exporting faces as meta data?

Of course, iPhoto is not for everybody and may not be the right app for you.

iPhoto doesn't come across as a database program in it's branding, purported usage or it's target audience.

Neither does iTunes or even Address Book but they are databases too.

This is all fine and dandy for you because you've got "database" as a mental model in your head, but I don't. I thought it was a way to organise my photos - and still do.

And it is a way to organise your Photos. Specifically, it's a way to organise your Photos without constant recourse to your files. Like iTunes is a way to organise your Music and Movies without constant recourse to your files. But you want to work with the files -> i.e. modify the original files with additional metadata.

Sounds complicated.

Maybe that's why...

iPhoto doesn't come across as a database program in it's branding, purported usage or it's target audience.

And this is probably true:

I can't help but think of my mother as the penultimate example of Apple's target audience and I'll give you dollars for dimes that she doesn't even know what a database is.

And yet, iPhoto is very simple to use. And I wonder if your mother wants to routinely write her metadata back to the original file?

So maybe that is what it is,

It is.

but it's not what it should be.

Why not? No database, no non-destructive editing, no Albums, no Smart Albums, No slideshows, no integration with the OS, no books etc etc etc. What you have left is an Image Viewer. Which is great if you want to view image files, not so hot if you want to organise photos.

(and by the way, it's a terrible database program as well.)

Millions of people use it happily everyday.

Regards

TD

ahem... itunes DOES write metadata tags to BOTH it's database AND the mp3 and acc files. if your itunes database ever becomes borked, you're still fine because your mp3's can just be reimported and will still have their info-(you only loose playlists) i think most people assume iphoto works this way and it can be disastrous that it doesn't

ahem...

Careful with that cough now

itunes DOES write metadata tags to BOTH it's database AND the mp3 and acc files.

I know. Did I say it doesn't? I simply mentioned that iTunes is a database.

i think most people assume iphoto works this way and it can be disastrous that it doesn't

But I think most people are sensible and have a back up, because no one would have anything as important as an iPhoto Library without having a back up, right? I mean, that's apart from iPhoto's own database back up, apart from the possibilities or rebuilding with iPhoto Library Manager.

And, of course, as iTunes has no editing, no version control, which version should we write the data too? We can't write to the original or it won't be the original any more, for instance.

Regards

TD

You need Adobe Lightroom. I'm a huge Apple fan, but what you're describing can be done easily in Lightroom. It plays very well with photos that are already in a file structure and doesn't need to create duplicates of them, and even syncs metadata you create in LR to the files if you'd like. That make sit easy if you ever wanted to go back to Aperture or iPhoto. This is my main beef with Aperture, it want's to control everything file structure-wise. Sure, it has an option to keep files where they are on your drives, but then it creates reference files which can be just as large as the originals.

If you want to write the keywords, titles and descriptions to the original files in an iPhoto library on a one time basis download Media Expression and use it in it's 30 day demo mode as described in steps 1 thru 9 of Old Toad's Tutorial #1 - Recovering Keywords and Rolls From a Damaged or Crashed iPhoto 6 or 7 Library for a New Library.

Or, use EM as your primary DAM (digital asset management) application as I do and use iPhoto for special projects like books, calendars, cards, etc. with separate libraries for each.

As far as writing the metadata to the original image file there's no need to unless you want to use that photo outside of iPhoto.

OT

It's been sold to PhaseOne which is offering a free license to all iView users. It's good till June 30. Go to this page to enter the iView license: http://survey.anp.se/

I understand that iPhoto is a database program and is brilliantly put together as long as you never leave the iPhoto ecosystem (Or for that matter as long as iPhoto remains alive).
I was just reading interesting pieces by Pogue of the NYTimes about content getting trapped in media and legacy systems.

I think the 'Faces written to meta data' request is a worthy and valid one. I wish Apple allowed this - and not just as an export.

Other programs, including Adobe Photoshop Elements -allows one to write back to the Jpeg file. Apple could allow this in iphoto. Just take the faces in the photo and write them automatically as keywords in the same file - No duplication, export needed. It won't even affect iphoto's functioning.

Benefits - If you ever have to move the content in the future, you at least have all your hard work identifying faces - preserved.

Welcome to the Apple Discussions.

Again, again, again.

There is no lock in. Any and all metadata that you add in iPhoto - changes of date, keywords, names (as keywords), places, descriptions, the whole lot - can be written to the file on export.

See?

No lock in.

Is that really so hard to understand?

But you cannot - at this time - export Faces data +as Faces data+ in +any application on the entire planet+ in a way that another application can understand. Why? Because every application that uses Face Recognition uses a different form of it and manages the data in a different way.

So if you think that's a lock in, then it's a lock in in every single application on every OS.

Apple could allow this in iphoto. Just take the faces in the photo and write them automatically as keywords in the same file...

What would it achieve? Further, which version should it write to?

Regards

TD

*What would it achieve*
Each time Apple scans and finds new faces, it would prevent me having to export 40,000 photos out - in order to get it to write to the metadata. And to have to do it each time things are changed!

*Which version would it write to:*
It can write to the latest version (by default) or all versions - this can be an option

I realize it cannot write the face rectangle coordinates because there is a lack of a standard. I was referring to simply putting the names of the faces in. This will at a minimum allow me to search for all pictures with a certain name in it - even outside of iPhoto

Its not the lock-in factor I have a problem with - its that I would like to have the option to integrate inline, any effort to tag my photos, right into the Jpeg.

Thanks anyway. For others who aren't satisfied with iPhoto's position

Look at
http://code.google.com/p/phoshare/
especially his 'link' option
https://sites.google.com/site/phosharedoc/#TOC-link-mode

nice work in the public domain !

its that I would like to have the option to integrate inline, any effort to tag my photos, right into the Jpeg.

Then use an app that works that way. iPhoto doesn't. Maybe it's not the app for you.

Though I'm still not sure what that achieves.

This will at a minimum allow me to search for all pictures with a certain name in it - even outside of iPhoto

But you can do this right now.

Using a Media Browser (and there's one in +every single Open... or Attach... dialogue in the entire OS) you can search on

Title of the Photo
Keywords you've attached in iPhoto
Names you given to Faces in iPhoto
Places you've assigned in iPhoto
Descriptions you've added in iPhoto.

Any of them. iPhoto does not need to be running to do this. Just Use the 'Open...' or 'Attach... dialogue in any app and type in the Search Box.

You can search using the System Wide Spotlight search too - though I don't recommend it for a variety of other reasons.

Then, should you at some point in the future want to migrate from iPhoto to another app, that's when you export while writing this metadata to the file. Because that's when you need to. (Assuming the next app doesn't parse the Library for you, as Aperture does).

So, iPhoto doesn't work the way you want. It's not necessary for it to do so for the reason you mention as this is achieved anyway.

But if you want to write this data to the files directly, use another app if the only current solution.

iPhoto menu -> Provide iPhoto Feedback for feature requests.

Regards

TD