Juerg,
The main issue is that you're trying to use two programs (Capture NX2 and Bridge/ACR) that don't handle metadata in the same way. CNX2 only works with embedded XMP and completely ignores XMP sidecar files and moreover needs to have the IPTC Urgency field be re-purposed for the use of color labels. Adobe's apps have various issues when embedded XMP is present and won't update embedded XMP, thus things can get out of sync and do not have the ability to synchronize the label index (no Indexes for Label exist in Adobe's apps!) with the IPTC Urgency field.
So, what are your saying? That my settings as they are are the best and should stay like that?
What I'm saying is that it is difficult to have your cake and eat it too. You could take PM completely out of the picture and just use CNX2 and Adobe applications together and have all sorts of problems.
No, one of the reasons I use PM is because neiter the Capture nor Adobe applications work well for me ... PM does (just wished the two other companies would ask you guys how to do things right). Anyway, what do I need to change. I don't want to screw up more. And if I have to go back and reset color class, ratings, orientation in the OLD files already screwed up, so I will (sometime). I don't want to screw up the at the moment correct ones. And from now on forward, I need a setting that works best (albeit, probably not perfect).
What I'm trying to say is that although PM is extremely flexible in regards to how metadata is handled, there is no one configuration that will make all applications cooperate together perfectly, especially CNX2 and Adobe's apps.
Taking the "General" Tab:
What do I need to change there?
- Changing color labels from descriptiv back to actuall collors (ie "FinalEdit_Originals" to "Green" and so on)?
- Unckeck the 'Synchronize Color Class with IPTC/XMP Urgency field' checkbox? (But then you said NX needs that ... I think based on a previous discussion we had here http://forums.camerabits.com/index.php?topic=3601.msg16256#msg16256 is why the options in both the "General" and "IPTC/XMP" tabs were set as they are).
And in the "IPTC/XMP" tab:
What do I need to change there?
Please note that there is no way around using NX or CS5, but, as I did for a while until I got a Canon camera, I can start NOT using Bridge again. I believe that where things really get messed up. So setting should be for maximum copadibility and data safety (synchronization).
You'll probably have to experiment with settings until you get it right. I suggest temporarily making the changes I described earlier, then do some kind of metadata update, like applying an IPTC Stationery Pad that clears out an unused field. This will then update all available metadata (XMP sidecar, embedded XMP, and embedded IPTC). Then go back to your old settings. You may need to turn on the Synchronize color class/IPTC Urgency checkbox and do this updating operation one last time. If you had PM 4.6.x you would have a snapshot button in the IPTC/XMP settings that you could use to quickly toggle settings. Instead you should just screen grab the settings so you can refer to them and make the changes manually.
To get all of the Color Classes realigned, you'll have to experiment with the label names so that they sync up again, do a metadata update then set them back one last time and then restore your preferred label names and do a metadata update again.
Means that the files I sent are from a folder that contains also files that are correct, but were edited at the same time as the files that are wrong.
Honestly, I have no idea. Unless you gave me every single photo in this folder and I had the time to analyze each and every one of them, I couldn't give you a definite answer.
Well, that's out of question ... unless I upload files for a couple of days ... and you find time to look at them all individually.
But as I said, all the files that are already screwed up I am gonna correct again.
Your files are not 'screwed up'. The data is there for the most part (with the exception of PM's end of file image prefs which appear to be missing which is OK since the same data is duplicated in IPTC/XMP), and the real issue is which order you tell PM to load the metadata.
IMPORTANT for me now is how to set preferences in the "General" and "IPTC/XMP" Tabs to not screw up more and still can use CaptureNX, ViewNX, CS5 and (if possible in any way) Bridge (if you say it's not possible with Bridge included, I skip Bridge, but the others I need to work with) without screwing up the files that are currently correct.
The issue really depends on what you do in each of the apps. If you change IPTC Urgency in any Adobe app, then it won't also change the Color Class. If you change the Color Label in any Adobe app then it won't updated the IPTC Urgency field. Also no Adobe app will update the embedded IPTC or embedded XMP. Conversely, Capture NX2 won't update XMP sidecar files.
So if you stay away from making any metadata changes in both apps and rely on PM for that task, that would be best. When you do make adjustments in CNX2 it would be worthwhile to do some sort of metadata update (like clearing out an unused IPTC field with the IPTC Stationery Pad) to get all of the metadata synchronized again.
And, do you think that some of the issues would be helped by updating from version 4.5.4 to the current 4.6.7? I wanted to wait for the next major release, but if you say it IS important to update, I will do (of course I now I missed the special update deal you had earlier this year 
)
It would make switching between settings easier. The deal we offered earlier wouldn't have been the right deal for you since you really want our next major version anyway. It was a license for the current version that did not include an upgrade path to the next major version. That's why it was less expensive.
-Kirk
