Just got PSE5 for Christmas, had been using an older version (3 I think). Looks like I can now use the tags feature to put keywords in my exif data for uploading? Problem is, it seems like its more work to tag images than it is to just keyword them after upload. Any tips on how to do this more efficiently? Maybe I'm doing it wrong? I have to make tags and then assign them to the images? Does each tag only use one word? Any advise would be appreciated.

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michaelmill
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Hmmm, no response. Everybody here using cs? Too rich for me!

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Hi Michael

The best way to do keywording and description in PSE is the same as it is in the full version of Photoshop. That is through the File-File Info. Now note that I said this is the best way in PSE, not necessarily the best way in any program. There are other programs, even a couple good free programs around that people here swear by and they are worth looking at to see if they fit your style.

But first of all, keywording is one of the most important aspects of your image preparation. Good keywording can make a huge difference in how well your picture sells. So you should never just throw in keywords on the fly as you upload. And keep in mind this advice is coming from someone who has to give people the handicap of using a dictionary to get anyone to play scrabble with me. I'm a monster when it comes to keywording and I still don't do it on the fly.

This is how I handle it. First step is to set up a metadata template in the file info dialog. Just enter the info like Author and copyright settings...the sort of thing that will be the same with every picture. Then in the upper right corner of the file info dialog, click the little triangle to save it as a template. Then whenever you open a new picture to add your info, click that triangle and select your saved template. That isn't mandatory but it is a nice touch. (don't include any web addresses or contact info in your template. Some agencies don't allow that)

Next, I always work out my keywords, title, and description in a good word processor with spell check. I have recently switched from MS office to open office. Either one is good. They also both have thesaurus functions which can really help with keywords. Once I have that all worked out I save the document with the same name as the picture but in a separate folder. That way if I have another picture later that is similar I can grab it as a template and save some work.

When I am making the keyword list I put one word per line. When I am done I can highlight the list and use the sort function (Under tables in MS word and tools in OO) to put it in alpha order. This helps me spot an duplicates that may have slipped in. I generally take extra time to deliminate the list with semi-colons but I think you can simply put it in as is, with line feed delimination, though I haven't tried it. Then I just copy and past the title, description, and keywords into the appropriate boxes in the file info dialog in photoshop, click ok, then save the file as a tif (my preference for a master file). And don't forget to click the origin page in the file info dialog and add the date of the picture. Then I save as a JPG for the final upload version.

The real advantage to storing all the data with the picture like this is that you can more easily upload to multiple sites.

I hope this helps. I'm sure someone else with pop in here soon with other suggestions. It seems like everyone has a different way to do this.

Lee

Thanks a ton Lee. Your suggestions are great and make a lot of sense. The only problem is this: With PSE5 when you go into file info it will let you edit everything except the keywords. That section is darkened and un-editable. Below it it reads "Keywords can be added using tags within the photo browser". PSE5 has an integrated photo organizer/browser which is a nice feature but tagging images is a tedious process. You must create a tag for each keyword and then assign each tag one at a time to the images you want. I was hoping for a work around or something because that method is not worth the time. Can anybody suggest a couple of these free key-wording programs that you mentioned? Or, is there a better way to do this in PSE5.

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Ack! I can't believe they did that!...well...actually I can believe it. I think Adobe is going HP on us. I have seen other signs of it lately. I think the most popular freeby iis ifranview. here is a thread on the subject...

http://talkmicro.com/viewtopic.php?t=738

heck yes. I love my IrfanView. You download the free program, and then the free plugin that goes along with it to add IPTC capability.

All you need to know is

Right click on the file in windows- open with - irfanview

Hit the "i" key twice on yout keyboard once it's opened.

This is what you need to fill out:

Caption (under the Caption tab) - that's the description

Keywords - that's the keywords section, I separate mine with a comma and a space.

Object Name (under Origin tab) - that's the photo name/title.

Fill out those three fields, and you're good to go! It works with every single site. Perfectly too, except for Lucky Oliver (they will soon be fixing it though supposedly.)

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s e l l p h o t o s . t k

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Object Name! Thanks for that.

I've been adding it manually on all the sites up until now. That's probably saved me hours over the next year!

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JK

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Thanks all.... went with pix-view for now, works great for me. It's a shame PS did it that way, I like their organizer but it is worthless that way. Oh well.

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