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Modifying original metadata of photos inside photo library

Hi!


I have a question regarding modifying the metadata of photos already imported into Photos. In the old days I used a Windows computer and IrfanView to write keywords and geotag photos but when I switched to Mac I imported them into Photos. Since then I have edited many of the photos in the Photos app and I would like to keep those lossless edits and the possibility of reediting or reverting to originals. However, I would like to remove some geotags completely as well as keywords etc. from the originals. I mean those photos outside the "app" which can be viewed inside the library file.


So is it OK to modify the actual metadata of photos inside the photo library file? Removing geotags and modifying keywords etc. (like EXIF/IPTC) or will this mess up the library?


Thanks in advance.

Posted on May 9, 2023 3:22 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 10, 2023 12:04 AM

Photos is preserving the originals exactly as they are. There is no tool in Photos to modify the original files in any way. If you change metadata directly inside the originals folder in Photos, Photos will ignore these changes and not update the versions. It may even cause Photos to lose the connection to the originals.

You should not modify the originals inside the library package.


To modify the metadata tags of originals the only safe way would be to export the originals from photos, change the metadata with an external editor, then delete the previous version from Photos and reimport the modified original.


12 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 10, 2023 12:04 AM in response to UniKlixX

Photos is preserving the originals exactly as they are. There is no tool in Photos to modify the original files in any way. If you change metadata directly inside the originals folder in Photos, Photos will ignore these changes and not update the versions. It may even cause Photos to lose the connection to the originals.

You should not modify the originals inside the library package.


To modify the metadata tags of originals the only safe way would be to export the originals from photos, change the metadata with an external editor, then delete the previous version from Photos and reimport the modified original.


May 22, 2023 7:04 AM in response to léonie


Question:

When you write the geotag data into

the metadata of the file in photos, does that get transmitted to the

images in the iCloud Photos library?


Here is the answer from Houdah:


Last I checked, Apple Photos down not sync changes to images files back to the

cloud. It considers iCloud Photo to hold the "truth" and the photo on

your Mac to be a cached copy. When you enable the option to "optimize

storage" your local copy becomes disposable. Apple Photos may delete the

local file - even when you changed it to add metadata - and think it

safe to later replace it with a download from the cloud.

 

That is the reason why I recommend iCloud Photos users to tag their image

files before importing these into Apple Photos. That way the metadata is

included with the initial upload. You can use Apple's Image Capture app

or HoudahGeo to import photos from your camera to a folder and later

import form there into Apple Photos.

 

Metadata you add to the Photos library (e.g. through HoudahGeo's "Notify Photos Library") does get synced to iCloud.


May 22, 2023 10:52 AM in response to Keith Barkley

Keith Barkley wrote:


Question:
When you write the geotag data into
the metadata of the file in photos, does that get transmitted to the
images in the iCloud Photos library?

Here is the answer from Houdah:

... ...
 
That is the reason why I recommend iCloud Photos users to tag their image
files before importing these into Apple Photos. That way the metadata is
included with the initial upload. You can use Apple's Image Capture app
or HoudahGeo to import photos from your camera to a folder and later
import form there into Apple Photos.
 

That is what I have been doing all along.


Metadata you add to the Photos library (e.g. through HoudahGeo's "Notify Photos Library") does get synced to iCloud.

Very good news!


Thanks a lot, Keith!

Modifying original metadata of photos inside photo library

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