Possibility for import a Capture One Catalog

[Menace]

Hi,

currently I try to convince someone to choose IMatch instead of Photo Supreme. I need a programme, which can import a catalog by Capture One and run in VR (he uses Linux). Is there a possibility to import this catalog in IMatch (maybe by a script)?

He can't write all attributes in XML-Filex, because C1 would crashing.

Thank you for every help.

[Menace]

Sorry, he uses know Windows. Didn't read his commentary correctly.

Or is there a possibility (maybe with scripts) to read the *.cos Buddy-files (a sort of xml-Files by C1) and import it in databased categories?

[sinus]

Hi Menace
I can not help here, I have not experience with something like this and no knowledge.

[Mario]

Sorry, he uses know Windows. Didn't read his commentary correctly.

Or is there a possibility (maybe with scripts) to read the *.cos Buddy-files (a sort of xml-Files by C1) and import it in databased categories?

I have no idea what a .cos file is or what it contains.
IMatch apps can read text files and JavaScript can parse XML data. So, in principle an app could be written to import .cos files.

I would need a couple of cos files to analyze before I can tell more.

[RobiWan]

Hi,

I'm the guy with this problem.

I will switch from Capture One Database because it is very slow under Windows. On OSX systems is the performance fine for me.

I would need a couple of cos files to analyze before I can tell more.

Cos files are XML files with some Capture One specific content. I can send you some files no problem. How can I do that?

Cheers Robert

[Mario]

Hi, Robert

if these files are not very large you can just ZIP them and attach them to your reply (see the "Attachments and other options" link below the post editor.
Otherwise you can send them to my support email: https://www.photools.com/support

Please provide some info, e.g. what you would like to import etc.
Does C1 not store metadata in standard format inside the image file or an XMP sidecar file? This metadata is automatically imported by IMatch.

[Jingo]

Hi,

I'm the guy with this problem.

I will switch from Capture One Database because it is very slow under Windows. On OSX systems is the performance fine for me.

I would need a couple of cos files to analyze before I can tell more.

Cos files are XML files with some Capture One specific content. I can send you some files no problem. How can I do that?

Cheers Robert

Interesting... my Capture One flies on my windows system and is the main reason why I moved from LR to C1.. LR was a crawler on my system.   But - C1 is mainly a RAW editor... so, even if you switch from C1 to IMatch for Photo management - you would still need to use C1 for RAW editing... this is what I do - use C1 to edit the files (no metadata added to the DB or written to the files), then export the images for import to IMatch.. then, all work on image management is done in IM only.  Fast, efficient and powerful combo!

[RobiWan]

Does C1 not store metadata in standard format inside the image file or an XMP sidecar file?

No. C1 can store data into XMP sidecar files. But that don't really work if you try to do it for more than 40000 files.
I send you a example file

Robert

[Mario]

I've had a look at some of the .COS files Robert provided.
The structure is simple XML but unfortunately undocumented - at least I could not find anything on the net.
But I can make guesses about which fields could be useful for an import.
So far I have identified the following fields (see attachment below).

If somebody has something to add, let me know.

I wonder how many users would be interested in an app which can import this data...
Are not all C1 users working with XMP files? This "session" concept with proprietary XML files containing metadata seems arcane to me...

Writing an import app should take only a few hours, I can copy/paste a lot from other import modules.

[Menace]

As I know today, I uses the the session concept. Not for the Metadata, but for the RAW-Editor stuff.

Do you think, Mario, that it is possible to read out, if a RAW has an Style on it (but this is not so important).

Nevertheless, maybe a Script could be helpful Decision people, which want to change from C1-Data-System to another DAM-Software?

[Mario]

I'm not sure what you mean with "Style on it".

There is a tag in the .COS files named "StyleModified" which, when it exists, has the value "1".
There is also a tag named "StyleSource", which seems to have the value "Metadata" always!?

[Menace]

Mario, I try something (one RAW, two different variations). Do you need the RAW too, or just the cos-Files?

[Mario]

The COS files only will do.

Or, better, create a Session folder with a couple of files.
Then replace the RAW files with empty dummy files with the same name (e.g. create an empty text file and name it the same as the RAW).
Then ZIP and attach the session folder.
This keeps the structure intact.

[RobiWan]

Mario, I try something (one RAW, two different variations). Do you need the RAW too, or just the cos-Files?

but beware - C1 creates a COS files only for physical Files on your drive, not for Variants. For Variants C1 create extra section in COS file

About styles I will look tomorrow

@All
I'm Canon user and I'm not sure if C1 has some fields in COS files that specific for camera manufactur

Robert

[Mario]

COS files contain a mess of EXIF data, some IPTC data, C1 session and development data, information about file variants etc.
It would be much easier if C1 would just maintain standard IPTC/EXIF/GPS/XMP metadata inside the image or XMP sidecar files.

I have written a small app to import metadata into XMP from COS files.
It was not complicated but it demonstrates several interesting technologies for users who create IMatch apps:

+ Writing an Import app that shows up in the Import & Export panel
+ Scanning the file system for specific folders and files
+ Reading XML data
+ Parsing XML data in JavaScript
+ Updating metadata.

Probably I'll include the app in the next release.