Keywording from Folder Name

  • Thread starter Thread starter tngilbert1s
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

tngilbert1s

Guest
So here is the mix/match of what I have in the olden days of Picasa I just created a folder like "Alice's First Day".

So my structure has a mix of raw folders like that and ones that are organized by date so photos could have:

Photos/Alices First Day
or
Photos/2''8/August 3'
or
Photos/2''8/'8/3'/

I want everything in the latter date format.

That would be easy - I could just delete my catalog - start over and import everything with that hierarchy right? All I would have to do is buy a extra 1TB drive for the switch.

The problem is that I want to retain my old use of "metadata" of the folders names.

In Lightroom (or a 3rd party app) is there a way I can apply IPTC keywords for the folder name that the file resides in?

I could then auto-tag all of these files and do the import.

I should mention this is around 44,''' images - about half of which would need the folder keyword names applied.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I should mention I planned to do this with a utility called "A Better Finder Renamer" and just rename the files to include the parent folder name.

The problem with this - is I would like Lightroom to snoop out duplicate files on import - and it wouldn’t pick up on it if they had different filenames.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
tngilbert1s;4'1'' said:
That would be easy - I could just delete my catalog - start over and import everything with that hierarchy right? All I would have to do is buy a extra 1TB drive for the switch.
Click to expand...

I don't know how to rename the folders the way you want, but I do know that deleting your catalog, starting over and re-importing everything is almost never a good idea.

Lightroom often forces people to change old ways of thinking to make the maximum use of Lightroom's prodigious capabilities.

One possible method of making use of Lightroom tools to help organize your photos better is to simply stop using Windows or Mac folders as your organizing method. Keywords and other metadata are much more powerful. I have made the switch in my mind, I no longer care what the folder names are, or what folder a particular photo is in, because I use keywords and other metadata in Lightroom to find my photos.

Sounds like you already have keywords on your photos. The extra work you envision renaming folders can be replaced by the simple thought that from this day forward, you will find your photos using keywords and other metadata in Lightroom, not in folders.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
While I mostly agree with your sentiment - I still want to be able to compile these so I know where my own files are.

This would let me keep stuff from certain years on Drive B - and the current year on Drive A easily.

Really - I don't like how lightroom's own file-structure only lets you throw photos into actual dates to the day.

I would much rather have a YYYY/MM format than YYYY/MM/DD format.

Does anyone else know if this is possible?

In short I want the images to be keyworded with their parent folder names automatically.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Should also note that this is just a one time measure - they don't always have to be keyworded with it automatically - just in order to get my library in shape.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
It's not how many images, but how many folders.
Clearly it's easy enough to choose a folder, select all, and add the folder specific keyword to all. (For a couple of folders, maybe even dozens or a hundred)

From a quick look at the docs for Phil Harvey's freeware Exiftool, it seems as if you can more or less do what you want. I generally use Exiftool as an inspection tool, and not to modify, so I'm not positive about that, and I'll yield to those with more Exiftool experience. Clearly, even then, you'll have to deal with the whole path name, and not just the 'significant' folder name portion.

BTW, glad to have you with us here at the forums, welcome.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I wish Lightroom had something like "Re-Structure Current Library Hierarchy".

Then I could just go through this easily. Presently I am removing the folder from Lightroom - re-importing to the new location (auto by date) and then deleting the old location of the photos.

I tried to do this with "Big Mean Folder Machine" but then the XMP sidecar wasn’t moving with the photos to the new hierarchy as it was pulling from EXIF capture date.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I am skeptical that Exiftool can modify folder names. My understanding was that Exiftool modified data in the photo files or .xmp files, not general operating system data.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dj_paige;4'137 said:
I am skeptical that Exiftool can modify folder names. My understanding was that Exiftool modified data in the photo files or .xmp files, not general operating system data.
Click to expand...

I don't want to modify the folder names - only the IPTC keywords.

This may just work - however the UI for the tool might just scare me off.

I am afraid I will just need to go through my 2''ish folders and select all - apply the keyword.

After all of that is done - I will start a new catalog - import everything to a new location and let lightroom do the folder hierarchy.

Does anyone else recommend alternatives?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
tngilbert1s;4'136 said:
Presently I am removing the folder from Lightroom - re-importing to the new location (auto by date) and then deleting the old location of the photos.
Click to expand...

The drawback to this is that you lose your edit history.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dj_paige;4'139 said:
The drawback to this is that you lose your edit history.
Click to expand...

That isn't kept in the XMP sidecar? WTH is the sidecar for then? Don't keywords get tagged in IPTC metadata anyway (so I could bring a photo into photoshop or aperture and still retain it)?

If this is the case and XMP files are essentially useless - I suppose my Folder Machine workflow would work. I loose all develop settings though?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You don’t lose your develop settings. What you lose is the history (sequence) of your edits. For example, Lightroom maintains in its database (but not in .xmp files) that you first adjusted the color blue/yellow by +1'', then you adjusted the exposure by +'.25 and then you adjust the blacks by +2, and then you adjusted the exposure again by –'.'8 so your exposure is now +'.17. The .xmp files only contain the final settings (exposure +'.17) but not your sequence of edits.

You may or may not lose your IPTC information by re-importing. It depends on whether or not you chose to have Lightroom write this info to the .xmp file in the first place. (If you didn't turn this option on ... well, that’s why I said it is almost never a good idea to reimport)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top