Color Classes and Ratings with NX

[NeilR]

I see that Nikon Capture NX strips any color classes and ratings I apply to NEF files.  How are users here dealing with that?  I would like to develop a workflow based around my NEF.   One of the main reasons I use NX is it's ability to store my edit steps in the relatively compact raw files, verses saving enourmous .psd files.  This stripping is getting in the way of developing a workable workflow...

Regards,
Neil

[Kirk Baker]

Neil,

I see that Nikon Capture NX strips any color classes and ratings I apply to NEF files.  How are users here dealing with that?  I would like to develop a workflow based around my NEF.   One of the main reasons I use NX is it's ability to store my edit steps in the relatively compact raw files, verses saving enourmous .psd files.  This stripping is getting in the way of developing a workable workflow...

Make sure that under the Files tab of the Preferences dialog you have PM set to "Add tag, color class, and rating to IPTC/XMP:" set to "For all photos".

-Kirk

Also, you'll want to set up your IPTC/XMP tab of the Preferences dialog to look something like this:


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[NeilR]

Thanks, Kirk!  Your support here is just fabuluous.  I couldn't have called a support line and gotten a quicker answer.

I configured the preferences exactly per your example, to the extent that I could in Windows.  It worked.

I am new to this IPTC stuff.  After configuring my preferences per the above, I see, by deleting the sidecar, that it is not necessary to preserve the rating, at least for an NX edit.  Could you explain, in a general sense, why I would want to go to the effort to preserve these sidecars?  It will take additional effort and thought over time as files are migrated here and there.  I understand that it forms some sort of "backup" to the embedded metadata, but beyond that I'm new at this.

Thanks,
Neil

[Kirk Baker]

Neil,

Thanks, Kirk!  Your support here is just fabuluous.  I couldn't have called a support line and gotten a quicker answer.

I configured the preferences exactly per your example, to the extent that I could in Windows.  It worked.

I am new to this IPTC stuff.  After configuring my preferences per the above, I see, by deleting the sidecar, that it is not necessary to preserve the rating, at least for an NX edit.  Could you explain, in a general sense, why I would want to go to the effort to preserve these sidecars?  It will take additional effort and thought over time as files are migrated here and there.  I understand that it forms some sort of "backup" to the embedded metadata, but beyond that I'm new at this.

XMP is the future of captioning.  It far surpasses IPTC in capability and functionality.  As long as you use Photo Mechanic to move your photos around, your XMP sidecar files will go with them.  IPTC has a set of fields that have been around for a long time and are duplicated in XMP.  XMP is extendable and not only can hold all IPTC data, but even custom data.  If you look at the new scrolling IPTC dialogs in Photo Mechanic you will see that there are a number of fields that are only available in XMP.  So if you don't want XMP data that's your choice but you'll be missing out on future compatibility.

All you need to do is change the popup menu to read: "If XMP sidecar files exist, only update IPTC4XMP if present" and PM won't create XMP files anymore.  You'll also want to change the search order of the metadata by changing the "For TIFF-based RAW photos search in the following order:" to have Read embedded IPTC be first, followed by XMP sidecar files second.

That should do it.

You can then go ahead and delete the XMP sidecar files if you wish.

-Kirk

[NeilR]

Thanks, Kirk.  I think I'll give the sidecars a try.  Since I am just getting started with captioning and ratings and classes, this is a good time to get into some good habits and exert certain disciplines such as using your app instead of explorer to shuffle things around.

Neil

[NeilR]

Hi Kirk,

I'm still having problems with my ratings.  I worked a folder of raw images, tagging my keepers.  I then set all the ratings to 2.  I copied them to a new folder of selects (Using PM; the sidecars went with them).  I then rerated 138 or so images to a 3, 4 or 5.  I then started editing images in Capture NX 1.2.  As I worked I saw that some of my images "disappeared" from my filtered view of 3, 4 5 rated images.  At least two images lost their rating but more typically the rating shown by PM changed back to 2.  I checked two .xmp files immediately after editing and losing the last two images.  The xmp file has the following entry, which I assume is the rating:

Edit:  To be clear, these are raw .NEF files.

<xap:Rating>3</xap:Rating>
 
But to repeat, PM is showing it as a 2. 

Here are my preferences, which I beleive conforms to your recommendation above.



Neil

[Kirk Baker]

Neil,

I'm still having problems with my ratings.  I worked a folder of raw images, tagging my keepers.  I then set all the ratings to 2.  I copied them to a new folder of selects (Using PM; the sidecars went with them).  I then rerated 138 or so images to a 3, 4 or 5.  I then started editing images in Capture NX 1.2.  As I worked I saw that some of my images "disappeared" from my filtered view of 3, 4 5 rated images.  At least two images lost their rating but more typically the rating shown by PM changed back to 2.  I checked two .xmp files immediately after editing and losing the last two images.  The xmp file has the following entry, which I assume is the rating:

Edit:  To be clear, these are raw .NEF files.

<xap:Rating>3</xap:Rating>
 
But to repeat, PM is showing it as a 2. 

Here are my preferences, which I beleive conforms to your recommendation above.

...snip...

Half of your image was missing, but it doesn't really matter.  Do you have the "Add tag, color class, and rating to IPTC/XMP:" set to "For all photos" ?  (It's in the Files tab of the Preferences dialog.)

-Kirk

[NeilR]

Kirk,

Yes, the "Add tag, color class, and rating to IPTC/XMP:" is set to "Always For all photos"

Neil

[Kirk Baker]

Neil,

Yes, the "Add tag, color class, and rating to IPTC/XMP:" is set to "Always For all photos"

Try changing the search order for TIFF-based RAW photos to be XMP sidecar first, Embedded IPTC second.

HTH,

-Kirk

[NeilR]

That worked, but in a round about way.  I tried putting the sidecars first, embedded IPTC second  before posting, but my count of 3+ ratings went down about by 30.  I didn't track those 30 down.  I tried again, per your suggestion, and the same happened- the count went down by 30.  I then changed the 2nd search to "Embedded XMP", and my count went up by 50, about 20 more than I had before I changed the search order (and probably what I want).  I then changed the 2nd search order back to Embedded IPTC and the count remained the same- about what I wanted.  Something funky happened when the preference was changed.  I did not restart the app during any of these preference changes.

[Kirk Baker]

Neil,

That worked, but in a round about way.  I tried putting the sidecars first, embedded IPTC second  before posting, but my count of 3+ ratings went down about by 30.  I didn't track those 30 down.  I tried again, per your suggestion, and the same happened- the count went down by 30.  I then changed the 2nd search to "Embedded XMP", and my count went up by 50, about 20 more than I had before I changed the search order (and probably what I want).  I then changed the 2nd search order back to Embedded IPTC and the count remained the same- about what I wanted.  Something funky happened when the preference was changed.  I did not restart the app during any of these preference changes.

Ok, is there anything else to solve?  Or is everything now working as expected?

-Kirk

[NeilR]

I'll have to do more editing to be sure.  I'll post back here if I run into anything else related to this issue.

Thanks for your help...
Neil