Questions: (i) Is it possible to apply metadata "cross folder" and (2) sorting

[HvTFoto]

I just started playing around with PM 6+ and since I haven't paid any prior attention to keywords there is a lot of work that lays ahead of me and this leads to my first question:

I have my photos sorted in "events folders" and under each event folder there is three subfolders holding nef, tiffs and jpg files respectively (tiffs and jpg's only exists if the photo has been processed/edited one way or the other). My approach to enter IPTC information is to enter the basic information to all photos in one folder in one go and then, to the extent necessary, adding additional information (keywords, persons shown) by selecting the photos that needs extra information. Is there a way to select the photos in the "three subfolders" in one go so that I don't have to do the same actions three times for every event?

Second question: When searching for photos the photos comes up as 1.jpg, 2. jpg, 3.jpg, 1.nef, 2.nef, 3.nf, 1.tiff, 2.tiff, 3.tiff etc. Is there a way to sort the files a 1.jpg, 1.nef, 1.tiff etc (I've tried but haven't succeeded)?

Any input is highly appreciated.

Regards

Hans

   

[Kirk Baker]

Hans,

I just started playing around with PM 6+ and since I haven't paid any prior attention to keywords there is a lot of work that lays ahead of me and this leads to my first question:

I have my photos sorted in "events folders" and under each event folder there is three subfolders holding nef, tiffs and jpg files respectively (tiffs and jpg's only exists if the photo has been processed/edited one way or the other). My approach to enter IPTC information is to enter the basic information to all photos in one folder in one go and then, to the extent necessary, adding additional information (keywords, persons shown) by selecting the photos that needs extra information. Is there a way to select the photos in the "three subfolders" in one go so that I don't have to do the same actions three times for every event?

Yes, though the "Plus" features are not needed for this.  You can open a folder and its subfolders into a single contact sheet from the contextual menu in both the Favorites or Navigator.  All of the photos in each of the folders will be sorted together.  You can then select them and apply metadata.

Second question: When searching for photos the photos comes up as 1.jpg, 2. jpg, 3.jpg, 1.nef, 2.nef, 3.nf, 1.tiff, 2.tiff, 3.tiff etc. Is there a way to sort the files a 1.jpg, 1.nef, 1.tiff etc (I've tried but haven't succeeded)?   

Sorting is not currently possible in Catalog search results, nor is RAW+JPEG pairing.  The ability to do both has been requested many times and we expect to be able to do so prior to final release.

-Kirk

[HvTFoto]

Thanks for the speedy reply.

//Hans

[carlseibert]

Hans - "1.jpg, 1.nef, 1.tiff" is the default sort order if you open "Folder and Subfolders in ....Contact Sheet" as Kirk suggested. In a normal PM contact sheet, you can sort in almost any conceivable way.

The template tool (formerly Stationery Pad) retains whatever is loaded in it, so it can be used from folder to folder, if you want to work in them sequentially. The IPTC Snapshot works from folder to folder, too. As does the Structured Keywords dialog (And maybe the other keywords dialogs. I mostly use the structured one.)

This is all "ordinary" Photo Mechanic stuff. In files and folders mode, I guess you could say.

I think the overarching idea here is that the PM+ DAM features don't really come into play until after we've marked up the images with metadata and put them where ever they are going to live. There's no need to import assets into the PM+ DAM before then.

Before that, everything is files and folders in the base PM app, where you'll find you're driving a Ferrari on a freeway full of Chevettes. You can do pretty much any darn thing you want and do it really fast.

It's an entirely different way of thinking and working, compared to programs like Lightroom or Capture One.  Photo Mechanic was designed to work with something like Photoshop or Affinity Photo (or ON1 RAW) as its image editor.  Something not database-driven. It will interoperate with Lightroom or C1, but you have to keep some things in mind on the Lightroom or C1 side.

-Carl

[Odd Skjaeveland]

...It's an entirely different way of thinking and working, compared to programs like Lightroom or Capture One.  Photo Mechanic was designed to work with something like Photoshop or Affinity Photo (or ON1 RAW) as its image editor.  Something not database-driven. It will interoperate with Lightroom or C1, but you have to keep some things in mind on the Lightroom or C1 side.

Those are my observations as well. I have argued for years that I do not want my DAM to be an integral part of one raw file processing application. PM6+ still lacks functionality, but I am more interested in direction and speed than in current position. So far, I like the direction. The speed is a bit early to judge.

[carlseibert]

Those are my observations as well. I have argued for years that I do not want my DAM to be an integral part of one raw file processing application.

Yeah. It's interesting. Beyond tying you to a certain RAW solution for too long a time, the DAM parts of all-in-one programs are usually pretty weak.

In the "big" DAM world, every organization has to decide what an asset is and when in the workflow a pile of pixels becomes an asset.  Usually, the asset owner settles on a definition that excludes RAWs, outtakes, and anything without vetted metadata from the DAM. Not withstanding scale, that simplifies things considerably.

Photographers face an entirely different situation. They have piles of RAWs and outtakes and whatnot, and they have to put them somewhere. Without cluttering up their collection to the point where they can't find anything. On top of that, photographers have collections that are very heavily weighted towards certain subjects and certain characteristics. For example, they are themselves the author of darn near every image they own. 

There's a lot of tricky stuff. You can't just say, "Oh, that's just a little desktop DAM. It ain't no big deal." It is a big deal. You have to design a very sophisticated product. And develop it to a limited price point. I've got huge respect for developers who can actually thread that needle.

All of which goes to explain why virtually all of the DAM products that started out as desktop products either migrated upmarket toward the enterprise space or failed altogether. And why, until now, the rudimentary DAM functionality built into the all-in-one RAW processor products has been the only choice available for photographers. And why I'm so stoked about the potential of this product. It looks like they're going to get it very right.

(Then there will be the tiny little details of making people understand what it is, why it's better, and how to operate it. Which is another manifestation of the same phenomenon. We all belittle marketing people. Yeah, right. Think of the job ahead for the Camera Bits marketing department. Could you or I do that? No freakin' way. )

[Odd Skjaeveland]

...Then there will be the tiny little details of making people understand what it is, why it's better, and how to operate it.

I may be wrong, but many photographers apparently believe they can easily jump from one raw image application_A to the next application_B and bring along the non-destructive adjustments.

PM is my front end and my back end application with multiple raw image applications and more between front and back. Knowing the way my archive is organized I can normally find images using plain PM, but I have occasionally resorted to Exiftool and regular expressions.

I guess I don't have the skills required for DIY taxonomies and ditto vocabularies, I gave upon them long time ago. Just too many and time consuming "is tomato fruit or vegetable" kind of decisions      Caption/Description turned out to work for me, and guess who smiled when I first read one of your blog posts on the subject. I hope it is OK for you and for CB that I include a link to one of the articles: https://www.carlseibert.com/keywording-considerations-start/

[carlseibert]