MOV, description : discrepancy between Adobe Bridge and ExifTool

[audiogalaxy]

Hallo,

Scenario: I use Adobe Bridge (last version 2020) to add captioning and keywording to images and movie clips. Sometimes Bridge says it cannot edit tags. So I use exiftool as an "icebreaker" setting up some crucial tags for me; then I use Bridge to manually edit these files (in this case, MOV files) and then again I check them up with exiftool for errors: one of these errors could be that in the "description" tag there is my "icebreaker" value set up as "DESCRIPTION".

Problem: when I go to Adobe Bridge the description field is perfectly filled up with a correct, long text value. When I check this file with exiftool there is no trace of this long text and the "description" tag/field is filled with my placeholder "DESCRIPTION". I emptied A.Bridge cache, changed directories and some other workarounds: nothing changed. The value is somewhere in the MOV file (Bridge could read it) but exiftool is unable to see where it is and maybe also to write it down.

Attachments are herewith enclosed.

SYSTEM:
Windows 10/64 Italian Localization, every update is done
Exiftool 10.79

If you need me to send files to test, just tell me.

[Alan Clifford]

Attach one of the problem files.

[Phil Harvey]

When you extract tags with ExifTool, use -a -G1 so you can see all of the tags and where they are stored. This is FAQ 3.

- Phil

Edit: Added link to FAQ

[StarGeek]

When you extract tags with ExifTool, use -a -G1 so you can see all of the tags and where they are stored.

This is where you'll find the answer.

When exiftool writes the Description in a MOV/MP4, it writes two locations, ItemList:Description (a Quicktime tag) and XMP-dc:Description.  Adobe Bridge does not have the ability to read/write Quicktime tags in videos, only XMP.  If you use the above command, you'll see both locations.

Example, "Updated description" is what was entered in Adobe Bridge

Code Select Expand

C:\>exiftool -g1 -a -s y:\!temp\2012-07-12_10.27.43.MOV -description
---- ItemList ----
Description                     : test description
---- XMP-dc ----
Description                     : Updated description.

You might want to specify XMP tags only for use with Adobe Bridge.  Or copy the XMP tags to the Quicktime locations afterwards.

Hmm... Interesting dilemma.  Adobe products will only read the XMP, but some other video programs, such as PLEX, won't read the XMP but will read the Quicktime tags.

[audiogalaxy]

Attach one of the problem files.

Thanks Alan, but as I can read, they say there is a known solution I didn't knew before, in the FAQ. Given that the file is a VERY huge one, it's better for me to try that solution. If that won't work, I'll come back.

[audiogalaxy]

When you extract tags with ExifTool, use -a -G1 so you can see all of the tags and where they are stored.

This is where you'll find the answer.

When exiftool writes the Description in a MOV/MP4, it writes two locations, ItemList:Description (a Quicktime tag) and XMP-dc:Description.  Adobe Bridge does not have the ability to read/write Quicktime tags in videos, only XMP.  If you use the above command, you'll see both locations.

Example, "Updated description" is what was entered in Adobe Bridge

Code Select Expand

C:\>exiftool -g1 -a -s y:\!temp\2012-07-12_10.27.43.MOV -description
---- ItemList ----
Description                     : test description
---- XMP-dc ----
Description                     : Updated description.

You might want to specify XMP tags only for use with Adobe Bridge.  Or copy the XMP tags to the Quicktime locations afterwards.

Hmm... Interesting dilemma.  Adobe products will only read the XMP, but some other video programs, such as PLEX, won't read the XMP but will read the Quicktime tags.

so a useful command to fill the corresponding fields to achieve both the goals should be an interesting task for an exiftool freak