deleting all keywords in bridge cs6 in one time

[seven cats]

I will to erase all keywords of all my photo's, to make a full new organisation of the pictures.

When i click om the option and the V, that is not the solution.

To click one main keywords is repeat after a few seconds or with a other selection.

Message was edited by: Pierre Courtejoie (email removed for privacy)

[PECourtejoie · Accepted solution]

Hello, the problem is twofold: you'll need to remove the attributed keywords, then the keyword hierarchy in Bridge.

I would try, folder by folder, to select all (CTRL+A), then go to file info (CTRL+I) and select the keywords field, and hit delete? (Not sure if it would work, as it might tell you it contains various values.

Maybe is there a script that would help you.

[seven cats]

OK thank you for the info

[PECourtejoie]

Once all keywords are removed, you should be able to recreate a keywords hierarchy, without the keywords creeping back in your kw database.

[PECourtejoie]

On similar questions, I've seen the suggestion to use exiftool to remove the keywords.

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

PECourtejoie – I agree that this can easily be accomplished in Bridge. I would offer the method of selecting all images and using the Metadata panel’s > IPTC Core > Keywords field, typing in a new character to overwrite the (multiple values) and then deleting the character so the field is blank, then applying the edit. One could also use the view/show items from subfolders or a find or smart collection to help select multiple files from multiple sub-folders in the top level folder.

ExifTool has the command line advantage of not having to graphically display an interface or the images (which may also be considered a drawback by those without experience with command line tools). There are two ExifTool commands that will remove all keywords.

First the “obvious” one is to target multiple commonly used/known keyword tags used by various software:

exiftool -r -XMP-dc:Subject= -IPTC:Keywords= -IFD0:XPKeywords= -XMP-microsoft:LastKeywordXMP= OS-CLI-PATH-TO-FILE-OR-TOP-LEVEL-DIR

The other “easier” way is to use a single “combined” tag that is designed to target all of these common but separate keyword tags using a single Metadata Working Group or “MWG” composite tag:

exiftool -r -MWG:Keywords= OS-CLI-PATH-TO-FILE-OR-TOP-LEVEL-DIR

The -r argument in the preceding command line input examples will recursively process all sub-directories under the top level folder path.

There are further options that can be added to overwrite the original files (by default copies are created with the originals marked with a suffix of _original), or to only process specific file extension types, or to exclude certain named sub-folders under the top level folder.

[seven cats]

Thanks for the reaction.

The IPTC core works, but a older same name return always. When change the name “Chris” in “Chris CV” it works

So when i use a olther naam the problem stay’s.

The exiftool is for the more advanced IT’er, olso the language is for me a problem.

Thanks for the raection

Vriendelijke groeten,

Joris Neyt - 2500 Lier

(Email Address and other Text removed by Moderator)

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

elevecats, I am not sure if I am understanding 100%.

Where are you changing the name of multiple selected files in Bridge?

(1) File > File Info

or

(2) Metadata panel > IPTC Core > Keywords

Both locations can remove all existing keywords to multiple images by simply selecting the multiple values and then typing a new character and then deleting it so that the field is truly blank (File Info requires an “OK” while the Metadata panel has a tick/check mark icon to apply).

What you describe sounds like you are using File Info? The file info interface remembers previously entered keywords and offers them when similar text is entered.

As PECourtejoie originally suggested, this is a two step process to setup:

(A) Remove all existing keywords from all images

(B) Create new keyword structures and reapply them

If one or both of these steps has problems, the forum may need to work on each issue separately.

If taking cropped screen captures would help to illustrate and communicate your issues in pictures, then that may also help.

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

The exiftool is for the more advanced IT’er, olso the language is for me a problem.

elevecats, I appreciate that English may not be your native language and that ExifTool can be daunting for those with only a GUI background and little to no CLI experience.

I’ll try to walk you through the ExifTool process step by step.

1) Download ExifTool for Mac or Windows

2) Install ExifTool via the easy to use installer linked above

3) Once installed, a basic “first use” guide can be found here

OK, let’s use the following as an example. We have a user logged into the computer, the user’s account name is Frank. Frank has a top level folder on the desktop titled “My Fotos”. Inside this My Fotos folder are files with keywords and there are two further folders/directories. One directory is titled 2017 and the other folder is titled 2016. Inside each of the second level folders there may be further folders or files. For now I’ll keep this simple, such as:

My Fotos (top level folder with files and two sub folders)

     2016 (second level folder)

     2017 (second level folder)

To remove all existing keywords from supported files in the top level folder (My Fotos) without removing the keywords from the files in the second level folders (2016 & 2017), the following ExifTool command would be used:

Mac OS:

exiftool -MWG:Keywords= '/Users/frank/Desktop/My Fotos'

Windows OS:

exiftool -MWG:Keywords= "C:\Users\Frank\Desktop\My Fotos"

__________

To remove all existing keywords from supported files in the top level folder (My Fotos) and also from files in both the second level folders (2016 & 2017), the following ExifTool command would be used:

Mac OS:

exiftool -r -MWG:Keywords= '/Users/frank/Desktop/My Fotos'

Windows OS:

exiftool -r -MWG:Keywords= "C:\Users\Frank\Desktop\My Fotos"

The only difference is that I have added the -r command to recursively process images from all sub directories in the top level My Fotos folder.

__________

To remove all existing keywords from supported files in the top level folder (My Fotos) and from files in the second level 2017 folder without removing keywords from files the 2016 folder, the following ExifTool command would be used:

Mac OS:

exiftool -r -MWG:Keywords= -i '/Users/frank/Desktop/My Fotos/2016' '/Users/frank/Desktop/My Fotos'

Windows OS:

exiftool -r -MWG:Keywords= -i "C:\Users\Frank\Desktop\My Fotos\2016" "C:\Users\Frank\Desktop\My Fotos"

The only difference is that I now added the -i command to ignore the 2016 sub directory under the top level My Fotos folder.

__________

*** Copy test files to a test folder, don’t try this on your original files until you are comfortable! ***

All of these commands will create a duplicate file, for example myholidayphoto1.jpg would be duplicated and renamed as myholidayphoto1.jpg_original – a further command can be added so that the duplicate files are not created and the original files are overwritten.

[verseau1955]

Sadly, one cannot be a photographer nowadays without being a computer geek. Why Adobe doesn't make a simple way to manage keywords is beyond me!

[Lumigraphics]

How would you suggest that this simple keyword management be done? Select all and delete seems pretty simple.

[seven cats]

OK , done. Thanks for the support

[PECourtejoie]

For learning purposes, how do you intend to build your keywords hierarchy?

I ask this as it might help others if you explained what you did first that did not work...

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

elevecats, I am not sure exactly what you have done from the various possible alternatives that I provided… however if you are happy then I am happy!

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

I just had a belated thought!

By removing existing keywords, one has to manually re-assign the new keyword. This could be a lot of work!

ExifTool can use conditional processing, if a condition is true then process the file… So it is possible to leverage the old keyword by replacing it with a new keyword – potentially saving you from manually re-applying the new keywords. For example, if the current keyword is “old” then replace it with “new”, otherwise do nothing.

However you have likely removed all of the old keywords by now anyway…

[seven cats]

It was testing and trying, but i tink that i am at the right track.

Thank for helping and support