Can I filter for this in the LR Catalog?

[clee01l]

My EXIF metadata contains a field called Subject Distance Range. I would like to filter on this field to find all files with a certain parameter (Macro). Can I do this in LR?

It is not an option in the metadata Dropdown list and using the Text search selection "Any Searchable data" does not yield the results I want.

Also in the EXIF Mfg Notes section, I have fields that indicate if image stabilization was active and also fields to indicate the status of Dynamic Range Expansion and Noise Reduction. Is there anyway I can get to these in Lightroom?

 

[Denis Pagé]

As you noticed, it is in the Mfg Notes section of the exif section. As this is not standardized across manufacturers, Lightroom can't count on it...

 

[Mark Sirota]

There's no way to do this within Lightroom today, though you could use a third-party tool like Exiftool to copy these into a standardized metadata field that Lightroom can read.

 

[johnbeardy]

You can use my Search and Replace plug-in to copy the subject distance data to a field which you can search.

 

[Mark Sirota]

Sorry I forgot about that John!

 

[johnbeardy]

I had to check!

 

[clee01l]

You can use my Search and Replace plug-in to copy the subject distance data to a field which you can search.

I installed your plugin and after a false start got it to work. Using the <Transfer> tab, If I select Copy From : = "SubjectDistance" , the Results : field remains null.
When I select any other field from the dropdown list, the Results : field gets populated. If I then change the Copy From : back to "SubjectDistance" The value in the results field does not change but remains what it was before.

Using PhotoMe to peer into my image files, I find in the Camera Section a field named Subject distance range (Tag ID: A4'C). This is the field that I want. I do not find a field named SubjectDistance. Is this supposed to be Tag ID:92'6 which is not present in my file? Where do you get the Option values for the DropDown list? Could it be expanded to include other tags like A4'C?

 

[johnbeardy]

It will all depend whether Lightroom can read the SubjectDistance. If it is shown in Metadata's Exif view, then the plug-in's Results field would show it, and the plug-in should copy it to where you want, and you'd then be able to search on it.

Subjectdistance is simply Adobe's code for the field and I presume it is pointed at this tag, conceivably at more than one tag (if data is here, then use it, or else try this tag). But it sounds like your camera has put the information in a place / format which Adobe don't read. That could be because Adobe haven't worked hard enough on doing so, but could also be because the camera maker has made it hard (they are continually changing how they do such details and breaking whatever rules and standards exist). Not sure where / how is the best way to get Adobe to say which

A couple of us have unreleased plug-ins which automate Exiftool which can usually read the info. Its developer and his enthusiasts are much more focussed on this than Adobe, partly because of their dedication to the tool, but also because they can do stuff that Adobe find hard (eg read encrypted or obscured fields without fear of lawsuits). Sadly, while a plug-in can send commands to Exiftool, getting it back into LR is tough - LR's programming interface, the SDK, only tells you if the command worked, not what Exiftool found. We have a solution in mind - making Exiftool generate a temporary text file and reading that - but haven't yet tried it.

The only other way you're going to get that information into a searchable LR field is by generating a text file. Maybe PhotoMe can do it? Exiftool can. The LRTransporter plug-in can then import data and place it in an existing field.

John

 

[Mark Sirota]

Ah, I see. There is an EXIF tag called SubjectDistance, but many cameras (my Nikons among them) don't populate the field, or only do so for JPEGs. Instead, they store the same information in the MakerNotes section. What we're hoping for is a way to copy it out of MakerNotes and into the standardized tag.

Too bad there's no Import filters, like Export filters... Could just run Exiftool on all files on import to rearrange the tags as I'd like. I'm gonna file that in a moment...

 

[clee01l]

Ah, I see. There is an EXIF tag called SubjectDistance, but many cameras (my Nikons among them) don't populate the field, or only do so for JPEGs. Instead, they store the same information in the MakerNotes section. What we're hoping for is a way to copy it out of MakerNotes and into the standardized tag.

Too bad there's no Import filters, like Export filters... Could just run Exiftool on all files on import to rearrange the tags as I'd like. I'm gonna file that in a moment...

Actually according to the EXIF (2.1?) spec, there are two fields:
SubjectDistance (92'6) and SubjectDistanceRange (A4'C) Subject Distance is defined in meters and SubjectDistanceRange is defined as a short int value that translates to macro, near, mid and far etc. MakerNotes is a separate (larger) field: 927C
It might be too much to expect Adobe to decode the maker notes, but it seems reasonable to expect all of the EXIF tags to be available.