Importing Capture One keywords

[lbl]

Hi

I have a lot of keywords in my Capture One catalog that I'd like to preserve to save me re-entering them in to IMatch.

Is it possible to read the Capture One database to extract the keywords?

Thanks!

[Mario]

The Capture One database is proprietary and undocumented.

Maybe use the Metadata Tool?
https://support.captureone.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020904897-Metadata-tool-

If this stores keywords in the standard XMP::subject tag, the XMP::lr::hierarchicalKeywords tag or even in legacy IPTC keywords, IMatch will pick up the keywords automatically.

If C1 exports keywords into a non-standard XMP namespace or something, you may be able to use the The Metadata Mechanic or a Metadata Templates to transfer the keywords from the proprietary storage into the standard keyword tags IMatch and most other applications support.

Give the tool a try and provide us with an image where you have let C1 export keywords to.
Then we can tell you more.

[RobiWan]

I have a lot of keywords in my Capture One catalog

It's not the best idea.
Capture One has a old and very bad handling of keywords

Here is a example

CaptureOne always writes it in the form:
Herkunft
Herkunft -> Europa
Herkunft -> Europa -> Deutschland
Herkunft -> Europa -> Deutschland -> Nordrhein-Westfalen
Herkunft -> Europa -> Deutschland -> Nordrhein-Westfalen -> Köln

All others programs - like IMatch, Adobe, Photo Supreme.... writes it in this form

Herkunft -> Europa -> Deutschland -> Nordrhein-Westfalen -> Köln

So it just gets confusing and doesn't help you find anything better or anything.

So if you allow C1 to write the metadata and end up importing it into IMatch, you will have a lot of work to clean it up.

Robert

[RobiWan]

The best thing you can do is allow C1 to write back all metadata once. Then import the images in a Lightroom catalog. Clean them all up here. In LR, because it is faster and easier here than in IMatch. Let LR write everything back at the end. And import the images into IMatch at the end.
From this point on, set the metadata synchronization in C1 to "none" and only make changes in IMatch.

[Mario]

Clean them all up here. In LR, because it is faster and easier here than in IMatch.

Interesting. Maybe you can share your workflow in Lr for cleaning up such problems?

Using your example with the 5 separate levels for one hierarchical keyword, all I would want to keep is
"Herkunft -> Europa -> Deutschland -> Nordrhein-Westfalen -> Köln"

After importing the files into IMatch, there are several ways to clean this mess up.

Open the Category View, then go to @Keywords > Herkunft|Europa|Deutschland|Nordrhein-Westfalen|Köln

Select all files with <Ctrl>+<A>

In the Keywords Panel, delete the keywords you don't want using Ctrl+left-click.



Done. Works for any number of files.
You can also do this folder-by-folder, by selecting all files and removing keywords you no longer want. Very fast and easy.

Or, use the @Keywords hierarchy directly. Select @Keywords > Herkunft and expand.



(I used one file here, but this would work with any number of files of course).

Now select the levels you don't want anymore, click into the File Window, select all files with Ctrl+A and press <U> to un-assign them - which also removes the corresponding keywords.



The file now has only the full-hierarchical keyword:



This makes cleaning up such messes interactively very easy.

The Metadata Mechanic app can also be used to replace keywords with "nothing", which deletes them. In any number of files. If you use a regular expression replacements like

^Herkunft$
^Herkunft\|Europa$

You can remove specific keywords very precisely from all selected files.

[lbl]

Thanks very much for your suggestions and assistance!

I was able to import the keywords by using the Image, Sync Metadata command in Capture One to write the XMP files, which IMatch then read.

The issue with the way C1 writes hierarchical keywords is very annoying, and also inconsistent. It doesn't always write all levels out.

The way in which C1 handles keywords is a key driver for using IMatch.

[Mario]

The issue with the way C1 writes hierarchical keywords is very annoying, and also inconsistent. It doesn't always write all levels out.

Mhm...

That's why IMatch concentrates on the DAM part. Do one thing right.
DAM right!

[RobiWan]

Interesting. Maybe you can share your workflow in Lr for cleaning up such problems?

OK, I didn't know that the second option also existed. This is then similar to how you can do it in LR.

The first Screenshot is how C1 writes the hierarchical Keywords



The second one how to modify it in LR



It's not a big difference I mean. Your mentioned second possibility is new for me.


And I think the big problem ist - hierarchical keywords are not standardized
Robert

[Mario]

I think IMatch can easily "compete" with how you do this in Lr.
And you can of course globally clean-up and modify keywords via the thesaurus, too.