Dear Phil
Your programme is really useful, especially when programmes like Aperture 3 like to mess around with the file attribute dates and times of master files. For example moving a referenced master from one directory to another trashes all the file attribution creation dates. You don't even have to have actually done any work to the file, just move it. I know at file level it is copying and deleting but I would expect the attributes to be preserved.
Anyway I digress. I am trying to copy information from an outputted XMP file on my Mac but I can't get the tag to copy to the location I wish. When I run the following command:
exiftool -tagsfromfile '2011-03-19 @ 08-14-13 -.xmp' -xmp:Instructions>iptc:SpecialInstructions '2011-03-19 @ 08-14-13 - copy.JPG' -L -overwrite_original_in_place -P
The Instructions tag is copied to an xmp:instructions tag which is created in the JPG, rather than the iptc:SpecialInstructions tag.
An extract of the output is as follows (I've included other preexisting tags generated using EXIFTOOL before I brought the photo into Aperture)
JPEG APP13 (202 bytes):
+ [Photoshop directory, 188 bytes]
| IPTCData (SubDirectory) -->
| + [IPTC directory, 175 bytes]
| | CurrentIPTCDigest = ..c.....E....Q..
| | -- IPTCApplication record --
| | By-line = Timothy Fintan Langner
| | ApplicationRecordVersion = 4
| | Contact = Timothy Fintan Langner (e-mail: timothy.langner@gmx.net)
| | CopyrightNotice = Copyright (c) 2011 Timothy Fintan Langner (e-mail: timothy.lang[snip]
JPEG APP1 (3022 bytes):
+ [XMP directory, 2993 bytes]
| XMPToolkit = Image::ExifTool 8.56
| Instructions = Photo taken by man who was on the same sleeper train.
| Rating = 0
JPEG DQT (130 bytes):
JPEG SOF0 (15 bytes):
JPEG DHT (416 bytes):
JPEG SOS
I then tried copying the tag within the JPG but that didn't do anything or if it did, it copied it back to the same location.
exiftool -Instructions>IPTC:SpecialInstructions '2011-03-19 @ 08-14-13 - copy.JPG' -L -overwrite_original_in_place -P
I also get a warning message:
Warning: Superfluous BOM at start of XMP - 2011-03-19 @ 08-14-13 -.xmp
But I'm aware that will be due to the way the original XMP is formatted. I use a plugin to generate it. It isn't a problem as such either. What I wasn't aware though, was that you can read CSV files. Amazing really because I can output those from Aperture and I think I can get version names out too. So I may even end up using CSV files to do the same work. However I have a feeling the same problem will arise because I'm probably not writing the above syntax correctly or I'm missing something out.
Kind regards
Tim
Hi Tim,
You need quotes around arguments containing greater/less than symbols (> <). These symbols have special meanings for the shell, and are used to redirect console output to/from a file.
You may find some funny files in your working directory with names like "iptc:specialinstructions" from what you have done.
- Phil
Thanks Phil.
It's always minor syntax errors that trip me up, especially in areas I don't know so much about.
I don't think I had any odd files around but you never know as I wasn't looking or expecting them.
Kind regards
Tim
Hi there
Following on from my previous message. I got the command to work for a single file but when I tired to then do it for a directory I got an error message.
exiftool -tagsfromfile %d%f.xmp '-xmp:Description>iptc:Caption-Abstract' '2011-03-19 - ' -L -overwrite_original_in_place -P -r
Gave:
Warning: Error opening file - 2011-03-19 - /2011-03-19 @ 12-05-03 - .xmp
Warning: Superfluous BOM at start of XMP - 2011-03-19 - /2011-03-19 @ 12-05-03 -.xmp
Warning: Superfluous BOM at start of XMP - 2011-03-19 - /2011-03-19 @ 12-05-03 -.xmp
What am I doing wrong?
Kind regards
Tim
Hi Tim,
I don't think you are doing anything wrong other having files and directories with really weird names.
I can't explain why you get the error opening the one file with a name ending in " - .xmp" unless the file is protected or there is an interference with some other software like an anti-virus utility. The extra BOM in the XMP for the file ending in " -.xmp" (no space before the dot) may just be a problem with the software that wrote the XMP.
- Phil
Phil,
Thank for your reply. Your a life saver. The problem was simple but I hadn't spotted it. When I created the file names, I titled them using the date and time and then added two - - afterwards. This was because that is where I will eventually write my descriptions of the photos, sometimes two lots, other times just 1, in which case the second - would be removed or not have been added in the first place. After that I would leave a gap before the .JPG so it might end " - - .JPG@
However the software writing out the xmp sidecar, LightBox, removed the space before the . of end file so the XMP sidecar would become " - -.XMP" and thus that is obviously why it failed. Why it worked for one file I don't know without going back over what I did.
It was my fault. I was exported the XMP side car files using the version name from Aperture and not the master file name. The names therefore didn't match.
Fortunately I have a program which can remove the space for each file.
Kind regards
Tim
[Edited to correct something I had written]