default path when loading a metadata file

[Bob Hendricks]

Consider a folder with images for which metadata has not yet been loaded but for which there is an xmp file in the folder with the requisite data. To apply the metadata, select the images, bring up the metadata template, press clear, and then press load. this brings up a path directory with the cursor at the home directory. One must then click the subfolders until you get to the folder with the images and the xmp file, upon which you selected open.  When the image folder and the metadata file are several levels deep, it takes a number of clicks to get to the metadata.

Is it possible that one could have a choice (perhaps in Preferences) as to which folder the path would open when one loads predefined metadata?  Once choice could be a fixed location (as it now is--the root for the user) and another could be the same folder in which the images are stored.

If this capability already exists, sorry for the post--but I could not find it.

Bob

[Kirk Baker]

Bob,

Consider a folder with images for which metadata has not yet been loaded but for which there is an xmp file in the folder with the requisite data. To apply the metadata, select the images, bring up the metadata template, press clear, and then press load. this brings up a path directory with the cursor at the home directory. One must then click the subfolders until you get to the folder with the images and the xmp file, upon which you selected open.  When the image folder and the metadata file are several levels deep, it takes a number of clicks to get to the metadata.

Is it possible that one could have a choice (perhaps in Preferences) as to which folder the path would open when one loads predefined metadata?  Once choice could be a fixed location (as it now is--the root for the user) and another could be the same folder in which the images are stored.

It isn't a fixed location.  It's a default location if the load feature has not been used before.  But once you use it, it should remember the last location chosen and when used again start at that location.  I'm not sure how to do your request and have it always work: a contact sheet can be multiple folders viewed as a single contact sheet.  Which folder should be used then?  A contact sheet can be the result of a Catalog search--each image could be from its own folder and there could be thousands.  Which folder should be used then?

That said, there is another way.  You can drag and drop your XMP file onto PM and it will load it into the Metadata Template.  So if you're browsing your file system with the Finder (or Windows Explorer) to then browse images via drag-and-drop then you're in a good position to also drag-and-drop your XMP file onto Photo Mechanic.

HTH,

-Kirk

[Bob Hendricks]

Thanks Kirk:--I will give these ideas a workout and report back.

bob

[Bob]

"You can drag and drop your XMP file onto PM and it will load it into the Metadata Template."

who knew?  That's a great tip:)
I wonder if automatically opening the template after that xmp load would be a good idea? I would think I would want to check it or add to it as needed after the xmp load?

[Kirk Baker]

Bob,

Thanks Kirk:--I will give these ideas a workout and report back.

Also, if you're browsing a folder that contains one of your XMP files that you would use as a Metadata Template, you can set PM to show it alongside the images.  You'll have to enable showing unknown files as proxies (View->Unknown Files as Proxies).  Scroll to where it is in the contact sheet (hint: if you sort by filename and give it a name like AAA.XMP or just add an exclamation point to the start of the name, it will sort to the top).  Select it, and drag and drop it onto the Photo Mechanic Plus icon in the Dock.  Photo Mechanic Plus will respond and tell you that it has loaded the Metadata Template.

That may be even easier than what I suggested earlier.

HTH,

-Kirk

[Kirk Baker]

"You can drag and drop your XMP file onto PM and it will load it into the Metadata Template."

who knew?  That's a great tip:)
I wonder if automatically opening the template after that xmp load would be a good idea? I would think I would want to check it or add to it as needed after the xmp load?

Command-I will do that straight away.

-Kirk

[Bob]

True re: CMD I, but if the workflow would always be to open template after dropping the xmp on PM, having it do it automatically makes sense to me IF everyone would do that.. that's an assumption by me though. Still a nice tip that I didn't know...

[Bob Hendricks]

Kirk's  trick of enabling Unknown files and then dragging the icon to the PM icon in the dock works perfectly!! this is exactly what I was looking for.

My xmp files are all named zzzzz.xmp so that they come at the end of the folder, rather than the beginning. They are six levels deep from my home directory in the folder structure.  I was initially opening my folder of images, bringing up the metadata template , and then clicking the buttons to  clear, then load and then click all the way down the tree.  Kirk's suggested method saves me 6 clicks. A huge improvement in efficiency.

Thanks, Kirk!!

[Bob Hendricks]

There is one caveat to using this method.  When the external xmp file is loaded, it does not clear all the variables when it loads. It does over-write all fields for which data are provided.  Thus, you may not get what you expect. In order to assure that the only fields that are populated when the external file loads, you need to first open the template and clear it. (Or remember to do this before you close the template after using it.)

I build all of my external xmp files using exiftool during which I write only the fields for which I have metadata. I suspect  (but have not tested) that there is a way in exiftools to write a command that will clear all the fields--perhaps by writing something like -xmp:IPTCfieldName="" which fils the field with a a blank. there might be something fancier.

This does open the possibility of having a standard xmp file that applies to every image--i.e., copyright info, contact info, etc. and then having a secondary xmp file that leaves these fields blank, but has stuff that is specific to an entire shoot. One could first load the most general info, then use the same drop and drag for the second file.  I have not tried this, but will give it a shot.  It has interesting applications if it works as suspected.

Bob

[Bob Hendricks]

I have now tried this last idea  and it seems to work fine.  If you have already populated the IPTC template with an xmp file and applied it to a number of selected files, and then find you would like to add more metadata to some of those images without destroying any of the existing metadata, do the following: clear the template, fill in the new fields you wish to apply (or change, if the field has already been filled), and apply to a selected subset (or the full set) of all of the images for which you initially generated metadata.  Works fine, so far as I can tell.

If the number of fields to be changed is small, use the INFO metadata button on the image.  Keep your eye on the variable in the catalog filter and you will see the correction instantly.  This is a great tool for fixing spelling errors