I'm experimenting with different DAM workflows combining PMP, C1 and LrC (Capture One and Lightroom Classic).
Two things I want to sync in as many ways as possible is ratings and color classes.
Both C1 and LrC have options to Sync Metadata. In C1 you can set preferences for Auto Sync XMP to Load, and it will pick up whatever change you made in LrC or PMP written to the DNG. PMP writes to it immediately, and LrC can be configured to write all changes to XMP (embedded in the DNG) or you can Save Metadata explicitly.
The problem for me is that it seems PMP cannot sync metadata. You can select the images where you know you changed ratings in C1 or LrC and Update IPTX/XMP from Tools menu. That will properly load ratings/color classes from either C1's XMP sidecar or the original DNG updated by LrC.
In some older posts here for Photo Mechanic non-Plus, it sounded like an updated DNG will be immediately reflected in PM. Is PMP different? Do stars and color classes go into the catalog? Is there a way to make changes in ratings and color classes made externally to either the DNG or by adding an XMP sidecar immediatly reflected in the contact sheet for that folder, or updated with a single command? Refresh doesn't seem to do it.
Furthermore, PMP seems not to check for metadata update even after you select an image in it and press cmd-E to edit it in C1. I adjust the image and rate and color-class it, then export the JPG and Sync Metadata and return to PMP. PMP reflects the adjustments as it uses the newly exported JPG for cover image (I overwrite the paired JPG for that exact purpose). However neither the rating nor the color class are updated. I have to go into Tools=>Update IPTC/XMP to see the updated metadata. This looks like an omission since n edited file can be expected to have its metadata changed as well.
Thus I'd appreciate two things:
-- PMP should check an edited file for metadata updates
-- There should be a way to quickly scan a set of files in PMP for metadata updates either via newly appeared or edited XMP sidecars or in the source DNG itself, and reflect them
Update: there seems to be a circular bug, or self-defeating behavior in C1 that might manifest in PMP not picking up metadata update. If you have Auto Sync XMP set to Load in C1, but Prefer XMP sidecar to Embedded Metadata is not checked, C1 will reset the metadata as soon as you move away from the file and then come back -- it oads it from the DNG that was empty! If you do Sync Metadata it writes the XMP sidecar fine but you still lose it showing the moment you leave the image and C1. Checking that preference for XMP sidecar both preserves the ratings/color classes in C1 and is immediately picked up by PMP after returning from editing the image in C1.
The only ask now is to be able to detect multiple metadata updates in a folder/contact sheet efficiently and show them.
Update on XMP=>DNG in PMP: if you select all the color-coded or rated images in PMP that you rated or color-coded in C1, and run Update IPTC/XMP on them, it will actually propagate the metadata updates to DNG+JPG pairs! The "Read from JPG or RAW" is a bit misleading because in this case PMP will correctly write the more recent XMP sidecar update it picked from C1 into the original DNG+JPGs. I keep a Finder window sorted-reverse by Date Modified to confirm. When C1 metadata is edited and synced you only see .xmp sidecars on top. When you do the PMP update, you see the .DNG and .JPG pairs appear there as well.
