Adding Meta keywords to jpg images

[Vibi Dev]

Hi Everyone, 

I am trying to add keywords to multiple jpg images in a folder. But each jpeg file will have different keywords. Here's the script I wrote, but it's not working as I wanted. Could you please help modify it? 

//Check if ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript is available, and if not, create it
if (!ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript) ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript = new ExternalObject("lib:AdobeXMPScript");

// prompt the user to select the folder that contains the images to modify
var folderPath = Folder.selectDialog("Select the folder that contains the images you want to modify");

if (folderPath) { // check if a folder was selected
  // prompt the user to enter the keywords to add
  var keywords = prompt("Enter the keywords you want to add to the metadata, separated by commas:");

  if (keywords) { // check if the user entered keywords
    // get an array of all the files in the folder
    var folder = new Folder(folderPath);
    var files = folder.getFiles();

    // loop through each file in the folder
    for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) {
      // open the file
      var file = files[i];
      var doc = app.open(file);

      // add the desired keywords to the metadata
      var xmp = new XMPMeta(app.activeDocument.xmpMetadata.rawData);
      var subjectArray = xmp.getProperty(XMPConst.NS_DC, "subject");
      if (subjectArray == null) {
        subjectArray = new Array();
      }

      var newKeywords = keywords.split(","); // split the keywords into an array
      for (var j = 0; j < newKeywords.length; j++) {
        var keyword = newKeywords[j].trim(); // trim leading and trailing whitespace
        subjectArray[subjectArray.length] = keyword; // add the keyword to the subject array
      }

      // save the metadata to the file
      var xmpAsString = xmp.serialize(); // convert the XMPMeta object to a string
      app.activeDocument.info.xmpMetadata = xmpAsString; // set the metadata of the active document
      doc.close(SaveOptions.SAVECHANGES);
    }

    // display a message when the script is finished
    alert("Metadata update complete.");
  }
}

Two points to be noted. The jpegs are not looping. And keywords are not getting saved in the jpeg after running the script. Kindly help. 

Also would be great if the predefined keywords appear as a checkbox rather than the user entering it. Thanks in advance

[Stephen Marsh]

@Vibi Dev – I'd suggest that you simply use Adobe Bridge's Keywords panel, rather than reinventing the wheel.

When testing your script I had to change:

var files = folder.getFiles();

to:

var files = folder.getFiles(/\.(jpg|jpeg)$/i);

To overcome an error (Mac).

P.S. It is far more efficient to write the dc:subject metadata directly into the file object than actually opening the file.

[Vibi Dev]

It's still not working with the changes made. Could you please help? 

[Stephen Marsh]

I'm not sure if I can, however, I'd suggest that you simply use Adobe Bridge's Keywords panel, rather than reinventing the wheel.

[Vibi Dev]

I understand but wanted to stick to one tool. That's the reason for building this out. 

[Stephen Marsh]

I understand but wanted to stick to one tool. That's the reason for building this out. 

By @Vibi Dev

I thought that would be your answer... There has to be a good reason to go through the pain when Bridge exists.

So, as I mentioned, opening a file to update metadata is not very efficient, when Adobe apps can update metadata directly in a file without opening the pixel data. This is even more important for images such as JPEG that use lossy compression.

You mention that each JPEG will have different keyword metadata, but how will you make that work when looping over all files in a folder? This would appear to contradict the loop, unless there were multiple conditionals or something, but this would probably get pretty messy.

Let me think about this, I have to be blunt, this isn't really a workflow that I would personally invest much time in.

[Vibi Dev]

Thanks for the immediate response, Stephen. I have plenty of images that need to be tagged with multiple keywords but might differ for each jpeg. But the keyword set is the same for all the images. One image will have 5/10 keywords, other will have 9/10 keywords. I thought of automating this in photoshop so that keywords are added to the jpegs and then put those jpegs in the bridge to convert to an excel sheet. Please help if there's a better solution. 

[Stephen Marsh]

OK, I think that something like this would work:

1. Open a folder of docs, loop over one doc at a time to open the document (using Photoshop to visually preview)
2. Bring up the metadata prompt to add the required keywords from a fixed range of possible keywords
3. Apply the keyword metadata directly to the open document's XMP metadata
4. Close the open doc without saving (there is no need and this should be avoided for JPEG files), open the next doc in the loop and repeat

This I might possibly be able to help with, however, I haven't done a whole lot of metadata scripting though...

[Vibi Dev]

Thanks, Stephen. Could you please help in modifying the above script? Please let me know if that's time-consuming for you. 

[Stephen Marsh]

I wouldn't bother trying, it's easier for me to go from scratch.

[Vibi Dev]

I really appreciate your time on this, Stephen. Since you are starting from scratch, it would be great if you keep predefined keywords (atleast 5) appearing in a checkbox model rather than the user entering it. Also wanted to know if exporting it as an excel file is also possible along with these steps. So it adds meta keywords to each jpeg and finally exports an excel sheet with all the images that have been modified. Thanks in advance. 

[Stephen Marsh]

Baby steps!

 I would start with a "proof of concept" with a prompt pre-filled with all keywords. Unwanted keywords would then be removed.

If this all works, then a second version would need to be created with a scriptUI GUI with checkboxes.

Finally the export to csv would be added as a third version.

One has to crawl, then walk - before running!

[Vibi Dev]

Sounds great Stephen. Thank you so much 😊 

[c.pfaffenbichler]

What about existing keywords? 

Should those be replaced or added to? 

[Vibi Dev]

The existing one if any, can be replaced. Thanks 

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I am not sure if this was the problem or if the issue is assigning different keywords to some images; as for the checkboxes I expect @Stephen Marsh might post something anyway. 

edited 

// prompt the user to select the folder that contains the images to modify
var folderPath = Folder.selectDialog("Select the folder that contains the images you want to modify");

if (folderPath) { // check if a folder was selected
  // prompt the user to enter the keywords to add
  var keywords = prompt("Enter the keywords you want to add to the metadata, separated by commas:");

  if (keywords) { // check if the user entered keywords
    // get an array of all the files in the folder
    var folder = new Folder(folderPath);
    var files = folder.getFiles(/\.(jpg|jpeg)$/i);

    // loop through each file in the folder
    for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) {
      // open the file
      var file = files[i];

      // add the desired keywords to the metadata
      setSubject( file, keywords.split(","));
    }

    // display a message when the script is finished
    alert("Metadata update complete.");
  }
};
////// based on code by paul riggott //////
function setSubject( file, anArray ){
//    function setSubject( file, descStr ){
        if ( !ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript ) ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript = new ExternalObject('lib:AdobeXMPScript');
          var xmpf = new XMPFile( File(file).fsName, XMPConst.UNKNOWN, XMPConst.OPEN_FOR_UPDATE );
          var xmp = xmpf.getXMP();
          xmp.deleteProperty(XMPConst.NS_DC, "subject");
          for(var s in anArray){
          xmp.appendArrayItem(XMPConst.NS_DC, "subject", anArray[s], 0,XMPConst.PROP_IS_ARRAY);
          };
          //xmp.setLocalizedText( XMPConst.NS_DC, "subject", null, "x-default", descStr );
        if (xmpf.canPutXMP( xmp )) {
           xmpf.putXMP( xmp );
        }
        xmpf.closeFile( XMPConst.CLOSE_UPDATE_SAFELY );
  };

[Stephen Marsh]

@c.pfaffenbichler 

You beat me to it, however, I don't believe that it works as intended...

We need to have an array as input, perhaps something like this:

var keys = new Array;
var keysPrompt = prompt("Remove any keyword which isn't required:", "Key1,Key2,Key3");
keys.push(keysPrompt);
keys = (keysPrompt.split(','));

Then write a metadata array, not a single flat entry.

Description and Subject metadata are different in this respect.

I can update an open file metadata, but the file needs to be saved. I don't want to do that, I want to write the metadata directly.

I'm still trying to adapt various Bridge scripts as I can't find any Photoshop scripts for working with metadata arrays which directly update the metadata.

And no, I'm a long way from any scriptUI checkboxes, baby steps!

[c.pfaffenbichler]

My bad! 

I amended the code, if you have time please test it. (Edit: The entries need to be separated by commas.)

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I'm still trying to adapt various Bridge scripts as I can't find any Photoshop scripts for working with metadata arrays which directly update the metadata.

The amended Script I posted (based on code by Paul Riggott) seems to do that. 

I ran it from Photoshop and the Keywords reflected the entry when next opening the jpgs in the selected Folder. 

[Stephen Marsh]

@c.pfaffenbichler 

It’s not updating for me...

If I enter:

1,2,3

The raw metadata should show the following:

<dc:subject>
  <rdf:Bag>
    <rdf:li>1</rdf:li> 
    <rdf:li>2</rdf:li> 
    <rdf:li>3</rdf:li> 
  </rdf:Bag>
</dc:subject>

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Strange, if I enter »1,2,3« in the prompt I get the three numbers in the Keywords when I open the images from the selected Folder subsequently. 

[Stephen Marsh]

It is strange indeed! I have shut down and restarted, tried in 2021 and 2023 with the same result, no keywords!

[c.pfaffenbichler]

It is strange indeed! I have shut down and restarted, tried in 2021 and 2023 with the same result, no keywords!

By @Stephen Marsh

Well, I am baffled. 

But I expect if you should pursue the issue with the dialog you will solve that issue along the way … 

[Stephen Marsh]

I'm going to have to give up for now, until I can find a script to update the subject metadata directly, I can't go any further.

[c.pfaffenbichler]