How to insert exif:ImageDescription as addition to the FileName

[StarGeek]

Does that take care of the /, ?, $, and ", that are contained in the ImageDescription field?

See the last paragraph under Advanced formatting feature for the list of characters removed.

The ; takes out the special characters, but is there anything that replaces the special character  with a space?
So that John/Dick becomes John Dick, instead of JohnDick.

That would require editing the command to specifically remove those characters.  It gets a bit more complicated
exiftool -r "-TestName<%f ${ImageDescription;tr/\/\\?*:|<>/ /}.%e" G:/TEST/2017

I would like to get the filename inserted in the ImageDescription, for those 5 years.

Full filename including extension?  Or without extension?
This will write the full filename into the ImageDescription
exiftool -r -P -overwrite_original -wm cg -progress "-ImageDescription<Filename" G:/TEST/

If you want the filename without the extension, use Basename instead of Filename

[John Addis]

THANK YOU, ThanK You, thank you!

I will read the Advanced Formatting feature that you mention.

I have been trying to figure those things out.
I have spent many hours correcting those items, one at a time with ACDSee.
Did figure how to list all ImageDescription to csv, then Excel did some of the work.

my specs to list were (copied part what I saw else where)
exiftool -r "-filename<%f ${ImageDescription;}.%e" "G:/TEST/" dir

I used the following to convert, after hours with ACDSee.
exiftool -r -P -overwrite_original -wm cg -progress -"ImageDescription< "G:/TEST/" dir

Is there a way to only convert part of what is in the ImageDescription?
I cut all of my ImageDescription down to about 215 bytes, to allow for my original filename.
But I backed up the file before.

A sample of my output.

[John Addis]

my output ended up on top instead of at the bottom.
may be because it told it to Preview after I uploaed the output?

[John Addis]

StarGeek,

I would like to get the filename inserted in the ImageDescription, for those 5 years.

Full filename including extension?  Or without extension?
This will write the full filename into the ImageDescription
exiftool -r -P -overwrite_original -wm cg -progress "-ImageDescription<Filename" G:/TEST/

If you want the filename without the extension, use Basename instead of Filename


I tried, and the output looked OK.

 
But when I looked at the files, there was nothing in the IPTC  ImageDescription.  Or anything in IPTC?
Not a valid attachment ID.Not a valid attachment ID.   

Also I used a color for what had been written, but what do you use for that?

Maybe I have figured out how to get my upload in the correct place - am testing.
Got it in the corret space, but couldn't delete two other attempts

[StarGeek]

But when I looked at the files, there was nothing in the IPTC  ImageDescription.  Or anything in IPTC?

That's because ImageDescription is not an IPTC tag.  It is part of the EXIF group and, IMO, not the best place to save description text. A lot of programs don't read that location.  A better place is either IPTC:Caption-Abstract, which is part of the older IPTC IIM/Legacy group, or XMP:Description, which is part of the newer IPTC Photo Metadata Standard, often called IPTC Core/Ext, though Description is technically Dublin Core.

Also I used a color for what had been written, but what do you use for that?

You can either hit the "Quote" button at the bottom right


Or you can use the Quote button above the text box


The box to the left of that is the "Code" button which should be used for the output from exiftool.

[John Addis]

Completely stumped.

I used ImageDescription to print all the contents to add to the file name, and that worked.
I then used ImageDescription to add to the filename.

Now I want to put later filenames into ImageDescription.

I tried  using ImageDescription, IPTC:Caption-Abstract,and XMP:Description.

These worked to an extent, each files Property Detail|Titles, has the filename in it.  It didn't before the test.

But none of the 3, changed anything that shows on ACDSee|Properties|IPTC|Description.  It is still blank.  In years before 2018, ACDSee|Properties|IPTC|Description  had the info that I converted to add to the filename.

I had entered the descriptions with Photoshop Elements and Lightroom before 2018.

What am I doing wrong?

[John Addis]

In the above post I used

exiftool -r -P -overwrite_original -wm cg -progress "-ImageDescription<Basename" G:/TEST/

I tried  using ImageDescription, IPTC:Caption-Abstract,and XMP:Description, all with the same result.

[John Addis]

Tried
exiftool -r -P -overwrite_original -wm cg -progress "-exif:imagedescription<Basename" G:/TEST/

exif:imagedescription was used by Phil Harvey
Still no good result


I know nothing about the formula, I only copy and test.
Will exiftool never do it, or is there something wrong in the formula?
 

[StarGeek]

The -wm (-writeMode) option you have set will not overwrite existing tags.  With -wm cg, you will only write if a tag needs to be created.  Remove -wm cg if you want to change and overwrite the contents of a tag with new data.

[John Addis]

I used

After the update


ACDSee after the update


Looked good, but nothing changed.

imagedescription is a good keyword, because I used it to extract the original descriptions.

imagedescription is good to copy from, but I can not copy to it.

Phil might know why or how?


 
 

[Phil Harvey]

This looks like FAQ 3.

I can't speak for what ACDSee will read.

- Phil

[StarGeek]

Did you refresh the metadata after editing?  If I recall, there's either a menu option or a right click context menu option, something like Metadata->Read from file

That said, I can't offer any other advice when it comes to what tags ACDSee reads other than I know it does read IPTC:Caption-Abstract and XMP:Description.  I tried it once and disliked it so much I had to uninstall it after a couple days.

[John Addis]

Phil & StarGeek,

In about 2002 I using on Photoshop.
After about 10 years, PhotoShop was too expensive, so I started using Photoshop
Elements.  Then on Lightroom for 1 year in 2016. Went to Elements in 2017, instead of the monthly cost of Lightroom. This July I wanted to upgrade again, but the junior programmers at Adobe had totally fowled it up! I restored my backup.
I had tried ACDSee in 2017, but Elements was far better.  I was surprised when I tried the new ACDSee.  I bought it.

I cut my test run to 2 files,  all from before 2017.
After reading the faq #3, I inserted a -v2 in the file spec.

exiftool -r -P -v2 -overwrite_original -wm wcg -progress "-exif:imagedescription<Basename" G:/TEST/
Test 2022-08-23.txt
!
exiftool updated something!

I don't know what.
  It was not in what Adobe Elements calls General-Caption, where I always entered the imagedescription (one of the few semi-automatic fields).
 
It is not in ACDCee IPTC Description.  That is where I have each description, for the entire file. I can see those from Photoshop, Lightroom, Elements, and ACDSee.

Years ago, I read that Adobe puts the Description in 3 places.  One of the places is where exiftoolf finds it and probably replaces it.  One other is Where ACDSee uses it as a IPTC Description.  The other must where Adobe stores it for General-Caption.

What a mess.  Are you aware of a program that prints all user data from a jpg?

Is there another FieldName (not imagedescription) for what might be called AdobeGeneralCaption?

[John Addis]

Guess I can't upload a file, here is 2 jpg's.
The second file is better to look at.

 

[Phil Harvey]

ExifTool is updating IFD0:ImageDescription as you specified.  The problem is that ACDSee isn't reading this.  This is more of an ACDSee issue.

- Phil