delete/add keyword to multiple selection

Ask for help and post your question on how to use XnView MP.

Moderators: XnTriq, helmut, xnview

Post Reply
BSPicture
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2022 10:56 am

delete/add keyword to multiple selection

Post by BSPicture »

Is there a solution for the following situations in XnViewMP or in XNView?

a) Out of 100 images, 50 have the wrong keyword.
The 50 images with the wrong keywords are selected (multiple selection). How to delete a certain keyword from all selected images without writing all other keywords in all images?

b) 50 of 100 images are missing a keyword.
The 50 images with the missing keywords are selected (multiple selection).
How to write a certain keyword in all selected images without writing all other keywords in all images?

Multiple Selection - XnView MP.png
jadO
Posts: 490
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 6:36 am

Re: delete/add keyword to multiple selection

Post by jadO »

You should be able to do this with 'Category Sets'.
To view Category Sets go to View->Panels and enable 'Category Sets'.
If you select multiple files and check the Category Sets panel then you will see that the categories that are assigned to all selected files are bold and if you select it, it will be de-assigned from all selected files. The other categories will stay in place.
BSPicture
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2022 10:56 am

Re: delete/add keyword to multiple selection

Post by BSPicture »

Hi,

does not work unfortunately or I have misunderstood.

Here are the settings:

Folie1.PNG

Initial situation. The keyword hightlighted in red is to be deleted

Folie2.PNG

I marked the images with the wrong keywords and removed the wrong keyword. Then I saved the change with "Write to all files".

Folie3.PNG

The keyword to delete was kept and the other keywords were written to all files.

Folie4.PNG

So exactly what I did not want :-(
What did I do wrong?
User avatar
michel038
XnThusiast
Posts: 1282
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:18 am
Location: France
Contact:

Re: delete/add keyword to multiple selection

Post by michel038 »

"Categories" is a tool designed to help manage keywords. Categories uses a database named "Catalog".
- In order to have a correct catalog, enable (Tools>Settings>Metadata>) "Import xmp or iptc into catalog".
(Sometimes, you need to select photos and click View>Update catalog from files)
- If you want to change the keywords via "Categories", you also have to activate (Tools>Settings>Metadata>) "Export categories", and "create xmp or iptc "

Now select photos
Bring up the "Categories" panel, or "Category Set" as jadO said and work in one of those panels.
When done, always deselect the images so new keywords will be written.
Check if new keywords are correct in "Info" pane, iptc or xmp tabs ...

Try it on some test pictures first

You can use "Categories filter" pane to find photos having wrong keywors, and select them ....

If you want to renew the whole catalog with all your photos, goto Tools>Settings>Catalog> ... clear the "old" catalog (delete all) and "Add" the parent folder containing all your photos. This will take a while.
Last edited by michel038 on Fri Sep 16, 2022 9:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
BSPicture
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2022 10:56 am

Re: delete/add keyword to multiple selection

Post by BSPicture »

Thank's for your feedback.
Sorry, I'm lost. I dont know which menue is meant with "Bring up the "Categories" panel, or "Category Set" as jadO said and work in one of those panels" resp. how to get there.

My setting for metadata

Folie1.PNG

Then there are two "Categories" panels.


This one - already shown in my previous post. But here I cant "deselect the images" before saving.

Folie2.PNG

And then this one... but I thinks this one is not meant

Folie3.PNG

Am I in the wrong category menue?
User avatar
michel038
XnThusiast
Posts: 1282
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:18 am
Location: France
Contact:

Re: delete/add keyword to multiple selection

Post by michel038 »

Bring up the "Categories" panel, or "Category Set"
Sorry " ... if they were not already displayed"
But I can guess "Categories " pane at the bottom of this screenshot

Image

( Displayed panes are set with "View > Panels " menu ... )
For "Category set", look for small tabs on the edge of an area (maybe categories area)

There are two ways to enter keywords :
1) "Edit IPTC" window ... I think this method is not convenient, and does not take advantage of the "Categories" tool
(Here the "Categories" tab is a remnant of the old "IPTC categories" that almost nobody uses anymore ; nothing to do with XnViewMP's "Catégories" tool )

2) Use categories.
First, the catalog must be up to date with keywords that are in iptc or xmp fields of your photos.
It's different, and requires a little learning, but then it's easy to change some keywords, and use "Catégories filter" to find any combination of keywords. (But don't forget to take into account the "export" and "import" options)
It is much faster to enter thousands of keywords this way, with the "Categories" panel or "Category sets"

"Work" in the categories pane means only : check a box to add corresponding keyword. (in selected photos)
Or remove checkmark to remove the keyword.
BSPicture
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2022 10:56 am

Re: delete/add keyword to multiple selection

Post by BSPicture »

First of all, thank you for the quick reply and the patience to explain the process to me.

I finally found the "Set of categories/categories" thanks to the hint that the tabs are at the bottom of the screen. That was hidden for me by the taskbar :-(

As far as I understand so far, under "assigned" are all the tags that are assigned to the selected images. Bold are the tags that are included in all selected images.

By clicking on a tag in "assigned" you can remove a tag, if you click on a tag in "history" it will be added again.

It is still unclear to me how to write the changes to the image files. I would have expected a button like "Write to all files" or "Apply". How do you apply the changes to the selected files?

Are there any instructions for this? Unfortunately I didn't find anything in the wiki or in the Youtube videos.

----

Here are the import settings - I hope these are the right ones
2022-09-17 20_35_43_Settings.png
Categorie-set
2022-09-17 20_41_46-Categories.png
User avatar
michel038
XnThusiast
Posts: 1282
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:18 am
Location: France
Contact:

Re: delete/add keyword to multiple selection

Post by michel038 »

It is still unclear to me how to write the changes to the image files. I would have expected a button like "Write to all files" or "Apply". How do you apply the changes to the selected files?
3 steps : select files, assign categories, de-select files .
The third step does write keywords according to export settings (iptc or xmp keywords)

info :
If there was already some iptc data in the file, iptc keywords will be updated even if "create iptc" was not checked.
If there was already some xmp data in the file, xmp keywords will be updated even if "create xmp" was not checked.
When wmp keywords are created or updated, xmp-lr:hierarchical subject will be added also. It doesn't matter.
Sometimes iptc tab appears empty, but in ExifTool tab, you can see something in IPTC (coded character set for ex.)

I would like to make more fun and polite messages, but it is not easy to translate :D
BSPicture
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2022 10:56 am

Re: delete/add keyword to multiple selection

Post by BSPicture »

It looks like you never sleep and are always active in the forum :-)

The 3rd step you described ("The third step does write keywords according to export settings (iptc or xmp keywords)") does not work for me - or I misunderstood it.

After deselecting, the keywords under "assigned" are updated, but the tags are not written into the file itself.
Should the changed tags be written directly to the files or is an export file created with the updated tags?

Here is the process as I understand it so far

Folie1.JPG
Folie2.JPG
Folie3.JPG
Folie4.JPG
Folie5.JPG
Folie6.JPG
jadO
Posts: 490
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 6:36 am

Re: delete/add keyword to multiple selection

Post by jadO »

I don't make use of IPTC so I can only guess. Under Settings->Metadata there is a settings checkbox: 'Export Catalog's Category to XMP Subject and IPTC' Keyword.
It sounds like this should be enabled.
BSPicture
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2022 10:56 am

Re: delete/add keyword to multiple selection

Post by BSPicture »

Hi,

I checked the export settings for the metadata right after your first post. The corresponding import/export checkmarks were already set there.
BUT: After your last post I checked the settings again and I noticed that there is an option "Create IPTC-data" in the export settings. This was disabled.

I have now activated it and now the IPTC data are also written into the files.

Thanks to you and michel038 for the support :-) :-)

2022-09-18 16_04_01-Imp-Exp.png
Post Reply