# Where are captions and keywords stored?



## scorecards (May 20, 2009)

I have read discussions that seem to say Captions and keywords are stored with images, others have said in lightroom database and others say with side car files.

I am traveling now and do not have my images which are on a removable drive at home.  I do have the catalog and have just finished entering some new keywords and captions to TIF files.  Since the images are at home these changes must be going into the Lightroom database.  

I am concerned that if I ever want to import the images into other software the keywords and captions will be missing.  Is there a way to get these data into the metadata of the image files.

If the images were raw would the captions and keywords be stored in sidecar files as well as the database?


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## dj_paige (May 20, 2009)

By default, captions, keywords,_ etc_. are stored in the Lightroom data base.

You can turn on an option that causes Lightroom to also write this information to the files themselves (except for Raw, in which case Lightroom writes this information to sidecar files). Even if you do not turn this option on, when you Export, you can request that this information be written to the exported file so that other applications can access this information.


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## Scottes (May 20, 2009)

Paige, can you describe where these options are set, and what they're called? 

I am also confused on these metadata storage points. Apparently these options are enabled on my system, so I get XMP files next to my raw files, and my metadata is embedded into exported images. Since I have no idea how to control these settings, I fear that I will one day find them disabled, and I truly fear that I will not find out until it's too late.


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## dj_paige (May 20, 2009)

Edit > Catalog Settings > Metadata, then select Automatically Write Changes Into XMP

You get .xmp files even if this option is not on. When you turn on this option, more stuff is written to the .xmp files. So your statement "Apparently these options are enabled on my system" is not necessarily true.

Exported images have metadata embedded in them by default (its a different option, in the Export dialog box).


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## scorecards (May 20, 2009)

Where is the option  that causes Lightroom to also write this information to the files themselves.  If this option is selected will the files be automatically updated when the removable drive with the images is reconnected or must I do something to update the files?


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## dj_paige (May 20, 2009)

scorecards said:


> Where is the option  that causes Lightroom to also write this information to the files themselves.



Answered already in my previous message



scorecards said:


> If this option is selected will the files be automatically updated when the removable drive with the images is reconnected or must I do something to update the files?



I haven't actually done this, but I believe that at the time your removable drive is reconnected, Lightroom will then update the files.


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## Denis Pagé (May 20, 2009)

dj_paige said:


> I haven't actually done this, but I believe that at the time your removable drive is reconnected, Lightroom will then update the files.


Right Paige. If Auto write into XMP is enabled, in grid view, the three dots (...) will appear momentarily in the upper right corner of the photos being updated. No manual operation to be done.


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## Denis Pagé (May 20, 2009)

scorecards said:


> ...I am concerned that if I ever want to import the images into other software the keywords and captions will be missing...


Following my last post, it is only if you modify in an external program that you may have to manually tell Lightroom to read metadata from file.


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## scorecards (May 20, 2009)

Page, are you saying that if auto write into XMP is enabled, even my TIF files will be updated, or is there another option to  update image files that are not raw files with associated xmp files.  My original question specified my concern with TIF files, not raw files.


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## Denis Pagé (May 20, 2009)

scorecards said:


> Page, are you saying that...


Not sure if you address Paige or Pagé but...

For TIFF files, the XMP metadata will not be in a sidecar file with an XMP file extension but rather in the header of the TIFF file itself. Works the very same.


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## scorecards (May 21, 2009)

I understand that the metadata will not be in an xmp file for tif files. My question was how do you turn on the option to store this data in the Tiff Header and not just in the Lightroom database.


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## dj_paige (May 21, 2009)

scorecards said:


> I understand that the metadata will not be in an xmp file for tif files. My question was how do you turn on the option to store this data in the Tiff Header and not just in the Lightroom database.



I answered this already in message #4 of this thread


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## Brad Snyder (May 21, 2009)

scorecards said:


> I understand that the metadata will not be in an xmp file for tif files. My question was how do you turn on the option to store this data in the Tiff Header and not just in the Lightroom database.



Since you're still unsure, I'll expand Paige's answers; the switches for enabling the XMP storage apply to all file types; Lr automatically chooses the correct storage method for the file particular file type. Note that the Auto XMP switch is not a global setting, and can be set independently per catalog.


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## sizzlingbadger (May 21, 2009)

Brad Snyder;449'6 said:
			
		

> the switches for enabling the XMP storage apply to all file types; Lr automatically chooses the correct storage method for the file particular file type. Note that the Auto XMP switch is not a global setting, and can be set independently per catalog.



Don't mean to hi-jack this but is this also true for DNG's ?  Do I have to set the option to write to sidecars to get the data into the DNG files as well. I know you said all files but DNG's do seem to be a special case sometimes in LR.


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## Kiwigeoff (May 21, 2009)

sizzlingbadger said:


> Don't mean to hi-jack this but is this also true for DNG's ?  Do I have to set the option to write to sidecars to get the data into the DNG files as well. I know you said all files but DNG's do seem to be a special case sometimes in LR.



Short answer, yes write needs to be enabled for DNG's to get updated.


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## Victoria Bampton (May 21, 2009)

dj_paige said:


> You get .xmp files even if this option is not on. When you turn on this option, more stuff is written to the .xmp files. So your statement "Apparently these options are enabled on my system" is not necessarily true.



Just to clarify this point, there are only 2 ways you'll get XMP data written back to the files, either to the header of the file for JPEG/TIFF/PSD/DNG or a sidecar .xmp file for proprietary raw files.  One is to turn on 'automatically write to xmp' in Catalog Settings, and the other to select all in Grid view and press Ctrl-S/Cmd-S or use the Metadata menu > Write Metadata to Files menu command.  If you don't use either of these options, you won't get any information written to XMP.

There is an option in Catalog Settings called 'Include Develop Setting in Metadata in JPEG, TIFF and PSD files' which allows you to control whether the Develop settings are also written to the XMP.  This is a legacy setting from the days when ACR had just gained the ability to open those file types and it tried to open everything, so you can quite happily leave it checked now.


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## Mark Sirota (May 21, 2009)

Another bit of confusion I see going on in this thread -- the switch says nothing about _sidecars_.  It just says whether XMP data is written out automatically or not.

Whether it is written into the file or into a sidecar is dependent on the file type, not on the switch setting.


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## sizzlingbadger (May 22, 2009)

Thanks Geoff, I normally test these things for myself but I was having a lazy day !


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