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Semicolons instead of commas when tagging images in PS, LR and BR

Explorer ,
Aug 26, 2022 Aug 26, 2022

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Hi 🙂

when tagging images in PS, LR or BR commas get converted automatically to semicolons.  My client needs commas as seperators for recognizing keywords to where the images will get uploaded.  Can I change that behaviour (automatically changing commas to semicolons, keeping commas)?

Thanks, BR Andre

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correct answers 3 Correct answers

Community Expert , Aug 26, 2022 Aug 26, 2022

This is just display-related, different software uses different methods to show metadata.

 

Yes, Adobe uses semi-colons. So too does Windows file properties.

 

ExifTool shows a comma for the same file. So does the macOS Finder.

 

Apple Preview uses a line break.

 

Gimp, like Preview, uses separate lines without any "separator" visible.

 

Finally, looking at the underlying XMP metadata for DC:Subject you can see the raw structure:

 

<dc:subject>
    <rdf:Bag>
        <rdf:li>one</rdf:li>
        
...

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Community Expert , Aug 29, 2022 Aug 29, 2022

@Andre_27 – All appears as expected:

 

<dc:subject>
<rdf:Bag>
    <rdf:li>Staub</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>ceramic</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>cherry blossom</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>white truffle</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>sage</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>dining line</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>plate</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>15cm</rdf:li>
</rdf:Bag>
</dc:subject>

 

Each keyword is separate, different software will display the separate keywords differently. Adobe with semicolons, ExifTool with commas etc.

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Explorer , Oct 30, 2022 Oct 30, 2022

Hey Stephen,

 

sorry for the late answer, the mills grind slowly here.  The client said they'll tag metadata themselves after data delivery from my side without further notice of reasoning, which is cool because I don't have to deal with tagging anymore 🙂 and I don't feel inclined to dig deeper unless they want me to.  I believe they found out the obvious – their proprietary approach doesn't work with the XMP Standard, therefore it's best to tag within their system than not being able to correctl

...

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Community Expert ,
Aug 26, 2022 Aug 26, 2022

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Are you exporting the keywords? Can you do a find/change on the text?


Melissa Piccone | Adobe Trainer | Pluralsight Author | Fine Artist

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Explorer ,
Aug 26, 2022 Aug 26, 2022

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I do not export keywords, I just attach them to the files in Bridge/Photoshop. When doing that commas get converted to semicolons.  I checked capture one right now, and it turns out same thing at least within adobe software: keywords separate through semicolons always.

 

Actually, I think this is a non issue for me but for my client who somehow can't read semicolons as separators, but I want to exclude any bugs on my side of (software) usage..

thank you

 

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Explorer ,
Aug 26, 2022 Aug 26, 2022

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I mean I defined keywords in capture one, opened the file in PS and there are always semicolons

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Community Expert ,
Aug 26, 2022 Aug 26, 2022

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This is just display-related, different software uses different methods to show metadata.

 

Yes, Adobe uses semi-colons. So too does Windows file properties.

 

ExifTool shows a comma for the same file. So does the macOS Finder.

 

Apple Preview uses a line break.

 

Gimp, like Preview, uses separate lines without any "separator" visible.

 

Finally, looking at the underlying XMP metadata for DC:Subject you can see the raw structure:

 

<dc:subject>
    <rdf:Bag>
        <rdf:li>one</rdf:li>
        <rdf:li>two</rdf:li>
        <rdf:li>three</rdf:li>
    </rdf:Bag>
</dc:subject>

 

As a founding member of the MWG, Adobe software will also write the DC:Subject info to the legacy IPTC:Keywords metadata for compatibility with software that does not read to the current standard.

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Explorer ,
Aug 27, 2022 Aug 27, 2022

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yeah thanks, as I suspected and you confirming this is actually a non issue except for some third party software not compatible to the standard. I'll forward this info to them. 

BR Andre

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Explorer ,
Aug 27, 2022 Aug 27, 2022

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I think that third party software can't interpret separators correctly using the simicolons "proposed" by adobe and not being able to see them just as placeholders for separators. 

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Community Expert ,
Aug 27, 2022 Aug 27, 2022

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@Andre_27 wrote:

I think that third party software can't interpret separators correctly using the simicolons "proposed" by adobe and not being able to see them just as placeholders for separators. 


 

There are no semicolons or other characters separating individual keywords in XMP-dc:subject metadata. 

An incorrect entry may have one long keyword containing separators (I had to wrap the entire line in open/close " quote marks when entering it so that it would be considered a single keyword):

 

<dc:subject>
   <rdf:Bag>
      <rdf:li>incorrect; single; keyword; when; it;  should; be; multiple; keywords</rdf:li>
   </rdf:Bag>
</dc:subject>

 

Please post a sample image with metadata for verification, the image could be 1x1 px in size, it is only the metadata that is important.

 

I'm not sure how legacy IPTC metadata is structured "under the hood".

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Explorer ,
Aug 29, 2022 Aug 29, 2022

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Thanks.  Attached you'll find a file.  Don't wonder why in Description Article Numbers are inserted, thats what they want/need for their system.  You said there are no semicolons whatsoever, and this is just a display issue, now I believe their system seems to be totally proprietary and somehow not compatible.

220728_Staub_Ceramic_CherryBlossom1746.jpg

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Explorer ,
Aug 29, 2022 Aug 29, 2022

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Community Expert ,
Aug 29, 2022 Aug 29, 2022

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@Andre_27 – All appears as expected:

 

<dc:subject>
<rdf:Bag>
    <rdf:li>Staub</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>ceramic</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>cherry blossom</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>white truffle</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>sage</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>dining line</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>plate</rdf:li>
    <rdf:li>15cm</rdf:li>
</rdf:Bag>
</dc:subject>

 

Each keyword is separate, different software will display the separate keywords differently. Adobe with semicolons, ExifTool with commas etc.

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Community Expert ,
Aug 29, 2022 Aug 29, 2022

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I have attached 3 modified versions of your files. I used ExifTool to remove the original subject and keyword metadata. I then re-wrote the subject/keywords to the "clean" files using ExifTool. This is purely as a test to see if your client has any different results with metadata generated in other software:

 

exiftool-subject.jpg = only subject metadata, no iptc keywords

exiftool-keywords.jpg = only legacy iptc keywords, no subject metadata

exiftool-both-subject-keywords.jpg = both forms of metadata

 

Don't open/resave these in Photoshop or other Adobe software (otherwise the metadata would be invalid for this test), just see how they are handled as is.

 

It will be interesting to see if your client has issues with these files.

 

Please do come back with the findings!

 

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Explorer ,
Oct 30, 2022 Oct 30, 2022

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Hey Stephen,

 

sorry for the late answer, the mills grind slowly here.  The client said they'll tag metadata themselves after data delivery from my side without further notice of reasoning, which is cool because I don't have to deal with tagging anymore 🙂 and I don't feel inclined to dig deeper unless they want me to.  I believe they found out the obvious – their proprietary approach doesn't work with the XMP Standard, therefore it's best to tag within their system than not being able to correctly capture externally tagged files.

 

Thank you and best regards

Andre

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Community Expert ,
Nov 01, 2022 Nov 01, 2022

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A related topic below, where a script can copy the keywords using commas rather than the semicolons used in File > File Info

 

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-ideas/please-use-commas-instead-of-semicolons-pho...

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