Import From Camera script now in Links

[peterkrogh]

The Import From Camera JAvascript, a "plug-in" for Adobe Bridge, is now available in the links section of theDAMbook.com.  Please read the "read Me" document before using it.

Instructions for using the script can be found in Chapter 5 of The DAM Book.

If you have further questions, please feel free to post them here.
Peter

[cabrackett]

Peter

I am still having trouble with the operation of the script. After adding the three library files to the startup script folder, everything in the interface appeared to be working. But when actually run on a real set of files, I do not get any renamed files. I have gone over the options for saving several times, and the selection and destination folders (Windows 2K) but when all is said and done, no files appear. The termination of the script appears normal, no errors are reported and it says that the 81 files were imported, but when it terminates, Bridge switches to the destination folder and the message "no images to display" or something to that effect.

What now?

Chuck Brackett

[peterkrogh]

Chuck,
Hmm, that's strange.
Are you only importing to one folder, or to a backup as well?
What kind of files are you importing?
In Rename options, are you checking the box "Linked Set"?
Is it taking a while to run?

Peter

[cabrackett]

Peter
I tried both one folder and then one with a second folder, just like in the book.

The files are jpegs. The name translation all works well in the dialog box.

It does not take very long to run. There are about 85 files in the set I was using, but renaming can't take that long.

The only thing I can think of is that there is something incompatible with the Windows2000 system in the script arrangement.

Of course, there is always the possibility that I  am doing it wrong, but I have not had my wine yet tonight. I really have redone this  several times, checking things over thoroughly, but ...

Chuck

[peterkrogh]

Chuck,
Do you have "rename as linked set" checked in the rename box?
Peter

[cabrackett]

And one more thing, yes I did the checkbox on the link  files, but in this case there are no files to link because they are jpeg originals. Could that be the problem? I will try one more time.
Chuck

[cabrackett]

Peter

OK, we are making progress. The files did change their names and end up in the right folder. Thanks for the suggestion.

Chuck

[peterkrogh]

Chuck,
I fought hard to have this changed, but it slipped by.  On Page 140, I make a note of this, but it should really have blinking lights attached to it.  If you run the script on JPEGs that are not shot as RAW+JPEG, then the JPEG files will be skipped.

Maybe I can persuade Tom Nolan to rewrite it.

Peter

[cabrackett]

Peter

OK
What I have learned about the IFC script so far is that:

1. The AdobeLibrary1, 2, and 3.jsx files are not included with Photoshop CS2 unless ordered as a part of CS2 itself. But that these same files can be legally delivered with any script by the script developer as long as there is a mea culpa statement.

2. When they are all included, this does in fact work with Win2K.

3. That I need to read the book more carefully regarding the nuances of these scripts and details. Namely, that the page 140 cautionary note regarding the checkbox for the file linking is in fact important to get right.

I put this little summary here so that others may follow the gist of the conversation.

Chuck Brackett

[peterkrogh]

Thanks, Chuck.
And sorry about making you blaze a trail here.
One day all this stuff will just work without having to buy books, and customize software, and test and test.
Peter

[cabrackett]

Peter

The One day you spoke of has definitely not arrived. While marching along through my files, translating and storing and backing up, suddenly I looked at the filenames being assigned and find that they are all based on the last file modification date, not on the file creation date. The last file modification date was 11/27, or 11/30, but the files were actually created around 11/5.

In the metadata for the files, under the "File Properties" category, the "date created" is listed as the correct date of 11/5, the "date file created" is listed as 11/27, and the "date file modified" is listed as 11/30. I can't find the correct script variable that gives the 11/5 value. When I go to a metadata field in the options menu, there is a "date created" variable that is actually null because I did not fill it in when setting up the metadata templates. So, the value of the date field is null.

All of this may have been exaggerated by  having manipulated these files a little out of sequence, I don't know.

Any suggestions on how to proceed to get the correct dates?

Chuck

[peterkrogh]

Chuck,
This is one of the reasons that I suggest renaming as one of the very first things you do to your images.  Bringing older work in line with current practice is a little trickier, and is harder to give blanket recommendations on, since there are so many variables in the workflow.

That said, it may be better to to use Bridge Rename (or possibly DAM software) for older work.

I think the Import From Camera script is really most useful as a tool to use the first time you touch your files. 

Peter

[jfiora]

Peter

"I am still having trouble with the operation of the script. After adding the three library files to the startup script folder, everything in the interface appeared to be working. But when actually run on a real set of files, I do not get any renamed files. I have gone over the options for saving several times, and the selection and destination folders (Windows 2K) but when all is said and done, no files appear. The termination of the script appears normal, no errors are reported and it says that the 81 files were imported, but when it terminates, Bridge switches to the destination folder and the message "no images to display" or something to that effect."


This is what's happening to me with a source folder of RAW+JPEG form a Canon 5D on a Mac (10.4.3). Every indication is that all has gone well but no files are created. What am I missing? Thanks, Jim Fiora

[cabrackett]

Jim

My problem was that I needed to  uncheck the checkbox for linking the jpg and CRAW files. In your case, you might not have them linked when imported from the camera. In that case, they might look like separate jpgs and cause a problem. In any case, and I have not tried this on raw files, unchecking that box solved my problem with jpegs alone.

Chuck Brackett

[rstucky]

Hey folks.

The knucklehead who wrote IFC here...

Sorry about some of this stuff...

The problem people are having with ID is weird. I have NO idea how that slipped through QE. It was sloppy coding on my part, and I apologize. If you look at line 25 of the script, change the "=" to "==", that is, 2 equal signs vs. the one that's there. That will fix that.

Next up is the linked files thing....

The reality of this script is that is started as a simple copy and rename camera files. Then we started adding all sorts of "must have" features, many of which conflicted with each other. Then we found bugs in the metadata support which caused me to write a horribly involved workaround to get it to work in Bridge 1.0. Actually I wrote 3 different work-arounds, the first 2 didn't succeed. Now that we're at 1.0.3, those bugs are fixed, and I can rip out that code, changing it to something sane.

The linked file thing is a horrible gotcha for you to deal with, but it was the only way to do RAW+JPEG in time to ship the script with CS2.

I ask for your patience. There are improvements on the way. More on this in Feb.

Bob