Adobe Bridge - keyword: I decided to check this out for photo organizing (not editing). I am surprised to find that each different organizing program (app) uses a different location...

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

I decided to check this out for photo organizing (not editing). I am surprised to find that each different organizing program (app) uses a different location for saving keywords. What is saved by one is not use able by another. Has anyone found a "universal" way to attach keywords? Can it be appended to the EXIF data, and if so, will other programs "see" and use it?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Jeffrey's Image Metadata Viewer will display keywords that are set in Windows Explorer TAGS field.
Now someone needs to experiment to see if cataloger(s) will import/utilize the metadata TAGS field.
If various catalogers do utilize the field, the "common place" would be the image metadata TAGS field.
(I don't use catalogers.)
I cannot offer any info on Apple software...

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Addendum - Elements 2014 and 2019 editors can display the image "TAGS" metadata, it calls them keywords.
So I would anticipate that Elements cataloger should be able to do that also.

Update - Canon's DPP will display the keywords in the metadata TAGS field also.

Update - Canon's Image Browser EX will search using the TAGS metadata.

Looking more like the image metadata TAGS field could be the common denominator, and it travels with the image.

captivecookie Loc: Washington state

Regular photoshop has a file info button where you can put key words. I've used this on stock stuff and the words are still there in at least three cases.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

captivecookie wrote:

Regular photoshop has a file info button where you can put key words. I've used this on stock stuff and the words are still there in at least three cases.

Are the keywords put in via Photoshop only available when Photoshop is used?
Or is the image metadata modified.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Addendum - Canon's Zoom Browser EX does not utilize the metadata TAGS field or the COMMENTS field.
It appears that Zoom Browser's "keywords" and "comments" exist only in the Zoom Browser cataloger.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

With photos exported from Lightroom with keywords, viewing them in IrfanView and pressing "I" (Information) gives you a dialog that you can use to view the EXIF and IPTC data. The keywords are seen in the IPTC page under "Keywords/Categories".

Jeffrey's EXIF Viewer (http://exif.regex.info/exif.cgi) will list LR exported image keywords under "Basic Image Information/Keywords".

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

DirtFarmer wrote:

With photos exported from Lightroom with keywords, viewing them in IrfanView and pressing "I" (Information) gives you a dialog that you can use to view the EXIF and IPTC data. The keywords are seen in the IPTC page under "Keywords/Categories".

Jeffrey's EXIF Viewer (http://exif.regex.info/exif.cgi) will list LR exported image keywords under "Basic Image Information/Keywords".

So adding keywords in Lightroom, they get added to the image metadata (EXIF) information? Maybe in the TAGS field?

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Longshadow wrote:

So adding keywords in Lightroom, they get added to the image metadata (EXIF) information?

They are added to the metadata of the exported image. The image I tried it on came from a .nef file imported into LR. Looking at the .nef file with Explorer/Properties/Detail tab does not show any tags because the camera did not place tags on the raw data. So the tags are in the catalog and when a jpg is exported, the tags are added.

I have very few jpgs that I import into LR, and I haven't tried it yet on one of those. Will have to search for a candidate.

Found a jpeg from my phone in LR. Added a tag with Explorer. Got a message in LR that the metadata had been changed by another program. On accepting the change from the disk, the explorer tag was seen in LR.

When I then deleted the test tag in LR, went back to Explorer/Properties/Details and the tag was gone.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

DirtFarmer wrote:

They are added to the metadata of the exported image. The image I tried it on came from a .nef file imported into LR. Looking at the .nef file with Explorer/Properties/Detail tab does not show any tags because the camera did not place tags on the raw data. So the tags are in the catalog and when a jpg is exported, the tags are added.

I have very few jpgs that I import into LR, and I haven't tried it yet on one of those. Will have to search for a candidate.

Windows Explorer will not allow editing of "image" information for a .CR2 file. The fields are not displayed/available in Explorer. I suppose it's not an "official" image according to Explorer....
Same with the .NEF maybe? Both are RAW files.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

DirtFarmer wrote:

They are added to the metadata of the exported ima... (show quote)

It appears that it does modify the image metadata then.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Longshadow wrote:

Windows Explorer will not allow editing of "image" information for a .CR2 file. The fields are not displayed/available in Explorer. I suppose it's not an "official" image according to Explorer....
Same with the .NEF maybe? Both are RAW files.

Same with .nef files.

So raw files are recognized by Windows as something that can't be edited. And I wouldn't expect that a raw file imported into LR to have keywords pre-applied (other than by the LR import process) because the camera doesn't have a mechanism to add keywords.

The keywords I see in IrfanView are on jpg files exported by LR and the keywords come from the LR catalog although Windows Explorer can modify them. If they came from a jpg and are modified by Windows, LR recognizes that and wants you to either accept the external modification or restore the LR version of the metadata.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

DirtFarmer wrote:

Same with .nef files.

Well, technically they are more "data" files than "image" files.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

PHRubin wrote:

I decided to check this out for photo organizing (not editing). I am surprised to find that each different organizing program (app) uses a different location for saving keywords. What is saved by one is not use able by another. Has anyone found a "universal" way to attach keywords? Can it be appended to the EXIF data, and if so, will other programs "see" and use it?

I can tell you this: When I have uploaded photos to Adobe Stock which were keyworded with Lightroom Classic, Adobe Stock preloads my photos keywords into the keyword list. So, it's obviously reading them from somewhere in the uploaded JPG file.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

DWU2 wrote:

I can tell you this: When I have uploaded photos to Adobe Stock which were keyworded with Lightroom Classic, Adobe Stock preloads my photos keywords into the keyword list. So, it's obviously reading them from somewhere in the uploaded JPG file.

Yup, we seem to have ascertained the fact that Lightroom modifies the JPEG metadata.