Map custom fields to specific IPTC fields

[Lars Soerink]

Dear all,

In the past I have written a lot of information into specific IPTC fields, including:


IPTC     IPTC                My use
#         name

05        Object name    Short caption
07        Custom field     English name
08        Custom field     Scientific name
...         etc.                etc.

Can I get EM2 to 'connect with' those fields using custom fields functionality? I cant find out whether it is possible to map EM custom fields to specific IPTC fields. I need to write information to those fields, and read from them the data that has been fed into them over the last 5 years.

All help much appreciated!

With regards,
Lars

[johnbeardy]

Lars

You can't really do it within EM, though you could script Exiftool from EM.

Alternatively, if you sync the metadata back into the files, then a Bridge script could parse the EM custom fields and write information where you want. There's a script in my iView_ExMedia_File_Info_Panels_for_CS4.zip which would point you in the right direction.

John

[Lars Soerink]

Thanks John,

So if I understand correctly, your script will help 'recover' the data into the fields that I choose to use, but there is no way to easily keep using the fields that I have used so far. That's food for thought, since my stock agency requires those fields.

What would you - or anyone else - suggest is the best workaround here?

Lars

[johnbeardy]

Lars,

Maybe I wasn't clear. My script won't do it, but could do so if you adapted it. It already reads the custom field data, and writes to other fields, so you would just have to adapt the writing code to target those other fields.

Also, it copies the data into the fields that you choose, so you could go on using the fields as you do now. The workflow would be:

1. Enter data
2. Sync data to file
3. Run script in Bridge
4. Generate output JPEGs / TIFs

John

[jimHere]

Since 2006 or so I used a set of scripts Daniel Robillard made for iView 3x (he posted in their forums in the good old days). It includes something called "Transfer Annotations", which can move/copy entries from just about any iptc field to another. The scripts are in French, so that took me a few minutes to figure out. They somehow work in ExpressionMedia, too (for me anyway).

http://iview.free.fr/scripts_iview.html

Look for "Transfert d'Annotations | Annotations Transfer" about a quarter of the way down.

-- Jim

[Lars Soerink]

Thank you Jim for pointing me to Daniel Robillards scripts. Very helpful indeed, now time to dust off my French

Lars