Bridge CC Keywording Issues

[Lionel Drew]

I have a problem with Bridge CC processing keywords incorrectly when replacing the keywords in an image using a metadata template.  The problem is repeatable, and affects my .jpg and .tiff files, but NOT my .psb files.

Here's the process:

1. I place a set of related RAW files in their own folder.

2. I update the metadata for the RAW files by selecting all of them in Bridge, entering appropriate values in the Bridge Metadata panel, and selecting the desired keywords in the Bridge CC Keywords panel.  At this stage the Keywords panel shows all keywords as persistent.

3. I create four files by combining the RAW's: 1 x .tiff, 2 x .psb and 1 x .jpg; these files are in the same folder as the source RAW's.

4. I select any one of the RAW files, and then the Create Metadata Template option in the Bridge CC Tools menu - so the metadata template ends up containing the RAW file's metadata.  The intention is to copy the metadata from the RAW file to the four derivative files.

5. I select the four derivative files, then select the Replace Metadata from the Bridge CC Tools menu, choose the metadata panel I created from the RAW file.  And this is where the keywords are processed incorrectly, because the Keywords panel now shows some of my keywords duplicated and italicized.

By doing the Replace Metadata step on the derivative files one file at a time while watching the Keywords panel it's quickly apparent that some of the keywords in the metadata template are processed incorrectly for the .jpg and .tiff files, but NOT the .psb files.  I'm able to repeat this at will.  I really don't expect (or want) the Replace Metadata operation to generate transient duplicates (italicized) of my keywords.  After all, my Keywords already have an identical persistent original for each of the incorrectly processed keywords, I don't need another.

Has anyone else experienced this problem or know if it's a known bug?

I know I can "fix" the .jpg file by re-saving it from it's precursor .psb, but I can't do that for the .tiff file as I do not have a .psb precursor for it.

Message was edited by: Lionel Drew Edited for clarity

Message was edited by: Lionel Drew Edited for clarity

[Lumigraphics]

This makes no sense. When you create the derivative files from the original RAWs, isn't the metadata copied over?

[Lionel Drew]

It depends on the order of operations.  For most, the normal sequence of operations starts with a RAW going into Photoshop from ACR, and then you can save it in Photoshop and/or a .jpg file formats.  Any metadata added to the RAW before the start of this process will be propagated to the Photoshop and .jpg files, exactly as you would expect.

In my case the sequence of operations is different because it involves a step outside the Photoshop environment.  This external step uses the RAW's to create the .tiff file and the first .psb file.  At birth, both these files contain the camera exif metadata (propagated from the input RAW's) but none of the iptc metadata from the RAW's.  When present in the RAW's, camera GPS metadata gets propagated to the .tiff file, but not the .psb (this is the documented behaviour, but I don't know why it's like that).

After that external step I combine the layers from both these files into a single Photoshop document, and edit them to create the second .psb and the .jpg file.  So I have to "copy" iptc metadata (descriptions, keywords, etc) from the RAW's to the derivative files, and the simplest way I know to do that is to use a metadata template.

One of the weird aspects of my keywording problem is that I can fix the transient keywords one at a time using the Bridge Keywords panel - but that's a tedious, error-prone and time-consuming process.

[Lumigraphics · Accepted solution]

This sounds like the result of an odd workflow. Maybe use PSD files instead?

[Lionel Drew]

I can't use .psd because most of the output files are too large for that format.