Catalogs How do I Import Mac Face Tages as LRC people keywords

[bill.fischer5]

Lightroom Version Number

10.2

Operating System

I am preparing to import all my Mac photos into LRC. I have a lot of faces identified in Apples Face Tags.
Is there an app to convert Mac face tag names to Keywords? Mac does not export face names. I need to make them keywords so i can export them to be imported into LRC

 

[johnbeardy]

I would have thought an Applescript could copy face names to keywords. A quick search didn't reveal any, but I'd suggest investigating this approach. The last post here seems promising.

 

[bill.fischer5]

I would have thought an Applescript could copy face names to keywords. A quick search didn't reveal any, but I'd suggest investigating this approach. The last post here seems promising.

I would have thought an Applescript could copy face names to keywords. A quick search didn't reveal any, but I'd suggest investigating this approach. The lastpost here seems promising.

Do you think this script would work in the new photos on Mojave 10.14.6. I think the file container structure may be different from iPhoto. I know nothing aboiut using scripts.

 

[johnbeardy]

It might, maybe with adaptation, Bill, but I mention it as you might search around for something along those lines. I wouldn't be surprised if someone has written a script that you might use. Maybe try asking in an Applescript forum?

 

[John R Ellis]

Mac does not export face names.

Mac Photos can indeed export face names as keywords that can be read by LR. In Photos, do File > Export > Export Unmodified Original, selecting the option Export IPTC as XMP. That will create a .xmp sidecar that will contain the face-name keywords in the standard field XMP:Subject.

For raws, LR will recognize the .xmp sidecar and import the keywords from it.

But for non-raws (e.g. JPEG), LR won't read the .xmp sidecar. (It expects to find XMP metadata in industry-standard locations in the files themselves.) You'll have to use the free Exiftool utility to copy the keywords, title, caption, and capture date from the .xmp sidecar into the JPEG. The documentation has lots of examples that should get you started.

 

[John R Ellis]

Also, note that even though there is an industry standard for storing face rectangles and associating them with face names, Photos doesn't implement that when generating the .xmp sidecars. So you can get the face names as keywords (which is what you asked), but you can't use Export to also get the face rectangles (which you didn't ask).

 

[bill.fischer5]

Also, note that even though there is an industry standard for storing face rectangles and associating them with face names, Photos doesn't implement that when generating the .xmp sidecars. So you can get the face names as keywords (which is what you asked), but you can't use Export to also get the face rectangles (which you didn't ask).

John: Thank you for all your work on my question. This is a major boost for my photo reorganization project which is overwhelming. I will explore your suggestions. Do you think I should still look for apple script that might preserve apple adjustments such as cropping, markup, photos taken in apple portrait portrait mode. These do not come across when exporting Unmodified. I have a large number of these.

 

[John R Ellis]

I don't know much about potential Applescripts. But one way to preserve both adjustments and face keywords is to export File > Export the photos (with adjustments), using the File Name: Use File Name option. Then export again with File > Export Original into another folder, with the .xmp sidecars. Use Finder to move the .xmp sidecars into the first folder (that includes the adjusted photos), and then use Exiftool to copy metadata from the .xmp sidecars into the adjusted photos.

It's too bad that Apple doesn't care much about these issues. For migrating from Mac Aperture, a number of people have said that the Avalanche app does a great job (much better than the plugin-in built-in to LR). The Avalanche developers have said that migration from Mac Photos is "coming soon" for at least the last 6-9 months :-<

 

[bill.fischer5]

I don't know much about potential Applescripts. But one way to preserve both adjustments and face keywords is to export File > Export the photos (with adjustments), using the File Name: Use File Name option. Then export again with File > Export Original into another folder, with the .xmp sidecars. Use Finder to move the .xmp sidecars into the first folder (that includes the adjusted photos), and then use Exiftool to copy metadata from the .xmp sidecars into the adjusted photos.

It's too bad that Apple doesn't care much about these issues. For migrating from Mac Aperture, a number of people have said that the Avalanche app does a great job (much better than the plugin-in built-in to LR). The Avalanche developers have said that migration from Mac Photos is "coming soon" for at least the last 6-9 months :-<

Thank you again John: I was thinking that the two exports might work. Also I have done years of work in Aperture and the info for that conversion in invaluable. Would it be useful to iport the Mac Photos into Aperture and then use Avalanche app to go to LRC?

 

[John R Ellis]

Would it be useful to iport the Mac Photos into Aperture and then use Avalanche app to go to LRC?

Could be worth a try, if you don't mind paying for Avalanche.

 

[bill.fischer5]

Could be worth a try, if you don't mind paying for Avalanche.

thank you John. I will look into Avalanche. All this is new to me.

 

[johnbeardy]

This post Export Photos - Faces - Apple Community shows how others are looking for solutions to the same problem. So I wouldn't be surprised if someone has already created an ideal solution.

Anyway, once you export files with these faces as keywords, you would import into LR both the originals and these face-keyworded files. Assuming they have names that match, you can then use my Syncomatic plugin to copy the keywords to the originals, then delete the face-keyworded files. You can test this on 10 files at a time.

 

[John R Ellis]

you would import into LR both the originals and these face-keyworded files. Assuming they have names that match, you can then use my Syncomatic plugin to copy the keywords to the originals

That would work great for photos whose originals are raws but not for originals that are non-raws (JPEGs, etc.). For such originals, Photos also exports the metadata in .xmp sidecars, which LR won't read.