Author Topic: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)  (Read 7830 times)

Birna Rørslett

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #15 on: May 25, 2021, 07:52:59 »
What if any software can edit EXIF data in NEF(s)? I have a few NEF(s) with incorrect copy right dates that I would like to correct. "

EXIFTool can easily correct dates. Or almost anything else, for that matter.

David H. Hartman

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #16 on: May 25, 2021, 07:54:05 »
Thanks!
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Birna Rørslett

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #17 on: May 25, 2021, 10:11:41 »
At this stage it is prudent to remind that the DB should just be a back-bone of the DAM, thus one requires a suitable frontend. This frontend would allow the user to interact with the actual files thus these need not be accessed through the OS finder/file manager(s).

HCS

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #18 on: May 25, 2021, 10:44:09 »
...but which one?

I'm a fan of and use Photo Supreme. it seems overly simplified at first, but i can cater to almost any need in the cataloguing department and (to me) the UI is not getting in the way.

I'm using the PostgrSQL version by the way (now on Win, previously on Mac). It stores and handles more than just image files, also video, text, etc.

I currently have about 225K files catalogued in it and i am never more than a few clicks away from discovering my images again  ;D

By the way, i've also tried some Mac only systems, i've tried ACDSee and also iMatch (win only). iMatch is very capable, but i couldn't get used to it. Furthermore i'm shadow running Digikam now.

Good luck in your search! If you'd have more specific questions, please don't hesitate to contact me via DM.
Hans Cremers

MFloyd

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #19 on: May 25, 2021, 12:35:57 »
At this stage it is prudent to remind that the DB should just be a back-bone of the DAM, thus one requires a suitable frontend. This frontend would allow the user to interact with the actual files thus these need not be accessed through the OS finder/file manager(s).

This is also true with Lr: only manipulate (move, delete, create,..) your data through the application. There are easy recovery procedures to fix things, if you screwed up, though.  ;)
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arthurking83

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #20 on: May 25, 2021, 19:30:57 »
..... 

This XMP/IPTC data is a pain. It seems the camera and ViewNX2 stores it in the NEF and it's with or a part of the EXIF data. Then ON1 Perfect Browser stores this data in sidecar files as I recall. Now it appears that ViewNXi and NX Studio stores XMP/IPCT data in *.nksc side car files.

Do I understand that ON1 and Nikon software as well as most other software will find the XMP/IPCT data in the NEF but will be oblivious to XMP/IPCT data stored in side car files other than their own?

....

Yes to the On1 and Nikon software question. Once the ITPC data is entered into the NEF, eg. via Nikon transfer(which still embeds this data into the NEF) or ViewNX2 ViewNXi, CNX-D .. and pretty much all other software can read that this info is in the relevant section of EXIF data and can use it.

if you use ViewNXi to add keyword info(ie. via this sidecar method of ITPC) no other software(other than CNX-D .. I think .. maybe Studio too, but not sure) will see it.

This is one my dislikes of the sidecar method. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but just like a jpg is a jpg, why can't a keywording/tagging/edit sidecar file just work across any and every software program and Operating System platform.

If you choose to try Photo Viewer, be sure you only install PhotoViewer at the time of install .. and yes it still works in Win10.

Best way to use it too, is to point just one of your image/photo folders to it so it can reference only this one. If you allow it to use any and many folders, it will create annoying duplicates of images and so you inflate it's database for no real gain.
Also remember you need to have the Nikon NEF codec installed onto the Windows PC for it to work properly.

The way I use it: I have two main folders(actually separate drives on my PC, one where I only download the recent images(eg. for the entire year), I call this drive B:\ AND one where I keep a local store of my entire photo image collection, which is my W:\ drive. This entire collection on W drive, is also backed up to two other drives on a NAS box.

In PhotoViewer I only have it pointed to the W drive, which is my entire collection. Don't absolutely need a local drive to store all your images(but I have plenty of drives) and nice to have local access for when (say) the network goes down(stupid switch!) and a bit more speed to boot.
I only use keywording/searching for my own personal needs, ie. just easier to find specific images if I need too. And like I said earlier, Windows search also recognises that this image keyword data base is there, and can also use it .. and because you installed the Nikon NEF codec, you can also add/edit/remove keywords directly via Window Explorer too. That's tedious unless you find a spelling mistake or something like that(easy to do when doing large quantities of keywording. PhotoViewer is much easier to add keywording to images.
It also has a nice feature where it uses facial recognition and can help keyword for images of people. Works well. Not perfectly, just good. 90% accurate I'd guess.
Arthur

David H. Hartman

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #21 on: May 26, 2021, 00:46:21 »
It appears that Phil Harvey's EXIFTool is for hard core hackers. I use Windows Diskpart when forced but I think I'd rather go back to DOS 2.0 than mess with EXIFTool. Command line apps offer too many ways for one to screw up.

Is there any more human friendly program for editing EXIF data?

Dave who has gotten lazy since moving beyond Windows NT (Neanderthal Technology).
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Øivind Tøien

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #22 on: May 26, 2021, 06:07:54 »

There is the EXIFToolGUI front end:
https://exiftool.org/forum/index.php?topic=2750.0
Øivind Tøien

David H. Hartman

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #23 on: May 26, 2021, 06:49:27 »
Thank you I'll have a look.

Dave

I'm stuck on a MAC for now and the GUI is for Windows. ???
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David H. Hartman

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #24 on: May 26, 2021, 06:55:53 »
I just uploaded a dozen or so NEF(s) to this MAC using Nikon Transfer 2 v2.13.7 (c) 2019 with XMP/IPCT data added and an *.nksc file was created for each so no more embedding XMP/IPCT data directly into the NEF while transferred with Nikon Transfer, only sidecars.

Dave

I've come to expect Nikon help files to be helpless. Is that too cynical? Searching for keywords should be simple.
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Ann

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #25 on: May 26, 2021, 07:14:30 »
I have not found it necessary to use Lightroom or any other DAM or cataloging system but I always embed multiple Keywords in the EXIF of all of my NEFs as soon as I download them from the camera.

A quick Search for one of the Keywords immediately lists all files (in either a named Folder or in the entire computer) which contains that Keyword. Viewing that list by date often makes it easier to pinpoint a particular file.

My list of Keywords has been built-up over several decades and is created in a hierarchical system with main Categories supporting sub-categories and those supporting further sub-sub-categories etc.
Applying Keywords to a file (or simultaneously to a batch of selected files) now mostly needs me to check appropriate boxes or to add a new sub-category when needed.

I use Bridge (a File Browser) to do the Search because it provides both thumbnails and also screen-sized Previews which makes it easier to review the listed files which result from a Search.

If I want to add more information concerning details about the subject matter (name of architect or date of construction of a building for example) I will write and add a Description to the EXIF as well.

The keywords and Descriptions can remain with the images even when they are later processed and saved in different formats for various purposes.

I find that embedding Keywords and working this way involves a lot less work and is more efficient than trying to maintain a DAM catalogue across several different computers.

David H. Hartman

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #26 on: May 26, 2021, 10:25:54 »
I use Bridge (a File Browser) to do the Search because it provides both thumbnails and also screen-sized Previews which makes it easier to review the listed files which result from a Search.

If that is Adobe Bridge 2020 unfortunately it crashed my old MacBook Pro three times and I uninstalled it as soon as I could manage too. There is something wrong with the MAC and I never shut it down as it often takes several tries to get it up and running again. It too old to be worth repairing.

I'll try Bridge on a Windows 10 PC.

Dave
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Ann

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #27 on: May 26, 2021, 20:47:46 »
My version of Bridge is the current v.11.

I am using it on a 2020 Mac MBP and also on an ancient FrankenMac Pro 2010 (but I have changed a lot of hardware in my old Mac Pro tower including its Graphics card).

David H. Hartman

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #28 on: May 27, 2021, 02:35:56 »
I added a few keywords and a description to an NEF in ViewNX-i. I can't find a way by reading the menus in ViewNX-i to search folders for images with these keywords. I tried ViewNX-i help, nothing. I've searched online for tutorials and only find the bare essentials regarding ViewNX-i. Given what I've found so far adding keywords to an NEF (well it's sidecar file) is a total waste of time.

If all I have is ViewNX-i, Capture NX-D and finder on this MAC what is the value of adding keywords and or a description?

Dave
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Ann

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Re: Help with DAMN! (Digital Assets Management Now! :0)
« Reply #29 on: May 27, 2021, 05:34:15 »
For Keywords to be useful, you do need to use software that allows you to run a Search with special defining selectors.

I don't use Nikon's editing software but I am very surprised (and rather horrified!) if it really offers no way to Search for a word within the metadata?

If you have Bridge, you can use it to Search for a word by any selected category including Keywords in the metadata.
LR and other DAM programs can do the same thing.

This page may help:
https://tagthatphoto.com/making-metadata-work/