IPTC Captions

[Pan Images]

I recently upgraded to Photo Mechanic V5 from V4.6.9 an a
MacBook Pro with OSX-10.8.1

I have a problem when loading/adding several captions in the IPTC Stationary pad.

In the previous Version 4.6.9 I was able to load/ad several names from pre configured xmp files.
Both names/desriptions remained in the caption and Key Words fields.

However in the new V5, when effectuating the same actions, the second caption replaces the first
even if the key words are added.
(The necessary ad/+ boxes are correctly ticked)
Please see attached images of V5 and 4.6.9.

How can I fix this problem so that the action is the same as the previous version?

Thank you in advance



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Kirk Baker]

I recently upgraded to Photo Mechanic V5 from V4.6.9 an a
MacBook Pro with OSX-10.8.1

I have a problem when loading/adding several captions in the IPTC Stationary pad.

In the previous Version 4.6.9 I was able to load/ad several names from pre configured xmp files.
Both names/desriptions remained in the caption and Key Words fields.

However in the new V5, when effectuating the same actions, the second caption replaces the first
even if the key words are added.
(The necessary ad/+ boxes are correctly ticked)
Please see attached images of V5 and 4.6.9.

How can I fix this problem so that the action is the same as the previous version?

You can't.  It is a change in the behavior of PM 5.

I'll look into why the behavior was changed and find out if it was intentional.

-Kirk

[Pan Images]

Thanks for your response.
Why would it be intentional?
It worked very well in the old version, therefore we would be taking a step back with the new version!
The possibility of adding or replacing captions in V5 exists but does not work.
If it was intentional, the same reaction would be with the key words as well, but this is not the case.
I hope a solution can be found rapidly as it would be a shame to have to still use V4.6.9!
Tks

[Bob Bowen]

Along similar lines. I find that in PM5 I can't read iptc caption info from old pics pre 2005ish. Think it might be since Photoshop CS3 was installed.  Photoshop file info acts the same way. PM4 is fine on another Mac as is my older version of Fotostation. Hope that index application you are working on will cope with older data.

[Kirk Baker]

Along similar lines. I find that in PM5 I can't read iptc caption info from old pics pre 2005ish. Think it might be since Photoshop CS3 was installed.  Photoshop file info acts the same way. PM4 is fine on another Mac as is my older version of Fotostation. Hope that index application you are working on will cope with older data.

Not sure this is related at all to the original post, but I'd really like to see a sample image that PM 5 can't handle.  I think your images only have their metadata in the resource fork of the file which is indeed no longer supported.  You can simply apply an IPTC Stationery Pad (clear out some unused field) with PM 4.6.9 and they'll be updated in a way that will work with all modern applications.

-Kirk

[Bob Bowen]

Hi Kirk

Image from 2002 attached.  In PM4.6.9 full caption and copyright info can be read.  In PM5 fields show as blank.  IN CS on a Mac in OS 10.6 it was OK but in CS3 on intel Mac with 10.7 no good either.

Bob

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[Kirk Baker]

Bob,

Image from 2002 attached.  In PM4.6.9 full caption and copyright info can be read.  In PM5 fields show as blank.  IN CS on a Mac in OS 10.6 it was OK but in CS3 on intel Mac with 10.7 no good either.

That file has IPTC data in it in two places, but neither is formatted the way IPTC is expected to be formatted in a JPEG file.

Your best bet is to follow the instructions I gave you in my previous post.  I think that opening the images up with PM 4.6 and applying a simple IPTC Stationery Pad that clears an unused IPTC field will update the files in such a way that they'll be readable by modern applications.

Please give it a try and let me know how it goes for you.

-Kirk

[jaynerussell]

Also have a couple of IPTC caption issues after the update.
Despite making a new caption and applying it it changes back to a previous caption.
If I look at the i for information in PM I get the old caption. If I open in Photoshop I get an old caption and if I upload to Photoshelter I get some that have the right caption and others that don't.
My second issue is that I work in Hong Kong and want my images to appear in both an English and Chinese search. I can enter the Chinese and it appears in in the caption areas fine. If I open the i for information icon in PM I get some with the Chinese and some with question marks and if I uplad to Photoshelter the Chinese goes(have emailed Photoshelter re that in case.
Help appreciated.
Jayne R

[Hayo Baan]

What are tour iptc/XMP settings? Please post a screenshot. My guess is the cause lies there.

[Bob Bowen]

Thanks for suggestion Kirk but I have 30,000 plus pre 2004 images all with unique caption info that I wish to search through from time to time so an individual update is not realistic.  Think back to 4.6.9 is my best option or to get a new version of Fotostaion.  Old captions were input through Photoshop file info which was a pretty standard way of doing back then. Backward compatibility an issue with new archiving app maybe.
 

[Kirk Baker]

Jayne,

Also have a couple of IPTC caption issues after the update.
Despite making a new caption and applying it it changes back to a previous caption.
If I look at the i for information in PM I get the old caption. If I open in Photoshop I get an old caption and if I upload to Photoshelter I get some that have the right caption and others that don't.
My second issue is that I work in Hong Kong and want my images to appear in both an English and Chinese search. I can enter the Chinese and it appears in in the caption areas fine. If I open the i for information icon in PM I get some with the Chinese and some with question marks and if I uplad to Photoshelter the Chinese goes(have emailed Photoshelter re that in case.

I'd like to see some example files from you that exhibit the problems you describe.  Use the 'Attachments and other options' link when you're composing your reply to this message and there you'll be able to upload your files.

Thanks,

-Kirk

[Kirk Baker]

Thanks for suggestion Kirk but I have 30,000 plus pre 2004 images all with unique caption info that I wish to search through from time to time so an individual update is not realistic.  Think back to 4.6.9 is my best option or to get a new version of Fotostaion.  Old captions were input through Photoshop file info which was a pretty standard way of doing back then. Backward compatibility an issue with new archiving app maybe.

I suggest that you apply an IPTC Stationery Pad in bulk to a large selection of photos and do them in a few batches.  You don't have to update them individually.

-Kirk

[dennis]

Image from 2002 attached.  In PM4.6.9 full caption and copyright info can be read.  In PM5 fields show as blank.  IN CS on a Mac in OS 10.6 it was OK but in CS3 on intel Mac with 10.7 no good either.

Bob,

I looked at the photo you uploaded and it only has Photostation's IPTC metadata in it at the end of file.  This is a proprietary format used by Photostation and isn't supported by PM or Adobe.  It is likely that you were seeing the IPTC metadata in PM 4.6.9 and CS because you are on a Mac and it was finding the old resource fork (ANPA 10000) IPTC data.  Apple has long since deprecated this resource fork information and we have removed support for IPTC resources in PM 5 for a number of reasons (e.g. it would prevent us from creating a 64-bit version of PM unless we wrote our own resource fork parsing code).  Now if you had used PM or Photoshop to enter this IPTC data then it would be stored in the normal location and all would be well.  But this photo in particular only has Photostation's IPTC metadata in the data fork and therefore unrecognizable by other applications other than the resource fork (which CS3 doesn't support either apparently).

We have no plans at the moment to read Photostation's proprietary format (although it is technically possible), and we have no plans to write our own resource fork parsing.  So, your best option is to use PM 4.6.9 and create an IPTC Stationery Pad with some unused field (e.g. supp cat) filled with a dummy value (e.g. "from resource fork") and checked.  Then you can do batch copies of your files and apply this IPTC Stationery Pad during the copy.  PM 4.6.9 will read the resource fork IPTC and add this single field and then you will have a copy of your photo with the IPTC and XMP correctly filled out in the data fork.

FORGOT TO MENTION: make sure your IPTC/XMP preferences are set to also write IPTC in addition to XMP.

HTH!

--dennis

[Bob Bowen]

Thanks for the detailed reply Dennis.  To clarify the caption information was entered in Photoshop 6 and CS  in the file info fields. Fotostation was only ever used as a database to archive images and search as required.  CS working under Snow Leopard would recognise all captions as would PM4.6.9.  CS support stopped with Lion and then CS3 would not read as does PM5.  Odd thing is Photoshop Elements 10 and 11 will read captions. I have yet to try CS6 when I can trial to work.

Batch processing in the long winter nights looms I think.