Creating your own custom fields / XMP Scheme

[dmtoddma]

IDimager not only fully implements XMP, it also allows you to extend XMP to suit your own needs. This means you can store whatever information you want to store in your images. In my case, I'm having intermittent trouble with the date/time register on my camera. I've sent it in once, but they couldn't find anything, so I'm watching it closely and gathering data. I decided I'd like to store information about changes I make to the EXIF Date/Time stamp in my images. Turns out it's a breeze not only to do that, but to store the information in XMP.

Here are the basic steps:

1. Load Image Properties (Alt-Enter)

2. Click on XMP Editor



3. Put the cursor on the first line ("XMP....) and either press "INS" or right click and select 'Add' to add a new scheme.



4. Enter a web domain for your scheme. I assume the idea is that you would store specifications at that domain for your scheme, but as far as I know it doesn't even have to be a actual address. It does, however, have to have a trailing "/" and if you forget that, you'll have to type it in again. In this example, I forgot it and had to type it in again!



5. You will be asked for a namespace prefix, ideally something short and unique.



6. Your new schema will now appear in the list. Right click on it and select "Edit' if you want to rename it and/or enter a description. Here is mine after I renamed it:



7. Then, with the cursor on your schema in the list, press "INS" or right click and select "Add" to add an item to your schema. This loads a screen (below) that allows you to define an item. I don't know what all of the options mean, but the critical ones are name, XMP Property, Property Type, and Edit Type. Here is the item I created to keep a record of the original EXIF Date/Time stamp on my files.



9. Click on OK and that's it.

You can now add data to your scheme through a script, or in the Image Properties or Image Details (Image Viewer) screens, if you add your items to those screens. To do this load the Schema Editor in either one of those screens and follow the instructions that are in the pdf manual.
Here's what I added to have all the relevant dates, and my archival information and a record of date/time changes I have applied to the image, added to the "Descriptions" screen of Image Properties:



Your custom XMP items can also be used throughout idimager, for example for renaming. The power and flexibility that this provides is amazing.

Any suggestions for improving this description are welcome.

David

[Update by Hert]
If you are using a custom schema in the design then I highly recommend that you create an export of your schema so you can use it later to re-create the schema if for whatever reason that is required. It also allows you to create the schema on a second computer (for example your laptop).

1. Open Image Details (Alt+Enter) on any image
2. Click XMP Editor
3. Select and highlight your own schema
4. Right click and select "Export..."
5. Now specify the file name for your export

Make sure you also create a backup of this export file for recovery purposes.

Hert

[Edited Hert; changed topic title]

[IDimager]

Hi David,

This is a great posting/tip about one of IDI's unique features.

XMP (eXtensible Metadata Platform) is getting more popular which is good. But as you may have noticed, applications tend to implement XMP as a "read-only" feature and in some cases they allow writing of "hard-coded" XMP fields.

The one thing that everyone seems to forget is the "Extensible" powers of XMP. There are some predefined XMP schemas available like Dublin Core, IPTC4XMP and Adobe's standard XMP schemas. However XMP allows you to define your own data and store this embedded in your photo. Examples where or when to use your own XMP schema could be if you want to store sales information, keep temporary information, keep prints information, keep customer base information, etc etc. With XMP you are no longer limited to a predefined set of fields like was the case with "classic" IPTC.

Another great part is that your XMP information is fully exchangable with other XMP applications...even your own schemas. Open your image in Photoshop and you will see this info too.

IDI is the only application right now that allows XMP extensions through a graphical application interface. The only application that also allows XMP entensions is Adobe Photoshop.... but that tool uses a scripting language to create additional custom panels; this make it only accessible for a small group.

I hope that this posting will trigger other people to start defining their own XMP schemas too.

The image properties dialog (Alt+Enter) is defined exactly the same as you have explained here. These are all accessible using the "XMP Editor" button and can be used as examples on how you can define your custom properties in your own schemas.

Thank you for setting this first step!

Hert

[IDimager]

One addition I'd like to make; after you created a custom XMP schema, you may want to backup it for future use:

1. Open Image Detailt (Alt+Enter)
2. Click "XMP Editor" button in the toolbar
3. Select your schema
4. Right click on the schema and select "Export"
5. Name your backup file and click Save

Hert

[sanphotgn]

Thank you for providing this excellent tutorial.

In the Define window what does the Tag field refer to?

The default items I looked at had values in the Tag field. When I created an item, it was set to 0.

Thank you,

Kevin

[IDimager]

Hi Kevin,

In the Define window what does the Tag field refer to?

The tag field is a link to an Exif tag. It contains the decimal value of the Exif tag it links to.

Leave that field 0 for custom fields.

Hert

[lenmerkel]

Super tutorial! Now you got me thinking on some ideas!

[lerone]

very helpful!

I am just getting into IDImager, and this feature set was what I was hoping for!

– one question remains though to make this real useful: I would need to be able to map catalog labels to the newly created, i.e. custom, xmp fields but can see no way to do it.

while the additional, custom xmp-fields appear in the image detail infos, I do not know how to create a mapping to these additional xmp fields from the catalog labels. whenver I edit them, and go to the "Mapped to XMP as..." field I only get the choice for custom IPTC fields. my own XMP felds do not show up here

thanks for any help from an interested newbie!

[Paul Harris]

lerone,

Let me take a stab at this. I believe that in order to map a label to an XMP field, that field needs to appear on one on the six tabs in the Image Details window, other than the XMP Advanced Tab. You can add your custom fields to any of these tabs with the Editor Schema Designer. Once it appears on one of these tabs, you should be able to access it in the Field Mapping window of the label.

Hope this helps,

Paul

[IDimager]

Paul,

You are almost correct.

To make a XMP property (custom or not) to appear in the drop down selection list it needs to be part of one of the tabs. But to map a catalog label to a XMP property you can use any XMP property, even if it is not on a tab.

1. Select the catalog label that you'd like to map
2. Right click -> Edit this item
3. The XMP mapping has a drop down icon and when this is clicked, only the XMP properties from the tabs will be listed. To assign a non-tabbed XMP property simply type it in the field like this %xmp:<<id>>:<<property>>. Example: %xmp:dmt:ArchiveDateTimeOriginal

Hope that helps

Hert

[lerone]

great! even two ways to solve the problem – thanks for speedy help here!

[Paul Harris]

To assign a non-tabbed XMP property simply type it in the field like this %xmp:<<id>>:<<property>>. Example: %xmp:dmt:ArchiveDateTimeOriginal

But, Hert, I'm a PICKER, not a TYPER!

Paul

[IDimager]

LOL :D

[frith]

Is it possible to recap / summarise the way you set up a custom field.

In the beginning of this thread there seems to be a step missing (#8). When I try to do this I don't get a dialog box with three tabs in Step 7 and step 8 is missing. I get an error message of "The Prefix/ID and the property prefix (before the colon) should be identical" but with the dialog box (and only one tab) I can't make any sense of the error message.

Thanks,

Frith

[frith]

I think I managed to figure this out on my own.

[DirkS]

I think I managed to figure this out on my own.

Can you share the secret? I get the same message and cannot find the solution

Thanks
Dirk.