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bob frost
Inspiring
August 3, 2025
Answered

exported keywords to jpgs are missing

  • August 3, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 313 views

I have just exported 120,000 nefs to jpgs and most of the keywords in the nefs are missing from the jpgs. It is set to export all metadata including personal and location. It doesn't seem to matter whether the keyword hierarchy box is ticked or not. Example, a nef with the keywords 'lanzarote', 'playa blanca', and 'Liz' are exported, but the jpg only contains one keyword 'playa blanca'. The file info has been verified with Photoshop file info.

 

What is happening?

 

Bob Frost

Correct answer johnrellis

So are you saying that I have to go to each keyword, and select it to be exported?

 

No, I'm not saying that. Fortunately, there is an easier way. Export the keywords to a .CSV file (Metadata->Export Keywords->Include Keyword Tag options), open that with a text editor, make bulk changes to the file, and then Import the keywords from this modified .csv file. Before you do this, please make sure you have a backup of your current catalog file (which you should have anyway).

 

Just looked at a few keywords and some have the export options ticked and some don't. Why?

 

This is all controlled by the user. At some point, you changed the default (and probably don't remember doing this).


"Export the keywords to a .CSV file (Metadata->Export Keywords->Include Keyword Tag options), open that with a text editor, make bulk changes to the file, and then Import the keywords from this modified .csv file."

 

Unfortunately, Metadata > Import Keywords won't change existing keywords -- it will only add new keywords if they don't already exist.

 

Use Metadata > Export Keywords to find all keywords that have Include On Export unchecked. If there are less than, say, 100 keywords, just change them all by hand. If there are many more than that, you could use the Export and Import commands of the Any Tag plugin to make batch (bullk) changes to your keywords. But there will be time needed to get the plugin installed and figure it out (with LR, manual processes are often the fastest).

1 reply

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dj_paige
Legend
August 3, 2025

Are the keywords that don't export set to "Include on Export", or not??

 

Go to the Keyword List panel, right click on a keyword and select Edit Keyword Tag, and then is the box "Include on Export" checked?

 

 

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bob frostAuthor
Inspiring
August 3, 2025

I've never done that for any keywords. But I have just found that at the top of the keywords panel, the line that says 'Enter keywords has three options, one of which says 'Will export' and the only keyword that shows then is the one that is exported.

So are you saying that I have to go to each keyword, and select it to be exported? I have thousands of keywords. Why are some exported and some not? I've never selected ever!

 

Bob Frost

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bob frostAuthor
Inspiring
August 11, 2025

"Export the keywords to a .CSV file (Metadata->Export Keywords->Include Keyword Tag options), open that with a text editor, make bulk changes to the file, and then Import the keywords from this modified .csv file."

 

Unfortunately, Metadata > Import Keywords won't change existing keywords -- it will only add new keywords if they don't already exist.

 

Use Metadata > Export Keywords to find all keywords that have Include On Export unchecked. If there are less than, say, 100 keywords, just change them all by hand. If there are many more than that, you could use the Export and Import commands of the Any Tag plugin to make batch (bullk) changes to your keywords. But there will be time needed to get the plugin installed and figure it out (with LR, manual processes are often the fastest).


I replied to this post days ago, by the email option, but it doesn't seem to get to this list. So I have retrieved it from my email sent folder and copied it here:-

 

Thank you, thank you! That has saved me hours of work. I did what you both suggested, and exported all the keywords to a .csv file, opened that in Excel, filtered it on 'N' (not exported) and printed out the list of offending keywords. Of my 1700 or so keywords just over 100 were not exportable, so I then did as John suggested and corrected them manually. What I don't understand is why those 100 or so keywords had not got the export checkboxes checked. So thank you both again.

 

Bob Frost

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