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

Learn about How Photos handles content and metadata from iPhoto and Aperture
Dave_Werblo

Q: Photos Import - Missing iPhoto titles (and descriptions)

Running OS El Capitan - importing from iPhoto I do not get any titles or descriptions. "How Photos handles content and metadata from iPhoto and Aperture" says: "Photos preserves user-defined titles. Images without user-defined titles will show as "untitled" in Photos." All of my tested photos show up as untitled. No mention of description metadata which I also need,

Since I have over 19,000 photos with titles and descriptions I cannot afford to give them up. Does anyone know how to get the metadata to import?

Thanks!

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014), OS X El Capitan (10.11.1)

Posted on Nov 10, 2015 12:44 PM

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Q: Photos Import - Missing iPhoto titles (and descriptions)

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  • by HelgeKreutz,

    HelgeKreutz HelgeKreutz Nov 10, 2015 12:51 PM in response to Dave_Werblo
    Level 1 (40 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 10, 2015 12:51 PM in response to Dave_Werblo

    Are titles/descriptions really lost or are they just not displaying?

    Check by opening up a photo and displaying the information .

     

    Photo-app titles should be all blank, but below them the iphoto filename (=title) should be visible.

    Only problem is: you can search for these titles but you can't display them below the photo thumbnails in the album.

  • by Dave_Werblo,

    Dave_Werblo Dave_Werblo Nov 10, 2015 1:00 PM in response to HelgeKreutz
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 10, 2015 1:00 PM in response to HelgeKreutz

    Info says "Add a title" at top then IMG_1336.JPG with date and time - no words seem to be imported.

  • by HelgeKreutz,

    HelgeKreutz HelgeKreutz Nov 10, 2015 1:05 PM in response to Dave_Werblo
    Level 1 (40 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 10, 2015 1:05 PM in response to Dave_Werblo

    Strange. My keywords and file name changes were all imported, I didn't use the field "description" so I can't tell if that works.

     

    If you can still see the iphoto library, you might want to try the conversion again under a new library name (start photo whilst holding down the option key, afterwards create a new library).

  • by Dave_Werblo,

    Dave_Werblo Dave_Werblo Nov 10, 2015 1:19 PM in response to HelgeKreutz
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 10, 2015 1:19 PM in response to HelgeKreutz

    Good advice - created new library but unfortunately same result - are you running El Capitan?

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Nov 10, 2015 1:20 PM in response to Dave_Werblo
    Level 10 (140,881 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Nov 10, 2015 1:20 PM in response to Dave_Werblo

    First use the View ➙ Metadata menu option to activate all of the metadata you want to be able to see.

    Pviewmetadata.jpg

    Now select an thumbnail and use the key combination of Command + i to bring up the Info pane where the title, description, keywords and file name will be visible.

    Highlight001.jpg

     

    If the imported file has had the title, description and keyword embedded in the file by some other app they will show in the Info pane in Photos 1.2 and the title under the thumbnail.

     

    OTsig.png

  • by Dave_Werblo,

    Dave_Werblo Dave_Werblo Nov 10, 2015 2:52 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 10, 2015 2:52 PM in response to Old Toad

    Side by side iPhoto and Photos - all metadata turned on - confirmed Photos 1.2 - still no title - any other suggestions?

     

    iPhoto-Photos.gif

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Nov 10, 2015 3:49 PM in response to Dave_Werblo
    Level 10 (140,881 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Nov 10, 2015 3:49 PM in response to Dave_Werblo

    First repair the library according to this Apple document: Repair Your Library


    Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and run the following procedures: Rebuild Database and Repair Permissions.  Then migrate that library again into a new Photos library and see if the show up. 


    If that fails there is a roundabout way to embed the metadata into the jpeg files in iPhoto and then import them into a new Photos library that has has the View ➙ Metadata menu preselected, etc.  It's a lot of exporting and importing but should work.  If you want to go down that road let me know and I'll describe the workflow needed.


  • by Dave_Werblo,

    Dave_Werblo Dave_Werblo Nov 10, 2015 3:50 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 10, 2015 3:50 PM in response to Old Toad

    Sounds like a plan - I will try it tomorrow. Thanks!

  • by Dave_Werblo,

    Dave_Werblo Dave_Werblo Nov 12, 2015 9:30 AM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 12, 2015 9:30 AM in response to Old Toad

    No luck - Interestingly I had trouble getting the First Aid window to come up - had to quit and re-Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down several times to Rebuild Database then again to Repair Permissions. It seemed to work on rebuilding for a reasonable amount of time so it was working - still no titles. Please advise workflow for the "roundabout" way to embed the metadata. Thanks!

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Nov 12, 2015 9:33 AM in response to Dave_Werblo
    Level 10 (140,881 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Nov 12, 2015 9:33 AM in response to Dave_Werblo

    . It seemed to work on rebuilding for a reasonable amount of time so it was working - still no title

    Did you  migrate the repaired library? 

  • by Dave_Werblo,

    Dave_Werblo Dave_Werblo Nov 12, 2015 9:37 AM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 12, 2015 9:37 AM in response to Old Toad

    Yep - same as before - no titles.

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Nov 12, 2015 9:49 AM in response to Dave_Werblo
    Level 10 (140,881 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Nov 12, 2015 9:49 AM in response to Dave_Werblo

    You did go thru all of the hoops that were posted earlier about metadata, etc, right? 

     

    You can get the file names into the title field by using one of the Applescripts available in the Photos for Mac User Tips.

     

    If you can do without your projects and other albums there's a way to get your photos into a Photos library and keep the titles, descriptions, keywords and locations intact.  You can test it on one photo that has a title, description, keyword and location.

     

    Here's how:

    1 - select all of the Events and export to a folder on the Desktop with the following settings in the File ➙ Export ➙ File Export menu option:

    Highlight001.jpg

    2 - use this Applescript from the Photos for Mac User Tips to import each iPhoto Event folder into the new Photos library as an album: Photos for Mac: Import Folders of Image Files into Library as Albums

     

    Make sure the View ➙ Metadata menu option is setup for all metadata before the importation begins.

    Run a test with a few photos from your iPhoto library and see if you don';t get the titles, etc. OK.  If so you can go thru the extensive export/import process to get a Photos library with the info you need.