View-Metadata-Title Issue

Question

Level 1

29 points

View-Metadata-Title Issue

I am having an issue with the Photos app on my Mac. As background, I do not use the filename (DSCXXXX.jpg, imgXXXX.jpg) given by the iPhone or digital camera. After taking pictures, I use Image Capture to import the pics to the Mac in a Finder temp folder. I then rename the pics based on items such as an event or family member, and then I move them to a Pictures folder structure in Finder. In the Photos app, I have Albums that correspond to the Finder Folders. I drag and drop the pics from Finder into the corresponding Album in Photos. I then delete them from the iPhone, and through iCloud all of my pics are shared between my three Macs, iPhone, and Apple TV in the Albums that I want them in, instead of some random date taken, as if I remember that this is the date I took pictures of my granddaughter and this is the date I went to a concert, and so forth. I can't grasp the whole date taken way of organizing pics, with meaningless file names.

In the Photos app, I want to be able to view each pic with it's file name. In some loose way in Photos, this means Metadata--->Title. What is happening is that when I do a View-Metadata-Titles, some of the pics display the new file name I've given them in Finder, and others display the original filename given by the iPhone, ex: imgXXXX.jpg. The workflow of importing and organizing pics pretty much grinds to a halt at this point. It is possible to copy the file name and click under the pic in Photos to change the Title and paste, but this is not sustainable.

If I open a pic that Photos displays with the original file name in Preview, and do a Tools-Show Inspector, the original file name is not listed in the Metadata. If I do a Get Info in Finder on the pic, the original file name is not listed anywhere. It seems that only in the Photos app is the original file name included.

First off, I don't understand the obvious inconsistency of only some displaying the new filename.

Is Photos somehow cataloguing the EXIF Metadata in a database, perhaps while still on the iPhone, prior to importing into the Mac Photos app?

Since I only care about the file name and possibly the date created, which are simple file attributes, is there a way to batch delete EXIF Metadata altogether and force a fallback to file name for Title in Photos?

Anybody got any tricks or suggestions, as this has become very frustrating?

iMac with Retina 5K display, macOS Sierra (10.12)

Posted on Apr 29, 2017 7:24 AM

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Answer 1

léonie

Level 10

200,687 points

Apr 29, 2017 7:44 AM in response to burpootus

Photos is only displaying titles, that have been assigned to the IPTC title field. Aperture or iPhoto used to display the filename as a version name, if no title has been assigned, but Photos does not do that. You can only see the filename in the Info pane.

You can use an Apple Script to copy the filenames to the title field, see:

Script: Batch Changing the Titles to the Filename w/Extension

or Script: Changing the Title to the Filename without Extension

Since I only care about the file name and possibly the date created, which are simple file attributes, is there a way to batch delete EXIF Metadata altogether and force a fallback to file name for Title in Photos?

I wish there were, but Photos is treating the filenames as irrelevant technical details, that are not displayed as titles. Only photos with the IPTC title field set will show a title in Photos.

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Answer 2

burpootus Author

Level 1

29 points

Apr 29, 2017 5:08 PM in response to léonie

Thanks for your reply. I totally forgot an important piece of information. I am using an Automator script as a service in Photos - PhotosFileNameToTitle:

Reviewing your linked post, since I use iCloud Photo Library, I need to use a different method. I tried the Version 2 AppleScript from your link on a small top level album, but unfortunately about half the pics reverted to imgXXXX.

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Answer 3

léonie

Level 10

200,687 points

Apr 30, 2017 8:16 AM in response to burpootus

Keep nagging the developers with feedback and feature requests (Apple - Photos - Feedback).

The design team for the graphical user interface seems to be regarding filenames as a technicality, not worthy as being used as the title of a photos. We need unique filenames as a reference for selected photos, and even better the list view with many metadata, as it is available in PowerPhotos.

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Answer 4

burpootus Author

Level 1

29 points

Apr 29, 2017 7:57 PM in response to burpootus

I think this has to do with the pics being in iCloud Photo Library. I don't use Wifi a lot on my phone, but when I do turn it on, some of the pics are syncing. I just deleted the pics from the top level album, and also deleted them from "Recently Deleted". I then drug them back in the top level folder, ran the Version 2 script, and all Titles now equal the filename. I wish there was a way to make the phone not upload, but only sync from the "Master" database from my Mac. Now I guess I'll have to take an extra step of making sure pics are completely deleted from Photos prior to dragging them back in with the correct filenames. It's hard to believe that as far as we've come with computers, something so simple could be so hard.

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