Importing metadata at the same time as importing the image

[Joel28981934c7ck]

Hi, I'm a photographer/graphic designer who grew up with photoshop in the 90s.

I use Bridge to quick batch preview and cull images when I first download from the camera to my PC.

I star-rate the images, I sometimes colour flag them, delete dudds, and I add copyright and other caption info for that particular job/project. This is for all image files, both Jpeg & RAW.

Lightroom adjustments are awesome.

One problem I have is when I import those images into Lightroom Classic the metadata does not accompany them.

I have to select them all, right click select Metadata/Read Metagata from File to at least bring the star ratings across. Colour flags come across as different colours.?!?

I recently imported images & promptly began editing them, applying presets and fine tune adjusting them. After many edits (250+) I realised there were no stars showing. I hadn't "read metadata from file".

I wanted those STARS but when I proceeded to "read metadata from file" it removed all the editing adjustments I'd done to that point (apart from any duplicates).

There was no warning that this would happen, or of any option to achieve this without losing hours of editing.

Questions are:

1) Is it possible to ALWAYS import existing Metadata with images at the same time as importing them into Lightroom Classic?

2) If I "Read metadata from file" can I do this without wiping out image edits/adjustments I might have already made?

3) Is Adobe aware tagging metadata like the colour flags are not consistent or transfering correctly across apps?

I'd love to hear these points resolved. Thanks for your help in anticipation.

[JohanElzenga]

1: Do you perhaps apply a metadata preset on import that could wipe out the existing metadata in the files? Lightroom Classic should read metadata on import, so there should be no reason to have to use 'Read Metadata from Files' after import.

2: Reading metadata from files is all or nothing, and because Lightroom Classic edits are also metadata (but in the catalog), that will indeed wipe out the edits if these are not automatically written to the files metadata. That may be an option for you, but again, it should not be necessary to read metadata from files to get the added metadata from Bridge into Lightroom Classic.

3: Color flags are defined by the Color Label Set you use. In Lightroom Classic, make sure you use the same Color Label Set as Bridge does. If these sets are different, then indeed your labels may have different colors.

[Joel28981934c7ck]

Thanks for your reply Johan.

Point 1: I'm not sure about this and haven't had the opportunity to test it out.

I'm not aware of any preset other than I tried to set up a preset to import existing metadata, which obviously isn't working as I'd thought!! But to my knowledge there's no guarantee metadata applied in Bridge will come across unaltered when I import them into Lightroom. This is probably the main reason I use Bridge, because I don't run every photography job through Lightroom.

Point 2: Reading all or nothing!! Surely metadata is something that should be "live" across and between all the apps??

If I'm editing in Bridge & then Lightroom I can't see why I would not want all these "edits", flags, rating, and file info etc saved to the file.

If I've changed a rating in Lightroom I shouldn't have to go back into Bridge to correct/repeat that action.

If I wanted to isolate files and treat them differently there are other options, like duplicating the files to another folder, or creating another collection.

And why would importing file info from the Bridge edit (File Info, Star rating and colour flags) wipe out image editing settings in Lightroom? Surely they are not conflicting entries!! This is an opportunity for Adobe to improve their products!

Point 3: I've just managed a set of images (a collection of both Jpegs and Raw files of the same subject) in Bridge.

I impored them into Lightroom and colour labeled the Jpegs YELLOW. I then exported them as A4 print size jpegs.

When I view these images in Bridge the label colour is WHITE, but if I look on the left in the Filter window it says YELLOW.

I think this is a clear illustration this exchange of basic metadata between Bridge & Lightroom is not operating smoothly or as it should.

[JohanElzenga]

> Point 1:

> I'm not aware of any preset other than I tried to set up a preset to import existing metadata, which obviously isn't working as I'd thought!!

Most likely that is exactly why it goes wrong. Do not apply a metadata preset on import, unless you know exactly what you are doing. You should not need one to read the metadata that Bridge has embedded on import.

Point 2:

I'm just telling you how it is.

Point 3:

Maybe this makes it clearer. Assuming that you did not change anything in Bridge, you need to select the 'Bridge Default' set in Lightroom, not the 'Lightroom Default' set ('Lightroom labels' is a custom set I made)..