Metadata, keywords and collections

This may be a dumb question but I would like to be sure.
Is everything that I type in the metadata trough bridge and all the keywords that I assign to a file staying with that file/photo/video/photoshop etc.
So if I give that file to someone else, he opens it in bridge, he can also find it using that keyword...
Can these keywords and metadata be used by other management software?
Is it possible to share collections over LAN or internet? If we have a a lot of organized assets in one computer, everyone is using that and if one user make a collection on his computer, others can see that collection in their bridge.
Thanks for help

Boy a lot of questions!
Is everything that I type in the metadata trough bridge and all the keywords that I assign to a file staying with that file/photo/video/photoshop etc.
Keyword file is in user/app data/roaming/adobe/keywords
Can these keywords and metadata be used by other management software?
Keywords, and some metatdata, but not all, are imbedded on the file. So other software,such as Windows Explorer, can read them, even if you send the photo to someone else.
Is it possible to share collections over LAN or internet? If we have a a lot of organized assets in one computer, everyone is using that and if one user make a collection on his computer, others can see that collection in their bridge.
Collections are like a spreadsheet with the addresses of the photos on your computer. So they can not be shared by sending a collection to another. When you get into a networked situation you have lost me as I don't use them. If the other person can access the others' computer and look through thier files I guess they could.
Hope this helps.

Similar Messages

How do I import Bridge keywords and metadata to CS6 from CS4 so that I don't lose them if CS4 is not

I have hundreds of keywords and metadata including Ratings and Labels using CS4 and Bridge CS4.
It is time to replace my PPC Mac with a new Intel Mac.
I am going to install CS6 on the new Intel Mac without installing CS4.
By default.... this eliminates ALL keywords and ratings and labels from my Bridge browser. The keywords will still be present on the files but Not present in Bridge keywords list and all ratings and labels will be lost.
Making a copy of Bridge CS4 metadata to another computer is quite simple.
Simply copy All of the Bridge CS4 application support folder to the other computer.
The question then becomes.... can I aslo do this with CS6 without introducing an incompatibility?
1. incompatible due to CS6 application support.
2. incompatible due to transfer from a PPC (APM) to Intel (GUID).
This concern results from an Bridge CS4 export problem I experienced.
Bridge CS4 will export all of your keywords and you can import them from a text file but it has some odd troubles. (try it and you will see)
This does Not mean that CS6 has the same troubles.
What do I require to preserve existing metedata and keywords that exist on a PPC using CS4 and import them into CS6 using Intel?
Sound simple?
I doubt it.
The points are.
1. CS4 not installed.
2. CS4 source is PPC not Intel.
3. Ratings and Labels are metadata that Are Not part of the file metadata and unique to Bridge only.
4. Keyword Search and keyword Use requires that Bridge have keyword list, otherwise Finder is the far more useful browser and the new version of Bridge will require hours of keyword listing.
I don't want to spends hours retyping keywords lists in Bridge.

Ratings are NOT placed into the file under CS4 Bridge and neither are
Labels.
That depends on your file type and settings voor Camera Raw.
Like Curt stated usually metadata is written in to the file itself. Only Raw files can't be written to and by default they create a XMP file, also called Sidecar XMP files (and do have the same filename, only a different extension called .xmp). These files are also by default hidden in Bridge but If you use Bridge to move files they travel along with the original.
If you move or copy them using finder you have to be sure these XMP files are also copied with the originals to the new location.
Using the menu View / show hidden files should reveal the XMP files.
An other option for the Camera Raw prefs is to set metadata to the Camera Raw database instead of written to sidecar XMP files ( to my knowledge using sidecar files has been the default since about CS3).
Now here it becomes a bit tricky and I only can tell you my findings, not to be confused with true facts. (and mind you, it is at least 5 years ago I was on a PPC and not even remember which OSX 10 was able to work on it, I just present the acting of CS6 on an intel Mac Pro with OSX 10.7, but I don't believe the difference in location is that much)
Having written the Metadata to the Camera Raw Database your image settings get written to a file in the user library preferences folder called logically "Adobe Camera Raw Database". But also some info gets added to the Camera Raw Cache folder (User library / Caches/ Adobe Camera Raw) in a file called index.dat.
Also not having set metadata to xmp sidecars stores the ACR settings in a new .dat file with a unique number (not to be traced as a corresponding filename. And also the default maximum is set to 1 GB of space and when full the oldest files are overwritten with the new ones.
Personally I use converted DNG files that are capable of writing metadata to so all info and settings are in the file itself and I don't need to bother about central storage that can get lost. The downside is that changes to a DNG need to save the whole file instead of a small xmp file and probably reading cache takes more time then getting info from central storage but I like to be on the safe side and speed is not really needed to be nailed down to split seconds in my workflow.
Keywords are stored as a file in the Bridge preferences but Like Curt already stated exporting the old list first and then via the same route import again to CS6 should solve your problem and they will be back as persistent, otherwise the files in the content window show as italic and sadly enough have to be made persistent one by one with right click mouse menu, so that is not really an option for you.
Exporting the list does create a text file that can also be altered manually with a simple text app and as said, again be imported in newer versions as Curt described earlier.
Making a copy of Bridge CS4 metadata to another computer is quite simple.
Simply copy All of the Bridge CS4 application support folder to the other computer.
Well, in fact it is true to call copying this folders a simple task but replacing the existing new CS6 would not be my method. The biggest change for Bridge CS6 was the transition to 64 bit and I lack the knowledge for this but also cache format for thumbs and previews has been different for every version.
But if you have located the CS4 folder for Bridge in your PPC user library / application support / Adobe / Bridge CS4 you should find a file called 'Adobe Bridge Keywords.xml' and it is fairly safe to replace this CS4 version with the new CS6 version.
Also custom settings for the output module can be copied (however to my memory the option for custom settings in Output where introduced in CS5) and collections can be copied.
So for your keywords the copy option might work, rating and labeling for Raw files they will be read in CS6 if they are stored as XMP. ACR settings idem but CS6 ACR has a new (2012) conversion mode that has different settings that do not work with previous settings (unless you first choose to use the 2010 conversion as default Raw setting.
If it is in the Central Data Base I would start trying to replace the CS4 with the CS6 edition (after back up of existing CS6 version) and see what happens. If it works your out of trouble.
You can also open the Camera raw Database as a text file but there is a lot of data in. Maybe scripting would be able to reveal those data and transfer to XMP but you have to visit the dedicated Scripting forum for this.
And while you state to have not installed CS4 anymore it might be wise to reinstall it (but first make a proper back up of the previous mentioned folders and files to be on the save side.
This gives you the opportunity to export keywords properly and if needed you can use Show Items from subfolders option with filter and set preferences to XMP sidecar to refresh the rating and labels to those XMP files. Just an escape route that might not be as painstakingly as it looks at first sight, just use the options for Bridge to filter.

DAM: integrate/harmonize Collections, Keywords and IPTC location

Lightroom currently presents the user with two independent methods to assign photos to a hierarchical structure: collections and keywords. Unless I missed something, keywords do everything that collections do, and more.
In addition, there is one structure that is inherently hierarchical, but is not currently implemented as such: the IPTC (metadata) location. For instance, the city of Amsterdam lies in the province of North Holland in The Netherlands, so entering Amsterdam in the 'City' field implies a province and a country.
Based on these observations, I have a couple of suggestions:
* Enhance the usability of collections with a few of the keyword features: listing all assigned collections upon selection, and dragging collections onto photos to assign.
* Allow users to convert collection trees to keyword trees, and possibly back (convenient for import/export, or changing ones mind as to what paradigm to use).
* Allow users to either export a keyword tree to the IPTC location fields, or to make a dynamic link between the two (i.e. updating the keyword would immediately affect the location data). This feature would also require an 'exclusivity swith', see below.
* Introduce an 'exclusivity switch' for keywords or collections, implying that you may only assign *one* keyword in its sub-tree to any particular image. This makes sense for location, because an image was made in a particular location, but it can also be used other contexts. For example, to indicate where the latest version of a file has been backed up to, or what the status (imported, selected, processed, finished) of a file is.
* Introduce dynamic collections *and* dynamic keywords. I have read things about query-based dynamic collections coming to Lightroom, but please also create 'dynamic keywords'. This would allow keywords to remain the catch-all organization structure, instead of dividing functionality across collections and keywords.
I think these features could make a significant contribution to Lightroom's DAM capabilities. If implemented alongside improved search capabilities, they would allow me (and possibly others) to stop using my stand-alone DAM application.
Simon

John, I had forgotten the fact that keywords do not have any output settings associated with them, unlike collections. I support your idea of indicating which collections have these settings attached to them.
Still, except for this point, keywords can currently be made to do the same things that collections do. You can even keep them private by choosing not to export certain keywords. Note that even though this is the case, I do not ask for the abolishment of collections per se, because it is convenient to maintain the *conceptual* difference (in addition to the output metadata in collections).
On the locations, I don't think the 'problem' is solved simply by exporting the location data to a keyword tree. It's the other direction that would greatly speed up the workflow. For example, dragging Amsterdam (potentially one of many Amsterdams) onto an image, would automatically assign the higher level fields as well. A metadata preset would indeed do the same, but only after one has created such a preset for every location, which can quickly add up.
Also, I did not mean to imply that dynamic keywords would be beneficial for keeping track of the location metadata. In general, dynamic categories (collections or keywords) are very useful for saving searches or keeping track of an internal workflow (like: if an image is not in a backup collection, it is not backed up). Specifically, I can imagine someone wanting to couple a search result to an exported keyword. For example, for a personal website or a Flickr account, you may want to tag images with the keyword '5stars' that is automatically generated.
The way I see it, there is currently no real difference in the logical structures that can be constructed using collections and keywords. The distinctions between the two are in the input or output phase. It would be a shame to see the logical capabilities of collections enhanced with 'smart' collections, whilst leaving keywords behind.
By the way, I'm all for a scripting interface, but I think that it's best to get the basics implemented in the right way first.
Simon
PS - You pointed out the existence of custom fields as a workflow solution. I have no experience with them, and don't have access to Lightroom on this machine, so I'll get back on that later.

Collections, Keywords and iView Catalog Sets

I am currently using iView and have most of my metadata in "Catalog Sets" (iView does not support hierarchical keywords). I think I read elsewhere that people are moving their Catalog Sets to LR Collections but it seems to me that Keywords would be a better choice? I'd therefore like some general advice on when to use Collections and when to use Keywords?
Following on from that, if I have a photo selected in LR how do I find out which Collections that photo is in? I am sure I must be missing something obvious!
I also could not find a way of displaying keywords in the Grid view for each photo. Is this possible?
Many thanks!
Tom.

Tom
Keywords are generally public, Collections are private. The world and other programs understand keywords and can use them for searching, and you can use them for interchanging data between programs (eg copy iView sets to keywords, then they'll come over to LR where you can then put them into collections).
In LR some features are Collection-specific. Picks/Rejects for example, labels too.
John

Can you apply keywords and metadata for only some subfolders at import?

I thought I should make a separate thread for my second LR file import question.
It seems that LR authors assumed that most users would download single events or projects but that isn't the case with me. I'm just an amateur with a Canon 30D and a 4 gb CF card. I can get hundreds of raw files on that card and many times I won't download the contents of the card to my computer until I have taken pictures at several different events. So I may have a birthday and a campout and some landscapes in the download and the same keywords or metadata may not apply to all of them. LR allows me to group these different events by date in different subfolders but it looks like the metadata/keywords that you can add at download apply not to individual subfolders but to the entire download, is that right? If I've misunderstood or overlooked something how do you apply different keywords or metadata to different subfolders at download?

As you have discovered, Lightroom applies the same keywords, metadata and any develop settings to every photo during import. The workaround to break the import down into individual events by only selecting one shoot at a time in Import dialog thumbnail window. Deselect ALL of the thumbnails then use the keyboard modifiers such as Opton/Alt, Cmd/Ctrl or Shift to select the particular shoot that you want to import.

Updating/sharing keywords and metadata in Lightroom 4

I will be using an intern to help add keywords & metadata to an extremely large group of photos in Lightroom 4.
The intern will have their own workstation so we'll be passing files back and forth.
I need to add their work to mine, keeping all of the keyword/metadata work tied to the virtual photos which already have some work done to them (some keywords, metatdata and photo enhancements already in place on some photos).
step-by-step appreciated
What is the best way to do this?
I'm still learning LR myself.
suggestions welcomed!
thank you

Lightroom is not a multi-user application, and so you can, via tedious manipulation of files, achieve the result you want, but I should also note that make one mistake, and you potentially have a real mess on your hands.
The best solution (in my opinion) is to put the catalog file and all photos on a server that you can both access. The drawback to doing this is that only one person can be working with a specific Lightroom catalog at a time. And given my usual advice to use only one catalog, this may not meet your needs.
If that's not a good solution, then the intern can create her own temporary catalog of the portion of the photos to be worked on today, add keywords and other metadata, and then pass the catalog file to you to merge with your main catalog using the command File->Import from another catalog.
As another alternative, if the only task the intern will carry out is adding keywords and other metadata, there are many freeware solutions that your intern can use for this, and then when she is done in a particular folder, you can in Lightroom select all the photos in that folder, and then read the metadata from the photo files. For Windows, two such freeware programs are GeoSetter and ExifToolGUI.

Script to Export and Import Keywords and Metadata

I have a requirement to mass upload and download keywords and various metadata fields (i.e. File Name, Date Created, City, Country, Document, Title, etc.) into an external database from the Adobe Bridge. Ideally it would be compatible to .txt, .csv, etc type of database format. Currently I have to accomplish this task one at a time. I have an immediate need to upload 1000 plus pictures and various text fields into my website to share with others and be able to sell my pictures online.
My immediate is for exporting the metadata and keywords.
Does anyone know of a script that is aavailable?
Arnold

John,
Thanks for your quick response. Below is the script I just modified this morning. When looking in the keyword field, it returns the word "undefined" for all records.
I tried that yesterday and it didn't work. When looking at the Advance file info on Adobe Bridge I see the below format which had 2 levels. All the others I used only had one. Since I am not a programmer, I need help on that part of the script.
==========================
EXIF Properties (exif,http://ns.adobe.com/exif/1.0/)
- exif:Flash
- exif:Fired: True
====================================
Any luck on determining how to obtain file size.
Again thank you so much for supporting me on my project,
Arnold
=====================
#target bridge
if (BridgeTalk.appName == "bridge")
// Let's create our menu
var menu = MenuElement.create( "command", "Export CSV File", "at the end of Tools");
menu.onSelect = function(m) {
try
// Let's ask what the name of the output file
var f = File.saveDialog("Export file list to:", "Comma delimited file:*.CSV");
// Write the column headings
f.open("w");
f.writeln("Seq Number,New File Name,New File Name Path,Original File Name,Org Dt & Tm,ISO,Exposure Time,F Stop,EV,Exposure Program,Meter Mode,Focal Length,Flash,Lens,Author, Author's Position,City,Country,Description,Title,Orientation,Width,Height,Rating,Label");
// Let's get a list of all the visible thumbnails
var items = app.document.visibleThumbnails;
for (var i = 0; i < items.length; ++i) { var item = items[i]; f.writeln(i + 1, ",\"", item.name, "\",\"", item.path.replace(/\"/g, "\"\""), "\",\"", ListMetadata(item), "\",\"", "\"" ); } f.close(); } catch(e) { } } menu.onDisplay = function(m) { m.enabled = app.document.contentPaneMode == "filesystem" && app.document.visibleThumbnails.length > 0;
function ListMetadata(tn)
md = tn.metadata;
md.namespace = "http://ns.adobe.com/photoshop/1.0/";
varAuthor = md.Author + "\",\"" + md.AuthorsPosition + "\",\"" + md.City + "\",\"" + md.Country + "\",\"";
md.namespace = "http://ns.adobe.com/exif/1.0/aux/";
varLens = md.Lens + "\",\"" ;
md.namespace = "http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";
vartitle = md.title + "\",\"" + md.description + "\",\"" ;
md.namespace = "http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/mm/"
VarPreservedFileName = md.PreservedFileName + "\",\"" ;
md.namespace = "http://ns.adobe.com/exif/1.0/"
VarDateTimeOriginal = md.DateTimeOriginal + "\",\"" + md.ISOSpeedRatings + "\",\"" + md.ExposureTime + "\",\"" + md.FNumber + "\",\"" + md.ExposureBiasValue + "\",\"" + md.ExposureProgram + "\",\"" + md.MeteringMode + "\",\"" + md.FocalLengthIn35mmFilm + "\",\"" + md.Flash + "\",\"" ;
md.namespace = "http://ns.adobe.com/tiff/1.0/"
varOrientation = md.Orientation + "\",\"" + md.ImageWidth + "\",\"" + md.ImageLength + "\",\"" ;
md.namespace = "http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/"
varRating = md.Rating + "\",\"" + md.Label ;
md.namespace = "http://ns.adobe.com/photoshop/1.0/";
varKeywords = ListKeywords(md) + "\",\"" ;
function ListKeywords(md)
var varKeywords = "" ;
for (var i = 0; i < md.Keywords.length; ++i) { varKeywords = varKeywords + md.Keywords[i] + ", "; } //strip off final comma and space varKeywords = varKeywords.substring( 0, varKeywords.length-2);
return VarPreservedFileName + VarDateTimeOriginal + varLens + varAuthor + vartitle + varOrientation + varRating + varKeywords;
==============================

What's the difference and purpose of Keywording and metadata such as title and caption etc?

What's the difference and purpose of Keywording and metadata such as title and caption, crator, sublocation , label etc? Where & how is the information used? Where does it appear?

Keywording is primarily for your own use for finding photos fast.
Title, Caption, etc are also for your own use but can be used by your clients or your stock company if you do not <Minimize Embedded Metadata> on export. Keywords are also included on export but are hardly of any use to others - unless you follow a standard for keywording.
You have the option of selecting title, caption, etc to appear in a Slide Show, on Print, or on a webpage created with LR.
If you go to the LR Help menu and type "title", or "caption" in the search box you will find plenty of advice for this.
WW

LR 1.3.1 strange behaviour: L key adds keywords and removes pictures from collection

After updating to LR 1.3.1 yesterday I found a very strange behaviour that I cannot explain: While in the Library module and looking at a picture from a collection (in loupe mode) I cycle through the different light modes using the L key. Then suddenly (after several hits of the L key) a keyword is added (not always the same keyword) and at the same time an unknown number of pictures is removed from the collection. The keyword is not added to the picture I was currently viewing, but to another one from the same collection. This has not happened before and I have no idea what is going on. I can restore the collection by relaunching an older catalog but of course this does not solve the problem. Can anybody help?
(PC, Win XP prof SP 2, 4 Gig RAM)

It is possible that instead of hitting the l key, or perhaps within the same sequence of hits your are in fact accidentally hitting the k key.
K is the shortcut for "Add shortcut keyword"
Of course you would have had to set that particular keyword at some point and it does not explain the different keywords being assigned.
Unless the alt key was involved somehow and you were rating the images with 1-9 numbers. That would account for different keywords being assigned and would seem arbitrary.
To check: look at one or two of the images that you may have rated using a number key and then look at the keyword set the keyword came from. Press the alt key and a number from 1-9 will appear next to the keyword. If they match then thats the answer.
If you weren't rating the images this way then.....??
Perhaps there is a fault with the keyboard itself rather than the program.
David

Keyword and metadata for non-image files.

Hi, everyone.
As I have started to use Bridge to browse files in my system including those that are not image files I tried to find information on how Bridge handles the assignment of keywords and metadata to these files but couldn't find anything on Adobe's site.
Considering non-image files such as PDF's, MS Office (Word, Excel), Text, HTML, and others, how does Bridge handles the assignment of metadata and keywords ? Where are they stored ? Embedded in the files themselves or in a sidecar file similar to what happens to RAW image files ?
I've read some posts from other users about problems with this. Some report that they are able to assign keywords but these aren't maintained once the file is re-saved.
Is there a manual on Adobe's site that covers the handling of keywords and metadata in Bridge ?
TIA,
Joe

Joe,
Being a digital archivist dealing primarily with pages digitized from the turn of the 20th Century for a religious sect I am highly involved in the usage of keywords. Each page of a work, be it either a volume of a newspaper or a book, contains keywords. I do not use side-car files but instead incorporate my keywords directly into the resultant TIF file.
So I used your posting to see what the answer was. To that end I am presently working on a 1922 title, Thirty-One Years of Organized Work in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana by Church of the Brethren from 1891 to 1922, that will consist of slightly over 500 pages. To test your question I placed the title of the work as a keyword. I then used Bridge's find ability. It did not work.
I forgot that Bridge converts all commas into semi-colons. And changing the colons into semi-colons still returned no results. An examination of the keywords tab showed the string broken down in to sections. Searching for the longest string showed the problem. Returning to my keyowrd string I removed all instances of the semi-colons and re-searched. This resulted in a properyl found file.
So. The longest string I have tested to date is 120 characters, the title of the work minus the commas. I suspect that Curt is correct in his assumption that it is limited by the operation system. I tested this theory by incorporating a double string (without the commas) of my book's title. This was 241 characters including the space between the duplicated title. The search was successful. A triple set of the title returned no hits.
Wayne Webb

Appending Keywords and other metadata to the masterfile

I can't find an answer to the question:
How do I append Keywords and other metadata I added in Aperture to the masterfile without exporting?
I need that to import all that metadata of the masterfiles in a Portfolio database.

I guess you will need a new copy of the RAW to import into Portfoilio. That's really the only way to get Aperture to make the XMP file that contains the keywords. There is a program called Annoture which can convert Aperture metadata into metadata for the program iView Media Pro. No one has made a program to get metadata directly into Portfolio. Aperture wpn't "embed" the keywords in a RAW file because it will not alter the original. Maybe someday Aperture will create DNG files.

How can I transfer the metadata templates and keywords from one computer to another? Working on a new iMac CS6?

I've just changed computers and upgraded to CS6. I am trying to import my Bridge metadata templates and keywords. I had done this once before but I can not remember the procedure for doing this. I have created a lot of templates and do not want to do this all over again. Any and all help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance. Kevin

komphoto,
The keywords file is buried deep inside the INVISIBLE user Library, or "~Library" (that's a tilde before the word Library, which designates the User Library, a.k.a, the Home Folder Library).
In order to make it visible temporarily, you have to go to the Finder, then go to the "Go" menu and select the "Go To Folder…" menu item, and type ~Library in the text field.
That will open a new Finder window which will be grayed out to indicate that it's normally hidden. From there you can follow the path:
Note that I'm not saying this will work. I have never done it myself. I'm just trying to clear up the confusion caused by the previous poster.

Where do the XMP metadata templates and keywords files go WIN XP?

I've just changed computers and upgraded to CS6. I am trying to import my Bridge metadata templates and keywords. I have the files from the old computer but I don't know where to put them on the new computer. The same folder structure where I found them (documents and settings/username/AppData/Adobe/BridgeCS5) does not exist on my new computer after installation of CS6. I tried pasting them in the program files folder for CS6, but this didn't work. I am using Windows XP. Thanks in advance.

I tried pasting them in the program files folder for CS6, but this didn't work.
Not familiair with Windows but on a Mac the path you show is still the same. Did you already used Bridge once?
Quickest way I can think of is putting the files on your desktop and from Bridge metadata and keyword panel use the little menu icon top right of the panel and choose import settings. Find and select both settings and you should be OK.
Also check this blog out, especially if you have subscribed to the cloud:
http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2012/09/photoshop-windows-xp-end-of-the-line.html

Want to remove the metadata/keywords panes... and it looks like I should be able to!

But I can't, and it makes me sad. Tempt me by using the same tab motif of the palettes within Photoshop, where tabs can be torn off into new panels, and removed for the workspace, and then cruelly deny me tabbed palette functionality.
This is the second of two observations about Bridge, both of which are focusing on the use of inappropriate UI conventions for functions within the application. Don't make a field look like it can accept typed input if it can't. Don't make a thing look like a tabbed palette if it isn't one. There are other UI conventions you can use that won't cause the confusion (but of course, the better option in both observations is to make the things in fact what they look like they are.)

Deebs, that hides the whole pane. I want the metadata/keywords gone, but still see the favorites.
And, as a UI designer, I want the UI to behave like the UI implies it will behave. They appear to be tabbed palettes but do not behave like tabbed palettes.
So you may want to keep your sarcasm to yourself.

LR2 Question syncing keywords and/or Metadata.

I am shooting RAW and import the files into my catalog as DNG.
After adding keywords and changing metadata to all the DNG files I would like to apply those changes back to my original RAW files.
Can I do that easily? Maybe adding XMP files to the same directories as the original RAW files?
Once I have the RAW files tagged with the same keywords and metadata I plan to archive them and delete from my disk.
Thank you,

For your first question - You can select the folder containing the files then use the Save Metadata command from Folder panel context menu (see attached screen shot). Alternatively, you can select the actual files then use Save Metadata to file command (Ctrl/Cmd+S). This latter method is much slower.
For you second question - not using your current workflow. That said, if you changed your workflow slightly it's possible. To do it you ned to import your raw files without converting to DNG. Next, you apply keywords, metadata, etc. then use method described above for saving back to file (this creates the XMP sidecars). Now select all of the images in Grid view and convert the raw files to DNG (Convert to DNG from Library menu).
The final step would be to archive the raws plus XMP sidecars, this will need to be done outside of Lightroom.

Metadata, keywords and collections

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