Year of file will be removed during write back

[Rene Toepfer]

I have created an ARW as master and JPG as version.
At the metadata for ARW I have set XMP::dc\Rights to Rene Toepfer (2021). This will be copied onto linked JPG if I make a write-back of the ARW. Afterwards I add, e.g. keyword to the JPG and do a write-back of the JPG. During this write-back Rene Toepfer (2021) will be changed to Rene Toepfer. The brackets and the year will be removed. What am I doing wrong?
The settings of the versioning are shown at the attachements.

[Mario]

Before you copy metadata between files, make sure you understand how metadata mapping is performed and which EXIF/IPTC/GPS/XMP metadata tags are mapped between and how this relates to potentially other existing metadata in your files.

For example, dc:Rights is linked with EXIF:Copyright. You cannot change just one. When you change the XMP data in the Metadata panel and write back, IMatch writes XMP and also updates EXIF from the XMP. If you break this by  only partially copying metadata, results may be unexpected. I don't know what you copy, in which sequence and what else you do. I cannot analyze every user action in detail or foresee any possible interaction and side-effect. You have asked so many questions per email and in this community over the past one or two weeks. Maybe start more slowly, get used to IMatch first. Don't try to use any advanced feature in your first week.

[Mario]

I'm sorry to say that this user is no longer planning on purchasing a license for IMatch and has apparently left the community. He told me via email.

[sinus]

I'm sorry to say that this user is no longer planning on purchasing a license for IMatch and has apparently left the community. He told me via email.

I wonder, why he did so and specially I wonder, what other software he will use.
Would be not the first, who will come back after some time to IMatch, because it is simply the best.   

[mastodon]

Unfortunattely he gave up in the middle a "steep learning curve". The GUI of IMatch might not so intuitive and styliesh as other ones, but it does, what it offer. AND it does it VERY precise, logical and with a very robust background. No confusions, no data mess, no data loss. Others might look better, but they does not work better.

[Mario]

The steep learning curve is inevitable when you work with features like versioning, metadata propagation, manual metadata copying between files, metadata templates, reverse geo-coding, stacking and data-driven categories - and all within the a week into the trial period. That's a lot. I wonder how he will achieve all that in competing products...

Other applications with more intuitive GUIs, as you say so nicely, don't offer (m)any of these features 
Look at the "Photo" management apps from Google or Microsoft. These do almost nothing. Which makes them simple to use, and apparently good enough for millions of users. Which is fine.
And Google Microsoft benefit from these apps because the get their hands on billions of private photos they can feed into their AIs. The cheapest way to get good sample data...

It is much easier to make a consumer-friendly product - just leave out all the complex stuff. Or, as Apple would put it: "If it does not do this, you don't need this".

I did so with the IMatch Anywhere WebViewer app.
It has been designed to be simple to use as the highest priority in the design spec.
For this, I deliberately left anything complex out and dumbed it down for a specific audience.
The most complex feature is the ability to use variables to create up to 2 (!) user-defined layouts.

The result is that this is basically a no-service product for me No bug reports, and only very rarely a support question. Companies and institutes love it because their users don't need much training.
It does what it does. It does it well. It does nothing complicated. Users don't want complicated.
Win-win. Awesome.

For IMatch, such an approach would not really work. IMatch is more like Photoshop than like Windows Paint.
That said, there is always room for improvement or a better, easier GUI. Or for making better defaults and removing knobs and switches...

[Jingo]

Software of all kinds is complex... I still haven't fully figured out Capture One and all it's advanced color and layering tools... I just don't often need them so haven't bothered to figure them out.  But - having used the product for many years, do understand how to try and get the best I can from my RAW images.  Same with IMatch... been using it since version 3.  Sure - it is complex but the help and community are amazing!  I remember trying to jump into IMatch 3 after using Thumbsplus for years.. big learning curve but so much more power!

[Mees Dekker]

Same here. I use Photoshop very often, but still haven't mastered more than 50%.

I'm also a long term user of IMatch (since version 3, don't know how I stumbled upon it, but never left), I even translate it into Dutch. But even here I only use a certain amount of the possibilities. And I'm still learning.

If you give up within a week: good luck with other challenges in your life.

And remember: for every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong.

[Rene Toepfer]

Before you copy metadata between files, make sure you understand how metadata mapping is performed and which EXIF/IPTC/GPS/XMP metadata tags are mapped between and how this relates to potentially other existing metadata in your files.

How is the ranking of the different fields, is EXIF>XMP>IPTC? As far as I understand the metadata will be written to the file and afterward reloaded. During the reload higher ranking fields overwrite lower ranking fields. This reload results in writing the metadata sometimes twice (see https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=11183.msg79782#msg79782).

[Mario]

During write-back, IMatch maps XMP to EXIF/GPS/IPTC. See Metadata Write-back
When re-importing metadata after a write-back, IMatch does not perform the reverse mapping (special case).
But during import or re-import of a file because it was modified externally.
When you copy metadata, keep EXIF and XMP in sync. Don't just copy XMP or EXIF or GPS, they all belong together.  When you copy only part of metadata during versioning, IMatch first writes back the master, then copies the metadata tags you have requested from the master to the version using ExifTool. Have a look at one of the versions you update that way in the ExifTool Command Processor. The EXIF, since not copied from the master, remains unchanged and probably shows a different copyright notice than the XMP record. And in the master the EXIF copyright notice and the corresponding XMP tag will be identical.

[Aubrey]

The GUI of IMatch might not so intuitive and stylish as other ones, but it does, what it offer. AND it does it VERY precise, logical and with a very robust background. No confusions, no data mess, no data loss.

I agree: "The GUI of IMatch might not so intuitive and stylish", but for the life of me I can't see how to make it better.

The advantage of IMatch is that one can do almost anything, I can't imagine trying to do things we do using other software.
I use DxO for processing photos, I've (very briefly) looked at their database functions; perhaps fine for some.

Some 12 years after purchasing IMatch 3 (BTW I loaded IM3 on W10 a few months ago, and it worked, wow we've advanced)  I'm still learning new features in IM6. For example, last week learned how to all extract files from a particular month regardless of the year. The trick is try not to try to learn everything at once.

One can always come back and enhance the metadata as one learns more.
I do things I had not even thought about when I originally bought the software.

Out of the box IM6 does more than other software out there. Then as your needs increase, it grows with you.

Furthermore when you want to advance, you have an active forum to assist. The main Developer Mario is incredible for the support he gives. Coming up on 28,000 posts in this forum, with nearly 10 a day:  where does he find the time, and live a life outside of IMatch ? (I wonder would he give a course on time management?  )

Aubrey.

[Carlo Didier]

Same here. I use Photoshop very often, but still haven't mastered more than 50%.

50% is a LOT for an application like Photoshop. I estimate that even many professional "power users" don't use 50% of the features in their main applications.

[PandDLong]

Unfortunattely he gave up in the middle a "steep learning curve". The GUI of IMatch might not so intuitive and styliesh as other ones, but it does, what it offer. AND it does it VERY precise, logical and with a very robust background. No confusions, no data mess, no data loss. Others might look better, but they does not work better.

Having recently gone through a comparison of a half-dozen products, I understand how iMatch can seem overwhelming.   I almost went with a "simpler" product but realized that iMatch has so much capability that can be harnessed - specifically for my needs!   I have a software background so I was pretty sure that with some time and energy I could "figure it out" and it would be worth it in the long run.

Didn't take too long to realize I made the right choice - it is a great product and very thoughtfully constructed.

That said, there is always room for improvement or a better, easier GUI. Or for making better defaults and removing knobs and switches...

Combining my "fresh eyes" with my background in software and user-experience, I have a few ideas that may be fairly straight forward to implement but would reduce the complexity for new and evaluating users.  It's not really a feature request but some suggestions that may be helpful.  Of course, I have no idea if converting more evaluations to licenses is a meaningful opportunity.

I am happy to type up my thoughts and send by email or post on the forum - or not.   Let me know.

Michael

[Mario]

Combining my "fresh eyes" with my background in software and user-experience, I have a few ideas that may be fairly straight forward to implement but would reduce the complexity for new and evaluating users.  It's not really a feature request but some suggestions that may be helpful.  Of course, I have no idea if converting more evaluations to licenses is a meaningful opportunity.

I am happy to type up my thoughts and send by email or post on the forum - or not.   Let me know.

Michael

Always welcome!
I recommend you just start a new thread with "My ideas for simplifying IMatch for ..." so I and others can chime in.