Updating tags / metadata without duplicating files

[MGP]

Hi guys

Bit of a PM noob question here, but is there a way where I can add tags / update metadata of an edited photo without having to duplicate the files in the save /export process?

I just wanted the updated metadata to go override the previous / original one.

Cheers

[Kirk Baker]

Hi guys

Bit of a PM noob question here, but is there a way where I can add tags / update metadata of an edited photo without having to duplicate the files in the save /export process?

I just wanted the updated metadata to go override the previous / original one.

There's no need to use the Save As dialog if all you're doing is changing metadata.  As soon as you set a tag/rating/color class/crop/Metadata Info, the metadata is changed and you don't have to save the file.  All Photo Mechanic edits of metadata do not require saving the image.  It's one of our core tenets.

-Kirk

[MGP]

Thanks for the reply Kirk.

So I know when you ingest photos into a primary folder, those images have their data changed automatically as you go through them.  What I was hoping was that the original photos that were ingested, have their data edited (so not the primary destination folder images) because I don't want to deal with duplicate files, dragging over new files into the original folder.  Is that possible, or not really?

Alternatively, I guess I could get another hard drive and start from scratch I guess but I'm just trying to create less work and one less thing to purchase.

[Kirk Baker]

So I know when you ingest photos into a primary folder, those images have their data changed automatically as you go through them.  What I was hoping was that the original photos that were ingested, have their data edited (so not the primary destination folder images) because I don't want to deal with duplicate files, dragging over new files into the original folder.  Is that possible, or not really?

Where are these 'original photos' located?

-Kirk

[Mick O (Camera Bits)]

Hi MGP,

I will explain some basic Photo Mechanic concepts here and hope that it helps you.  If you want to apply metadata to a group of images without copying them, the IPTC Metadata template could be used for that.


Ingest / The Ingest dialog (Windows: Ctrl-g / Mac: Cmd-g)
Typically used to copy files off removable media like a memory card to your main working drive (and possibly a secondary backup). You can apply batch metadata to all of the files copied in this process. (But you can also do without touching the metadata) The original files on the removable media are unchanged, and remain there unless you check the box to erase the card (Which I never recommend)

IPTC Metadata Template (Windows: Ctrl-i / Mac: Cmd-i)
This is used to apply or append new metadata to the selected files (i.e. multiple files in batch) wherever they are without moving them or duplicating them

Copy/Move dialog (Windows: Ctrl-y / Mac: Cmd-y)
This is used to copy or move files among folders/drives. You also have the option to apply metadata to the files during this process, if needed.

IPTC Metadata Info (Mac and Windows: i)
This is used to apply/change metadata on single images. It can look similar to the IPTC Metadata template, but is applied to a single file at a time.