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how to apply a keyword to multiple images

Michael Mason
Somehow, the online instructions speak a different English than I learned growing up. At any rate, too often they make no sense to me.

For example, see and the section named: "Apply keyword tags to images"
Instructions appear quite straightforward: select images, press +, enter keyword(s), press +, press Enter. Done!

Except, entering + the second time only gives one a new data entry box. So that is wrong. Pressing Enter works, but only for the image that is actually highlighted (with the thick white lines). The rest of the select images are not affected.

I do have the "Edit all selected variants" icon selected (turned on).

The only way I could make this work was to enter the keyword for one image, and then use the double-arrow to copy the settings to the other selected image.

Does anyone have a "key" or an english to english translator so I can make sense of these help files???

Thanks
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Comments

14 comments

Date Votes
  • BeO
    Top Commenter
    Hi Bodo, welcome to the forum.

    Instructions appear quite straightforward


    I guess you pretty much understood the instructions, didn't you? And yes they seem to be wrong, outdated or describe the design of this tool instead of the actual behavior, in other words there is a bug in the doc or software.

    Btw, the "image that is actually highlighted (with the thick white lines)" is called "primary variant", this might help you understanding other documentation parts ( I originally thought there might be a permanent "primary" variant, which is not the case).

    Tip: You can select multiple images and press / hold "shift" and click the double arrow, it will copy the keywords from the primary variant to the other selected variants (make sure "edit multiple images" button is toggled ON).

    What I am missing in the software is the possibility to assign single keywords to multiple images, without coyping ALL keywords from the primary, and without deleting ALL keywords in the target images.

    Happy New Year
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  • SFA
    [quote="BeO" wrote:


    What I am missing in the software is the possibility to assign single keywords to multiple images, without coyping ALL keywords from the primary, and without deleting ALL keywords in the target images.



    One way is to ensure the keyword is already in place (if not apply it to a single image) at which point it should appear in the Keywords section of the Filters Lists under the Library Tab.

    Now select all of the images to which you wish connect that keyword and drag the set over to that keyword in the filter list. The Keyword will be added to all of the selected images/variants.

    HTH.



    Grant
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  • BeO
    Top Commenter
    Hi Grant,

    Thanks. Drag&Drop would allow you to selectively add keywords to the existing keywords of images? This would be great.

    However, in the Keywords section of the Filters Lists under the Library Tab, I cannot drag, not even "select" a keyword, I can only toogle on/off for the filter function. I am using 8.0.2.

    BeO

    Edit: Browser lables are in "Edit Mode"
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  • SFA
    Drag the image or the selection of images from the browser thumbnails to the keyword not the keyword to the image.

    If for any reason that seems a little awkward you can also have one (or several) floating keyword tools positioned in more convenient positions on you screen - but still drag the image to the keyword. (The tag where the keyword current usage count is displayed.)

    HTH.


    Grant.
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  • BeO
    Top Commenter
    Thanks Grant, this really helps a lot (and you actually said this before (and drag the image to the keyword, not vice versa) 😄 )

    It works with other properties in the filter tool too, e.g. ratings.

    Is there also a way to "mass" delete single keywords from multiple images?

    Thanks
    BeO
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  • SFA
    [quote="BeO" wrote:


    Is there also a way to "mass" delete single keywords from multiple images?

    Thanks
    BeO


    http://help.phaseone.com/en/CO8/Organiz ... words.aspx

    See the section about deleting Keywords ...

    Now I would strongly advise that you test this with someth9ing non-critical. As I recall when first introduced at 8.0 the removal from multiple selected images had a last minute problem with the build and it missed the release. I had not tried this in 8.1 until now.

    I can get a word to delete from multiple selected files using 8.1 - looks like there may be a couple of ways available - but just now I was left with an odd count in the filter for the keyword - did not match the actual number of images left with the keyword so I am planning to investigate further but maybe not until later this evening or tomorrow.

    Things look promising, certainly, but I want to be sure of what I am seeing before suggesting anything here. However if you want to follow the recommended method and see what you get (using test files rather than a live set) it would be a useful exercise.


    Grant
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  • BeO
    Top Commenter
    Thanks again.

    I am still on 8.0.2, deleting from the metadata keywords tool works on single images only, but I see, C1 is on the right track...

    Best,
    BeO
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  • SFA
    [quote="BeO" wrote:
    Thanks again.

    I am still on 8.0.2, deleting from the metadata keywords tool works on single images only, but I see, C1 is on the right track...

    Best,
    BeO


    You could download and install 8.1 on a 30 day trial.

    There are many reasons to recommend doing so.

    Just install it in a separate folder and you can run both versions BUT be aware that there is an engine update that means sessions/catalogues, if you access them, will be backed up before conversion. Conversion is non-reversible - hence the backup provided.

    For testing and investigation I would recommend simply creating new catalogs/sessions and gaining experience with a small sample of images until you are comfortable with what you see and experience.


    Grant
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  • SFA
    After some testing ....

    In Windows (no idea if Mac is different) it is quite easy to filter to select images/variants with keywords you may wish to delete and then to delete the words - but only from one image at a time so far as I can tell.

    The exception to that is that RESET keywords works on multiple images if multiples are selected. However it will reset ALL keywords as far as I can tell.

    In some situations that may be desirable and exactly what is required or close to it. In other situations not so usable.

    I think there is scope for improvement without adding any significant complication.

    How much of a problem is it? (How often do we have large numbers of deletions that could not be dealt with efficiently using RESET?)

    What would people like to see?



    Grant
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  • Michael Mason
    [quote="BeO" wrote:

    I guess you pretty much understood the instructions, didn't you?


    Hey BeO,
    Not so much I understood the instructions, but learned to "creatively" ignore them and persisted in experimenting until I made C1 work for me (in this instance.... ❓ )
    So I guess part of my "learning process" is to guess when to ignore the instructions -- I have found several instances now in which they are wrong/out-of-date. From your comments, I deducethat many on this forum have already learned that such is SOP (standard operating procedure). Drat!!

    Also, thanks for the tip, ref: primary variant.

    On a second issue, BeO or anyone, is it so that C1 is supposed to display a list of already used keywords??
    From , section "Enter hierarchal keywords" and the image shown there, I get the sense this is so. Certainly, this would be a very welcome feature.
    HOWEVER, they are not showing up for me, neither under Metadata/KEYWORDS, nor in the filters area under library. So how do I enable this behavior (should it exist??).
    I have to admit, when I develop a scheme of 30, 50 or more keywords, I am really going to want to see a list!!

    By the way, I am using version 8.1.
    And Happy New Year to you and all here.
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  • Michael Mason
    [quote="SFA" wrote:


    One way is to ensure the keyword is already in place (if not apply it to a single image) at which point it should appear in the Keywords section of the Filters Lists under the Library Tab.


    Grant, I already asked this in my reply to BeO, but let me restate it here in case my question got lost in the shuffle.

    While I certainly have some keywords already in the database (automatic form fill works for me in the Metadata/keywords area, under Library/Filters/Keywords it shows "No entries".
    (However, if I select an image that already has keywords attached, then those show up in the Filter/keywords area. That doesn't seem all that helpful (sarcasm intended 🙄 ) as the point of filtering is to find images and not to require one to have already found one.

    What do you think I might be doing wrong here?

    By the way, I am using version 8.1.
    Bodo
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  • BeO
    Top Commenter
    Hi Bodo,

    I don't have C1 at hand right now, but if I remember right the filters tab shows the keywords depending on the collection selected ("all images, a certain import or album etc.) in the library tool, i.e. it pre-reduces the list of all keywords to the necessary ones, which is quite smart. Not sure what happens if you select one image (or images) from a collection.

    Best,
    BeO
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  • BeO
    Top Commenter
    Hi Grant,

    How often do we have large numbers of deletions [of keywords] that could not be dealt with efficiently using RESET?


    Well, probably not that often, but it occurs. This having said, I am not a professional, so this might be different. For example, you always key in "Getty", "500pix", "Facebook" or "Flickr", if you publish an image, later you decide not to do so any more and want to delete such keywords from numerous images which otherwise have totally different keywords. Or, you decide to delete the names of persons or places which you previously typed in as keywords, or the lens you've been using, whatever.

    The point is, if you have a collection of images over time with differing keyword sets, resetting and re-assigning keywords would not be practical. How often do we have the need to completely delete all keywords from a list of images? I can't imagine any situation, actually.

    Intuitively, I would have thought that if you select multiple images (and "edit multiple variants" ON), and then enter or delete keywords (or other metadata, rating, colors etc) then this action should apply to all selected variants, (as it is indeed described in the keywords online documentation), I find this somehow "natural".

    I like this drag&drop approach too, but the drawback is that you can't delete this way.

    Best,
    BeO
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  • RichardT
    I would like to be able to quickly see a list of all existing keywords, so I can ensure consistent spelling/usage.

    The only way I can see to get this information is to select "All Images". However, on my system (with just under 20,000 images in the catalogue) it takes Capture One 10 minutes of intense disk I/O to process them all! In addition, as soon as I switch back to the folder containing the images I am working on, the list of all keywords disappears ☚ī¸

    As others have said, I would also like to be able delete one or more keywords from multiple images.

    Another useful feature would to be able to globally rename a keyword, updating all images that use that keyword.
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