XMP sidecar vs NEF metadata

[pgrondin]

I am attempting to understand how to maintain consistency between Daminion, Lightroom, and NX2. If I understand correctly:

 

When the Daminion configuration is set to write data to .xmp sidecar file, "Read metadata from file" will ignore changes that may have been made by other programs to the metadata stored in the .nef file.

 

Conversely, when the configuration is set to write data to EXIF/IPTC/XMP etc. file, I assume that "Read metadata from file" will read only the data in the .nef file, and will ignore changes that may have been made to the metadata stored in the .xmp sidecar file.

 

Daminion will not update both the .nef, and the .xmp sidecar file at the same time.

 

Can anyone either confirm that my understanding is correct, or clarify the actual operation for me?

 

Thanks

[Murat]

I've tried to write metadata into the sample NEF file using both options: with and without xmp sidecars. And both programs can see each other's changes. I've recorded a short video. Can you reproduce the same steps on your computer?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izor_6GaQ9k

[pgrondin]

Thanks for the video Murat! It really helped to clarify my understanding. I ran a few tests, and it appears to work nicely for both ratings and keyword data. The only real way to get into trouble would be to update info in either catalog without writing the data to file, or not reading the data if you have been working in the other program.

 

If you are going to use both programs to modify tags, ratings etc. it looks like "Good Workflow" would be to:

- Use program "A" to make a batch of changes. Ensure that the changes are written to file.

- Open program "B", and read data from file for the photos/videos involved.

- Ensure that program "B" writes it's changes to file. (if both nef and xmp files are being used)

- Shut down both programs for the day.

 

So, if I were to try to re-state my understanding of how the data is managed:

When working with Daminion and Lightroom, it appears that:

 

Whether Daminion is configured to write data to the .xmp sidecar file or to EXIF/IPTC/XMP (.nef) file, "Read metadata from file" in Daminion or Lightroom will read both the .nef, and .xmp files and use the data from the last file to be edited based on the Metadata Date entry (I assume).

 

Lightroom, if I understand correctly, writes it`s metadata only to the .xmp sidecar file, and Daminion reads that file to pick up changes that were made in Lightroom. This occurs regardless of whether Daminion is writing it`s changes to the .nef or the .xmp files.

 

Changes to tags made by ViewNX2 are read by Daminion, and by Lightroom on "Read tags from file". Changes to ratings made in ViewNX2, are read by Lightroom but do not appear to be read at all by Daminion.

 

If Daminion is writing metadata to the .nef file, and the thumbnail is open in ViewNX2, the changes are immediately reflected in ViewNX2 without the need for a manual refresh. ViewNX2 however will not see the changes written to the .xmp files by either Lightroom or Daminion.

 

Daminion will not update both the .nef, and the .xmp sidecar files at the same time.

[Murat]

If you are going to use both programs to modify tags, ratings etc. it looks like "Good Workflow" would be to:

- Use program "A" to make a batch of changes. Ensure that the changes are written to file.

- Open program "B", and read data from file for the photos/videos involved.

- Ensure that program "B" writes it's changes to file. (if both nef and xmp files are being used)

- Shut down both programs for the day.

 

Daminion allows to automate reading/writing tags from/to the files. All changed tags will be automatically put into the metadata if the Auto-Sync feature is turned On. And you can reflect for outside Lightroom changes via the "Auto-Scan Folders" feature (works for shared catalogs only). However I don't know whether Lightroom offers such capability.

 

 

Whether Daminion is configured to write data to the .xmp sidecar file or to EXIF/IPTC/XMP (.nef) file, "Read metadata from file" in Daminion or Lightroom will read both the .nef, and .xmp files and use the data from the last file to be edited based on the Metadata Date entry (I assume).

 

Correct. Daminion checks for the "XMP:Metadata Date" field in original RAW images and they sidecars to determine the most actual metadata source.

 

 

Lightroom, if I understand correctly, writes it`s metadata only to the .xmp sidecar file, and Daminion reads that file to pick up changes that were made in Lightroom. This occurs regardless of whether Daminion is writing it`s changes to the .nef or the .xmp files.

 

Yes. See my note above about the Metadata Date.

 

Changes to tags made by ViewNX2 are read by Daminion, and by Lightroom on "Read tags from file". Changes to ratings made in ViewNX2, are read by Lightroom but do not appear to be read at all by Daminion.

 

Can't confirm because it works with my NEF images. There was a problem in the past Daminion versions with exchanging metadata between Daminion and ViewNX because of the multiple XMP blocks inside the same NEF files (you can found some older forum post here related to this issue). But it was fixed with a new Adobe XMP ToolKit that we use. Could you please send me a sample NEF image where this problem appears?

 

 

If Daminion is writing metadata to the .nef file, and the thumbnail is open in ViewNX2, the changes are immediately reflected in ViewNX2 without the need for a manual refresh. ViewNX2 however will not see the changes written to the .xmp files by either Lightroom or Daminion.

 

Yes. The reason of using xmp sidecars is because Camera Vendors don't publish RAW image specifications and third-party developers might damage the files with unknown structure (although all RAW images are TIFF based files). But View/Capture NX developers can deal with NEF files directly cause they have access to NEF specification and can avoid working with .xmp sidecars. I guess they don't care about third-party programs that support .xmp sidecars :)

 

Daminion will not update both the .nef, and the .xmp sidecar files at the same time.

 

Correct. You can only update RAW image or it's sidecar but not both ones at the same time.