Apologies - Newbie Questions

[gnomus]

I apologise in advance for asking such "newbie" questions.  I've never used PM before and am trying out the Demo.  I'm primarily trying to use PM to catalogue and keyword images prior to uploading them to a Stock agency (Photoshelter Collection).

There are a couple of things I'd like to do but I am not sure how to make them happen.  I'm working with Nikon NEF files in Windows Vista.

1) Firstly, I've set up a "Stationary Pad" which includes my address and other details.  During "Ingest", a whole load of details do get attached to the NEFs.  No sign of any of my contact details, however.  I can do an "Apply Stationary Pad" and this adds the address but if I move on to another image, these details have disappeared again by the time I return.  I can see the message which states that "These files are only saved in the XMP data format".  However, I don't know what this means or what I can do about it, if anything.

Is there  way of doing what I want to do?

2) I'd like to be able to save a bank of selected keywords (for example, a list of keywords that relate to, say,  "Monument Valley") and then apply that list to a group of images.  I've gone into "Edit Keywords" but all I seem to be able to do is Export or Import the "Master List" not the specific list that I want to append to my "Monument Valley" keywords.   

Is there a way of doing what I want to do?

I apologise again if my questions seem very basic but what am I going to do?  Most of this stuff is brand new to me.

Thanks for any help that anyone can offer.

[Hayo Baan]

I apologise in advance for asking such "newbie" questions.  I've never used PM before and am trying out the Demo.  I'm primarily trying to use PM to catalogue and keyword images prior to uploading them to a Stock agency (Photoshelter Collection).

Welcome, I think you'll find PM a great tool!

There are a couple of things I'd like to do but I am not sure how to make them happen.  I'm working with Nikon NEF files in Windows Vista.

1) Firstly, I've set up a "Stationary Pad" which includes my address and other details.  During "Ingest", a whole load of details do get attached to the NEFs.  No sign of any of my contact details, however.  I can do an "Apply Stationary Pad" and this adds the address but if I move on to another image, these details have disappeared again by the time I return.  I can see the message which states that "These files are only saved in the XMP data format".  However, I don't know what this means or what I can do about it, if anything.

Is there  way of doing what I want to do?

Have you checked your IPTC/XMP preferences?  Make sure you have selected to include XMP information (either inside the file or in a sidecar file).

2) I'd like to be able to save a bank of selected keywords (for example, a list of keywords that relate to, say,  "Monument Valley") and then apply that list to a group of images.  I've gone into "Edit Keywords" but all I seem to be able to do is Export or Import the "Master List" not the specific list that I want to append to my "Monument Valley" keywords.   

Is there a way of doing what I want to do?

If I understand you correctly, you simply want to add the same keywords to a bunch of files?  If this is the case, this can simply be done via the IPTC Stationary; simply specify the keywords in the keyword field and apply to the images you want the keywords added to.
Note: if you have already added other keywords to (some) of those files, don't forget to also tick the + check box of the keywords field; this will ensure those new keywords will be added to the existing ones.

I apologise again if my questions seem very basic but what am I going to do?  Most of this stuff is brand new to me.

Thanks for any help that anyone can offer.

Sure hope this helps and never be afraid to ask questions 

Regards,
    Hayo

[gnomus]

Hayo

Many thanks for helping.  The answer to the first question was spot on.  I've changed the preferences and it seems to be saving all the data now. 

Regarding the keywords, I don't think I quite explained what I was trying to do.  Let us say that I visit Monument Valley (to stick with my example) in 2006 and take a whole bunch of photographs.  I come home and spend quite some time coming up with a list of keywords that are appropriate to Monument Valley.  I apply these to my 2006 files. 

Now I go to Monument Valley in 2007 and take another load of photos.  It would be extremely helpful if that list of keywords from 2006 could have been saved in a separate file somewhere so that I could just load that list and apply it to my 2007 photos.  As I get older I could have a whole load of "keyword lists" saved for my Grand Canyon shots, Arches shots etc.

Do you know if there is away of doing that?  Maybe it's so obvious that I can't see the woods for the trees.

Thanks again in anticipation.

Steve

[Kirk Baker]

Steve,

Regarding the keywords, I don't think I quite explained what I was trying to do.  Let us say that I visit Monument Valley (to stick with my example) in 2006 and take a whole bunch of photographs.  I come home and spend quite some time coming up with a list of keywords that are appropriate to Monument Valley.  I apply these to my 2006 files. 

Now I go to Monument Valley in 2007 and take another load of photos.  It would be extremely helpful if that list of keywords from 2006 could have been saved in a separate file somewhere so that I could just load that list and apply it to my 2007 photos.  As I get older I could have a whole load of "keyword lists" saved for my Grand Canyon shots, Arches shots etc.

Do you know if there is away of doing that?  Maybe it's so obvious that I can't see the woods for the trees.

Yes, just open up the IPTC info from one of those 2006 files, then click on the popup menu to the right of the Keywords field.  Then choose Edit Keywords... from the popup menu.  In the bottom left of the Keywords dialog is a "snapshot" button (it has a lightning bolt icon on it.)  Click on the snapshot button.  Choose Save... then give your snapshot a name.  Now you will be able to call up that set of keywords by clicking on the snapshot button when editing your 2007 images.  OK'ing the Keywords dialog after loading that set will apply those keywords to the current image.

If you're going to apply the same set of keywords to a lot of files, then load those keywords into the IPTC Stationery Pad and you can then apply them to the entire selection of images at once.

HTH,

-Kirk

[gnomus]

Kirk

Hey that worked beautifully - exactly what I am after.  Thanks very much.

OK, while I'm on a roll.... I'll throw in a third query:-

I know how to work the "Find" feature when I am in a particular folder.  Is there any way to do a search in subdirectories?    You see, on my hard drive, I have a folder called "Photo and Video".  In that, I have all my images saved in ~30-40 folders that relate to various trips.  It would be nice to be able to do a search of all the subdirectories of "Photo and Video" looking for (lets say) Monument Valley images (again!) and have some sort of "Results Returned" window come up.  Is this possible?

Thanks again for sorting out the two main issues I had.   

   

[Kirk Baker]

Steve,

I know how to work the "Find" feature when I am in a particular folder.  Is there any way to do a search in subdirectories?    You see, on my hard drive, I have a folder called "Photo and Video".  In that, I have all my images saved in ~30-40 folders that relate to various trips.  It would be nice to be able to do a search of all the subdirectories of "Photo and Video" looking for (lets say) Monument Valley images (again!) and have some sort of "Results Returned" window come up.  Is this possible?

Cataloging features are not currently present in Photo Mechanic.  The best I can offer is to open the main folder and its subfolders in a single contact sheet and then do your Find.  If you have tens of thousands of images the performance will not be great.

You can open a folder and its subfolders from the contextual menu in the Navigator and Favorites.

-Kirk