Creator: Steve Tatum

Job Title: Visual Resources Curator

Address: Art and Architecture Library, 100 Cowgill Hall (0206), Virginia Tech

City: Blacksburg

State/Province: Virginia

Postal Code: 24061

Country: United States

 

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Summary comments and suggestion

All tests were performed on an iPad 2, most with iOS5 and with features the apps had at the time. Nonetheless, the information remains largely current in 2013 with iOS6. Updates are noted where they occur. 

 

iPad apps only apply metadata when exporting jpegs from the app. That means you cannot catalog your master files directly unless you use the jpegs as masters. 

Four apps with different capabilities are:

 

PhotosInfo Pro

• Creates xmp sidecars with IPTC Core that can be exported via Dropbox, iTunes or email and can be incorporated into master images later.
• The app is designed for Adobe Bridge, which reads xmp sidecars with raw images.
• The ability of any program to read sidecars with raw images is fragile. The capability works most reliable with images that are fresh, with no adjustments.
• You can import the xmp, as you do with xmp templates, if Bridge (or another program) doesn't read the sidecar with the image.

 

Filterstorm Pro

• Uses IPTC Core in xmp.
• Can create metadata templates and apply them to multiple images simultaneously.
• Exports jpegs up to 22 MB, so is good for jpeg masters.
• Otherwise, transfer the metadata to masters later.
• Export to Photo Library, which saves to a computer via iTunes, or email. Dropbox is an option, but might change the filename.

 

Photogene

• Uses IPTC IIM
• IIM is supported by the iPad and iPhone API, so you can save images to the Camera Coll, hence Photo Stream, without damaging metadata. 
• The file name changes when an image is saved to the Camera Roll.
• Can create metadata templates by using an in-app upgrade.
• Applies metadata to one image at a time. 

 

Photosmith

• Made specifically to sync with Adobe Lightroom
• Writes metadata to a photo and transfers it to Lightroom. 
• The current version (as of April 2012) only writes to one image at a time, but a bulk feature will be incorporated into an update. 

 

 

Example workflow for field work and desktop 

 

Field notes

• Use Evernote on a mobile device that has GPS and a camera, such a an iPhone
• Take a picture of the site
• Evernote maps the location of the picture.
•  Record an audio and/or text message 
• The free version of Evernote is a cloud service. Offline notes require a premium service for a monthly or annual fee.
• Alternatives to Evernote
• neu.Notes is an alternative that allows picture, text, maps, and hand-written notes. 
• Audio can be supplied with an audio app, video taken with your camera, etc.   
• Downloading maps to a mobile device requires an internet connection. Use other means of mapping if a connection is not available.
• OCR using FotoNote
•  OCR is useful for converting signs, museum labels, etc. into editable text that can be used for cataloging.
• FotoNote is an iPhone app that extracts text from image files.
• You can take a photo within the app or import one.
• The text can be sent to Evernote or emailed. 

 

Cataloging with the iPad

•  Import raw files from the camera to the iPad
• Use PhotosInfo Pro 
• Transcribe the information recorded with Evernote, including the GPS mapping if you have an internet connection.
• Export XMP to iTunes

 

At home on a computer

• Import raw files from the camera to the computer
• In iTunes/iPad/Apps/PhotosInfo Pro, select the folder with the XMP files and save it somewhere on the computer
• Copy the XMP files to the to the same folder as the photos
•  Open the folder in Bridge.
• When you select a photo you should  see its IPTC, GPS, and EXIF metadata in the Bridge metadata sidebar.
• The IPTC and GPS metadata are still in the XMP sidecar and not yet embedded in the image.
• Convert the images to another format to embed the metadata.
• Prior to converting the images you can makes adjustments to the raw file in Photoshop.
• Unless you test beforhand, avoid using non-Adobe programs directly on the raw files to make adjustments, including entering metadata or adding GPS info.
• Changes to the raw file in other programs might prevent Bridge from reading XMP sidecar along with the raw file. 

 

Note on GPS

If you would rather use a logging device instead of entering GPS data on the map in PhotosInfo Pro, you should wait until you have made TIF or JPG derivatives from the raw files. The IPTC fields will be embedded in them. Entering data into a raw file from a mapping program might interfere with Bridge's ability to read the XMP sidecar.

 

Using the iPad for searching and displaying images processed

Most of his page treats cataloging photos on the iPad as preparation for other destinations, such as a desktop computer. It is also possible to prepare images on a desktop computer and display them on the iPad. Embedding cataloging metadata on the computer can help with searching and organizing photos on the iPad.

• Smart Albums recognizes keywords that have been previously embedded and provides a list of the term. Tapping on a term retrieves the images.
• Focus Point searches the Title, Caption, Keywords, Filename, and Date. Type a search term to retrieve the images.
• iPhoto searches tags made within the app and exports them as IPTC keywords.

 

See below for more information.

 

 

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More Complete Investigation

 

Intro

The objective of this page is to indicate ways that the iPad can be used as an effective, highly portable tool for cataloging in the field.

It is intended as an introductory survey rather than a comprehensive set of instructions. There is special attention to metadata entry, retention, and loss.

 

iOS5 is a varied environment for image metadata. You decide how much metadata you need for your purposes and choose your apps accordingly. For Flickr do you care if all metadata is stripped except the Flickr fields? Do you want to retain the most significant IPTC or technical fields? Do you want zero loss? These considerations affect your procedures. To preserve metadata, programmers have to include code. Their designs range from no preservation, to a strong representation of the most significant fields, to complete preservation.

 

If you want to avoid all loss through the different generations of an image, the surest way is to import an image directly from your camera, use an app that preserves metadata in the copies it generates, and export the image without saving it to the iPad. There are suggestions for methods toward the end of this page.

 

Metadata behavior depends to some extent on the camera used. You should test procedures with your own equipment and programs. I tested the features described here were with a Nikon D300. I sometimes did additional testing with a D70 or Panasonic FZ35 to isolate problems. I exported the images via email, which appears to cause no change. I read the metadata in Adobe Bridge, File Info panel's raw tab, and EXIF Viewer Firefox plugin.

 

Photos on the iPad 2 and iOS5

Albums, importing, exporting. 

 

[iOS6 doesn't seem to have altered metadata fundamentally. Although apps continue to evolve, I haven't notice substantial changes in the way they handle metadata since the bulk of this page was written.]

 

 

The iPhone does not import photos from a camera or SD card using Apples camera connection kit. (iPhone 4S OS5.1, March 2012). The methods of importing and exporting via iTunes are the same. I have not tried WIFI cards, cameras, or devices such as Airstash, but transfer of camera images to the iPhone should be possible with those.

 

Albums have different metadata capabilities, so for purposes of preservation, it is important to know where an image is located. The term "album" on the iPad refers both to folders and other groupings.

 

Camera Roll

• The Camera Roll includes photos taken with the iPad and photos saved from apps. It is the only place to save pictures that allows other apps to access them.
• Camera Roll supports a lot of  EXIF and TIFF fields for camera and image metadata.
• Camera Roll supports the commonly used IPTC IIM fields (http://www.iptc.org/std/IIM/4.1/specification/IIMV4.1.pdf 2:80 - 2:122), but not the more specific IPTC Core fields for creator contact information. I don't know if uses all rules for IIM, such as character limits. 
• Camera roll does not eliminate the fields it doesn't support from images you import to the iPad,
• iPad apps that do support the fields cannot export them to the Camera Roll and might not be able to read them from the camera roll.
• Some images imported to the Camera Roll from a computer showed other metadata damage 
• Example: I imported a Nikon JPG to the Camera Roll via email and via the app PhotoSync.
• The metadata structure was damaged so that Bridge could not read the IPTC fields.
• Some of the IPTC entries were duplicated. 
• Example: A Panasonic JPG showed double entries when imported though PhotoSync, but not email.
• Example that worked: A small crop of the same Panasonic JPG showed no damage.
• Camera Roll supports geotagging. The iPad and iPhone tag pictures and there are apps that enable you to edit and add geotags.
• Question: Are there restrictions for camera and image file metadata, as there are for IPTC? There do not appear to be.

 

Synced Folders

• In the iTunes photo tab for the iPad, you can choose folders to sync with the iPad. These folders appear in the iPad Photo Library distinct from the Camera Roll.
• Apps can open images in the synced folders, but can't save images to them. 
• The folders observe the same metadata restrictions as the Camera Roll.
• Importing an image to the iPad via a synced folder is safer for metadata than using a method that imports to the camera roll.

 

iTunes Shared Folders

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4094 

• Shared folders provide a way to export documents, including images, from apps to a computer via iTunes.

• They are another type of synced folder. Their files live on both the iPad and computer. Files imported to the iPad from the computer observe the iPad metadata restrictions.

• Some apps provide for exporting photos to iTunes. Keep in mind that "exporting" means placing the files in a folder on the iPad where they take up space.
• Some apps also provide for importing files that you add to the shared folder on your computer. These files are only available to the specific app.
• If an app only exports, and does not provide a way to manage the folder, you can delete files in iTunes with the delete key on your keyboard. The other usual deletion methods don't work.
• The differences between synced folders an iTunes shared folders are:
• Only the relevant app uses a shared folder. All apps have access to synced folders.
• Apps can export to a computer via an iTunes shared folder, but not a synced folder.

 

Images Imported from Cameras

• The iPad 2 camera connection kit consists of an SD card adapter and a USB adapter that works only for cameras. The iPad 1 only accepts SD cards.
• The camera.connection kit does not support SDXC memory cards, either from the SD card adapter or from the camera via USB. It does support SDHC.
• Camera files go into import folders that are not affected by the restrictions elsewhere on the iPad. Camera metadata remains intact.
• Importing from a camera or SD card is the only way way to import files and avoid the iOS metadata restrictions.
• Apps can write IPTC Core in XMP and retain the most significant camera data.
  
• It is not possible to enter IPTC Core metadata and save the file back to the import folders. iPad metadata restrictions can only be avoided by exporting images, such as to iTunes Shared Folders, email, Dropbox, Flickr, etc. 
• Tests showed no change at all to images imported from a Compact Flash card.
• I added metadata to pictures taken on a CF card. I took two on the card with a Nikon D300. I copied a Panasonic FZ35 JPG and an Olympus C5050 JPG taken in 2003.
• I imported them to the iPad via the D300, then exported them via email.
• They were normal copies with no change. 
• It might not be possible to avoid some subtle changes in copies exported by apps, at least for some cameras. With my D300, for each app I have tried with a that writes XMP, Exif Viewer Firefox plugin says "parsing error" under the "Expand All" link. To see the XMP, you have to use "Show/Hide XMP source." That might be a Nikon phenomenon. JPGs from the FZ35 read normally.
• When a camera is attached to the iPad, there is a view of the thumbnails of the camera's images.
• If IPTC has been entered in a raw image, the thumbnail is labeled XMP. 
• iPad screen shot showing labels. The TIF and JPG do not have labels.  IPTC fields were entered in all images with Bridge. The card was returned to the camera and connected to the iPad.

 

Photo Stream

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4486 

• The Photo Stream is a part of the iCloud. Its pictures also appear in the Photostream of any other iOS devices and your computer, either Mac or PC. On a Mac you need iPhoto or Aperture. On a PC you choose a folder to save to save the pictures.
• Pictures remain in the Photo Stream for 30 days or until you reach 1000 pictures.
• Pictures are stored on mobile devices as long as they are in the stream or as long as there is space on the device.
• Pictures are stored permanently on your computer, so the stream serves as a transport system for the original camera files.
• For raw+jpg files, Photo Stream uses the jpg files. They are the ones that are sent to a desktop computer.
• Raw files shot without jpgs enter the Photo Stream and go to the desktop.
• If you want to use Photo Stream to archive raw files, you should shoot only raw. Balance the archival needs with other considerations, however. Developers Alexander McGuffog (PhotoRaw app and Dmitri Toropov (PhotosInfo Pro app) say that it takes more power to process raw images. Toropov, whose app is for metadata only, recommends shooting raw+jpg to save the iPad the effort of making display images from raw files. McGuffog's app is specifically for processing raw files.
• Pictures enter the Photo Stream from the Camera Roll and camera import sources, but not from the synced folders. 
• Pictures enter the Stream when the iPad is connected to WIFI.
• Apps have access to the Photo Stream, but cannot save images directly to it--images have to be saved to the Camera Roll, where IIM restrictions apply, in order to enter the Photo Stream.
• Files are not altered when they enter the Photo Stream. The stream is not bound by the restrictions elsewhere on the iPad. There is no damage to metadata in pictures imported from cameras that I have discovered.  
• Apps apparently don't have access to all the metadata on images in the Photostream. 
• The iOS 5.1 update enables deletions from the Photo Stream. Prior to 5.1, there was no way to delete images once they entered the stream.

 

Non-destructive Editing

• Apps work like Aperture and Lightroom. They can write and retain instructions, then apply the instructions to exported copies.
• If you save a copy to the Camera Roll, the copy has to observe any restrictions in the iOS 5 API. 
• Some apps work entirely within the API, so there is no difference between images exported to the Camera Roll and those exported via email, etc.
• Others avoid the restrictions when they export away from the iPad.
• In neither case is the source file affected. Apart from files imported from cameras, a lot of files have already been affected, though. 

 

Syncing the iPad and Computer

• For photo purposes, syncing applies to synced folders, iTunes shared folders, and new, updated, or deleted apps.

• iTunes needs to be open.

• Sync via USB or WIFI, when the iPad and computer are on the same WIFI network.

 

Exporting Images to a Computer

• Attach the iPad to a computer via USB

• Use any program that imports images from cameras.
• Note that you need to use a program that supports the range of file types that can occur on the iPad. For example, screen shots are save on the Camera Roll as PNG.
• If you use Photo Stream, images are automatically imported.
• If you exported files to an iTunes shared folder, select the folder in iTunes and save the files elsewhere on the computer.
• Use a syncing app.

 

Downloading Images from the Web and Email

• In Safari or Mail, touch the image until the save or copy command appears.
• The image saves to the Camera Roll.
• Metadata is saved with the usual Camera Roll restrictions and possible hazards. See the description of the Camera Roll above.
• Flickr: select "original" to include metadata with the image, including IPTC.
• Other sizes only include the metadata for the current image.

 

Clipboard

• An image copied to the clipboard retains its metadata.

• The test was to copy an image and paste it into an email.
• The email image retained its metadata, including technical and IPTC.

 

Apps for Transferring Documents and Photos

Two examples

• Dropbox

• Imports to camera roll
• When you view an image in Dropbox folders, you see the image,  the file name, and original file size (KB or MB, not dimensions). 
• Images saved onto the iPad from Drop Box are reduced in size and do not have camera or IPTC metadata.
• Original image in the test was 4288x2848 pixels and was loaded with IPTC and metadata from other File Info panels. The image saved on the Camera Roll from Dropbox was 1024 x 680 pixels. It only had metadata for the current image.
• I tried Drop Box via Safari. I could view images but not download them, either with the Dropbox download or Safari download.
• There is a setting in preferences for importing the original image, but I haven't been able to import the original. I don't know how or it doesn't work.
• Many apps export directly to Dropbox or, in the Dropbox app, you can select images to export.
• There can be changes when you use Dropbox itself to select and upload the images.
• The Dropbox app assigns a new file name, using the date of the picture.
• It can alter the way metadata is read, but doesn't seem affect the data itself. For example, in one export batch, EXIF Viewer couldn't find any metadata, but Bridge and File Info panels read everything.
• Note: I have never noticed any changes to files when using Dropbox on computers. The changes in these trials appear to have been caused by the app.

 

• PhotoSync

• Accesses your computer via a web page to import and export pictures to an from the iPad
• Imports images to the Camera Roll. See the Camera Roll description above for restrictions.

 

• Western Digital MyBookLive "Personal Cloud"
• MyBookLive is a WIFI hard drive that is accessible from anywhere via a Western Digital site. It is also a network drive that provides different levels of access permissions to multiple users.
• Apps for mobile devices are:
• WD Photos
• Provides access to "public" folders that multiple users can access. Does not provide images access to the admin's private folders. 
• Views images on MyBookLive;  imports images to the iPad; and exports images from the iPad to MyBookLive. 
• Exports raw images from the iPad to MyBookLive
• Raw must be shot alone, without jpg, or else the app defaults to the jpg.
• Changes the raw file name, the same as it changes other file names.
• Does not view raw images on the MyBookLive drive, so doesn't show what you have exported.
• Preserves metadata on import and export.
• Changes file name when exporting from iPad to MyBookLive.
• WD 2Go
• Views all file types but does not import or save.
• WD 2Go Pro
• Accesses all folders on MyBookLive.
• Imports all supported file types to the iPad, but does not export files to MyBookLive.
• There is no metadata loss on import.
• Conclusion: Saving images is limited to supported file types, which include at least jpg and png, but not raw. 
• WD Photos app is the only one that transfers images from the iPad to MyBookLive.
• They are saved to the "public" rather than admin folders.
• The metadata is preserved, but the file name is changed. 

 

 

iPad 2, iOS6 Apps for searching and organizing photos

[added August 2013 for iOS6]

 

iOS search doe not include photos, so other apps are necessary. Each app can make albums based on search results. Focus Point and Smart Album can search preexisting metadata.

 

Focus Point - Photo Albums Manager for iPad

• Focus Point searches embedded photo metadata in the iPad for the Title, Caption, Keywords, Filename, and Date.  
• It searches any album and the Photo Stream on the iPad.
• It takes a while to index the Photo Stream.
• Within the app, it labels thumbnails with your choice of the above fields and several EXIF fields.
• Albums you make in the app automatically sync with iPad and iPhoto albums.
• It does not write metadata to files and does not export preexisting metadata in images.

 

Smart Album for iPad and iPhone

• Reads preexisting keywords in photos and adds new keywords and star ratings (I haven't tested preexisting stars)
• Provides a list of keywords. Tap a keyword and the photos appear.
• Indexes and searches the Photo Library, Photo Stream, and keywords saved within the app.
• You can make an album within the app from the search results and export it to the iPad photo library.
• The album shows up in the photo library, but the pictures with metadata have not been exported to the Camera Roll.
• Exported photos retain all original metadata plus keywords.
• Export to the camera roll to make a JPG copy that retains metadata.
• Email directly from the app is PNG without metadata
• JPGs exported from the app to the camera roll retain preexisting metadata plus keywords added in Smart Album, but apps very in their ability to read it.
• iPad metadata apps read the metadata consistently on the Camera Roll and Photo Stream (tested with Exif Wizard Pro and Photo Metadata Reader)
• Jeffrey's EXIF viewer reads metadata consistently when the image is exported from the camera roll (Drop Box used)
• Desktop programs are less consistent
• Aperture and iPhoto
• Aperture does not read Smart Album keywords in the Photo Stream (it does read iPhoto keywords there)
• Aperture and iPhoto read keywords when the image is imported from the iPad.
• Bridge and File Info panels
• Keywords are displayed (tested by exported via Dropbox and email)
• In one example, the keywords show up in the XMP in the File Info panel, but did not display. Saving the File Info panel displayed the keyword.

 

iPhoto for iPad

• You can write tags in iPhoto on the iPad and search the tags within iPhoto.
• You can embed the tags in the photos by exporting them to the camera roll, iTunes, email, etc.
• The photos are processed upon export. The processing includes embedding the metadata.
• You can import the tags directly into iPhoto on a computer by using a USB connection.
• You must export the photos to another destination, such as iTunes, before importing them into iPhoto on the computer.
• Exporting elsewhere performs the necessary processing.
• The app does not read or affect any metadata already in the image from other sources.
• If there are already keywords in the photo, the iPhoto tags do not overwrite them and are not added to them.
• There does not seem to be a way to write keywords on a computer, even in iPhoto and use them as tags in iPhoto on the iPad. 

 

 

 

iPad 2, OS5 Apps for Photo Metadata

A sample of apps that read and write IPTC metadata.

This this list does not mention all the features of the apps or review all how features work.

iOS 5 is still new and developers are still catching up with it, so changes and bug fixes are likely.

• iOS 5 altered the location of metadata, so that can cause problems in apps that haven't adjusted.
• iOS 5.0.1, the recent update, enables the reading of metadata in raw files, which was not possible before. 

 

Apps using IPTC IIM Fields

• IIM is a legacy version of IPTC that the IPTC organization still supports.
• The fields are essentially the same as in the current IPTC Core, but there is only one field for the creator's contact information.
• IIM is the native schema for iOS5
  
• iOS 5 Camera Roll and imported files (except those imported from a memory card or camera) are restricted to the IIM fields.
• IIM does not use XMP (Adobe's open source variation of RDF/XML used for embedding metadata).
  
• An implementation that follows all the specs places character limits on the fields.

 

More info:

IIM specs

http://www.iptc.org/std/IIM/4.1/specification/IIMV4.1.pdf

Fields 2:80 - 2:122 are the ones commonly used in photo programs.

 

Wikipedia article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPTC_Information_Interchange_Model

 

Koredoko

http://labs.kawabatafarm.jp/

• Good metadata viewer that provides easy browsing through iPad albums.
• Displays GPS, technical and IPTC metadata, organized by type (General, TIFF, EXIF, GPS, IPTC).
• Displays address from Google maps if the image includes coordinates.
• Long list of technical metadata. 
• Reads IPTC IIM flelds reliably.
• If there is a lot of data in a field, the font becomes too small to be legible.
• Otherwise it does good job of reading IIM values that other apps sometimes miss.
• If an image includes coordinates, the app shows the location of Google maps.
• App does not write GPS coordinates, but you can drop a pin on Google maps and save the position to view within the app.
• App does not write IPTC or technical metadata, either, only views it. 
• Exports to email without damaging metadata. 
• Free. Can pay a little to eliminate ads. iPhone has the same functions.
• Question: does the app display the complete list of metadata fields that iOS accommodates?

 

Exif Wizard and Exif Wizard Pro

http://homedatasheet.com/

• Metadata viewer with similar capabilities to Koredoko, but a different interface. The Pro version is optimized for the iPad. 
• Reads ample technical metadata plus IPTC IIM..
• (This brief mention does not at all imply the app is inferior.)

 

Photogene

http://www.mobile-pond.com/MobilePond/ 

• Photo adjusting program that also includes the ability to read and write IPTC IIM fields.
• The metadata capabilities are well designed to work within the iOS5 environment.  
  
• There is provision for storing IPTC templates with a paid upgrade.
• Includes the ability to retrieve an image from the clipboard for adjusting, but does not read its metadata.  
• Reads IPTC metadata pretty well, but can miss some IIM fields that have entries.
• Reads a lot of camera metadata. (I haven't compared with Koredoko to see if Photogene reads as much.)
• If an image includes coordinates, the app shows the location on a map. It does not display or write coordinates.
• Exports jpgs to email, Flickr, Dropbox, Facebook, Twitter, FTP, Picasa.
• Includes a full set of metadata in the export, although it is not written in XMP.
• Question: When exporting an image, does the app include the metadata it doesn't read, or destroy it?
• The iPhone version is Photogene2 and now writes IPTC IIM metadata, EXIF, and GPS.

 

Apps using IPTC Core for XMP

• Iptc Core is the current version of the IPTC schema.
•  It does not include the recent extension that provides additional fields for the content of the photo.
• It is written in XMP, Adobe's open source version of RDF/XML that Adobe's and many other programs use to embed metadata in images.
  
• XMP files can be embedded in the image or stored and edited separately outside the image.
• XMP files have the extension .xmp and can be read and edited in a text editor. 
• Adobe's File Info templates are XMP files that can be imported into images either to supplement metadata already in the image (Adobe's append command) or to replace it.
• An XMP file has archival value because it is easy to preserve and can be stored separately from the image.
• If metadata in the image is lost, the file can be used for reference or imported into the image again.
• An XMP file can be a "sidecar" for a raw file, carrying some or all of its metadata.
• Adobe programs, and some others that can read raw files read sidecars the same way they read metadata that is embedded in a raw file. 
• The sidecar can contain human readable metadata and machine readable instructions for image adjustments.
• Programs synthesize the information in the side car with that embedded in a raw image.
• Sidecars only work with raw files.
• For example, if your IPTC information is in a side car, you will see the IPTC when you select a raw image in a program like Bridge, but when you select a JPG.
• In that example, you could import the sidecar into the JPG.
• Although various photo programs can read sidecars with a raw file, the feature is not always stable. Sometimes the sidecar has to be imported manually into the image to be read.
  

 

IPTC metadata home page

http://www.iptc.org/IPTC4XMP/

 

IPTC standard

http://www.iptc.org/std/photometadata/specification/IPTC-PhotoMetadata-201007_1.pdf

 

Wikipedia on IPTC standards and their history (same link is under IIM)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPTC_Information_Interchange_Model

 

Wikipedia on XMP, including links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extensible_Metadata_Platform

 

 

 

 

PhotosInfo Pro

http://www.photosinfoapp.com/pro/faq.html 

• PhotosInfo Pro is designed specifically for writing ITPC Core XMP for raw files and JPGs.
• Enables cataloging of raw files directly in the field.
• Eliminates need to copy metadata from a JPG image to a master file.
• The app has a limited focus, but opens a variety of workflow possibilities.
• Writes XMP:
• as sidecars (XMP files) for raw or JPG files imported from the camera (although sidecars don't work with JPGs in Bridge as they do for raw files).
• to embed in JPG images.
• Depending on the item (Raw, JPG, XMP), the app exports to email, the Camera Roll, or iTunes Shared Folder.
• The next update will include support for Dropbox.
• A key feature of PhotoInfos Pro is the ability to export an XMP sidecar by itself via Dropbox, email or the iTunes folder. 
• The sidecar takes up very little space when exported to the shared folder. Keep in mind that the shared folder resides on the iPad as well as in iTunes. An image in the folder does takes up space.
• The sidecar exports quickly via email.
• The sidecar can be united with the original camera file on a computer later.
• When the raw file and sidecar are placed in the same folder, Adobe Bridge (or Photoshop, etc.) reads the sidecar with along with the image.
• When you convert the image to TIF, JPG, or another format that embeds XMP,  the sidecar's XMP is embedded.
• The sidecar can also be imported into a TIF, JPG, etc., the same way you import an XMP template into an image in Bridge, or other programs with the capability.
• It is possible to export the XMP and a raw file from the app to the iTunes Shared Folder together.
• In that case, the app changes the extension to .RAW, which Adobe can read.
• The app reads existing IPTC metadata in an image.
• It does not read the IPTC Core creator contact fields in images on the iPad because of the iOS limitations. 
• It does write the contact fields for export.
• It does not read IPTC in the camera import folders (tested before the May 8, 2012 update, which reads EXIF data in many raw files)
• It reads and writes GPS coordinates, but does not display the numbers.
• For the image location section of IPTC, the app opens google maps.
• The map is centered on your current position, but you can move the map to someplace else.
• When the location you want is at the center of the map, you can drop a pin there.
• The app automatically fills out the IPTC image location fields. The fields can be edited.
• The app does not display camera metadata because it does not have fields to do so.
• It reads camera metadata in Nikon, Panasonic, Olympus, and Canon raw files. It does not read Sony or Pentax.
• The iOS only supports reading camera data for Nikon, Panasonic, Olympus and Canon, which explains the app's limitation.
• PhotosInfo Pro writes the camera data from supported raw files to JPGs and XMP files it exports. 
• The app writes IPTC inot XMP for all raw files, regardless whether it writes the technical metadata.
• Bulk entries:
• It is possible to select hundreds of pictures and write the same metadata to all of them.
• You can select a large batch, filling in fields that apply to all the images, then select smaller batches or individual images to enter more specific fields.
• There is currently no way to save templates to enter again, but the developer is working on automated methods that are a bit different than templates, and which will be more flexible than the usual fixed template.
• The app does not do image adjustments at present, but Dmitri plans basic adjustments for a future version.

 

 

Photosmith

http://www.photosmithapp.com/ 

• Photosmith is designed specifically to sync iPad photos and metadata with Adobe Lightroom.

• Users can enter IPTC Core and organize collections on the iPad, then synchronize with Lightroom on a computer using a Lightroom plugin.
• The app displays very basic EXIF metadata.
• It displays just a couple of fields of preexisting IPTC metadata (i.e., metadata not entered in Photosmith).
• No provision for bulk cataloging--one image at a time, no metadata templates.
• Does not export to the iPad's Camera Roll.
• [I exported an image from Photosmith  and looked at the metadata in Exif Viewer Firefox plugin. The IPTC Core metadata in XMP did not show up in the IIM fields of Exif Viewer, which is unusual. Does that mean the metadata is not mapping to IIM, so wouldn't appear in images exported to the Camera Roll?]
• Photosmith has some capabilities for people who don't use Lightroom
• It embeds IPTC XMP in JPGs for export to Facebook, Flickr, Dropbox, and email
• It creates an XMP sidecar and exports it to drop box with a raw file.
• The image file always accompanies the side car, so is slow to upload to Dropbox and takes up space there.
• Essential technical metadata exports with the JPGs.
• Photosmith does not support GPS coordinates.
• I don't have Lightroom, so can't comment on its synchronization functions, but it does seem to be an app, like PhotosInfo Pro, for directly catalog masters without a JPG intermediary.
• Photosmith does not adjust images.
• The developers say they will soon introduce a new version with more functionality for people who don't use Lightroom. 

 

Most of the apps have extensive documentation online. I found Dmiti Toropov's blog and site about PhotosInfo Pro to be especially helpful for understanding the metadata limitations of the iPad.

 

Filterstorm Pro

http://filterstorm.com/ 

• Primarily an app for sophisticated image adjustments.
  
• Writes IPTC Core in XMP for JPGs.
• Includes provision for IPTC templates.
• Can apply templates to multiple files simultanesously. 
• Displays essential camera metadata, not as complete a list as Koredoko.
• Does not display or export IPTC or that already exists in an image.  You need to enter it again.
• Does not read or write GPS.
• Exports jpgs with embedded IPTC Core xmp to email, Flickr, and Dropbox. 
• JPGs do not include technical metadata. 
• Filterstorm (not Pro) is available for the iPhone.
• Simpler interface
• Writes IPTC IIM fields 
• Displays technical metadata but does not export it.

 

 

PhotoRaw

• Adjustment program for raw images.

 

• The app reads EXIF and TIF camera metadata, but does not write metadata.
• It preserves the original file names of raw images within the app.
• Saves adjusted jpg images to the camera roll.
• The iPad assigns a file name, as usual, for images saved to the camera roll.
• The original time and date of the images are preserved in the jpg.
• The Photo Stream sorts images by original date and time, then apparently by adjusted time, so the adjusted jpg appears immediately after the raw image in the Photo Stream.
• Photo Stream uses the original file name of raw images, so you can find jpg derivatives easily if you know the original file name, even though the derivative name is different.
• Does not export directly to Drop Box, Flickr, etc.
• Unlike other apps I have used, it displays uses the raw image of a raw+jpg couple.

 

 

 

iPad Workflow Possibilities

 

For raw files (preferred when possible)

 

PhotosInfo Pro

Dmitri recommends shooting raw+jpg for the current version so that the iPad doesn't have to work to generate a jpg

You would also need a jpg to email an image directly from the app.

 

1. Import image onto the iPad.
2. Enter IPTC Core and fix location.
3. Export an XMP side car to the iTunes folder (or email, or soon Dropbox).
4. On your computer, save the sidecars to the folder where you plan to put the images.
1. This might take some time with iTunes folders if you have done a lot of exports, because each export has its own folder in the shared folder.
2. On the other hand, if you do a lot of bulk cataloging, it might be convenient to have each batch placed automatically in its own folder. 
5. Import the images from your camera or memory card into the folder (originals preferred as sources to avoid too multiple generations of copies)
1. Alternately, you could import copies from the iPad or get them from the Photo Stream on your computer.

 

 

Photosmith

You can try Photosmith if you use Lightroom.  Otherwise use PhotosInfo Pro.

Raw+jpg preferred, especially if you plan to do much email or Flickr, etc.

 

1. Import images onto the iPad
2. Catalog and organize in Photosmith
3. Sync with Lightroom via USB and Lightroom plugin
1. Question: will the information from the app apply to the images if you import the images from the camera instead of from the iPad?
2. The developers responded yes to a person who asked, who imported jpgs to the iPad wirelessly from his camera and wanted to synchronize Photosmith with the camera's raw files in Lightroom.

 

Notes on raw files

• Raw files when shot alone, without jpg:
• Raw files enter the Photo Stream and are saved on a computer that receives the Photo Stream
• Raw files are sent unchanged as raw files when attached to emails using the iPad's native Photo app.
• Most apps open a jpg derivative from the raw file that is reduced in size. Is this the jpg that the iPad generates from the raw file for viewing, or do the apps generate their own derivatives? Not being a developer, I don't know myself.
• Raw files require more of the iPad's energy to process than jpgs.
• When raw files are shot with jpg (raw+jpg) the iPad and most of its apps use the jpg image for display, manipulation, email, Photo Stream, etc.
• Defaulting to the jpg saves energy.

• PhotoRaw is an app that makes adjustments using the full-size raw image. See the description above.

 

 

JPEGS

 

Carriers of metadata for master files

You can do your cataloging in JPGs on the iPad and then copy the IPTC metadata to master files later, whether the masters are the camera JPGs, raw images, or masters derived from raw images.

 

Shooting with JPG

If you shoot with JPG, and care about preserving as much technical metadata in your images as possible, it is best to use the camera images as the masters and import the metadata from the iPad into them.

 

Using camera JPGs as masters

A.

1. Catalog in PhotosInfo Pro on the iPad and export an XMP sidecar. 
2. Import camera images onto your computer
3. Append the XMP  metadata in Bridge. 

 

B.

1. Use Photosmith with Lightroom 
2. Catalog in Photosmith on the iPad
3. Import the camera's images onto your computer and sync them with using your cataloging and organizational data from Photosmith (assuming this method works).

 

C. 

1. Catalog with an app you like on the iPad
2. Import both the iPad and camera images to your computer
3. Distinguish between the sets of files, so they can exist in the same folder and and sort side by side.
1. Convert one set to a different file type, such as converting the camera images to TIFs
2. Or add a suffix to the file names of one set, keeping both as JPGs.
4. Deposit both sets of images in the same folder
5. Copy the IPTC metadata from the iPad images to the camera images.

 

Using the iPad JPGs as masters

1. Catalog in app that
1. exports metadata to your satisfaction
2. allows you to control the quality and dimensions of the image you are exporting
2. Export the images to Dropbox (or the like)
3. Or else export them to the Camera Roll, then import them from the iPad to your computer.

 

 

iPad or iPhone?

• The iPad offers the possibility of direct cataloging for master files and writing IPTC Core in XMP.
• PhotosInfo Pro exports XMP sidecars
• Photosmith syncs with Lightroom
• Filterstorm Pro writes IPTC Core, although only for JPGS
• Both the iPad and iPhone provide GPS data for your current location.
• Apps can add the data to the image information.
• Both devices have cameras that record the location, so you can take a snapshot and copy the location to camera images later.
• Both have apps that are good for cataloging IPTC IIM fields in JPGs.
• Both are good for sending images via email, Dropbox, and social media.
• The iPhone 4S's dictation feature can be used for entering metadata.

 

Androids?

Greg Reser reports that the same apps are not available for Androids.

Question: are Droid developers doing anything comparable to iOS developers for cataloging?