Importing data from MediaPro

[Borgerth]

Hi there
PM+ 6.0 build 5820 (a6fdfbc)
Windows 10 Home
First, I’m new to Photo Mechanic so apologies in advance if my question(s) have something to do with my lack of familiarity with the software.
I have already searched support/forum for a solution for my problem with no luck.
I am trying to find a way to import data from a different DAM/database software (Phaseone MediaPro) into a PM+ catalogue.
I know that files added to a PM+ catalogue will bring all imbedded metadata with them, but I have two specific issues I would like to point out/try to find a solution for:
First, I’m talking about thousands of images, terabytes of data saved across several external drives which have already been catalogued using a different DAM software.
There must be a way to import at least a basic set of info from the existing database into PM+ without having to go through the incredibly time-consuming and painful process of mounting every single drive in order to have all images catalogued again.
I can export a XML file from my original MediaPro catalogue but found no way to import the resulting XML into PM+. I have exported a MediaPro test XML file with thumbnails, managed to create a PM+ catalogue using the XML exported thumbnails but have no way (at least can’t find a way …) to bring in and/or associate all the other data contained in the XML with the images imported. Being a database, PM+ should be able to import information from other databases.
Secondly, how can I get my MediaPro custom fields data imported into PM+?
Everything is there, embedded in the file XMP info (example below) but I don’t know how to get it to show in PM+. I could create a Metadata template and have unused IPTC fields to display the info I need but don’t know how to get the original data in PM+ to start with.
I hope you can help
Thanks
XML example:
<rdf:Description rdf:about=""
            xmlns:mediapro="http://ns.iview-multimedia.com/mediapro/1.0/">
         <mediapro:UserFields>
            <rdf:Bag>
               <rdf:li>Film &amp; ISO=ADOX Silvermax/100</rdf:li>
               <rdf:li>Developer=Adox Silvermax</rdf:li>
               <rdf:li>Dev Time &amp; Temp=11:30 min/20C</rdf:li>
            </rdf:Bag>
         </mediapro:UserFields>
         <mediapro:CatalogSets>
            <rdf:Bag>
               <rdf:li>35mm Film</rdf:li>
               <rdf:li>35mm Film|Panoramic</rdf:li>
            </rdf:Bag>
         </mediapro:CatalogSets>
      </rdf:Description>

[Kirk Baker]

I am trying to find a way to import data from a different DAM/database software (Phaseone MediaPro) into a PM+ catalogue.
I know that files added to a PM+ catalogue will bring all imbedded metadata with them, but I have two specific issues I would like to point out/try to find a solution for:
First, I’m talking about thousands of images, terabytes of data saved across several external drives which have already been catalogued using a different DAM software.
There must be a way to import at least a basic set of info from the existing database into PM+ without having to go through the incredibly time-consuming and painful process of mounting every single drive in order to have all images catalogued again.

No, there is no way to import metadata from another application's database into Photo Mechanic Plus.

I can export a XML file from my original MediaPro catalogue but found no way to import the resulting XML into PM+. I have exported a MediaPro test XML file with thumbnails, managed to create a PM+ catalogue using the XML exported thumbnails but have no way (at least can’t find a way …) to bring in and/or associate all the other data contained in the XML with the images imported. Being a database, PM+ should be able to import information from other databases.

There is no such facility.

Secondly, how can I get my MediaPro custom fields data imported into PM+?
Everything is there, embedded in the file XMP info (example below) but I don’t know how to get it to show in PM+. I could create a Metadata template and have unused IPTC fields to display the info I need but don’t know how to get the original data in PM+ to start with.

Metadata import beyond the metadata stored with the images or XMP sidecar files is not supported at this time.

-Kirk

[Borgerth]

Hi Kirk
Thank you for your reply.
This is very disappointing as it is not unreasonable to expect that a database to have the ability to import data from other databases following some kind of common standard (XML, XMP, CSV, TSV, etc.).
I am not a software developer so I don't really know the work involved in providing such capacity from a developer point of view.
But as an user, I would really expect to be able to exchange existing data between different databases. And I don't believe I would be the only one.
Thanks
Arnold

[DavidHoffmanuk]

I have a number of Applescripts for Media Pro, one is "Annotations Transfer" which would copy/move/append custom fields into standard IPTC fields so the data would then be imported into PM6+ with the image. I see that you are using Windows but maybe there's a similar script for that OS? Or could you make a new MP catalog with a Mac and do it that way? Slow but it'd run unattended.

David Hoffman

[M Black]

I have been trying to bring data from Media Pro into PM and find that not only custom fields but all fields fail to turn up in PM. Am I doing something wrong? I currently have just a couple of custom fields with details of the photos in them. But even when I put text into standard fields the text still doesn't come in.

[Bob Russell]

From my limited experience with Media Pro catalogs and image files, the catalog file will have all of the metadata. When adding an image to the Media Pro catalog this action typically removes all of the metadata from the image file, which is why Photo Mechanic doesn't see it.
If there is a way for Media Pro to export a file with all of the catalog metadata, then Photo Mechanic should be able to find it.
I have had moderate success converting a Media Pro catalog file into a Code Replacement or a Hot Code file by moving some columns around in Excel or a similar app and then saving as a tab delimited text file.
For the Media Pro fields not available in Photo Mechanic, pick a field that is available in Photo Mechanic and move the data to that column.
After the Hot Code file is Added to Photo Mechanic's Set Code Replacements dialog, use the Metadata (IPTC) Template to update the image files from the Media Pro catalog, with the matching Hot Code variables in each of the fields.

Best regards,

--Bob

[M Black]

I discovered last night that I was doing it wrong. I was making xmp files with “extract metadata” and it just didn’t work. But by accident I discovered that in Media Pro I needed to Select All and choose Action/Export Annotations. It works like a charm. All the annotation fields seem to get embedded in the image. When the Media Pro file is then opened in Photo Mechanic, or when the folder is pulled onto a Photo Mechanic window, the data in the standard fields is all there. I only used a few fields (Description, Description Writers, Headline, Keyword) so I don’t know about the other fields. But these work fine.
Description and Description Writers in Media Pro seem to be Caption and Caption writers in Photo Mechanic.

No custom fields unfortunately. I would really appreciate the “Annotations Transfer” script mentioned by David Hoffmanuk above. I’m on a Mac.

If I could transfer the data from custom fields into standard fields it would really be great. I could then move to Photo Mechanic with all old catalogues intact.

[DavidHoffmanuk]

No custom fields unfortunately. I would really appreciate the “Annotations Transfer” script mentioned by David Hoffmanuk above. I’m on a Mac.

I've sent the scripts to M Black but they aren't being seen in the location that I use. If anyone knows the secrets of where Media Pro 1.5 looks for scripts it'd be a great help to us both.

David Hoffman

[M Black]

Many thaks to David for all his help, but I just couldn't get the script to work. I couldn't find the right folder to put it in.
But I did manage to get my custom field into PM from Media Pro. I used an inbuilt Media Pro script.  I made a memo to myself to remind me what I had done. This is it in case it's any help to anyone else.

To get custom files data out of Media Pro and into Photo Mechanic

1   Choose Make/text data file
choose just the custom field to be extracted
Plain text
tab delimited
Unclick the “include Label row” (or everything will be out of sync and the wrong data will be put in each file. Of course you can just delete that first line of the text file if you forget.)

This makes a text file with the custom field on a separate line for each image. (If you have several custom fields you want to transfer, you can choose to have them Tab separated, Comma Separated, or Merged. There will still be just one line for each image, and the data will all have to go in the Description field.)

2   Save the file.

3   Now Edit/Select All  and go to Scripts and choose Scripts/Annotate/Description from Text Lines. (make sure to choose the script for text LINES.) and choose the text file you made.
This will put a line of the text file into the Description field for each image.

4   Now Edit/Select All and go to Action/Export Annotations. (It doesn’t export the annotations as far as I can see, but it seems to embed them in the image files.)
Save the file.
Now if you open the MediaPro file in Photo Mechanic, the Description field will have your data in it (the data that was previously in the custom field).
For this to work, the MediaPro file needs to be in the same folder as the images.

5   OR You can just open Photo Mechanic, open a new window, and drag the folder of image files onto it. The Description field is populated now, so the data will appear.

Note: As a check you should make the Description field visible in your Media Pro file as well as the custom field. You will be able to check that what is in the Description field is exactly the same as in the custom field.

[Dub]

Hello,

If it helps?

http://iview.free.fr/ScriptsIVMPEM.html

 

[M Black]

I forgot to put in my previous post that the Description field in Media Pro is recognised as Caption in PM.

I downloaded the file from the link given by DUB and I have finally got the Annotations Transfer script working. Thanks. I'm not sure what I did to make it work, but it's working and I can move data around in Media Pro.
The problem is, I can't seem to get any of the annotation fields in Media Pro fields to show up in PM except for Filename and Description, which shows up as Caption. Is there a list somewhere that maps the fields from Media Pro to PM?

[M Black]

I've managed to identify these so far.

In Media Pro   in the script list      In Photo Mechanic
description       caption                   caption
event                event                    event
instructions     instructions             instructions
headline              title                        headline
location             location                    location
job identifier      transmission            transref

[DavidHoffmanuk]

The problem is, I can't seem to get any of the annotation fields in Media Pro fields to show up in PM except for Filename and Description

Have you used the 'Export annotations' menu item in MP & updated the metadata in PM+?
David Hoffman

[M Black]

Yes. I forgot to do that.
It's working beautifully now. Thank you.