Embed Categories as keywords in XMP no side car

[residue]

Is there any way to embed categories set on an image as a keyword directly into the XMP info in the image?

I've got my images sorted in categories in XnView. but now need to export a bunch of them to another platform. And it seems that using keywords in XMP works the best. So now I'd like to mass embed the categories for the images I need to export.

I can do it manually by assigning keywords by hand, but I haven't been able to find any export setting or conversion setting where I can do it as a batch based on the already assigned categories.

And bonus question: Why are there files where I can't edit neither IPCT or XMP data?

Screenshot 2024-10-07 at 15.44.25.png

[michel038]

First, add export options in Settings >Metadata.
XMP metadata are now the most recent , used by many softwares.
Disable "Create Sidecar" in sidecar tab if it was set
Some formats support embedded metadata, some formats don't... (For example, for now XnViewMp is not able to create embedded XMP in webp)

Two methods
- Select a set of photos and use View>Update files from catalog
- Select a category in the catalog filter panel, select all the photos (ctrl a) , uncheck / check (slowly) this category in the "Categories" panel., release selection to make keywords be written...
For 1st method, you can use View>View files in subfolders.

[residue]

Thanks a bunch for you help! I'm really glad you've taken your time to try and help me.

But I have to conclude that I can't use XnView for my workflow. I need to be able to trust it to consistently write data to my files without going through a whole bunch of slow work arounds. If I had a small library that might be ok, but with several thousand files that's not going to work for me.

I'll go out on the hunt for something that suits me better. So thanks again. I really do appreciate when people use their own time to help out others.

[michel038]

I understood that (many of) your photos already have categories, and that the aim was to transcribe them into keywords in a single tedious session

Otherwise, when adding categories in a normal workflow, the XMP keywords will automatically be created as you go along, with same settings.
It's easy to do some tries on a bunch of test photos, with different formats that you usually use.
Select photos, add categories, de-select, check keywords in XMP tab of info area...