Can I import star ratings from PM into iPhoto?

[rjp]

Is there any way to have PM star ratings imported into iPhoto?

I see the EXIF data and comments made it in, but no stars.

[Kirk Baker]

Is there any way to have PM star ratings imported into iPhoto?

I see the EXIF data and comments made it in, but no stars.

We write out the star ratings in the XMP data just like Adobe does.  If it isn't working for you then I expect that iPhoto does not work with XMP metadata.

-Kirk

[rjp]

Is there any way to have PM star ratings imported into iPhoto?

I see the EXIF data and comments made it in, but no stars.

We write out the star ratings in the XMP data just like Adobe does.  If it isn't working for you then I expect that iPhoto does not work with XMP metadata.

-Kirk

Yes, perhaps iPhoto uses an alternate method to convey star ratings.

Given the fact that many PM users are on macs and iPhoto is also on every mac, is there a possibility you may produce an iPhoto compatible version of PM in a future release?

Thanks,
Rich

[Kirk Baker]

Rich,

Is there any way to have PM star ratings imported into iPhoto?

I see the EXIF data and comments made it in, but no stars.

We write out the star ratings in the XMP data just like Adobe does.  If it isn't working for you then I expect that iPhoto does not work with XMP metadata.

Yes, perhaps iPhoto uses an alternate method to convey star ratings.

Given the fact that many PM users are on macs and iPhoto is also on every mac, is there a possibility you may produce an iPhoto compatible version of PM in a future release?

Apple does not publish how they store their star ratings.  I think they keep them in an internal database so it would be impossible for us to transfer our star ratings (XMP-based standard) into their database.

A better approach would be to request that Apple adopt XMP ratings and labels and use them in iPhoto.  Apple does this for Aperture.  Perhaps they see this sort of cross-application support as a Pro-only feature.

What is in iPhoto that you feel a need to use it at all?

-Kirk

[rjp]

Rich,

Is there any way to have PM star ratings imported into iPhoto?

I see the EXIF data and comments made it in, but no stars.

We write out the star ratings in the XMP data just like Adobe does.  If it isn't working for you then I expect that iPhoto does not work with XMP metadata.

Yes, perhaps iPhoto uses an alternate method to convey star ratings.

Given the fact that many PM users are on macs and iPhoto is also on every mac, is there a possibility you may produce an iPhoto compatible version of PM in a future release?

Apple does not publish how they store their star ratings.  I think they keep them in an internal database so it would be impossible for us to transfer our star ratings (XMP-based standard) into their database.

A better approach would be to request that Apple adopt XMP ratings and labels and use them in iPhoto.  Apple does this for Aperture.  Perhaps they see this sort of cross-application support as a Pro-only feature.

What is in iPhoto that you feel a need to use it at all?

-Kirk

I use iPhoto only to store my finished JPEG results after processing NEFs with a combination of PM and NX2.

To my mind, I can't imagine a better photo browser on the mac than iPhoto. It is simple, intuitive, robust, and fast.

In addition, it is everywhere present, since Apple gives it away with every mac as part of the integrated iLife package, which makes it a "standard" that can not be ignored.

I also own Aperture2 and Lightroom2, but I do not find these as suitable when all I want to do is just browse through a year's worth of photos with friends at the table. One feature I like best about iPhoto is how it shows the contents of each event with a simple mouse-over.

I assume you must have tried it, but your question makes me think you may believe iPhoto is not that relevant in the photography world. Is this just because it's not "pro level"? Since you are obviously an expert in this area, I would like to hear more. Are there browsers you like better? Are you recommending viewing directly from PM?

[Kirk Baker]

Rich,

Is there any way to have PM star ratings imported into iPhoto?

I see the EXIF data and comments made it in, but no stars.

We write out the star ratings in the XMP data just like Adobe does.  If it isn't working for you then I expect that iPhoto does not work with XMP metadata.

Yes, perhaps iPhoto uses an alternate method to convey star ratings.

Given the fact that many PM users are on macs and iPhoto is also on every mac, is there a possibility you may produce an iPhoto compatible version of PM in a future release?

Apple does not publish how they store their star ratings.  I think they keep them in an internal database so it would be impossible for us to transfer our star ratings (XMP-based standard) into their database.

A better approach would be to request that Apple adopt XMP ratings and labels and use them in iPhoto.  Apple does this for Aperture.  Perhaps they see this sort of cross-application support as a Pro-only feature.

What is in iPhoto that you feel a need to use it at all?

-Kirk

I use iPhoto only to store my finished JPEG results after processing NEFs with a combination of PM and NX2.

To my mind, I can't imagine a better photo browser on the mac than iPhoto. It is simple, intuitive, robust, and fast.

In addition, it is everywhere present, since Apple gives it away with every mac as part of the integrated iLife package, which makes it a "standard" that can not be ignored.

I also own Aperture2 and Lightroom2, but I do not find these as suitable when all I want to do is just browse through a year's worth of photos with friends at the table. One feature I like best about iPhoto is how it shows the contents of each event with a simple mouse-over.

I assume you must have tried it, but your question makes me think you may believe iPhoto is not that relevant in the photography world. Is this just because it's not "pro level"? Since you are obviously an expert in this area, I would like to hear more. Are there browsers you like better? Are you recommending viewing directly from PM?

I like no photo browser more than Photo Mechanic, but I am definitely biased.  My Mac does have iPhoto but I haven't used it in years.  My opinion of the product does not matter (and I definitely don't have a bad opinion of it, by the way.)  If our users request a feature that is implementable and would be useful to a number of users then we implement it.  As for your request, I just see no way to give you what you're asking for.  iPhoto is a fairly closed-system.  From what I can tell, iPhoto uses a proprietary database which we would not be willing to reverse-engineer.  If Apple were to open it up a bit then we'd be happy to do what is necessary to add support for ratings transfer.

-Kirk

[rjp]

Thanks Kirk,

I have no doubt you guys could implement whatever you set your minds too. As far as the business case, I guess that depends if you view iPhoto as a competitor. I did not think of it that way.

Clearly iPhoto is the most popular photo browser on the mac, but it is probably not used much by pros. Clearly Photo Mechanic is designed for pros, so you might say there is not much overlap, but I suspect things are changing.

The recent influx of inexpensive DSLRs (like the Nikon D40 and Cannon XSi) has been very successful, and has introduced an entire new generation of users to the world of home photography post processing and RAW. Many, many of these people have macs, and all of these have iPhoto.

It has been my experience that no other RAW converter does as good a job as NX with NEFs, and I think PM is the best possible way to interface with NX, and also provides the very valuable concept of variables and endless customization, all of which iPhoto does not. But so far I don't find PM to be as good for browsing through a photo database for casual viewing after the work is all done.

I think iPhoto is the leader in this regard possibly because of its GUI with simple mouse-over and smart folders. So from this perspective it seems to make good sense for you guys to either add similar browser features to PM, or try to be iPhoto friendly.  Apple's library is pretty easy to figure out. Why would you not want to reverse engineer it and add an "export to iPhoto" option? Maybe it's not legal? I really don't know about that stuff.