HT204478: How Photos handles content and metadata from iPhoto and Aperture

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TedSF

Q: Batch descriptions or titles in Photos

In new Photos, how do I add what iPhoto called Batch titles or Batch descriptions?

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3), Photos

Posted on May 27, 2015 11:11 PM

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Q: Batch descriptions or titles in Photos

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  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie May 27, 2015 11:28 PM in response to TedSF
    Level 10 (105,543 points)
    iLife
    May 27, 2015 11:28 PM in response to TedSF

    Batch editing and batch changing of titles and descriptions is not supported in Photos. Hopefully future updates will add this feature.

     

    For the time being, we posted a few Apple Scripts in the user tip section, that will help to batch edit titles and descriptions, see this page:

    Photos for Mac User Tips

     

    These scripts work best when used in in the "All Photos" album or for photos in a single moment. And not on too many photos at once. Photos is creating frequently time outs.  Try these:

     

    You may want to send feedback to Apple with a feature request to add batch changing: Apple - Photos - Feedback

     

    And for the time being, you could continue to work in iPhoto. Version 9.6.1 is well supported in MacOS X 10.10.3.

    If you  missed the update, do it like this:

    Updating to iPhoto 9.6.1 is a bit tricky now, since Apple stopped selling iPhoto from the AppStore. 

     

    You can no longer buy iPhoto from the App Store anywhere, and also not update it from the "Updates" tab of the App Store. You can however reinstall it, if it is showing among your Purchases at the App Store and associated with your AppleID.

    Sign into the App Store and look at the Purchases tab.  If you do not see iPhoto there, try to unhide your Purchases as described on this page:   Hide and unhide purchases in the Mac App Store - Apple Support

     

    If iPhoto shows on your Purchases tab, reinstall as described in this User Tip:

     

    Get iPhoto 9.6.1 if you didn't update before OS... | Apple Support Communities

     

    The main idea is to move the incompatible iPhoto app to the Trash, so Spotlight does not see it as installed, reload the App Store by pressing ⌘R, and then to try to download again from the App Store - from your Purchases tab, not from the main page, since you can neither buy iPhoto nor update it, but you can reinstall, if your AppleID is associated with it.

    So move iPhoto to the Trash (don't empty the Trash), relaunch the App Store. The button to the right if iPhoto should change to Install on the "Purchases" tab.

  • by BazJoe,

    BazJoe BazJoe Jun 20, 2016 1:28 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Jun 20, 2016 1:28 PM in response to léonie

    Is there a way to change the script so you can run the "Service" to add description to a bunch of photos in other areas of Apple Photos besides "All Photos" album? 

    I get an error anytime I try to run it outside of "All Photos" album, which is a pain as you have to relocate the photos in that album. Thoughts?

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Jun 20, 2016 10:23 PM in response to BazJoe
    Level 10 (105,543 points)
    iLife
    Jun 20, 2016 10:23 PM in response to BazJoe

    Which of the four scripts in the list have you tried?

     

    Are you using iCloud Photo Library?

    Photos is very prone to time-out errors, if the photos are not selected in a top-level album. the scripting command "get current selection" to pass arbitrary selected photos to a script is error prone and not reliable.

    I modified a few of the scripts I posted, so they can read from a fixed top level album (an album not in a folder).

    This will work better, if the library is an iCloud Photo Library.

  • by BazJoe,

    BazJoe BazJoe Jun 21, 2016 8:52 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Jun 21, 2016 8:52 AM in response to léonie

    Thanks for the reply. I am using Photos locally on my MacBook, not the iCloud Photos.  I am using the script you posted in this post (Script:  Batch Change the Descriptions).  Was this one of the scripts you modified?  If not, can the same changes be applied to the non-iCloud Photos library?  Thanks for your time, it's appreciated.