value of adding IPTC location data in addition to location data keywords

[rebeccaj]

As I am bringing some older images into control, I've been adding geographical information as keywords as well as IPTC location data. The images aren't well organized and it is taking quite a bit of time.

I am now asking myself - is there value in this duplication of information? I've many, many more images to go. Is there a preferred choice for storing location data?

New images are easy to "tag" both ways, so I could keep doing so going forward with new images without too much additional time.

Thanks,

Rebecca

[peterkrogh]

Rebecca,
In general, the data will be much more valuable if it's in a place where the tag is defined. The city Intercourse, PA is very different from the keyword Intercourse.  New York is more valuable as a tag if you know whether it's city or state.

As GPS data tools mature, having the information in the IPTC location fields will enable some cool collection-wide capability. 

What program are you doing this work in?  In Expression, it's an easy process.  In Bridge, it would be sheer agony, while in Lightroom it would only be plain old agony.
Peter

[rebeccaj]

Peter,

I have been using Bridge (painful), but just this week purchased ImageIngester Pro, which is helping immensely. I'm still proceeding slowly and double checking with Bridge show file info to make sure I'm configuring ImageIngester correctly.

I am planning to get Expressions Media in the next month or so. I spent some time witha trial of Lightroom but decided that since I am comfortable with a Bridge/ACR/PS workflow to use ExpressionsMedia as the catalog application instead.

What I have is images from 2003 onwards on an existing computer (XP SP3). I'm preparing them to move over to a new Vista 64 computer. I only started following DAM practices in fall of 2007. To "prepare" the pre-DAM images, I'm using ImageIngester Pro to copy existing pre-DAM images from their haphazard locations to my defined DAM structure. I'm also renaming them and adding metadata and keywords at the same time. I'm not deleting anything yet - just duplicating.

I was not going to get ExpressionsMedia until I get the new computer, since my current computer is running quite slowly with Bridge/PS CS4. I could though - I have 1.5 GB RAM and plenty (>70 GB) of unused C:\ drive space. Do you see value in creating a catalog on the old computer, prior to the change over? Or perhaps EM would help in preparing my files for the move?

Going forward, I would certainly continue to put the geographical location data in as IPTC data. Should I drop the geographical data as keywords, since it is not as meaningful as a keyword?

Thanks,

Rebecca

[peterkrogh]

Rebecca,
I'd get Em right away - it will help all he processes.

It requires less resources in terms of RAM or processor speed than either Bridge or Lightroom. 

It will also help in annotating the files.  You'll same tons of time over what you're doing now. (Depends on File format - for proprietary raw, the issues are trickier).

Peter

[rebeccaj]

Peter,

I'm sold on getting EM - this is quite a process!

Once I get EM, I would expect to use it for keywording, metadata, and verification of such information, but I still plan to use ImageIngester to copy my pre-DAM files to my current DAM structure. Do you agree with this approach?

Having not used a true cataloging application to date, I can't yet appreciate how it can help me.

Thanks,

Rebecca

[peterkrogh]

Rebecca,
Lots of people use IIP to copy files and do some work to them. I'd suggest it's not the best approach unless you need some of it's ability to translate individual tags from one place to another.

You probably can get the renaming you need with EM.

IIP was not designed to be a robust legacy file transfer utility. THat doesn't mea it does not work - only that Marc did not design it specifically as such.

What tasks are you asking it to do specifically?

Peter

[rebeccaj]

Peter,

I have about 20 GB worth of images, JPGs and NEFs, that were auto-loaded to the computer using Photoshop Elements, from about 2004 through 2007. I wasn't following any digital asset management practice then, so there is no IPTC or XMP metadata, no structured filenaming, and no keywording on the files. The files are in my documents\my pictures\adobe\....(It was during my use of Elements that it dawned on me that the catalog info I was creating with Elements was not readable by other applications, which eventually led me to the DAM book.) There are also folders scattered about with names such as "scanned" or "photos from other people" that need to be controlled.

I'm bringing those uncontrolled files into line with the DAM strategy I've been following since 2007, in which I have a dedicated location on a data hard drive for downloading original images, folders named with the native image numbers, a file renaming scheme (ABC_YYMMDD_1234), copyright data, and metadata. I've been using IIG to point at the old folders and copy those files to a new folder in the DAM structure, with the appropriate metadata and renaming. So I use the file renaming, merge to XMP for the JPEGs, JPEG validation, keywords, copyright data, and quickfields in IIG.  It is much faster with IIG than it was with Bridge! After I create the new folders and files, I double check with Bridge to verify I set fields correctly in IIG.

I'm doing this in preparation for the new Vista 64 that should arrive in a few weeks - I will copy all images over to that new computer once it gets here, and I want to have cleaned-up the structure before I do that copy.

So far, I've never really moved my original images to the archive state - the "as downloaded" original state effectively IS the archive. This is because I never finished rating or keywording or some other aspect of adding information to the original files. I also don't have a catalog application, though I did order EM and it should get here in a couple of days.

I do have true archives for the derivative images.

Now that I have ordered EM, I think I could use that to continue to clean up the existing original files. Perhaps it would be better for this process of bringing old images into line with the DAM structure?

Thanks,

Rebecca

[peterkrogh]

rebecca,
I'd do this work in Expression Media - I think it will go much faster.
Peter