How can I export my ratings and colours?

Stuart444 · Post by **Stuart444** » Thu Oct 06, 2016 7:57 pm

I've found that if I browse through my images and assign ratings and colours to them, then if I back up my files to an external drive and then examine the files on that external drive (actually my backups drive) then those ratings and colours are not there. It seems as though the files themselves are not altered by assigning a rating or a colour to them. So I presume XnViewMP is storing this information somewhere else.

Please can you advise me where it is kept? If I copy it to my external drive and then look at the images on that drive with another computer running XnViewMP, will this then display the colours and ratings that were assigned to the files using the first computer?

Thanks

Post by **XnTriq** » Thu Oct 06, 2016 10:00 pm

This information is stored in XnView.db. The location of this file depends on the configuration in Tools » Settings... » Integration » Paths » Other settings » Folder for Catalog (.db).

You can also write the ratings and colors to JPEG images as embedded metadata…

Selected files: View » Update files from catalog
All files: Tools » Settings... » Metadata » IPTC & XMP » Keywords » Export DB Category to XMP Subject and IPTC Keyword

… and have them imported to another installation:

Selected files: View » Update catalog from files
All files: Tools » Settings... » Metadata » IPTC & XMP » Keywords » Import XMP subject and IPTC keyword to DB Categories

Let's hope I got everything correct

Stuart444 · Post by **Stuart444** » Fri Oct 07, 2016 6:15 am

Thanks XnTriq,

I'm actually trying to migrate from my PC to my Macmini. The "correct" ratings and colours were set in the PC. I back this PC up to an external USB drive just by copying the PC images to it, and I read the copied files on the backup drive with my mac whose HDD isn't big enough for all the images. Rather than have to go through all my (backup) images using my mac and resetting the ratings and colours there, I'm trying to transfer the data over. I suppose putting the data into the metadata of each image file is better in terms of locking them together, but does that make XnView's browser work more slowly than keeping the information in its database? Anyway I've tried 2 things and not quite succeeded.

A. Try to copy the PC database to the mac
1. I found my XnView.db file on my PC
2. I copied that to my external drive
3. I transferred the drive to my mac and found the db file there and copied it
4. I went Settings\Integration\Paths\Other settings\Open the catalog location
5. I right clicked and Paste Item
6. It asked me if I wanted to replace the existing file with the new one, which I affirmed
7. It copied the db file.
I'd thought that XnView on the mac would then read the ratings and colours that I'd set on the PC, but the previous mac ratings and colours are still there. Is there a further command to get XnView on the mac to update the browser from the new database or have I gone wrong?

B. Try to put the PC database settings into the PC files
1. All files: Tools » Settings... » Metadata » IPTC & XMP » Keywords » Export DB Category to XMP Subject and IPTC Keyword (both create boxes ticked)
2. Click OK
3. What now? Nothing is happening, I'd expected lots of activity whilst XnView writes the data from the db into the files

I don't know if it's relevant but I notice my PC is using version XnViewMP Version 0.83 x64 (Oct 3 2016), whereas the mac is using Version 0.78 x64 (Jan 14 2016).

Stuart444 · Post by **Stuart444** » Fri Oct 07, 2016 6:43 am

A further issue. I closed XnViewMP on my mac and re-opened it, as I remembered I had to do that when changing the names of the colour labels to make the changes visible. What I was hoping to see was the same ratings and colours as on the PC. On the PC, nothing has a star rating, and many images have a colour rating. On the mac previously, lots had a star rating and none had a colour rating. (I swapped from one to the other as I can customise the names of my colour labels but can't customise the names of the star labels). Now I see on the mac that all the starred files still have their star rating, but no thumbnails appear, just the file names. (Actually going back to it 10 minutes after I initially typed this, some icons have appeared, and they show the correct thumbnail, and they can be previewed, but the ones without thumbnails can't) In the mac's colour label filters, there are now the same number of files shown as are shown in the same colour on the PC and the file names are all correct, but only some have a thumbnail, and they are all wrong, ie the thumbnail pictures being shown are not the correct ones for their file name. Somehow the thumbnails and the labels have been scrambled I think. Looking via the browser, all the thumbnails appear to be correct, but I can't find any showing a colour mark as shown when doing the same thing in the PC, although they do show the stars there.
It wouldn't be much trouble to uninstall XnViewMP from my mac and re-install it. If I put the XnView.db onto the external HDD and pointed both computers to it, would that work?

Stuart444 · Post by **Stuart444** » Fri Oct 07, 2016 6:50 am

Another thought - when I searched for XnView.db on my PC, I found 2 - one in C:\Users\myname\AppData\Roaming\XnViewMP\XnView.db, and C:\Documents and settings\myname\AppData\Roaming\XnViewMP\XnView.db. Both were the same age and size. The path set in XnView is to the first one whereas I think I copied the second one for the external drive as I thought both were the same.

Erixx haxx · Post by **Erixx haxx** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 1:39 am

Hello:

The main issue I see here is your not aware of what ties the .db file to the images.

The .db file is tied to ( The file path + Filename ) Namely, drive letter. So when you are backing them up you are in fact changing this.

Backups should be just that. Backups. Not hot in-use files.

You have a few options here.

-Share the .db file and the same PC images with same path.
-Embed the files on your PC with rating data, Then share, Then reread shared embeded images with mac mini.
-Embed the files on your PC with rating data, Then backup, Then reread Backup from mac mini. (I Wouldn't suggest this )

Note: On some OS's, how they use Slash. \ or / in path names. Might be an issue..

Stuart444 · Post by **Stuart444** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 5:53 am

Hi Erixx haxx,

Yes, I think you've hit the nail on the head there. I was trying to get the best of all worlds. I've been a PC user for 35 years and a mac user for 1 year, the latter mainly to use Affinity Photo. As Serif now say they are going to launch Affinity for Windows later this year I was trying to get XnViewMP to work with both for a while as I think I might then go back to Windows entirely. XnViewMP seems to answer my catalogue needs on either platform. I'll have another go at your second option and if it doesn't work for me then I'll await Serif and my decision on whether to use PC or Mac for Affinity and only use XnViewMP there.

Thanks for your help.

Stuart

Erixx haxx · Post by **Erixx haxx** » Sun Oct 09, 2016 1:15 am

Hello Stuart

I think you was just missing a small piece of the puzzle here. I also think you should be able to get this working how you wanted without to much trouble now.

Just remember the settings for (Read and writing) to the .db file until you get info embeded and then synced.

Let us know how it turns out or if you need anymore info.

DexterMorgan12 · Post by **DexterMorgan12** » Fri Dec 20, 2024 9:38 pm

Erixx haxx wrote: ↑Sun Oct 09, 2016 1:15 am Hello Stuart

I think you was just missing a small piece of the puzzle here. I also think you should be able to get this working how you wanted without to much trouble now.

Just remember the settings for (Read and writing) to the .db file until you get info embeded and then synced.

Let us know how it turns out or if you need anymore info.

Hi Erixx, so I am trying to make backup of my photos (jpeg and raw files) and save all this info with the backups. I am aware that we cannot embed this info into raw files. Is there a way I can make a backup of the .db file on a new hard drive that will read all the categories for my backup photos on said new hard drive

michel038 · Post by **michel038** » Sun Dec 22, 2024 9:44 am

Hello DexterMorgan
Erixx Haxx hasn't logged on here for 2 years...
I'm not sure I understand your questions because of the language (french) but here are some ideas .

Yo add a star to a jpg photo. This information is stored in the db as a link between the photo's full path and this rating level.
If you have validated an export option (settings>metadata>(see all export settings here) ), this information is also written in XMP format to the jpg file.

Suppose the photos are moved outside xnviewmp (with a usb key) On the destination PC, if a metadata management software is installed (xnviewmp?), it can import the information read in the xmp data and build up it's own database. This operation can be slow for thousands of photos.
But compatible with any other sowtware.

Another way is to export the inital db as a xml file (Categories pane, drop down menu, Catalog > Export)
This xml text file can be edited, and with a search/replace, you can update the paths to match those on the new pc. Then use the same way in xnviewmp on the new pc to import the file (Categories pane, drop down menu, Catalog >Import)

- For photos raw files, I'm not sure xmp metadata can be embedded in the file. Try it and check in informations pane, xmp tab.
If it's not ok, you can use sidecar files (settings>metadata>sidecar>create or update sidecar)

- in the past, ratings were stored in exif data, but I think this method has been abandoned.

- Saving your db file is always a good precaution. If you make a mistake, you can put it back to find your data in xnviewmp.

- DB Browser for SQLite (free software for windows) can read xnview.db , and perhaps edit some data if necessary.

- If no xmp export options were enabled when you photos were starred, you can force export to xmp metadata this way :
1) enable export to xmp (settings ... etc ...)
2) select a batch of photos
3) View > Update files from catalog

( the step 2 can be done with catalog filter and a star rating selected , with 5 iterations the job is done)

- I always choose to set xnviewmp so that it's files (ini, catalog etc.) are saved in the xnviewmp folder. (settings> integration> paths)
This way, I can use several versions of xnviewmp, each with its own environment. And i know where to backup / restore some files.

XnView Software