What Tag Does Google Photos Read For description

[wywh]

Have you always pasted the description afterwards inside Google Photos or have you managed to fill the Description field with metadata automatically somehow?

I insert all metadata with GraphicConverter or exiftool (GC uses exiftool) before uploading to Google Photos which then automatically imports and displays almost all relevant image (dates, GPS  descriptions) and movie (dates, GPS) metadata.

I only have to paste the descriptions from GC to the selected few uploaded images where Google Photos as a "feature" a) strips all line breaks or b) truncates longish descriptions. I have not found any movie description tag that Google Photos could automatically import so I paste also them in the web browser.

I use Big Sur or Monterey Safari, Windows 10 Chrome and Google Photos iOS app and there all that info is shown.

[Phil Harvey]

(GC uses exiftool)

Only for the reading the metadata that appears in the ExifTool panel.  It doesn't use it for writing anything.

- Phil

[Sodapop73]

I tried inserting the metadata with GraphicConverter 11 but Google Photos just refuses to show anything in the Description field. Seems like I'm cursed. Well, I'll just have to find something else to distribute photos.

[wywh]

Google Photos just refuses to show anything in the Description field.

Weird. So you set in GC (*) > File > Browse... > [select folder, select .jpg] > Edit File Info (IPTC/XMP) > One selected image at a time... [cmd-I] > write Caption/Description > OK.

(*) or the same in exiftool (sometimes metadata must be rebuilt before Google Photos sees the correct date so I did it here as a 2nd step, just in case):

Code Select Expand

exiftool -m -P -overwrite_original_in_place -IPTC:Caption-Abstract='Caption. Apollo 10 command module at London Natural History Museum.' -XMP-dc:Description='Description. Apollo 10 command module at London Natural History Museum.' 2013-1015-1452-17.jpg
    1 image files updated

exiftool -m -P -overwrite_original_in_place -all= -tagsfromfile @ -all:all -unsafe -icc_profile 2013-1015-1452-17.jpg
Warning: ICC_Profile deleted. Image colors may be affected - 2013-1015-1452-17.jpg
    1 image files updated

exiftool -a -G1 -s -IPTC:Caption-Abstract -XMP:Description 2013-1015-1452-17.jpg
[IPTC]          Caption-Abstract                : Caption. Apollo 10 command module at London Natural History Museum.
[XMP-dc]        Description                     : Description. Apollo 10 command module at London Natural History Museum.

Then uploaded the image with Safari/Chrome etc to Google Photos (no similar image there yet?) and check the Info box (Big Sur Safari screenshot attached). Google Photos seems to prefer XMP-dc:Description.

- Matti

[Sodapop73]

Weird. So you set in GC (*) > File > Browse... > [select folder, select .jpg] > Edit File Info (IPTC/XMP) > One selected image at a time... [cmd-I] > write Caption/Description > OK.

Then uploaded the image with Safari/Chrome etc to Google Photos (no similar image there yet?) and check the Info box (Big Sur Safari screenshot attached). Google Photos seems to prefer XMP-dc:Description.

- Matti

Yes, this is exactly how I did it. The same image has never been uploaded. Below is a screen recording of what I did exactly.

https://imgur.com/qGsKojw

[wywh]

Yes, this is exactly how I did it. The same image has never been uploaded. Below is a screen recording of what I did exactly.

Did you verify that the Caption/Description was indeed saved to the .jpg by re-opening the IPTC dialog (attached screenshot -- GC seems to prefer IPTC but it sets XMP the same by default) in GC or checking the info in exiftool:

exiftool -a -G1 -s -IPTC:Caption-Abstract -XMP-dc:Description image.jpg
[IPTC]          Caption-Abstract                : Caption-Abstract
[XMP-dc]        Description                     : Description

I have not used any drag-and-drop in the workflow although that should not matter.

[StarGeek]

Did you verify that the Caption/Description was indeed saved to the .jpg by re-opening the IPTC dialog

Since the screen shot in this post shows XMP-dc:Description in Other, I'd guess that they're using the test file that I created that has over 1,400 preset tags.  That's the format I used in that file.

[Sodapop73]

Did you verify that the Caption/Description was indeed saved to the .jpg by re-opening the IPTC dialog (attached screenshot -- GC seems to prefer IPTC but it sets XMP the same by default) in GC or checking the info in exiftool:
I have not used any drag-and-drop in the workflow although that should not matter.

Yes, screenshot attached below of the file that's shown in the screen recording.

[wywh]

I don't get an "Other" category.

I did not get the "Other" category a few days ago but now I do for my old and new Google Photos albums when viewed from macOS 11.6.2 Big Sur Safari 15.2 and Firefox 96.0.2.

Previously imported IPTC/XMP Captions/Descriptions were displayed at the top (see my previous attachment in this thread) but not they are less visible at the "Other/(i.e. Muu)" section somewhat lower (XMP-tiff:ImageDescription at screenshot from Stargeek's "MetadataTestFile.jpg" attached).

https://exiftool.org/forum/index.php?topic=9212.0

Maybe Google Photos has some update that has caused this unwanted behavior?

[StarGeek]

And now I have an "Other" category as well.

So it looks like there isn't a way to pre-fill the "Description" anymore.

[EricWQ]

And now I have an "Other" category as well.

So it looks like there isn't a way to pre-fill the "Description" anymore.

I just came across this thread. As I've been scanning old negatives, and adding digital images from various sources to include them in my Google Photos stream, I've been frustrated by how complicated it seems to be to find out what properties GP uses, and particularly which image property(s) should be mapped into the uploaded image to appear as the GP description.

A few months ago, I noticed that the "Other" category started appearing in some (but not all) of the images uploaded to GP. The attached screenshot shows how the "Title" property for an image from my DJI drone maps to the "Other" category when uploaded to GP. Neither of the "Comments" or "Subject" properties appear in the GP Info panel.

The GPS coordinates (lat/long/altitude) recorded by the drone are used in GP for my screenshot. However, when I use tools like GeoSetter or XnViewMP to add geotags, the coordinates are recognized correctly by GP in the uploaded images.

I'm using 64-bit Windows 10. I see the same GP results in either of a Chrome or Edge browser (both up-to-date).

[wywh]

A few months ago, I noticed that the "Other" category started appearing

Yes. For some strange reason Google Photos now shows imported IPTC:Caption-Abstract and XMP-dc:Description in its "Other" field at the bottom and the by default now empty upper field for it must be manually typed. It is not possible to update both fields for other users which is very confusing. Sigh.

https://support.google.com/photos/thread/143046752?hl=en&msgid=145433598

[wywh]

Yes, Google Photos in macOS 11.6.4 Safari now displays IPTC:Caption-Abstract or XMP-dc:Description in imported .jpg in its new "Other" field in the lower right and now leaves the upper right field empty.

Google Photos 5.77.427228537 in iOS 15.3 does not display IPTC:Caption-Abstract or XMP-dc:Description in imported .jpg anywhere.

Older Google Photos 4.35.288221417 in iOS 10.3.4 still displays IPTC:Caption-Abstract or XMP-dc:Description in imported .jpg.

Old Google Photos behaved much better although it skipped linebreaks and truncated longish Descriptions.

- Matti

[dixonge]

...and (the last time I tried it) it is not possible to search shared Captions or Keywords! Can you believe there is a Google product that can't search!! Search is only possible at the Google Photos main window, not inside albums. To do a Caption or Keyword search (I don't know if it searches both) users have to add the album to their own photos and do the search there, or download and open the album in other apps (...and at the moment my 1300 image album can only be downloaded in small chunks for some reason). This is a great pity because I have an album with dozens of carefully picked Keywords per image. Currently other users don't have an easy access to filter those >1000 images via Keyword searches.

FYI, I am able to find the metadata GP displays under 'Other' from the main GP window. Not ideal when viewing individual photos, but at least useful for *finding* photos. This is on top of their AI-powered search algorithms...

[ckpager]

Hello, I am an ExifTool novice, but hoping someone can help! 

I've inherited this batch file script, to covert a full folder of picture captions and dates, so that they will all import into Google Photos in filename sequence, and Google Photos will prominently display each picture's caption as "Description:"

exiftool.exe -overwrite_original -all= -tagsFromFile @ -Description .
exiftool.exe -overwrite_original "-file:fileCreateDate+<0:0:$filesequence" .
exiftool.exe -overwrite_original "-CreateDate<file:fileCreateDate" "-ModifyDate<file:fileCreateDate" "-file:fileModifyDate<file:fileCreateDate" "-DateTimeOriginal<file:fileCreateDate" "-MetadataDate<file:fileCreateDate" -P .


This worked great for years, at least 2018-2021.  Now I try it again for the first time in 2022, and the pictures upload to Google in the correct (filename) sequence, but Google Photos NO LONGER SHOWS ANY DESCRIPTION TEXT.  My photo caption is only displayed under the "Other" heading.

** Has Google Photos changed sometime this year as to from where they draw the Description?  From this thread, it appears they *should* draw it from XMP-dc:Description, but it looks like my picture caption *is* under that tag, but nonetheless Google Photos is no longer picking it up.

** Any suggestions how I might change my above batch file script to ensure that the picture captions *are* picked up by Google Photos as a Description?

If it helps, I attached the JPG before and after running the batch script.  The caption should be: "Welcome to Rotterdam (Netherlands, 1-4Sept22 w/ NK)"


Thank you!