App wish: copy categories from one file type to another.

[Aubrey]

I would like to have an app to copy categories in multiple files  from one file type to another.
e.g.: from NEF to DNG, NEF to TIFF or CR2 to DNG.

Why?
I generally set up categoies for my files soon after importing.
Later I may rework a file in LR6, and export as TIFF or DNG.  This then becomes my Master version. As it's the master I cannot propagate categories

Currently:
I manually set the check for the category

Could do:
Use NEF as Master and DNG or TIFF as the image dispalyed - I've experimented with this but I don't like it.

[Mario]

Use Paste Attributes for this.

1. <Ctrl>+<C> to copy the source file data into the clipboard.

2. Then use the Clipboard > Paste Attributes command from the context menu or press <Shift>+<Ctrl>+<V>
In the dialog, select "Categories".

More info in the IMatch help. Press <F1> when the Paste Attributes dialog is visible.

[Aubrey]

Works nicely. It's faster than he process I had been using, where I clicked on category.

It would be nice to be able to do multiple files with an app... (always wanting more)!

I've been looking at Sample App: Metadata "Replace Keywords" and thinking how one might access category data of either a NEF orCR2 file with same root name...

Thank you for the current tip.

Aubrey.

[Mario]

Basically, versioning is the feature to automate this (copying categories or other data from masters to derivative images).
For copying categories occasionally manually from file to file, the Paste Attributes command is very convenient.

If your workflow makes using versioning unusable and also creates so many files for which you have to manually copy categories, maybe rethink your workflow. The general idea for a DAM is to automate as much as possible. Less work, less chance for user error.

[Aubrey]

Agreed! automation is the key (I think in another email I read you call is "being lazy", let the computer do the work - I like to call it "being constructively lazy")

I'm going through about 20 files that I have created DNGs. Of course many have the same category so the CRTL-C CRTL-SHIFT-V works very fast.

I think my request/suggestion should be ignored.