
Any ideas anyone?

The keywords are now shown in the Info tray at the right (type Command + i):
Or select a thumbnail and type Command+K to bring up the Keyword pane. All keywords associated with that photo will be in blue:

IPhoto Keywords - Disappearing?

Has anyone's iPhoto Keywords disappeared? Mine just have and it's not cool! I think it happened after Security update v1.0. So what gives, yo? Do I now have to sort through my whole freaking library again?

Did you repair disk permissions after running the update? The photo/keyword links are in the iPhoto.db file. You can make a copy of that file and open with a text editor and see what you find. A list of all keywords are kept in the AlbumData.xml file. If they are there but not being seen then you can try to rebuild the library. Make a backup of the iPhoto Library folder beforehand and then launch iPhoto with the CommandOption keys depressed and follow the instructions to rebuild the library. I would select only the option to rebuild the database. See if that will bring them back.
OT

Iphoto keywords in other apps?

are iphoto keywords written to the metadata of the file?
are they visibile in applications like photoshop or bridge?
thanks

Hi thomas,
Only iPhoto sees and uses those keywords. bummer, huh?

How do I get rid of "(iPhoto)" keyword?

Years back, when I migrated from iPhoto to Aperture, I imported tens of thousands of pictures that I had at that point. I've since been tagging all the new pictures with initials of my kids, but have run into a keyword problem I can't solve:
approx 1/2 of the photos have "DMW" applied, and the other 1/2 have what the keyword filter shows as "DMW (iPhoto)" as the keyword, despite me only seeing "DMW" in the keyword list and all the rest of the UX. I can't just "replace" keywords since most have other people in them picture and carry multiple other keywords.
This is the case for ~10 different keywords that I simply can't get rid of...any suggestions!?
~Douglas

You have two different DMW keywords - one at the toplevel of your hierarchie of keywords, and one DMW as a subcategory of "iPhoto". When you imported iPhoto, probably that keyworrd was created automatically.
You can merge these two keywords from the keywords HUD. Then the iPhoto version will be merged into the toplevel DMW keyword.
Launch the Keywords HUD by typing ⇧H (or "Window > Show Keywords HUD").
When the HUD opens enter DMW into the search field.
Now you will see two instances of DMW.
Drag the lower DMW down to the bottom of the HUD to move it to the toplevel.
Now you should see a warning.
Press "Merge Keywords".
All your DMW tagged photos will now have the same DMW tag.
Alternately you could delete the DMW(iPhoto) keyword using the delete button at the footer of the HUD. That will remove it from the photos.
Regards
Léonie

Make Picasa Web Albums tags from iPhoto keywords

Anyone know why the "Make Picasa Web Albums tags from iPhoto keywords" option does not seem to work? I expected to see the keywords I added to my photo in iPhoto also in Picasa on the web after they have been uploaded.
Downloaded and installed "Picasa Web Albums Uploader" version 1.3.1.680 from Google. Then from within iPhoto did a File > Export. The above option is shown on the "Picasa Web Albums" tab. I am using iPhoto 09.
Thank you very much for your help.

For help with the Picasa Web Albums Uploader, best to seek advice from the makers, after all, no one knows it better than they do.
http://picasa.google.com/mac_tools.html
Regards
TD

Keywording: iPhoto Keyword Manager vs. Aperture

I'm wondering if anyone knows the relative merits of Bullstorm's Keyword Manager for iPhoto versus the keywording facilities available in Aperture (3.0, since it just got released).
I've loved Keyword Manager for its nested hierarcical keywords in iPhoto. I gather that Aperture has the same ability (better? worse?).
I have a large (many tens of thousands of files) community photo archiving and organizing project to set up and was going to use iPhoto plus Keyword Manager for embedding the IPTC metadata fields for keywords plus titles and comments.
But I'm beginning to think we could do with more extensive IPTC fields and support, and so considering Aperture. I'm wondering if the keywording is going to be more difficult without Keyword Manager.
Any thoughts welcome.

but do you know offhand if Aperture will export all the keywords that have been applied hierarchically (with Groups?) for an image as embedded IPTC keyword data, therefore allowing all the keywords applied within Aperture to be readable by other systems and software on export?
Yes you can write the keywords to the IPTC data on export. That's an export setting in Aperture. However, as IPTC doesn't recognise hierarchies, it simply writes as a flat list.
Regards
TD

IPhoto Keyword Search Not Functioning Correctly

I'm finally getting around to organizing my 20,000+ photos in iPhoto. I am attaching keywords to the individual pictures and have noticed something very curious: When I go to iPhoto's search box and type in a keyword, often many pictures that are not tagged with that keyword are returned.
For example, I can type in the keyword "sign" and pictures from my wedding are returned as though they contain this keyword. I've double-checked the picture filenames, descriptions, faces, keywords, and places, and nowhere do I see the word "sign" associated with these photos. It happens with other keywords I enter into the search box, too. Totally unrelated photos - sometimes lots of them - are returned, rendering the whole process relatively ineffective.
Does anyone know why this is happening?
TIA for any assistance. I'm frustrated, having spent all this time associating keywords to my photos, only to have the keyword search option not effectively work for me!

I understand why the text search for sign brings up the Surround Sound Signs photos as it's just a text search.
Might be database corruption. Try this: make a temporary, backup copy (select the library and type Command+D) and apply the two fixes below in order as needed:
Fix #1
Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.
Since only one option can be run at a time start with Option #1, followed by #3 and then #4 as needed.
Fix #2
Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
Download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
Click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.
Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the File ➙ Rebuild Library menu option
In the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
Click on the Create button.
Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments but not books, calendars or slideshows. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.

Managing iphoto keywords

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