Working with digital images

[fortaguada]

Has anyone figured out a way to transfer image details (Title, Description, Copyright etc.) from Excel to the EXIF in the digital image. I am undertaking a digital copying exercise and am compiling a catalogue in Excel. It would save me HOURS if I could find a way to build a macro or equivalent to copy data from Excel to EXIF. Each digital image has a unique filename, this is also the unique key in the Excel record.

Any ideas?  

[bdery]

Hi and welcome!

If you want to do this the hard way, you could find out exactly where the EXIF data is stored in the fies, import the whole file in Excel, add what you want, and re-wrap it. But I don't place too much hope on this.

The best would be to either find a program that reads databases and uses them to update the EXIF, or find an Excel macro that already does that. I've never heard of one but I've never searched for one either.

Maybe an Excel support group could help you. Or maybe someone else here will have an idea.

[fortaguada]

Thanks for that. So, does anyone know of a program that does that?  

[ShutterbugGail]

Opanda PowerExif may work. Give it a look:

http://www.opanda.com/en/pe/index.html


Here is an explanation for those who may not be familiar with Exif data:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/learn/glossary/exif.php

[Deb]

Hmmm, sounds like you may need to find a way to "export" the Excel data and embed it to the image files so that you don't have to re-enter all the Excel data by hand. Do check with Excel support.

I know that the "asset management software" I use to organize image files and flow them, can attach data to images (like IPTC info, keywords, etc.) and allows the user to import data from other programs. You create the new fields in this "asset management software", then import the data indicating which fields to match up. The process is not unlike importing data into Outlook for instance.

[rhinorick]

I didn't even know you could "extract" the EXIF data from an image file.  

Cool.

I also did not realize that some photo editing programs would preserve the EXIF data.  (Thanks for the link up above Gail!!)  

[fortaguada]

All very exciting   but I still haven't found an answer to my question  

[Deb]

Have you contacted Excel support?

[fortaguada]

Yes and no reply after two weeks

[Deb]

Perhaps your best bet will be to invest in a digital asset management software (like Extensis Portfolio, Canto Cumulus, etc.) which have powerful database capabilities, as well as all their other features, and import your data that way. (DAMS like these generally run around $100 USD.) To do this you typically create the field name in the DAMS, then direct your data to these fields. It's a pretty fast process. Check out their demos and see what you think. I've been using DAMS for years to catalog my photos, projects, etc. and find them very flexible.

[fortaguada]

Thank you for the suggestion, but this problem originated by me trying to add MetaData from an Excel catalogue, to the digital images (For a DAMS). The problem remains unfortunately, How could I automate the population of EXIF information in JPG files from an Excel spreadsheet?

[Deb]

The only thing I can suggest is to forego populating the EXIF fields and just populate metadata fields using the method above. These will link each set of new info (titles, descriptions, etc.) to the individual photo files when you embed the metadata using DAMS. If you'd rather not create new fields within DAMS, use IPTC fields. These already exist for such fields as Title, Description, Comments, Copyright, Location, City, State, etc. There are a myriad of them. Hope this approach is an option that can be of help to you.

(By the way, you stated that you're using Excell to add data but which DAMS are you using to populate?)

[fortaguada]

Thanks for sticking with this but I think you have lost me now. I run an image library at www.bathintime.com I cataloge the images initially in Excel, photograph them, and then upload them to the IMS. It just so happens that the IMS can automatically populate the Title and description from the EXIF tile and description on the JPGs I upload. Therefore in Photoshop, I currently laboriously cut and paste the data from the Excel spreadsheet to the EXIF via Photoshop. This is the bit I want to automate.

[ShutterbugGail]

That's a very lovely website!

Why don't you give your question a try in the open forum at dpreview. Your question seems beyond the scope of what we offer here, which is basically helping new and intermediate users learn about their digital cameras.

Your question is very interesting and I wish we could be of more help. If you get the answer, it would be great if you share it with us.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1018

[Deb]

It just so happens that the IMS can automatically populate the Title and description from the EXIF tile and description on the JPGs I upload. Therefore in Photoshop, I currently laboriously cut and paste the data from the Excel spreadsheet to the EXIF via Photoshop. This is the bit I want to automate.

Hi. I understand your flow to be as follows: enter data in Excel > cut and paste Excel data into Photoshop > autopopulate IMS with Photoshop data. Within Photoshop, it is possible to import the data sets (entered in Excel) to Photoshop in large sets so that you don't have to manually do so one at a time. Good news, yes? Discussion for "importing data sets from external files" is buried in the Photoshop CS2 Help section. It describes the syntax, etc. there. To find this info open Photoshop, go to Help > Photoshop Help, then type in the search words "import excel data" in the Search field at the top right of the Adobe Help Center screen that appears. What you will be doing is exporting the Excel data to a "tab or comma-separated file". I would suggest contacting Adobe Online Support Center for explicit directions. Good luck! Let us know how this turns out for you.  

PS: Upon further thought, you may also need to contact IMS support to see if the Photoshop generated data file is in a format IMS can use. It's not clear to me from the Help file whether or not PSCS2 can then load the imported data to the metadata fields or not. Believe me, I feel your pain. You've got a lot of hard work already invested in the method you used and to have to manually reenter all your data is frustrating. I do hope there's a more straightforward solution for your situation.

[fortaguada]

Hi, and once again thanks for sticking with this. I've just realised I have been saying EXIF when I meant ITPC. You are right in your understanding of my workflow. The IMS picks up the "Document Title" and "Description" information from the ITPC and automatically updates itself, saving me having to manually enter it.

The Import external data idea is a red herring I think. I will probably give up at this point!

[Deb]

Hi fortaguada, that's a shame that a solution to your situation hasn't materialized. I was hoping you'd hear from Excel support by now. As a last recourse, you might contact IPTC and see if they have any support resources available.

Note: for our readers unfamiliar with IPTC, this stands for International Press Telecommunications Council and addresses photo metadata standards, etc. For more information, go to http://www.iptc.org. You can also go there to download their Photo Metadata White Paper.

[Daniel60]

Hi all,

I have programmed a VB-script that reads an EXCEL-Sheet and writes the data to EXIF- and/or IPTC-Data with the help of EXIFUtils from www.hugsan.com. The explanation is in German only but if somebody will use it, I can translate it to English.
You will find the download at

http://festplatz-schweiz.ch/start/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=16&Itemid=41


Daniel

[ShutterbugGail]

Thanks, Daniel and welcome!

Thanks for the info. Will you be posting an English version at your site?

[Daniel60]

There is a new version now on

http://festplatz-schweiz.ch/start/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=16&Itemid=41

The description in English is in file readme_Excel.txt,
the description in German in file liesmich_Excel.txt.

I hope you will understand my English!

Daniel