Moving files in PL

[uncoy (Alec Kinnear)]

Hi Pascal. FastRawViewer creates sidecar XMP files (the same kind used by Adobe Bridge for example) for ratings data and IPTC (limited). Here’s a sample file with rating, label, title and description:

<x:xmpmeta xmlns:x="adobe:ns:meta/" x:xmptk="XMP Core 5.6.0">
   <rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#">
      <rdf:Description rdf:about=""
            xmlns:xmp="http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/"
            xmlns:photoshop="http://ns.adobe.com/photoshop/1.0/"
            xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
         <xmp:Rating>2</xmp:Rating>
         <xmp:MetadataDate>2018-11-09T23:41:27+01:00</xmp:MetadataDate>
         <xmp:Label>Green</xmp:Label>
         <photoshop:SidecarForExtension>JPG</photoshop:SidecarForExtension>
         <dc:title>
            <rdf:Alt>
               <rdf:li xml:lang="x-default">Clock</rdf:li>
            </rdf:Alt>
         </dc:title>
         <dc:description>
            <rdf:Alt>
               <rdf:li xml:lang="x-default">Top shelf of the bookcase</rdf:li>
            </rdf:Alt>
         </dc:description>
      </rdf:Description>
   </rdf:RDF>
</x:xmpmeta>

Normally I only use the rating and label features. The EXIF data is stored in the file as usual.

DxO Photo Lab reads the XMP sidecar files (just as with Adobe files) when you open a folder with images. The XMP sidecar files have to have the same names as the original files to work, so if I usually do my renaming not on candidate files but on finished jpeg or tiff exports after processing.

DxO Photo Lab unfortunately only reads the XMP sidecar files for RAW images. Even if you choose the option to write the rating into the jpg (not recommended by FRV as file integrity is at risk if the write operation is interrupted), the ratings on jpegs don’t show up in DxO Photo Lab (I was able to confirm the presence of the internal jpg rating with Lyn image browser).

So the rating metadata only shows up for RAW files in DxO Photo Lab for now. DxO Photo Lab could fix these issues fairly easily. First I’d like DxO Photo Lab to check for XMP data for jpegs and then for internal jpg data if there is no XMP.

The key to my workflow with DxO Photo Lab is to only include files which I want to process in the processing folder. That way I don’t need to filter or sort or rate the photos within DxO at all. I just go through the RAW files (I rarely shoot jpeg only) one by one, sorted by file name. The DxO file browser thumbnails do reflect changes to the RAW so it’s fairly easy to determine which files one has already processed visually within the Image Browser.

FastRawViewer makes it very easy to move selects into a subfolder for processing. You only need to filter the files by your criteria (i.e. 4 + 5 star RAW), select all and choose Move to from the Select/Batch menu.

I hope that helps. After checking these issues for you, I know more about the technical inner workings than I did before answering. I’m even more convinced that the less DAM and file browsing capability which DxO promises and implements within Photo Lab, the easier and more productive the application will be for us. What’s essential for me is that DxO Photo Lab plays well with others in terms of accepting incoming files and exporting files. There’s some accepted/open standards like the Adobe Bridge XMP sidecar files which programs like FastRawViewer emulate. It would be great if DxO Photo Lab would follow these useful conventions as well and avoid building an elaborate, messy and less than half compatible file management system (example: Capture One).

[Pieloe (Pascal)]

Thanks Alec for this full description.
I had noticed DxO read XMP internal datas in JPEG files.
Now I note “DxO Photo Lab reads the XMP sidecar files for raw”, I didn’t know that.

I currently use XnView, indeed this software uses a database.

Pascal

[roseblood11]

Alec, did you ever write an article on FRV? Or on your workflow in general? That might be helpful for a lot of people.

Would you still recommend FRV today?

[uncoy (Alec Kinnear)]

Thanks for the question Roseblood. I continue to recommend FRV. FRV is the core tool in my photo management arsenal. I even use FastRawViewer for browsing jpeg folders as it’s very easy to switch between thumbnail and individual image and all info is available at all times. My culling workflow is above.

At one point, I did post about how I set up DxO PhotoLab but can no longer find the post here. There are three keys to my workflow with PhotoLab. Point one is covered above: start a PhotoLab session with only selects visible. I’ve written and posted a long article covering points two and three: DxO PhotoLab: How to Build an Efficient Processing Workflow.

Please let me know if you find the workflow in that article useful or if you have any questions.

---

I have now found a post here which includes some additional notes on culling and post-processing photo management. It doesn’t cover processing (covered in DxO PhotoLab: How to Build an Efficient Processing Workflow).

[OXiDant (Peter)]

" Focal Length, Focusing Distance . I don’t know what these do. As far as I know, focal length and focusing distance are a done deal after the shoot. Must investigate to find out what I’m missing sometime. For now, just another potential distraction."

interesting view in your workflow.
about above, it’s an extra distortion correction for wideangle lenses. See my post and example of my fz200 wa shot:

Tutorials DxO PhotoLab by the user

To place this where it belongs: quote out manual: Focal length and focusing distance The lens focal length and focusing distance of a photo are recorded in the EXIF data of your images. However, this information is not always accurate. For example, different but close positions of the focal length ring (say, 17 and 18 mm) could result in the same value (say 18 mm) being recorded in the EXIF data. In this case, the distortion correction may be less than optimal. In the same manner, the focusing…

FRV is indeed great little tool. If they build in a hieracycal keyword IPTC EXIF editor it will be boss and done. Now i have to use Adobe Bridge for that step. XnviewMP uses older IPTC structure which causes glitses in PL.

Last clip is broken, have to see which that was and if i deleted it or not.
I displayed a cabinet structure of a fz200 image i think.
But in general you can give the optical correction module a extra mile when you hit the wall in automode.

[uncoy (Alec Kinnear)]

@OXiDant

about above, it’s an extra distortion correction for wideangle lenses. See my post and example of my fz200 wa shot:

Thanks for the clarification, Peter.

I normally don’t shoot anything under APS-C so that the difference between 17mm and 18mm which would be important for small cameras is unlikely to matter much to me. Great that the setting is there but happy not to need it. There’s quite enough to adjust per photo without more.