ACDSee Pro 3 Beta - Bugs

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Batch Set Information / Setting IPTC-Photographer

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  • donald23
    Member

    In the new beta 2, when I try to use Batch set information (CTRL+M) to change the IPTC-field "Photographer", it won't work. I can change it if I do it per image.

    I tested this in Canon RAW (EOS 20D) and JPG files. Neither work with Batch Set Information. I believe it did work with the 1st beta though.

    Oddly enough, when I use the import function, and set a Photographer IPTC there, it does work!

    I don't run into this bug very often, since the photographer won't change that often, but it can be a huge pain in the <peeeep>.

    Posted On August 16, 2009 - 12:06 PM (3 months ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • Marc Sabatella
    Moderator

    I'm going to guess this is another case of the XMP standard definng an IPTC and EXIF field to be the same, and an older vaue in the field you are not changing keeps taking preference.  What happens if you write the new value to IPTC Photographer and EXIF Artist simultaneously?

    Posted On August 16, 2009 - 07:43 PM (3 months ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • donald23
    Member

    You're quite right Marc! The value I enter in EXIF - Artist is also visible in IPTC - photographer. Usually those are the same. But I hope this will be fixed.

    You mention this happens for more fields? Can you give me any topics/examples, since I couldn't find them?

    Posted On August 16, 2009 - 08:35 PM (3 months ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • Marc Sabatella
    Moderator

    The problm is that the XMP, for reasons that I'll probably never know or understand, defined these fields to clobber each other.  So as far as I know, this is *correct* behavior according to the standard.  Although I suspect ACDSee could find some clever way of providing an option of doing the clobbering in a more sensible way - eg, if you are using Batch Set to alter one of the fields but leaving the other as "*", then let the changed value clobber the other, rather than always taking EXIF in precedence to IPTC as it presumably is now.

    anyhow, the first field I remember this coming up with is IPTC Caption, which turns out to clobber / be clobbered by EXIF Image Description.  Photographer / Artist is another such pair, apparently.  It seems to me there might have been another that someone pointed out, but I don't recall.  two ways to find out: trial and error, or Google for the XMP / IPTC core schema documentation and check out the chart listing the various IPTC and EXIF fields and what XMP fields they correspond to.

    Posted On August 17, 2009 - 05:32 PM (3 months ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • donald23
    Member

    I can imagine the clobber if IPTC was designed to be a replacement of EXIF.

    On a curious note: I tested the EXIF - Image description / IPTC - Caption clobbering: When I set (witch batch set info) IPTC - Caption: EXIF - Image description changes. The other way around, doesn't change a thing. Seems that with Image description / Caption you need to change the IPTC value to have it actually changed and with Artist / Photographer you need to change the EXIF value. This is confusing.

    And on individual basis I can change all the fields seperate from each other.

    My guess would be, that it would then also be possible to have different values in so-called "clobbering" fields when I use batch set info... Hopefully a fix in the next beta or final release?

    Posted On August 19, 2009 - 06:23 PM (3 months ago) (Permalink to this post)

  • Marc Sabatella
    Moderator

    donald23 said:

    I can imagine the clobber if IPTC was designed to be a replacement of EXIF.

    It wasn't, but XMP was designed to encompass and supercede both.

    On a curious note: I tested the EXIF - Image description / IPTC - Caption clobbering: When I set (witch batch set info) IPTC - Caption: EXIF - Image description changes. The other way around, doesn't change a thing. Seems that with Image description / Caption you need to change the IPTC value to have it actually changed and with Artist / Photographer you need to change the EXIF value. This is confusing.

    Very much agreed.  I've kind of given up on actually understanding it.  I just make sure that what I need to do works, and so far, with some trial and error, it has.

    Hopefully a fix in the next beta or final release?

    Unfortunately, it's been like this since XMP was supported as of 2.0, so if it hasn't bee fixed by now, I wouldn't count it being fixed any time soon.  Not sure it's even a bug, technically, but it's obviosuly counter-intuitive, and as such, I think *should* be treated as a bug, even if it's technically "correct" behavior according to a poorly-designed standard.  But like I said, I've kind of given up on actually understanding it.

    Posted On August 20, 2009 - 05:21 PM (3 months ago) (Permalink to this post)

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