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How to name photos
#34183 05/11/15 09:22 AM
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In Photos, how does one name a particular photo? I do not want the meta data or to overlay the photo, just a simple custom title below the photo.

I have been unsuccessful in resolving this issue even though it seems it should be an easy task. What am I missing, or do I need some third party app, if so,have you suggestions?


Harv
27" i7 iMac (10.13.6), iPhone Xs Max (12.1)

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: How to name photos
Pendragon #34184 05/11/15 11:34 AM
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I don't have photos up on this machine with any pictures so I can't test it, but I'd assume you would just click on the name of the photo, maybe wait a sec and click on it again, and it would become editable? or right-click and select Rename?


I work for the Department of Redundancy Department
Re: How to name photos
Virtual1 #34189 05/11/15 12:38 PM
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Originally Posted By: Virtual1
I don't have photos up on this machine with any pictures so I can't test it, but I'd assume you would just click on the name of the photo, maybe wait a sec and click on it again, and it would become editable? or right-click and select Rename?


That's the rub. On iOS there's nothing to click on, no name, no nada-


Harv
27" i7 iMac (10.13.6), iPhone Xs Max (12.1)

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: How to name photos
Pendragon #34192 05/11/15 02:46 PM
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Good question Harv. Unfortunately the Help and other documentation for Photos is pretty sketchy. I have looked everywhere I can think of and unlike its predecessors — iPhoto and Aperture — Photos does not appear to have any facility for naming an image. In fact the names that were assigned to images in iPhoto and Aperture appear to have been lost in the conversion to Photos. IMHO a very real loss in functionality and flexibility that I had not previously noticed. frown mad

I have taken advantage of being an OS X 10.10.4 public beta tester to use Apple's Feedback Assistant app to report this omission in Photos to Apple and I would encourage you to report it in Apple Feedback as well. Interestingly Photos feedback only appears under OS X and is not listed as either an iOS or iCloud app, yet it appears on all three platforms.

By-the-way, when you are talking about Photos and other multi-platform apps, it would be helpful to specify whether it is Photos on OS X 10.10.3, iOS 8.3 on an iPhone, iOS 8.3 on an iPad, or on iCloud. Functionally they should all be the same, but the devil can be in the details.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: How to name photos
Pendragon #34193 05/11/15 04:00 PM
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If you want to name a picture in Photos in OS 10.10.3, double-click the desired photo. This should open it as a larger image. The top right of the main Photo application window has now also changed. One of the new buttons, to the left of the now appearing "Edit" button, is an "i" in a circle. Click this and a new window opens in which you can add a title, keywords, faces, etc.

You will also notice that a new sidebar has opened after double-clicking the desired photo. This sidebar shows all photos in the same album or group as the original. You can individually choose these and the "naming window" will change to allow subsequent actions on the other photos. That is, you do not have to go back and double-click other photos to name them.

However, I have not been able to do a batch naming or keyword entry on multiple photos like you could in iPhoto (i.e., by command- or shift-clicking on multiple photos).

In iOS none of the above seems to be possible. Any editing options only seem to impact on cropping, color, tone, etc.


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: How to name photos
Ira L #34202 05/11/15 06:03 PM
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Great information Ira, I had missed that and thought perhaps you had solved the problem.However, while you can assign a title to an image in Photos on OS X, the title is apparently only seen when you open the "get info" window for that image either in Finder or Photos on OS X.

Last edited by joemikeb; 05/11/15 06:22 PM.

If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

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Re: How to name photos
joemikeb #34240 05/12/15 05:32 PM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
Great information Ira, I had missed that and thought perhaps you had solved the problem.However, while you can assign a title to an image in Photos on OS X, the title is apparently only seen when you open the "get info" window for that image either in Finder or Photos on OS X.


I also see the title in Photos on OS X when viewing a screenful of images in an album or "All Photos" or any other Photo application sidebar locations where the photo shows up.


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: How to name photos
joemikeb #34252 05/13/15 08:34 AM
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Many thanks, mon ami(s).

I'll be patient while awaiting Apple to attend the issue (problem), and in the interim, wonder how Apple allowed this to (even) happen. confused


Harv
27" i7 iMac (10.13.6), iPhone Xs Max (12.1)

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: How to name photos
Pendragon #34253 05/13/15 01:32 PM
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I have not examined the code, but from the way this is working, I would venture on OS X the name, etc. is stored as meta-data in the HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) file system. Given iOS and iCloud do not have an HFS+ file system per se there is no place to store the data on those platforms.

To get all this on iOS and iCoud they might have to reverrt to the older structure where there are two copies of every file one visible file that has the content and a second invisible file that contains the meta-data. More likely they would make each image a package file similar to the practice in Pages and one of the files in the package would contain the meta-data. Of course that would increase complexity and increased complexity almost always results in increased fragility and opportunity for error not to mention file size.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: How to name photos
joemikeb #34255 05/13/15 01:55 PM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
I have not examined the code, but from the way this is working, I would venture on OS X the name, etc. is stored as meta-data in the HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) file system. Given iOS and iCloud do not have an HFS+ file system per se there is no place to store the data on those platforms.


I would struggle to find a single Apple app nowadays that uses metadata for anything. Finder file flags (colors, locked, etc) are about all I can think of offhand. Metadata of that sort is stored in either EXIF or a format akin to it, as a metadata block at the start or usually the end of the file. EXIF is normally specifically for photos, and stores a myriad of metadata such as exposure settings and pixel density, but also other related metadata such as date/time, GPS location, camera model, etc. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exchangeable_image_file_format)

The same type of meta tags can be found in videos found in iTunes. (though the format may not be the same) They store dozens of tags, including information about the movie itself, as well as a lot of data about the purchase made on the app store. (such as the name of the account used to do the purchase) This data can be stripped completely out without impacting the video playback in any way. The same sort of tags exist on the music tracks. The contents of both can be edited to some extent within iTunes. Even album art is stored there within the music tracks.

Apple being Apple, I'd expect iPhoto uses exactly the same meta structures as iTunes, with a data structure tacked onto the end of the file. So it should make the trip across a foreign filesystem that lacks resource forks and extended meta fields in the directory.

xattr is used to edit filesystem-level metadata

AtomicParsley is most commonly used to change metadata on files from the ITMS. (it may work with iPhoto also, I haven't tried it) The -metaenima switch is useful to flush all metadata from a file.


I work for the Department of Redundancy Department
Re: How to name photos
Virtual1 #34263 05/13/15 04:27 PM
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Good information -- thanks!


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: How to name photos
Virtual1 #34309 05/15/15 04:23 PM
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I did some research and found that in iPhoto Titles, comments, locations, and I believe faces are stored in the iPhoto library database and not in the image file itself. When importing iPhoto libraries into Photos apparently only the images are copied and not the library database and its attendent information. Information on Photos is sketchy so far, but I assume when that data is created in Photos it is stored in the Photos library database as well.

I have not yet been able to determine if the Photos library data is transferred to the iCloud or not. If it is, it does not appear that it works way down to the iOS versions of Photos.

I am still researching this.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: How to name photos
joemikeb #34314 05/16/15 03:02 PM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
I did some research and found that in iPhoto Titles, comments, locations, and I believe faces are stored in the iPhoto library database and not in the image file itself. When importing iPhoto libraries into Photos apparently only the images are copied and not the library database and its attendent information. Information on Photos is sketchy so far, but I assume when that data is created in Photos it is stored in the Photos library database as well.

I have not yet been able to determine if the Photos library data is transferred to the iCloud or not. If it is, it does not appear that it works way down to the iOS versions of Photos.

I am still researching this.


It may get weirder than what you just described.

I looked at some iPhoto—>Photo imports in Photos and keywords are imported, along with the original title from iPhoto, but this title does not show up in the Title field in Photos; that field shows "Add a title". However, if you choose to manually export said photo, like to your Desktop, it appears in its destination with "original title.jpg" showing on the file.

Also, with Export… in Photos you can select to include "Title, Keywords, Description", which is how the original title (at least for me) showed up, even though the Photos Title field was blank. Go figure!


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: How to name photos
Ira L #34449 05/28/15 10:34 AM
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Evren Carven, at MacRumors, posted the solution. 'Tis a wee bit awkward, but otherwise works:

In Photos-
1. Go to menu: View - Metadata, and enable "Titles".

2. Right click a photo and choose 'Get Info' to add a title for the photo with the "Add a Title" option. You can also add key words and a description.

Indeed I never would have divined the solution/fix... but I should have.


Harv
27" i7 iMac (10.13.6), iPhone Xs Max (12.1)

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: How to name photos
Pendragon #34458 05/28/15 05:08 PM
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Enabling this particular view allows you to title the Photo directly in the "All Photos" view of Photos; it is not necessary to double-click the photo or choose the Info button. That is, hover over the the thumbnail and "Untitled" will show up; click and type.

Pretty cool. All the other suggestions above also work, perhaps with more mouse clicks.


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.

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