Option to limit metadata propagation

[Carlo Didier]

I'd like an option to limit metadata propagation from masters to versions only if a new version is detected.

Let me explain.

Current iMatch behavior: When a master exists with one or more versions, with metadata propagation enabled, changes on the master are replicated to all versions. If a new file is detected and iMatch determines that it is a version of an existing master, metadata is replicated to that new file too.

Option I would want: Metadata changes in the master are only replicated to new files, not already existing versions.

My reasons: When creating a version, some metadata may differ from the master because of the post-processing (cropping, convert to B&W, ...). So I may change keywords or categories for the version and I don't want to propagate new changes made to the master after the initial sync. Currently, I do this by not automatically propagating through iMatches versioning mechanisms but by using an event script.

[Ferdinand]

Can't you do this now?  Turn off automatic propagation in background processing, and then when you ingest new files, select them and do an F4,T which only propagates to the selected versions.

[Carlo Didier]

Can't you do this now?  Turn off automatic propagation in background processing, and then when you ingest new files, select them and do an F4,T which only propagates to the selected versions.

Yes, but I'd loose the automatic first propagation and I would have to select the new versions to update them (they can be spread over lots of different folders ...). That's what my event script does automatically for me now.

[ubacher]

When creating a version, some metadata may differ from the master

I am confused: If the version you create has different metadata why do you want to add this to the master and then propagate
it to the specific version. Why would you not just change the (automatically propagated) data in the version?

[Ferdinand]

Can't you do this now?  Turn off automatic propagation in background processing, and then when you ingest new files, select them and do an F4,T which only propagates to the selected versions.

Yes, but I'd loose the automatic first propagation and I would have to select the new versions to update them (they can be spread over lots of different folders ...). That's what my event script does automatically for me now.

Well you can solve the automatic first propagation by selecting the masters and doing an F4,P.  You can solve the second by bookmarking or categorising new files (preferences indexing) and then you can select the new files and do an F4,T

Which is roughly how I do it now.

I understand your request, but I'm not sure how IMatch is supposed to keep track of new files vs existing files.  I know that IMatch is supposed to be able to find the masters for new files and so have them treated as versions at ingest, but this doesn't seem to work for me.   Even if it did, it won't propagate at that time - automatic propagation only happens when the master is changed, and at that point what is an old file and what is a new?   

Your request may really be to trigger automatic propagation at ingest of new versions.  That's a very old request and Mario has always said no.

[Carlo Didier]

When creating a version, some metadata may differ from the master

I am confused: If the version you create has different metadata why do you want to add this to the master and then propagate
it to the specific version. Why would you not just change the (automatically propagated) data in the version?

I'll give you an example: A photo with 4 people in it, one of them unknown. I tag people in my category tree. So I tag three known people (assign three sub-categories under the people category), and assign an additional category "people to identify". Now I take this image and create a cropped version where only one person is visible. iMatch automatically detects the new file as a version of the first one through my versioning rules (based on the filename). I remove the people categories, except for the one person shown. Later, I identify the forth person in the master and add that category. I don't want to propagate this information to the version because it doesn't show that person. So I only want propagation when iMatch detects a new file and finds a master for it, but not anymore later when I change something on the master.

[Carlo Didier]

I know that IMatch is supposed to be able to find the masters for new files and so have them treated as versions at ingest, but this doesn't seem to work for me.

Intrigued by this statement, I disabled my event scripts and activated propagation via iMatch versioning and you are right. If I create a jpg from a dng, iMatch detects it as a new file, recognizes that it's a version of the dng but does not propagate the categories as defined in my settings! This is not what I would have expected (and I didn't notice because my scripts were handling this).

Mario, is that by design? If so, then I will add a feature request to propagate to new files which are identified as versions of existing files.

[ubacher]

I have no problems with new versions not getting the propagated categories.
This capability was added quite a while back. Looks like a bug to me if it does not work for you.

The problems with versioning which Carlo describes are inherent. After initial euphoria about the
versioning in IM I started realizing how difficult the issue is. I tend to encounter similar issues
( it should propagate THIS but not in THAT case) quite frequently. I don't think there is a simple, let alone
universal, solution.

[rainforest1155]

Perhaps it could be solved by being able to define a special category that when checked, would lock the version and no longer propagate changes to it? I see that each category already has an "assignment action". That might be a good place where the lock action could be implemented.

I'd also like to have this feature as my versions are sometimes also cropping out some of the people in the original shot and I haven't found a good way to handle this yet. Excluding the people categories from propagating wouldn't be an option for me.

Sebastian

[sinus]

Can't you do this now?  Turn off automatic propagation in background processing, and then when you ingest new files, select them and do an F4,T which only propagates to the selected versions.

I do exactly this and have all under my control. I like to have control.

Some times ago I turned off also the background indexing, what I have now enabled.
If I have propagated something, I have it exactly under my control. If add a new version, I can do a propagation only for this version.

But maybe my workflow and wishes are compared to yours, Carlo, very easy, hence I have no problems.