Paste Attributes Field Updates

[StanRohrer]

IM 5.4.16

I don't know if I'm using the Paste Attributes tool wrong, or if I have some preferences not to my liking, or if there is a bug in here somewhere. When doing multiple file edits and especially Copy / Paste Attributes, there are numerous occasions where my files seem to revert to a previous Description (Core Data panel).

- Start with 4 fresh files. They should have different Date Created and Date Digitized.
- Select all files.
- Using the Core Data box, write a description and keywords to all files. (Suggest something long and easy to spot in the data such as a Description of "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX TEST1").
- Write back all metadata.
- Rescan.
- Use the Metadata Browser to check entries for descriptions in all XMP, IPTC, EXIF related fields. There are numerous entries of this description. At this point all entries are as expected.

- Select the first file.  Using the Core Data box, change the description and keywords field (ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ TEST2).
- Write back all metadata.
- Rescan.

- Select the first file.
- Copy.
- Select the second file.
- Paste Attributes (using XMP Data (without LR/CRS data and rating/label).
- Use the Metadata Browser to compare all fields for old and new descriptions in both the first and second files. Some Description fields in the second file have the original value and some have the pasted value. Is this right?
- Write back all metadata.
- Use the Metadata Browser to check fields in file 2. Most descriptions have reverted back to the original TEST1. THIS SEEM'S WRONG! It's curious that the keywords seem to work as I expect.

- Do I have some preferences set wrong for the Paste Attributes operations to work as I expect?

- I'm doing lots of Copy / Paste Attributes on files (JPG, PSD types) to move Descriptions and Keywords. Which Paste Attributes selection should I be using? XMP? XMP + IPTC + EXIF?

- If I use Paste Attributes of XMP Data (without LR/CRS data and rating/label), plus IPTC Data (Classic), plus EXIF Data, my description field works as expected (assuming the source file descriptions weren't unsynchronized from operations such as above). IPTC Data for stock photo uploads seems to work as expected. However, the destination files take on the Date Digitized and Date Created from the source file (as shown in the Core Data screen). In my opinion, those original date items need to be protected from the paste as they indeed belong to the image in the file. Either IPTC or EXIF paste does not protect those fields. In my work flow I may copying and pasting from a file from years ago and I don't want the dates overwritten in the current file.

- On Rescans immediately after Write Back All Metadata, IM should already know the file data and IM match. Why do the files have to rescan? This might just be a safety synchronization thing so no big deal - other that a bit of lost time.

[Mario]

As a general rule: Don't update legacy IPTC/EXIF/GPS data when you also update XMP data. IMatch keeps existing legacy IPTC and EXIF data up-to-date automatically - unless you explicitly disable this. When you update the XMP data in a file, IMatch automatically updates the IPTC/EXIF data in that file from the XMP data as well. If you mix copying XMP, IPTC and EXIF between files, you may get unexpected results.

Copying metadata between files can be a complicated process, especially when you mix in proprietary metadata written by Adobe software like PS or LR, or legacy metadata like IPTC or EXIF.

It's usually best to copy only XMP and let IMatch and ExifTool take care for the automatic Metadata Working Group compliant mapping between XMP, EXIF, IPTC and GPS. If you copy legacy IPTC/EXIF/GPS data and XMP data, you may get unexpected results. The ability to copy selected IPTC or EXIF data has been added in order to support users who use a non-XMP workflow or who explicitly need to copy this data in order to support old workflow models or systems. Working with this data requires some extra care and know-how.

[StanRohrer]

I understand the XMP data is the "master" data. I should be doing a Paste Attributes then using only XMP data.  From this, the data gets pushed into IPTC and EXIF fields.

For the Keywords data propagation seems to work as expected. For the Description field it does NOT.

Attached are 3 files.
- File 15 is the copy source.
- File 16 is the result of my Paste Attributes / XMP Data. This file ended up with the wrong Description field. It has reverted to a prior value.
- File 17 is at the state of file 16 before the paste so you can see if you can duplicate my problem. Copy from 15 and Paste Attributes to 17 and check. Then Write-Back the data and Rescan and check again. For me it even takes multiple Write-back to clear the yellow pen. The resulting data is different than the pre write-back data.

Attached is also a screen copy of my Metadata 2 preferences.

Files are here (sorry about the size, I didn't want to pollute the metadata by going through Photoshop to resize):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-l6Y-FKiavfeWpNYk1DZVYzRTA/view?usp=sharing

[Mario]

If you consider this to be a bug, please add a bug report and link back to this topic.
I'm currently busy with other IMatch things and I don't have the time yet to dig into your files and analyze your metadata and operations and their results. Creating a bug report adds this to my tracking list and I will look into this at some later time.

Usually, when data is magically 'reset' to some other value, the problem is the synchronization between legacy metadata and XMP. IMatch is unable or not allowed to update existing IPTC/EXIF data when updating XMP, and this means that the old data prevails and is re-imported into XMP. Did you check that?

Please include the settings you have under Edit > Preferences > Metadata 2 and, if non-standard, the E > P > Metadata 2: File Format settings you use for the file format you are changing in your bug report (e.g. screen shot) because these are important in matters like this.

[StanRohrer]

Bug Report opened here:
https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=4691.0