[X4U] Tiger, iPhoto and Metadata

[Andrew T. Lynch]

Hi Pete,
    I have been attempting to get my keywords and albums into and out of 
iPhoto for some time now.  I found that using perl to parse the 
AlbumData.xml file works for extracting.  I have also found that using 
applescript is not feasible.  I have almost 25,000 images in iPhoto, 
and using applescript to do anything is pathetically slow.  I tried to 
run an applescript keyword extractor to dump out all the keywords, and 
calculated that it would take 15 hours to run.

  Adding keywords with applescript is another issue.  I know it can be 
done, but it is not straighforward.  Not only do you need to add the 
keyword to the photo, but you need to be sure that the keyword exists 
in the keyword list as well.

   What I am trying to do is split my library into smaller libraries and 
preserve the keyword and album data. I have seen many suggestions which 
have you copy the entire library, then delete the portion you do not 
want in the new library.  This makes me very nervous as the 
AlbumData.xml in the new library still points to the photos in the old 
library, and I am concerned that the deletes may occur in the wrong 
library.  It may work to rebuild the library after the copy, and before 
the deletes, but I'm not sure I trust this either.

   I have also seen applescripts which use third party tools to read and 
write the keyword data into the iptc fields in the images, but I have 
not been able to get any of them to work.  I think they were written 
for an earlier version of iPhoto.


   I really like iPhoto, and iPhoto 5 (and a new fast Mac) has given 
what I need to switch from iView MediaPro to iPhoto,  but I would 
really like the ability to export and import the proprietary iPhoto 
information.

Cheers
   Drew

On Apr 15, 2005, at 7:49 AM, Pete Zimowski wrote:

> OK you brainiacs!
>
> As I was poking deeper into iPhoto (5, specifically) than I had ever 
> before in anticipation of "presenting" it to our local user group 
> (MMOOS - Maine Macintosh Owners & Operators Society), I made the 
> following discovery:
>
> iPhoto 5 (and, I presume all others before it) does not and cannot 
> edit metadata embedded in the image from the digital camera.  It 
> certainly does display some of the EXIF data, but there's no way to 
> examine or edit IPTC data or keywords or comments.
>
> But wait, you say, there are keywords and comments capabilities in 
> iPhoto.  Yes, but they are "proprietary" keywords and comments to 
> iPhoto, and stored not in the photo but in the "AlbumData.xml" file 
> within the iPhoto Library folder.  This would not be an issue with 
> casual consumers, I would think, unless they "graduated" to Photoshop 
> Elements or higher and discover that all their organization schemes in 
> iPhoto won't carry over.
>
> I know that there are AppleScript packages out there that attempt to 
> handle the task of adding the iPhoto keywords and comments to the 
> appropriate metadata tags.  I have used a couple and found them to be 
> "quirky" at best.  Has anyone found any that work?
>
> Secondly, can anyone using Tiger tell me (off-list if need be) whether 
> or not this "shortcoming" is addressed in 10.4?  With all the apps 
> getting embedded Spotlight, perhaps iPhoto will change its tune and go 
> to actually editing metadata, so that there would be a seamless 
> crossover of capabilities with File Browser (soon to be "Bridge"), and 
> any other tool that actually used metadata.
>
> If the incongruity is not addressed in Tiger, seems to me there would 
> be an opportunity for a commercial (shareware at the least) 
> application that would contain AppleScripting to "convert" iPhoto data 
> into real metadata.
>
> Any thoughts, oh wise ones?
>
> Pete Zimowski
> macmaineiac.com
>
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- Andrew T. Lynch
- Chief Zymurgist
- Verisity Design Inc.
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