Write metadata to original

Are you asking about the command "Metadata > Write IPTC Metadata to original"?

You could try to separate the portrait and the landscape photos into separate smart albums before writing the metadata to the originals.

Use the rules "Aperture > Orientation includes Portrait" and "Aperture > Orientation includes Landscape"

Apply "Metadata > Write IPTC Metadata to original" only to the landscape photos.

Try, if rotating the portrait photos before applying the command will prevent overwriting the orientation tag.

and I don't have high hopes that Photos will be much more than an updated iPhoto,

Then have a read of this:

http://www.dslrbodies.com/accessories/software-for-nikon-dslrs/software-news/ano ther-one-bites-the-dust.html

Fortunately, I did not allow Aperture to organize my files for me, in its own library, but kept them organized in my own folder hierarchy,

Or, if you had then you could simply use the Relocate Masters command, fortunately.

thomas_r. wrote:

Apply "Metadata > Write IPTC Metadata to original" only to the landscape photos.

That isn't really an option.

Why?

thomas_r. wrote:

I did not allow Aperture to organize my files for me, in its own library, but kept them organized in my own folder hierarchy, since I figured this day could come sooner or later.

Of course you let Aperture organize almost all the files in your database for you. The only files you kept outside the Library are the Originals, which (as Terence points out) Aperture lets you move anywhere you want, any time you want.

Keep in mind the following. It is key to making the move from Aperture to any other management software.

Every Image in your database is rendered on-the-fly from two files: the file you imported (at which point Aperture called it an Original) and the Version file (it's a text-format file) which contains instructions on the adjustments and metadata changes you've made using Aperture.

f(sub)Version(Original)=Image

To get everything out of your Aperture database, you will need to end up with:

- your originals

- image-format files made from your Images

- the storage structure of your database (Folders, Projects, Albums, Smart Albums)

- Faces

- Places

- Other special Albums: Books, Light Tables, etc.

Getting all of that out is not possible.

Retaining a working connection between the Original and the Version file is not possible.

The task one faces is figuring out what one wants, and how to preserve it.

Ending up with only Originals with metadata applied to them is, I would think, inadequate for every Aperture user.

I think the minimum users should accept getting from their Aperture database is:

- Originals

- Image-format files based on current Images that include all keywords, labels, ratings, lat & long coordinates, Face Name, and EXIF data.

- A means to match up the above two files

- A means to re-create the existing groupings by Project

Which is to say that ending up with your Originals, with the metadata from the Images that are based on them, is far short of an acceptable — usable — result.

Why?

Seriously? Because I don't really want to just write the metadata to half of my photos.

My intention has not been to suggest to tag only half of your photos, but to treat the the portrait and landscape photos differently, when tagging them.

For the landscape photos it is obviously working. The problem are your portrait photos and the missing rotation tag and finding a work-around for those.. You could add a "Portrait" keyword to your portrait photos, that is written to your your originals. This way, you can identify the portrait photos, even if the camera exif tag has been overwritten and the next application you are using, will be able to correct the orientation, using smart albums.

Or, if you are familiar with exiftool, find the orientation tag your camera is setting and create it again, using exiftool.

I experimented a bit with exiftool:

It will depend on the camera you are using, if this will work for you. Pick any of the original image files with rotation tags and list the EXIF data with exiftool by entering the Terminal command: (replace <the path to your image> by the file path to your image file. You can simply drag the image from the Finder to the Terminal window after typing the first part of the command and a space.

exiftool -s <the path to your image>

This will list all EXIF tags. Look for the orientation tags.

For my images I am seeing this:

exiftool -s IMGP1046.jpg |grep Ori

Orientation : Horizontal (normal)

DateTimeOriginal : 2003:09:19 09:45:07

To change the "Orientation" to "Vertical" the following command could work:

exiftool -overwrite_original_in_place -preserve "-Orientation=Vertical" IMGP1046.jpg

Try it only for a duplicate and not for all images in your library at once. All these tags are camera specific, and I have no way to test, what it would be like for your camera.

Some links:

http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/%7Ephil/exiftool/install.html

http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/