# LR won't use metadata created by LR



## CalvinHilton (Aug 29, 2020)

I've been converting some TIFF files to JPGs by exporting TIFFs from LR as JPGs, keeping all metadata, and then importing the JPGs into LR.

I've noticed that  even if the TIFFs contain information in exif User Comment field and it's included in the exported JPGs, LR won't display it with the imported JPG.

I've confirmed that the JPGs contain comments by examining the files in a text editor and by using Jeffrey Friedl's Metadata Viewer from LR and running exiftool from a Windows command window.

GPS  data is also not displayed even though it's in the JPG.  There could be other problems that I haven't noticed yet.

Same behavior using LR 9.3 and 9.4

I still have the TIFF files.

Not that it matters but any thoughts as to why LR won't use User Comment and GPS data from an imported JPG that it created?  

And least painful way to fix JPGs?  At this point I'll probably import TIFFs back into LR.

I'm not going to wait for Adobe to fix but I will submit a bug report.  I think that if LR creates the metadata, LR should read the metadata.

JPG created by exporting TIFF from Photoshop has the same problem.

Thanks.

Lightroom Classic version: 9.4 [ 202008061458-dbb2971e ]
License: Creative Cloud
Language setting: en
Operating system: Windows 10 - Business Edition
Version: 10.0.18363
Application architecture: x64
System architecture: x64
Logical processor count: 24
Processor speed: 3.8 GHz
SqLite Version: 3.30.1
Built-in memory: 65484.1 MB
Real memory available to Lightroom: 65484.1 MB
Real memory used by Lightroom: 2748.6 MB (4.1%)
Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 3066.3 MB
GDI objects count: 1683
USER objects count: 2982
Process handles count: 3773
Memory cache size: 218.1MB
Internal Camera Raw version: 12.4 [ 555 ]
Maximum thread count used by Camera Raw: 5
Camera Raw SIMD optimization: SSE2,AVX,AVX2
Camera Raw virtual memory: 85MB / 32742MB (0%)
Camera Raw real memory: 86MB / 65484MB (0%)
System DPI setting: 96 DPI
Desktop composition enabled: Yes
Displays: 1) 3840x2160
Input types: Multitouch: No, Integrated touch: No, Integrated pen: No, External touch: No, External pen: No, Keyboard: No

Graphics Processor Info: 
DirectX: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (27.21.14.5167)


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## Jim Wilde (Aug 29, 2020)

No such problems here....exporting a Tiff with GPS and User Comment data to Jpeg (including All Metadata), and adding that exported file back into the catalog shows all the same metadata as expected.


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## johnrellis (Aug 29, 2020)

Select one of the problem TIFFs, do Metadata > Save Metadata To File, and then upload it to Dropbox or similar and post the sharing link here. I can put the file under a microscope and possibly identify what's going wrong and likely suggest a workaround.


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## CalvinHilton (Aug 29, 2020)

Jim Wilde said:


> No such problems here....exporting a Tiff with GPS and User Comment data to Jpeg (including All Metadata), and adding that exported file back into the catalog shows all the same metadata as expected.


Jim,
Win, MacOS or both?  OS version?  LR version?


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## CalvinHilton (Aug 29, 2020)

johnrellis said:


> Select one of the problem TIFFs, do Metadata > Save Metadata To File, and then upload it to Dropbox or similar and post the sharing link here. I can put the file under a microscope and possibly identify what's going wrong and likely suggest a workaround.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/lhedqccg1x4w0bs/MGHscan191012_0003.tif?dl=0
Thanks.


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## CalvinHilton (Aug 29, 2020)

Jim Wilde said:


> No such problems here....exporting a Tiff with GPS and User Comment data to Jpeg (including All Metadata), and adding that exported file back into the catalog shows all the same metadata as expected.


I just tried one on my MacBook and User Comment persisted.  

I copied one of the TIFFs from my Win machine to my MacBook and imported it into LR.

Exported same TIFF file from LR on MacBook and imported new JPG.  JPG User Comment visible in LR.


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## johnrellis (Aug 29, 2020)

The sample TIFF contains a User Comment but no GPS. When I imported it into my LR 9.4 / Mac OS 10.15.5, the User Comment displayed properly ("no information").  When exported it as a JPEG and reimported it, the User Comment was preserved.

All this indicates there's something specific going wrong with your Windows configuration or catalog.  Troubleshooting steps to narrow down where things are going wrong:

1. Triple-check that on the Windows machine, you've got the Export > Metadata option Include: All Metadata and that Remove Location Info is _unchecked._

2. If you're using an Export preset, delete it and recreate it from scratch. Infrequently Export presets get corrupted.

3. Perhaps the problem is specific to your Windows catalog. Try creating a new test catalog and do File > Import to import some of the suspect photos.  Also try doing File > Import From Another Catalog. Does the problem happen with the new test catalog?


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## Jim Wilde (Aug 29, 2020)

CalvinHilton said:


> Jim,
> Win, MacOS or both?  OS version?  LR version?


Windows 10, LrC 9.4.


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## CalvinHilton (Aug 29, 2020)

johnrellis said:


> The sample TIFF contains a User Comment but no GPS. When I imported it into my LR 9.4 / Mac OS 10.15.5, the User Comment displayed properly ("no information").  When exported it as a JPEG and reimported it, the User Comment was preserved.
> 
> All this indicates there's something specific going wrong with your Windows configuration or catalog.  Troubleshooting steps to narrow down where things are going wrong:
> 
> ...



That particular one didn't have GPS data in TIFF.  

Your experience using MacOS is the same as mine.  It works.

1. I've already confirmed Export parameters twice and I've verified three ways that exported files contain the information.
2. I'm not using Export preset.
3. Created a new test catalog.   After saving metadata to files for all in production catalog imported both TIFF and JPG versions into new catalog.  None of the files imported to new catalog (TIFF or JPG) displayed GPS or User Comment.

Windows Photos app doesn't display much metadata but it will display a map if one of these has GPS data.  LR on Win won't for me.


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## johnrellis (Aug 29, 2020)

I just tried the sample file on my Windows configuration, and it imported, exported, and reimported correctly.

Try selecting one of the problem TIFFs and do File > Export As Catalog, with these options:


Then open that catalog. Does the problem occur with that catalog?  If it does, zip up the catalog folder and upload it to Dropbox and post the sharing link here.  We can see if it happens on other Window configurations with that catalog.


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## CalvinHilton (Aug 29, 2020)

Same problem with EAC.  

TIFF has GPS and User Comment which is what I would expect since I'm exporting more than just a photo file.  Exported from that catalog and imported JPG did not display those fields.  Data is in JPG.  Confirmed by looking at file properties using File Explorer.

here's the link: YATC.zip

Thanks.


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## johnrellis (Aug 29, 2020)

I’ll take a look later today.


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## johnrellis (Aug 30, 2020)

Very interesting. I opened the YATC catalog in my Windows 10 LR, and MGHscan191012_0006.jpg has blank User Comment and GPS fields. However, I used Exiftool to examine MGHscan191012_0006.jpg, and it has a valid EXIF:UserComment field and GPS coordinates in its metadata.   Windows File Explorer also shows the JPEG has the User Comment and GPS fields.

I selected MGHscan191012_0006.jpg and did the menu command Metadata > Read Metadata From File, and LR then read in the User Comment and GPS fields.

When I exported a new JPEG from the TIFF, it correctly exported the User Comment and GPS fields, and that new JPEG correctly imports with those fields into my LR.

So: Your Window LR's export is correctly setting the User Comment and GPS fields in the exported JPEG, but the import is not reading them for some reason. I should have thought of this earlier -- try importing the exported JPEG again, and in the Apply During Import window, make sure Metadata is set to none.  (If you've been using a metadata import preset here, it is very possible defined to clear the User Comment and GPS fields.)


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## CalvinHilton (Aug 30, 2020)

Same problem with EAC.  

TIFF has GPS and User Comment which is what I would expect since I'm exporting more than just a photo file.  Exported from that catalog and imported JPG did not display those fields.  Data is in JPG.  Confirmed by looking at file properties using File Explorer.

here's the link: YATC.zip

Thanks.


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## CalvinHilton (Aug 30, 2020)

John and Jim,

when you exported tiff as jpg did you have Add to Catalog checked or unchecked on your Win system?

On my Win machine, if I check Add to Catalog exported jpg shows User Comment, etc.

But if I then just remove the jpg that shows User Comment etc. and then add it back to catalog, User Comment, etc. don't show even though LR originally did for the same file.

If I leave Add to Catalog unchecked when I export tiff and then either synchronize the folder or explicitly import the jpg User Comment, etc. does not show after import.

Thanks.


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## johnrellis (Aug 30, 2020)

Regardless of whether I Export / Add To Catalog or Export / Import or Synchronize, the JPEG gets added to the catalog with User Comment and GPS.

_"If I leave Add to Catalog unchecked when I export tiff and then either synchronize the folder or explicitly import the jpg User Comment, etc. does not show after import."_

This smells like a metadata preset being applied on Import that's clear the two fields. Did you try setting the Import option Apply During Import > Metadata to None, as described above?
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/comm...use-metadata-created-by-lr.41043/post-1272351


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## CalvinHilton (Aug 31, 2020)

johnrellis said:


> Regardless of whether I Export / Add To Catalog or Export / Import or Synchronize, the JPEG gets added to the catalog with User Comment and GPS.
> 
> _"If I leave Add to Catalog unchecked when I export tiff and then either synchronize the folder or explicitly import the jpg User Comment, etc. does not show after import."_
> 
> ...


You're right about the Import preset.  When I changed it to None the metadata appeared.

I'll fix the JPGs by just selecting all and do Read Metadata from file.

Thank you.


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## johnrellis (Aug 31, 2020)

Glad you got it resolved.  It's not an uncommon issue, but in this case, the path of questions I asked obscured what in hindsight was the straightforward answer.


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## CalvinHilton (Aug 31, 2020)

johnrellis said:


> Glad you got it resolved.  It's not an uncommon issue, but in this case, the path of questions I asked obscured what in hindsight was the straightforward answer.


I could modify the preset I was using so that it would maintain what was being discarded by LR although in this scenario I don't think there's any reason to use one.

And I learned that I should have been using the Add to Catalog on export instead of export and then import or synchronize.

Thanks.


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