- Rate and Tag Using Photosmith
- Rate and Tag Using PhotosInfoPro
- Rate and Tag Using Editing Apps
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Rate and Tag Using PhotosInfoPro
Unlike Photosmith, which focuses on syncing photos to Photoshop Lightroom, PhotosInfoPro takes a streamlined approach that exports metadata in XMP files to be imported into any software that supports the sidecar files.
PhotosInfoPro
Import Photos
PhotosInfoPro reads images in the iOS photo library, so the first step is to choose which album you want to work with. Assuming you’ve just imported a card’s worth of images into the iPad, tap the Library button and choose either the Last Import or All Imported album (4.22).
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4.22 Choose an album in PhotosInfoPro.
Rate a Photo
PhotosInfoPro makes it easy to scan your photos and apply ratings.
- Tap a photo thumbnail to view it larger and to see the metadata your camera applied (4.23).
4.23 Rating a photo in PhotosInfoPro
- Tap the rating dots below the photo to assign zero to five stars or to mark the image as rejected.
- Flick right-to-left to view and rate the next image.
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I find the default review size to be too small to get a good idea of the image’s quality. Tap once anywhere to expand the size (hiding the toolbar at the top) and put the photo against a black background. You can also view the image full screen by tapping the double guillemet (») symbol to hide the sidebar. Pinch-to-zoom works in this view, but the picture snaps back to the screen edges when you lift your fingers.
However, the full-screen view obscures the ratings, so you’ll need to tap once on the photo again to reveal them (making the photo smaller again).
Add Metadata to a Photo
To assign IPTC metadata to a single photo, tap it and then do the following:
- Tap the Metadata button. The Keywords panel appears by default.
- Type a keyword in the search field to locate a tag you’ve used previously, or tap Return on the keyboard to create a new one (4.24).
4.24 Adding keywords
You can remove a keyword you applied by tapping the Delete (–) button to the right of the word. To delete a keyword from the app’s database, swipe left-to-right on it in the Vocabulary list and then tap the Delete button.
- Tap the tab for another metadata category to edit its information: Headline, Creator, Copyright, Title, or Location.
- To define a location, type a name in the Search field. Or, navigate the map using your fingers and tap the Drop Pin button in the upper-left corner to set the location in the middle of the map (4.25).
4.25 Set geolocation information.
- To exit, tap the button that hides the keyboard at the bottom right.
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Add Metadata to Multiple Photos
Of course, you don’t want to apply metadata to every photo individually if you’re working on a large batch of similar shots. Here’s how to tag multiple photos in one swift stroke.
- In the Album view, tap the Metadata button.
- Tap to select the photos you want to work with, or tap the Select All button.
- Tap the Done button to finish making selections.
- Enter the metadata in the respective tabs (4.26).
4.26 Edit metadata for multiple photos.
- To exit, tap the button that hides the keyboard at the bottom right.
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Export Metadata
PhotosInfoPro exports the metadata you apply in three ways.
- Master + XMP. This option sends the original image file plus an XMP sidecar file that contains the metadata.
- XMP. Just the XMP files are sent, saving considerable time (especially if you’re in an area that does not offer robust Internet access). For example, you could upload the XMP files to Dropbox and then, when you’re back on your computer, import the images from your memory cards. You’d then import the XMP files and match them with the photos.
- JPEG. The JPEG option writes the metadata into the JPEG file, bypassing the need to deal with XMP sidecar files. However, note that the JPEG route applies an additional level of compression to your images, reducing their quality. Even if the photos were shot on JPEG originally, you’ll end up with higher-quality photos by using Master + XMP.
To export photos and metadata, do the following:
- Choose one image or multiple images; for the latter, tap the Export button in the Album view, select the photos you want, and then tap Done. The Export window appears (4.27).
4.27 Exporting multiple photos and their metadata
- Choose an export option and tap the method you’d like to use, such as the iTunes shared folder, Dropbox, or FTP.
- In the photo organizing software on your computer, import the image files and XMP pairs.
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