We’re getting to the end of my serialized book Take Control of Your Digital Photos, and Chapter 6 is a doozy. In this new section, “Assign Keywords and Other Data,” I take a step beyond the advice earlier about assigning metadata during import and look at ways to efficiently tag your photos with additional metadata. I know, “metadata” sounds boring, but it’s essential for locating your photos later.
This chapter looks at how to choose good keywords and how to apply them in bulk (so you’re not tagging every photo individually with terms that apply to groups of images). I also take the GPS data we collected in Chapter 2 and assign location information to shots in painless ways.
From the intro:
When my wife and I moved into our house, we repainted most of the interior walls. It was a time-consuming task, but not because of how much wall space needed covering. Splashing color on the wall was the easy part. Taping around windows, preparing the room, and then touching up the edges and corners took much more time.
In Best Practices for Importing Photos I talked a lot about adding metadata during the import process because, to me, that’s the easiest way to apply it. Assigning keywords and other information during that initial stage takes some prep time, but when you click the Import button, the metadata is applied with a broad brush across all your incoming photos. (It’s like handing a paint roller to a capable assistant while you supervise, preferably with a beverage in hand.)
After import, though, you still have some touch-up work to do. To make your photos easily searchable later—the ultimate goal in our organization project—you also need to apply more-specific metadata to individual photos. This might include identifying people and landmarks, or describing shots.
To recap, we’re publishing my ebook one chapter at a time for TidBITS members only; when it’s done, it will be bundled into a proper ebook (PDF, EPUB, Kindle) and sold as a complete book. If you’re not yet a TidBITS member, you can sign up here (and view all of the other member benefits). For more information about Take Control of Your Digital Photos, read my earlier post, “New Book! With a Twist: Take Control of Your Digital Photos.”
