So for months I've had an issue with Topaz Labs stripping metadata from a photo upon exporting from Aperture. To be clear, the processed photo looks to have all metadata when viewed from inside Aperture, but once exported loses all metadata. Having finally gotten the problem figured out through Topaz support, I was hoping I could export past processed photos with metadata. I can't. The tech support person said that Aperture is just showing the original's metadata for the edited photo so it's not technically in that photo. Is this how it works? Does this explanation make sense?
The metadata is associated with a version. When you send an image from Aperture to Topaz and back again, a new version of the image is created in Aperture. If an older export to Topaz didn’t have metadata, the version returned to Aperture won’t have the metadata.
You can use the lift-stamp tool to copy-n-paste the metadata from the original to the Topaz version, so all is not lost. You have a way out. If you are a good AppleScript code writer you could probably write an AppleScript to find your Topaz versions that don’t have metadata, copy the metadata from the original, and attach it to the Topaz version.
Photographer | https://www.walterrowe.com | https://instagram.com/walter.rowe.photo
I think I’m misusing terms. The data that I can’t seem to get back is the exif data, including camera body, lens, and lens settings. I’m unaware of a way to lift and stamp this information in Aperture, though I have seen tools and a script that might be able to do this. The issue I’m having is that within Aperture itself the photo is showing all exif and IPTC, and all other metadata fields. But when I export this photo, with the appropriate options for metadata export turned on, the file doesn’t include any metadata. The Topaz Labs support guy said it only LOOKS like the photo has metadata as Aperture is just grabbing the Original’s metadata (including exif) and showing it with the version, but the file actually doesn’t have this information. You can see screenshots here
Yes, I think using the term “metadata” does confuse things. I typically consider EXIF and metadata as separate sets of data, but really metadata is EXIF + IPTC + any other custom fields you add. So what you are missing is not “the metadata”. You are missing “part of the metadata .. specifically the EXIF data”. I do not see a way in Aperture to lift-stamp the EXIF data. I only see IPTC data in the lift-stamp pop-up.
Photographer | https://www.walterrowe.com | https://instagram.com/walter.rowe.photo
Right. EXIF data can’t be lifted and stamped in Aperture. I wrote an AppleScript to lift & stamp EXIF data. You’ll need to download Exiftool as well. Script is free. Details and instructions are here:
http://sdaven.blogspot.com/2012/10/aperture-lift-and-stamp-exif.html
Scott
http://scottdavenportphoto.com/
Scott, I stumbled across your post earlier this morning in hopes this would help me out, but it didn’t. The script returns the message: “None of the selected images contain EXIF data. Exiting.” This was used with a RAW Panasonic G3 file and a processed file through Topaz Labs that on export doesn’t have EXIF data, but does show EXIF data in Aperture.
I know that Topaz Labs PhotoFXlabs was to blame for the exif/metadata stripping. The version I’m using now has fixed that. So I’m not worried about future photos. I guess what I’m not understanding is how Aperture can show that exif data is present for a file but then isn’t present on export.
Hmm … and you selected both the Panasonic RAW file *and* the one processed via Topaz … that’s truly odd. If you’d like to further debug, contact me on G+. If my script isn’t doing something right, I’d like to fix it.
Scott
http://scottdavenportphoto.com/
With Iain’s help, I’ve debugged what was wrong with my EXIF Lift & Stamp script. An updated version is posted, same URL as above. If others try it out and encounter issues, let me know.
Doesn’t solve the initial issue of EXIF being stripped off during export, but at least an in-Aperture mechanism to tidy up if it happens.
Scott
http://scottdavenportphoto.com/