Copying labels between two databases!

[Powertower]

Hi
I had to create a fairly huge database recently. My photos with agencies are having labels (e.g. Getty is green). So now I would like to copy the labeled pics (or just the labels) from the old database to the new one. Is there a way to do that? The database is around 500.000 pics and there will be around 20.000 files/labels to be copied. Doing it in one step would be the appreciated way.
Thanks

[ubacher]

The labels are stored in the metadata of each file.  So if you just read-in the files into the other db all should be well.
You must mean something else I think.

[Mario]

Before you index the files in your new database, make sure the metadata has been written by the old database. Then the XMP label (if this is what you mean) is stored in the file and will be picked up automatically by the new database.

[Powertower]

Thanks for your help. I am aware of the Metadata but the question is still there if you can copy the labeled files ( or just the labels) to another database as well?
Many thanks!

[Mario]

still there if you can copy the labeled files ( or just the labels)

I'm not sure that I understand.
What do you want to achieve?

Instead of copying the files, you just add them to another database.

Or do you have 20,000 files with a specific label, spread all over your disks, and you want to create a new database just from these files?

You cannot copy labels between databases. The metadata is stored in the file, including the label.

[Powertower]

Exactly, and I created it already and thought it is much easier to just copy the labels.....

[Mario]

Your terminology is unclear.

What do you mean by "copying the labels"?
What do you want to do?

A label is some information stored in the metadata of a file.
You want to copy this from where to where?

[Powertower]

Sorry if this is unclear. Imagine a database with 40000 pics and around 25000 are labeled with green, yellow and some other colours. So now there is a new database and you want to copy all those labeled pics frpm the old to the new database. I hope this is more clear now!

[JohnZeman]

What Mario and the others have been telling you is you shouldn't need to copy the labels of those files to the new database because the label each photo has is stored inside of the photo.

So when you import those same photos into the new database the colored labels should just be there.

Now on the other hand if these are not the exact same photos you have in your first database, meaning they are copies of the original photos, then you have a totally different situation.

[Mario]

Sorry if this is unclear. Imagine a database with 40000 pics and around 25000 are labeled with green, yellow and some other colours. So now there is a new database and you want to copy all those labeled pics frpm the old to the new database. I hope this is more clear now!

So basically you are looking for a function that somehow selects all files with a color label in your database and then imports these files into a new database. Such a function does not exist. You need to somehow create a list of folders to add to the new database (IMatch does not do individual files, only folders).

Unless the files are spread over hundreds of folders you can make your life easier by:

1. Bring all the files into a temporary category. Just go through the Label collections in the Collection View, select all files in the Label collection and assign them to a Category.
2. Create a sort profile which sorts by folder (there is none by default because this is rarely needed).
3. Select and drop all files to the Text Export module in the Import & Export Panel.
4. Export the folder name of each file via the corresponding variable.

This gives you a text file with all folder names you need to import into your new database.

Tip: You can use the "Add" button in the "Database menu > Add files or folders" dialog to add multiple folders at once to your new database.

[ubacher]

Or maybe the situation is this: you have the files already in both databases. Now you add a label in the one db.
So you would need to: export metadata (to write the labels to the each labeled file) and then
rescan all folders (force a rescan) if the other db does not automatically do it.

[Powertower]

Ok many thanks for all your help!