I'm cataloging ~ a thousand photos, and I'd like to export a CSV file showing filenames and Descriptions from the metadata. Has anyone done this? Is there a utility to read the metadata for multiple photos and capture specific data?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 13.0
I got an email back from Thorsten Lemke (of Lemke Software, makers of GraphicConverter) showing that, in its browser window, you select the files, control click for a contextual menu, select General Metadata>Export Summary as>CSV. You first use the same submenu to Define Summary, which has a huge number of Exif and IPTC things to include.
The result looks like this, in Numbers:
This uses the Browser window which is a bit different from the Convert window that Matti Haveri suggested.
The downside of using GraphicConverter is that you have to export the pictures from Photos. GC does not talk directly to Photos.
Thorsten Lemke always responds very quickly. He sent a short video of how to do this. I haven't heard back from PowerPhotos, yet. That works directly with Photos, so it would save steps and storage space.
I got an email back from Thorsten Lemke (of Lemke Software, makers of GraphicConverter) showing that, in its browser window, you select the files, control click for a contextual menu, select General Metadata>Export Summary as>CSV. You first use the same submenu to Define Summary, which has a huge number of Exif and IPTC things to include.
The result looks like this, in Numbers:
This uses the Browser window which is a bit different from the Convert window that Matti Haveri suggested.
The downside of using GraphicConverter is that you have to export the pictures from Photos. GC does not talk directly to Photos.
Thorsten Lemke always responds very quickly. He sent a short video of how to do this. I haven't heard back from PowerPhotos, yet. That works directly with Photos, so it would save steps and storage space.
GraphicConverter (exiftool via the Terminal has even more options) can export .csv (or .xlsx) from its Browser list. I have used that because it is easier to see errors and extra unneeded info on a spreadsheet than individual info windows.
Perhaps you can modify this Apple Script to suit your needs: Apple Script: How to write Photos Metadata to a text file - Apple Community
it will a create a text file with all metadata that Apple Script can read from an image in Photos.
Well, I was going to suggest using the app PowerPhotos, because you can get lists like this:
which is just what you want. But I can't find a way to export this list. If you copy it, you get the image (which could, I think, be turned into something useful, but with lots of work.)
I sent an email to FatCatSoftware who makes PowerPhotos-- maybe they can help. I'll let you know.
I also use GraphicConverter, which works on files outside of Photos-- I'll ask them. It's an interesting question! Sorry I don't have an answer, but there may be some ideas here.
PowerPhtoos people say they don't support exporting lists with metadata, but they are thinking about it a a future feature.
Exporting info from photos
