A few questions about metadata handling in PSU

[maurizio]

Hello,
I have a few questions about metadata handling. Maybe I could find the answers with some tests, however I think it could be useful if this could be clarified in the forum.
So lets's start:

1.
The "Details" panel is showing metadata which are read from files or from the catalog ?
2.
In "Image Details" panel I presume "XMP Advanced"/EXIF shows the metadata belonging to the exif schema of XMP.
How can I examine the "real" EXIF metadata ? ( I mean the "legacy" EXIF metadata, not the xmp:exif schema)
3.
Similarly, can I examine IPTC IIM metadata in PSU?
4.
When setting custom thumbnail information, e.g. when I write exif:UserComment, where this information is read from ? From file or from catalog?
5.
How metadata harvesting is done? I.e. when importing an image, which metadata are read into catalog and how conflicts are managed? Does PSU follow the recommendation of the metadata working group?
6.
In the top right of "Details" panel there is a menu with the following entries:
Advanced
Basic
IPTC
Import Medadata to XMP
What is the behaviour of "import metadata to XMP" ? Shouldn't this be done anyway when importing an image or when syncing metadata?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Best regards,

Maurizio

[Hert]

1.The "Details" panel is showing metadata which are read from files or from the catalog ?

From the catalog. In any DAM tool, the truth in in the catalog.

2. In "Image Details" panel I presume "XMP Advanced"/EXIF shows the metadata belonging to the exif schema of XMP. How can I examine the "real" EXIF metadata ? ( I mean the "legacy" EXIF metadata, not the xmp:exif schema)
3. Similarly, can I examine IPTC IIM metadata in PSU?

The Image Details show XMP. This is the highest level of metadata. If no XMP exists (or the XMP is incomplete; like many tools that call themself "XMP tool" do), then your Exif/IPTC are converted to XMP. There's no direct viewer for Exif or IPTC.

4. When setting custom thumbnail information, e.g. when I write exif:UserComment, where this information is read from ? From file or from catalog?

The %exif macros show you Exif, like the name says... Exif is read from the file.

5.How metadata harvesting is done? I.e. when importing an image, which metadata are read into catalog and how conflicts are managed? Does PSU follow the recommendation of the metadata working group?

http://manual.idimager.com/appendix_c__ ... _mappi.htm

6. In the top right of "Details" panel there is a menu with the following entries:
Advanced
Basic
IPTC
Import Medadata to XMP
What is the behaviour of "import metadata to XMP" ? Shouldn't this be done anyway when importing an image or when syncing metadata?

Of course it's done on import. However, many people still use tools that don't do a very good job in metadata management and fail to consistently update metadata which can result in Exif-IPTC-XMP not being in sync inside the same file. For instance IPTc is updated but not the identical corresponding XMP fields for those IPTC fields. The Import Metadat will again do the mapping from Exif/IPTC to XMP.

[maurizio]

Thank you for clarifying all!

4. When setting custom thumbnail information, e.g. when I write exif:UserComment, where this information is read from ? From file or from catalog?

The %exif macros show you Exif, like the name says... Exif is read from the file.

Just another question:
do the %xmp macros read from file as well ?

e.g. if I put in the custom thumbnail info %xmp:exif:UserComment where this property is read from?

Kind regards,

Maurizio

[Hert]

%xmp macros are read from the XMP data as stored in the database.

[maurizio]

Now it's much more clear!
Thanks
Maurizio