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colind66897557
Known Participant
December 18, 2023
Question

P: Cannot write metadata to certain third-party-created jxl files.

  • December 18, 2023
  • 4 replies
  • 1042 views

I have used lightroom to work with tiffs for years and have begun the process of converting some of those files to JXL. Lightroom appears to read the files fine but cannot write, citing the error: "Cannot Write Metadata - Unknown File Format"

 

Is this an oversight or does Lightroom not read JXL as I had thought

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    4 replies

    johnrellis
    johnrellis
    Brainiac
    December 19, 2023

    Here's a much simpler method for converting a batch of cataloged TIFFs to JXL, entirely within LR:

     

    1. Select all the TIFFs.

     

    2. Do File > Export, with the options:

     

    Export To: Same Folder As Original

    Add To This Catalog

    Add To Stack: Below Original

    Image Format: JPEG XL

     

    3. After the Export completes, the original TIFFs will be selected and the JXLs not selected. Give the delete command to delete all the TIFFs.

    C
    colind66897557Author
    Known Participant
    December 19, 2023

    Thank you for taking the time to describe this much more clearly than I'd been able to. It is as you say: Lightroom still reports a TIFF on relinking with the new JXL file. A shame because this would have had the potential to save me TBs in my back catalogue., 

     

    The only solution here would be working with JXL compressed TIFFs it seems. 

    johnrellis
    johnrellis
    Brainiac
    December 19, 2023

    [This post contains formatting and embedded images that don't appear in email. View the post in your Web browser.]

     

    So to test my understanding:

     

    1. You use an external app to convert a cataloged TIFF to a JXL.

     

    2. You delete the TIFF from disk.

     

    3. In LR, the TIFF's thumbnail now shows an "!" in the upper right corner, indicating that the file is missing, no longer at the location recorded in the catalog.

     

    4. You click "!" and navigate to the corresponding JXL, and click Confirm:

     

     

    5. Now doing Metadata > Save Metadata To File gives an error.

     

    6. If you look at the File Type field in the Metadata panel, it shows that LR thinks the JXL has file type TIFF:

     

    I can't find the discussion from many years ago about trying to change the file type by relinking missing files, but I'm pretty sure that LR wasn't designed to allow that.  I'm sure @Rikk Flohr: Photography can get an authoritative answer.

     

    I think the bug here is that after you select the new location of the file, LR should check the file type of that file and give an error if it's different than the original.

     

    GoldingD
    GoldingD
    Brainiac
    December 19, 2023
    • What LrC version?I assume v13, and I think this might not work at all pre v13.
    • What quality setting for the conversion? Quality 13 apparently compresses, and current LrC will not support that.

    https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4731413

     

    Rikk Flohr_Photography
    Community Manager
    Rikk Flohr_PhotographyCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    December 18, 2023

    I am not able to replicate this failure. 

     

    1.  Select JXL File
    2.  Add Keywords
    3.  [Cmd]+[ S ] to save metadata

      Metadata writes with no error. 

      Moving to Discussions
    Rikk Flohr: Adobe Photography Org
    C
    colind66897557Author
    Known Participant
    December 18, 2023

    This only happens when I convert an existing image in my cataloge from tiff to jxl, relink, and then attempt to write data. In cases where I import the same jxl file rather than relinking it, I can write successfully. I have this problem only with jxl. 

     

    Rikk Flohr_Photography
    Community Manager
    Rikk Flohr_PhotographyCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    December 18, 2023

    "relink"
    I do not know what that means.  Can you describe step-by-step the process?

    Rikk Flohr: Adobe Photography Org
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