workflow

I developed Picture Metadata-Workplace because there where a lot of gaps at my workflow with pictures. I always had to use the command line and the ExifTool (by Phil Harvey). Some procedures were not covered by ExifTool, like getting data by Adobes Photoshop Elements Organizer.

I’ll now describe how I work with pictures and how I use Picture Metadata-Workplace therefore.

New pictures
1. The pictures are on my computer. They were taken with a camera or scanned in.
2. The directory with the pictures has to be chosen by the Directory-Button.
3. When the pictures were scanned in, the date of the shooting is missing. But it’s often known!
Mark the scanned pictures
Fill in the date area: YYYY:MM:DD, e.g. 1959:09:05
Click button „Write date/time“
4. The picture is from a digital camera, but date, time or both are wrong. Mark the new pictures
Check „Read Exif Data“
Fill in the right date and time for the first picture
Check „Shift all by time difference“
Click button „Write Date/Time“
5. The picture is from a digital camera, which hasn’t got an absolute position transducer, like my Olympus E-PL3.
All pictures which were taken when the camera was turned will be shown laying on the side
Choose the right image position at the area „camera position“ and click the button „Write Position“.
The picture itself will not be changed. Only the position tag will be written.
Windows: The picture will only be shown correctly when the check box „Read Exif data“ is checked

Fill in GPS data
This isn’t supported by Picture Metadata-Workplace. I use „myTracks“ by Dirk Stichling. It’s a good program which also uses ExifTools by Phil Harvey. „myTracks“ writes all GPS information with a UTF-8 encoding. It can be read by MacOS X and Windows without problems. (see later)

Administration of pictures
Picture Metadata-Workplace isn’t an organizer. Therefore I use Photoshop Elements Organizer 15 by Adobe. You can also write metadata by PSE Organizer at the pictures. But it will not be checked if existing tags at the IPTC-fields were written already in UTF-8, even if it’s marked. So a „nice picture from Compiègne“ will end as a „nice picture from Compiègne“, in German: "Ein schönes Bild aus Compiègne“ will be "ein schšnes Bild aus Compiègne“.

Get keywords from PSE
Choose the directory with the pictures by the „Directory“ button.
Choose pictures at the directory
Click at „Additional Tools“
The „Whole Directory“ can be marked at the area „Get data from Adobe PSE Organizer“. If you do so, it doesn’t care which pictures are marked. I mostly use it this way.
* Click „Check and Write“. All keywords were read out of PSE Organizer and written in the pictures, if they are not written there before. So the „nice picture from Compiègne“ will stay the „nice picture from Compiègne“. Also the rating of the pictures will be transmitted.

Prepare publishing
If you want to hand the pictures to other people, you should remove the personal rating of the pictures and fill in the name of the photographer.
Copy all pictures in a new directory.
Choose this new directory and mark all pictures.
Click „More Tools“
Fill in the fields at the area „Prepare Publishing“
* Click „Write Information“