Image Tagging

[BrianKitts]

Was wondering if anyone has explored tagging images in regards to adding specific keywords. We are in the process of updating our marketing library and are exploring the the idea of adding in project specific meta-data to aid in searching the content (thousands of photographs and renderings).

 

The main problem I'm running into is that there does not seem to be a standard tagging for the files. I've been working with the three applications that we utilize and none of them see each others tags.

 

The primary application used by our marketing department is Adobe Bridge, easy to tag but the tags are only seen by bridge. The secondary application that needs the tags is on the Microsoft SharePoint server. We host a SharePoint site (photo gallery) so that principals can access project imagery while on the road for building presentations. Unfortunately SharePoint doesn't even see tagging that is applied by windows explorer. Which leads to the third place that we can tag the images is within windows explorer itself so that the windows search function (native to vista and win7 but an add-on for XP) can parse out the tags that are set in explorer.

 

Its quite frustrating as if we are going to tag these thousands of images we only want to do it once in one place and have that data carried and utilized by all the applications.

 

Does anyone have any experience or insight in the process? thanks in advance.

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

It doesn't surprise me that they won't read each others tags. I think most of these apps create a native database that associates the tag to the image,and do not actually write the info into the image, though I am really just guessing.

 

But... have you considering using an app that allows you to modify the EXIF data. You might be able to write tags in the comment section, and have them useable by different application via a search tool or somehting along those lines.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Konqueror_Exif_data.jpg

[BrianKitts]

Yeah, I knew that bridge created its own index, but the Microsoft incompatibility was hard to believe.

 

I just found out that the newest release of the sharepoint server can read the meta-data set in explorer but the current server does not. I know we were talking about upgrading soon, so hopefully that will solve a two thirds of the problem.

 

I saw some exif data editors, that's doable, I'll have to see how well bridge can parse through that as well.

[Dave Buchhofer]

You reminded me of this item on my "to look into" list..

 

Viewer2 is a pretty decent freeware tag editor that can sync to the Exif data, I'm sure its possible to extract the Exif data into sharepoint somehow.. or barring that, into the windows keywords, which you're saying is read by sharepoint natively, irregardless, its probably worth glancing at for the automatic extraction of tags from file and folder names

 

That also appears to be the way that Lightroom reads tags images also albeit doing it manually (PS: God i wish lightroom was a multi user application, it would be perfect.)

Edited February 3, 2010 by Dave Buchhofer

[BrianKitts]

Been making some good finds lately so I thought I'd post for others info....

 

Main problem was that we are still running on windowsXP whose search function does not read the metadata applied in windows explorer. The new desktop search function that comes native to Vista and Windows7 is able to successfully search that metadata. You can install an add-on to windowsXP to give it the new search function and successfully search images by the applied tags.

 

Adobe bridge has the ability to change it's internal search engine. Once you have installed the add-on for the Windows Desktop Search you can switch bridge over to that search function and find your files in Bridge based on those tags that are applied in windows explorer.

 

As for the third piece the Windows Sharepoint Server, I've found that the current version we are operating on does not transfer the metadata applied in windows explorer. The new release of SharePoint however is expected to transfer the metadata to Sharepoint's PhotoGallery. Our IT guy who manages our Sharepoint sites is looking into it and the possibility of upgrading to the next release.

 

We're in the stages of testing Windows7 approving the operation of all company software on the new OSy before it gets rolled out company wide. So for now it just requires us installing the add-on search to anyone needing to search by tags, and down the road once we have the OS and Sharepoint upgraded everyone will be able to easily search the image library based on the tags in Explorer, on SharePoint, and Adobe Bridge.

[BrianKitts]

update: Windows Search can not index network drives using the add-on for windowsXP on a 64bit machine. But all works well in 64bit OS using windows7.