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P James
Participant
December 31, 2019
Question

Failed to import keyword tags in Photoshop Elements

  • December 31, 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 1239 views

I reinstalled PSE after my computer crashed. Installation went fine but I failed to import the keyword tags. Is there any way to import the keywords now that the photos have been imported? Is it possible to attach my keyword tags after the fact? Any help is appreciated!

 

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4 replies

Greg_S.
Community Expert
Greg_S.Community Expert
Community Expert
July 3, 2022

@Mike25099654txjd, I just looked at the Elements 8 User Manual and found the following:

 

So, I don't know why you can't find it, but the File Menu item should be there.

M
Mike25099654txjd
Participant
July 3, 2022

It is, it's on the Organizer, not Elements. I can't believe I didn't see it before.  Thank for your help, again!  Can I blame this on age???

Greg_S.
Community Expert
Greg_S.Community Expert
Community Expert
July 2, 2022

@Mike25099654txjd, the earliest version I have on my computer is Elements10, but I think you should have the same command available in Elements 8.  Under the File menu, there is a command toWrite Keyword Tag and  Photo Properties Info to Photo.  You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+W.

 

 

You can select multiple files in the grid and use either of these methods to write the tag information to your files.  (Later versions use the command File>Save Metadata to File but have the same keyboard shortcut.)

Depending on the specs of your computer, you may want to perform this operation in small batches of say 100 files at a time.  If you have a more robust computer, you can select more photos at a time.

 

It's not clear from your post what your concerns are.  If you were to upgrade your version, the catalog information can be automatically converted to the newer version's catalog even if you have not saved the metadata to the files. 

M
Mike25099654txjd
Participant
July 2, 2022

That is exactly what I was looking for, bu it seems my version doesn't have that option.  I was looking for this so when I pass the family photos out to my kids they have tags to work with.

I was hoping that option was in the Organizer 8 version.  You did spike my interest when you said you were working with Elements 10 so I tried a couple of things in Elements 8.  Seems if I go into Elements 8 and save the file, it will save the tags also.  But there is no way to just force the tags to the file properties without a full save.  So I think I am back to doing an upgrade.

All that said, thank you SO MUCH for the quick response and help.  

Greg_S.
Community Expert
Greg_S.Community Expert
Community Expert
December 31, 2019

Is it possible that your old catalog has been saved?  If so, you only need to open it using the File>Catalog Manager.  Or, if you have a backup of the catalog, you can restore it.

If you no longer have the catalog to work with, you would need to create a new catalog.  If you are importing the images with keyword tags, a dialog will appear asking if you want to import the keywords.  Respond yes, and they will be available in the tag hierarchy under the Imported Keyword Tags category.  From there, it is fairly easy to click and drag the tags to your desired hierarchy.  However, you will lose any People, Places, Events tags (unless they were first created several versions ago).

I don't want to say "I told you so" but you should always keep a backup of your catalog.  Even if you don't want to do a full backup with all your media (and why wouldn't you?), you can save just the catalog folder by copying it using Windows Explorer.  A catalog folder is fairly small and if it is safely backed up, it can save an enormous amount of time when restoring a computer from a crash.

P
P JamesAuthor
Participant
January 1, 2020

Thank you for your very clear explanation. And yes, you can say "I told you so" because, as you suspected, I failed to have my catalog backed up. Today I backed them all up and I hope in the future I won't have to add any more keywords except for new photos. Thank you again, you've been very helpful and I've learned my lesson.

Sahil.Chawla
Adobe Employee
Sahil.Chawla
Adobe Employee
December 31, 2019

Hi there,

You may have a look at this article to know how you can import keywird tags in Photoshop Elements: https://helpx.adobe.com/in/elements-organizer/using/tag-media.html

Regards,
Sahil

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