Problem Applying Keywords to Multiple Photos

Under Aperture 2.1.4 and OSX 10.6, I've apparently lost the ability to apply a keyword to multiple photos at one time. When I click the keyword or drag it, only one photo gets the keyword regardless of how many are selected.
I only noticed this shortly after upgrading, so I've assumed it was related to 2.1.4 or 10.6. Hidden preference somewhere? Something else obvious?
Any ideas?

Look for the big button with a '1' on it at the bottom of your Viewer/Browser in the Aperture window.
If it is on (dark grey) it means that if you use Stamp of try to add keywords those things will only happen to the image with the Primary image (thicker white selection border) and not to any other images (thin white border) that you have also selected.
If you turn it off (light grey) andy stamps/keywords will be added to all of the selected images.
this does not apply to adjustments, those are always only applied to the Primary image (expect when using the Lift&Stamp)

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Aperture 3: How to apply keywords to multiple photos?

Hi,
I'm trying to apply keywords to multiple photos at once but if I select several photos and add a keyword in the 'metadata' panel it just gets applied to one of the selected photos, not all of them. Is this a bug or am I just doing it wrong?
Thanks,
Sam

I see,
But that requires that said keyword already exists which slows down the workflow when you're dealing with lots of new keywords, or even existing ones if you have lots and lots of keywords instead of just typing in a keyword (and it perhaps auto-completes). Also I'm somewhat of a keyboard-centric user
Thanks for the suggestion,
Sam

Applying keywords to multiple photos

seems like an easy request, right? applying a keyword to multiple photos...
I've got the keyword HUD open. I've read the help files, the manual, seems rather straight forward to me. Select the pictures, drag over the word, should be applied to all selected.
Problem is, I can't get that to happen.
For example, I have a project. Under the project is a folder. I want to apply the same keyword to all 5 star pics in that folder. I use the view to display all 5 star pics. Then I select all, white box appears around them all indicating they are selected.
But here's my crunch. Even though I selected them all, really only one picture at a time is affected, as if there is a primary selection pic within the total selected pics. I've changed views, not sure how to actually affect a change to all selected.
It is as if the selection is a display function, but there is only one picture at a time actually selected for a change to be applied.
How in the world does one do something so simple as select all, drag the keyword over to all selected, and see them all tagged? Seems so simple...but I can't make this happen.
Thanks

I agree: The help and discussions here are very valuable. Thanks for all the tips, very useful.
For what it's worth -- I don't know why -- but one new Library I started just would not accept any Keywords at all: None. I'd click on the list I made in the Control Bar: Nothing would happen.
BUT when going to another Library Keywords worked fine (much to my relief).
This happen just after importing a photo from IPhoto that I had, for the first time, put keywords on it in iPhoto. Any connection, I don't know.
BUT After going back and forth to other Libraries a few times, it started working perfectly.
!? -- I think Aperture is great!

Quick question: apply keyword to multiple photos?

I select multiple photos in the browser. I call up the keywords HUD. I find the keyword I want; I drag it onto the multiple images; it applies to ONE IMAGE ONLY.
I ended up having to apply it to one, then use the lift and stamp tool. Took forever.
What could I be doing wrong? Must be something stupid, because I know this is supposed to work. (I had my "Aperture Getting Started" manual open to the keyword section too.)
Thanks in advance!
iMac 2.0 ghz Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2 gig Ram

make sure that you don not have "primary only" selected (keyboard shortcut is 'S') ... it can easily be selected - ive done it a few times on accident, or there is an icon on the bottom control bar ...
this only allows changes to be made to the "primary" of a group of selected images - thicker white border ...

Aperture will not assign keywords to multiple photos

Recently I have not been able to assign keywords to multiple photos simultaneously. I also have the same problem when I try to copy adjustments and stamp to multiple photos. Only the one with the main selection is processed. Is this a bug in the newest Aperture (3.4.5)?
Edit:
Sorry, I found the solution and wasn't able to delete the question: The problem was that the Primary Only button was active.
Message was edited by: Ernst Vikne

You may have the "Primary Only" flag set. Then keywords, ratings, etc will only be applied to the primary selection. Turn it off in Aperture's "Edit" menu: Edit > Primary Only or press the button with the framed "1".
Regards
Léonie
You may want to have a look at this User Tip: Keywords or ratings are applied only to one of the selected images - why?

Problem applying keywords to a selection of images

I've tried applying keywords to multiple images as described in the aperture manual but it doesn't work for me. When I drag keywords from the keyword HUD to a selection of images only the first image will contain the keyword when I check it. I get the same result when typing in the keyword menu at the bottom right of the screen.
I don't want to use the batch change dialogue because this erases all other keyword content before applying the new keywords. This is really annoying, any ideas?
Thanks in advance.
Power Mac G5 dual 2ghz Mac OS X (10.4.6) 2.5GB RAM, 9800 Pro graphics

No, I've just done the same thing a few times and took me a bit to figure out. Being able to toggle this on and off is helpful if say you're adding a bunch of keywords to a selected, and one or two need tags specific to them, then you toggle this on, drop the keywords they need, then toggle off and finish tagging them all with other keywords.

Can't apply keyword to multiple images

Though the help file says you can, when I select multiple photos and then click on a keyword, it only applies the keyword to one of the photos. Same thing if I click the checkmark next to the keyword. It does apply to all selected photos if I drag the images to the keyword, but why doesn't it work when I just click the keyword?
Thanks

Two things, you have to be in Grid View, not Filmstrip Selection and not have Menu/Metadata/'Show Metadata for Target Photo Only' checked. I and others have gotten bitten by this, too.
Don

Iphoto 08 adding keywords to multiple photos

I am trying to add the same key word to to multiple photos. In the past version, I would just click, select, click to select multiple photos. Then right click and it would bring up the picklist of keywords and I would simply select the keywords to put on that whole group of photos. I have tried to do this in iPhoto 08 but the keywords are no longer in the photo info window.
I can't even find a way to view the picklist. I only see the keywords which show up in each sinlgle picture when I click add keyword to a single picture then put in a few letters.
There has to be a better way, but I'm stumped.

MattTorg
Menu Bar -> Window -> Show Keywords
Select the pics and click on the keyword.
If you want to apply sets of keywords, you can drag them to the top of the keyword pane, and apply multiple keyword to Pic(s).
If you have a lot of Keywords, check out Keyword Manager
Regards
TD

Adding keywords to multiple photos has stopped working

All day I've been importing photos and adding keywords to them. I add some keywords to all photos during the import, then after importing I go through each photo and add additional keywords as needed. It worked fine all day, but all of a sudden when I highlight several photos and add keywords, it's only applying the new keywords to the last picture highlighted. I've closed the program (LR5) and reopened it, but that didn't help. What have I done wrong?
Thanks

Thank God for this forum! :-) Everyone is so helpful! (btw, as I read your response "d'oh" came out of my mouth.
Thank you.

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.

Problem Importing Keywords with jpg photos into Library

I am a new and enthusiastic LR user working to migrate from iMatch, where I have kept my ~80,000 photos organized for the last several years. However, my last roadblock to being able to do that is the import of keyword information (or as iMatch calls them, Categories). Obviously it's critical that these transfer across seemlessly as they represent untold number of hours in sorting and managing the database.
The situation: Via an iMatch script I can successfully write the associated categories, including hierarchy, into an IPTC field of my choosing that is then included with the jpg file itself. I have done this into the "Keywords" field, with various combinations of special characters and/or spaces to denote hierarchy relationships or separate keywords.
Upon LR import: LR recognizes the presence of the keywords and pulls them into the metadata, but refuses to see them as anything except part of one continuous hierarchy.
Example: A picture in iMatch has two Categories associated with it, both of which are organized under a parent-->child hierarchy:
Trips --> Switzerland2006 and Special --> Family --> Daughter
When written via script into the IPTC Keyword field of the jpg file, it looks like this: Trips.Switzerland2006; Special.Family.Daughter
(note -- I can make the semicolon separating the keywords anything, such as a comma, space, etc. I have tried all.)
When imported into LR, it ends up looking like this under the left panel Keyword Tags area: Trips --> Switzerland2006; Special --> Family --> Daughter
In the righthand panel under "Keyword Tags", I only see "Daughter" as this is at the bottom of the single stack hierarchy that was interpreted.
In other words: I have found no possible way for LR to recognize that there is in fact MORE THAN ONE keyword coming in, rather than always a single hierarchy stack or very long words with spaces, semicolons, whatever included in between.
I have tried every setting under Preferences-->File Handling, but those only give me options about when to tell LR to recognize a hierarchy step, not about what character to see as a separation between keywords themselves.
Final note: If I first open one of my picture files in Adobe Bridge and look at the IPTC field Keyword there, it looks perfect. And if I go into that field and mess around a bit -- add a space, take away a space -- with in the end no change, then resave the file, THEN bring into LR, it works fine! I believe what is happening in this case is that Bridge is correctly interpreting the Keyword data from the file, but then is writing it into an XMP area that I can't see. LR must then read the XMP area in preference over the IPTC are upon import.... But -- if Bridge can read the original IPTC line correctly, why not Lightroom?!
Bottom line question: What format or special character or special trick must be used for multiple keywords in the IPTC Keyword field so that Lightroom will correctly recognize the multiple keywords upon import?
Thank you!
JMC

Do those keyword hierarchies show up properly in Vista Photo Gallery? I have the LR Edit/Preferences/File Handling configured to treat "/" (which is what Vista Photo Gallery uses) as a keyword separator and LR recognizes the hierarchical keywords.
As I understand it, Vista reads both XMP and IIM/IPTC Headers, but will write only to XMP. I forced Photo Gallery to convert my keywords to XMP by adding a global keyword and then deleting it later. Then I used drag and drop to recreate the hierarchies. It works for me.

Applying comments to multiple photos

My apologies if this is already answered someplace; I couldn't find it when I tried searching.
I'm trying to add identical comments for 169 photos at once; I have them all selected, but then the comments field is hidden in the information tab. Is there any way to apply comments to all of these photos at once rather than copy/pasting it into each one's comments field? Thanks in advance.
iMac 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 20" Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Charles:
It's not obvious but you use the Photos->Batch Change->Comments menu option. That will add the same Comment to all selected photos.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.

Aperture apply keywords to multiple selections

I cannot apply a keyword to more than one image at a time.
I select multiple images and drag a keyword to one of the images expecting it to be applied to all of them (as it has in the past) but it only gets applied to one.
Did I set something to prevent multiple updates?
Thanks
Harv

Here's how I do it.
Goto Window Menu, then Show Control Bar.
Again Window Menu, then Show Keyword Controls.
This places a set of buttons along the bottom control bar with the keywords I set up in the keyword HUD. It has a pull-down menu within it to select different groups of keywords depending again on how you set it up. Select multiple images, call up the grouping you need and click the buttons. All the images get keyworded.
Hope this helps.
Kent

Applying adjustments to multiple photos

I have about 50 photos that need the same edit adjustments (temperature, contrast, etc.) The copy and paste function is great, but as far as I can tell, it can only be applied to one photos at a time. Is there a way to chose all 50 photos and paste the adjustments in one full swoop?
If the answer is no, could I do it by accessing the iPhoto Library in Aperture?

Check out iPhoto Batch Enhancer this might work for you.
could I do it by accessing the iPhoto Library in Aperture?
No. Aperture is not an external editor like Photoshop. It just doesn't work that way. It would need to import all the photos into Aperture first. Thereafter they would be inaccessible from iPhoto
Regards
TD

Applying keywords to multiple images

How do I do this? I can toggle primary only with the keyboard 's', menu or button, but the keywords still only get applied to the primary image, not the selected images.
Any ideas?

You can find the solution at:
http://blogs.oreilly.com/aperture/2007/03/three-notsoobvious-tips-1.html
Mihalis.

Problem Applying Keywords to Multiple Photos

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