Workflow suggestion - ideas?

stuartb

• April 11, 2024 16:34

I use NeoFinder as my main DAM and use Capture One in session mode. So far it suits my needs perfectly, with one exception.

I frequently need to search through a batch of images to decide which ones to process and send to a stock library. Capture One automatically reads the metadata from the original DNG or CR3 file to give me a start for selecting by rating (applied in NeoFinder). Using a combination of colour tags and star ratings I work through the batch to give me a shortlist, from where I export to the required format. At this point I'd like to sync the metadata changes so that NeoFinder can show me the selected images with their updated star rating and colour tag.

Even though DNG and CRW files allow updating with metadata Capture One forces the changes into an XMP sidecar file. I could re-configure NeoFinder to force everything to go into sidecar files, but that would spoil a neat solution on the NeFinder side and create 000s of unnecessary sidecar files. The Capture One 'prefer embedded XMP' does not have an option for me to force the data into the original file (all the files are backed up off-site, so I can always recover the original).

2 questions from this: am I missing some way to avoid sidecar files; if not can anyone suggest a simple technique to get the data back to NeoFinder, short of writing down the changes (star rating and colour tag are all that is needed) and updating the metadata in NeoFinder?

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  stuartb

  • April 22, 2024 17:02

  I am answering my own question and think that I have found a neat solution.

  1 I start with Neofinder files, doing a quick search for, say, a specific band that I want to process.

  2 Move all the files into an album. So far, very similar to Capture One, but I want the final list to remain in Neofinder. Preview them with a similar display to Capture One, marking any candidates a 3 star and the rest as 1. Filter so that only the 3 stars are in view.

  3 Drag the images into Capture One, where it automatically creates a session. Re-label the session under the band name.

  4 Rather than use cull, just work through the images normally as I can then be sure of a sharp browser view. Process each image as normal. If an image is not good enough downgrade it to 1 star.

  5 Export the good images to jpg and upload to Alamy.

  6 For each failed image select it and 'sync metadata'. This creates an XMP sidecar file for that image.

  7 In Neofinder select the batch and select 'embed XMP file back into file'. This does not touch the original image and the RAW files are designed to have metadata embedded.

  I might seem a little long winded, but I this gives me a rapid workflow using the best features of the 2 programs, with the metadata back in the original file and no sidecar files.

   

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