See attached pole:

I'm well along on the IPTC project. IPTC is rather difficult thing to work with, but I'm using a PHP library that takes care of things nicely.

We have an option here:

Lets say your like me and You just fill in "author, keywords, title, description" and leave the rest of the fields blank. No big deal - thats what sites extract.

But we have an opportunity here to set defaults. For instance, here is a typical array:
          array(22) {
  ["title"]=>
  string(35) "Credit Card Trap, Predatory Lending"
  ["author"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["authorsposition"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["caption"]=>
  string(123) "Credit Card Trap, Predatory Lending concept. A credit card with a mouse trap built onto it to illustrate dangers of credit."
  ["captionwriter"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["jobname"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["copyrightstatus"]=>
  string(8) "unmarked"
  ["copyrightnotice"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["ownerurl"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["keywords"]=>
  array(22) {
    [0]=>
    string(8) "Concepts"
    [1]=>
    string(7) "Finance"
    [2]=>
    string(5) "Greed"
    [3]=>
    string(11) "Credit Card"
    [4]=>
    string(9) "Mousetrap"
    [5]=>
    string(3) "Red"
    [6]=>
    string(7) "Banking"
    [7]=>
    string(8) "Business"
    [8]=>
    string(4) "Debt"
    [9]=>
    string(9) "Predatory"
    [10]=>
    string(7) "Lending"
    [11]=>
    string(7) "Plastic"
    [12]=>
    string(4) "Loan"
    [13]=>
    string(6) "Danger"
    [14]=>
    string(4) "scam"
    [15]=>
    string(4) "risk"
    [16]=>
    string(11) "consumerism"
    [17]=>
    string(6) "copper"
    [18]=>
    string(8) "Interest"
    [19]=>
    string(10) "Temptation"
    [20]=>
    string(10) "Entrapment"
    [21]=>
    string(10) "Booby Trap"
  }
  ["category"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["supplementalcategories"]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["date"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["city"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["state"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["country"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["credit"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["source"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["headline"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["instructions"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["transmissionreference"]=>
  string(0) ""
  ["urgency"]=>
  string(4) "none"
}
As you can see, there is plenty to work with here. And when your images are being processed, IPTC data is not carried over. You have to put it there afterward.

We have an opportunity here to have a list of defaults PRE-FILLED on the author page. I'd say "GO FOR IT!" Except there is this - what about legal technicalities? What if someone uses Symbiostock to steal your images and change IPTC data? So what is a really good thing could end up being an issue if used wrong.

The potential here is really cool:

AuthorURL (a value in the array) could be set to your website, which you are uploading to. That makes an easy trackback. EVEN BETTER the URL can LINK RIGHT BACK TO YOUR IMAGE PAGE PER FILE, making a really cool trackback ability.

Look carefully at the array. See potential - we generally only use a few values. Others could be expounded on to give directions to users upon seeing the info. Also search engines do parse this info and use it for various things.

See attached pole:

LOL

Reminds me of that scene on Batman:

Lucius Fox: [Bruce Wayne is recovering after being poisoned by Scarecrow] I analyzed your blood, isolating the receptor compounds and the protein-based catalyst.
Bruce Wayne: Am I meant to understand any of that?
Lucius Fox: Not at all, I just wanted you to know how hard it was. Bottomline I synthesised an antidote.

Great! The IPTC feature seems to be coming along nicely. Most of my wishes are already covered. There is, however, one extra thing I'd love to see. Let me explain:

You suggested that we change image titles so they are not the same like they are with the micros. I think that was great advice. However, I'd like to keep all my image data in one place (that is my LR catalog). So I was hoping I could use e.g. the IPTC headline field for entering my modified SY titles, then export from LR and upload to my SY site. Now, if your IPTC feature would let me choose to use the headline as title (or copy the headline to the title field) I'd be a really happy camper. Do you think that could be coded?

Quote from: Pilens on May 05, 2013, 21:45

Great! The IPTC feature seems to be coming along nicely. Most of my wishes are already covered. There is, however, one extra thing I'd love to see. Let me explain:

You suggested that we change image titles so they are not the same like they are with the micros. I think that was great advice. However, I'd like to keep all my image data in one place (that is my LR catalog). So I was hoping I could use e.g. the IPTC headline field for entering my modified SY titles, then export from LR and upload to my SY site. Now, if your IPTC feature would let me choose to use the headline as title (or copy the headline to the title field) I'd be a really happy camper. Do you think that could be coded?

I think I understand half of what you are asking.
You want to use "TITLE" For microstock sites, and "HEADLINE" for yours? That could be coded if that feature would be used among many people.

Works for me, more for the laziness factor though. I really don't want to have to re-do titles too much. If it can be avoided, I'm in.

there are 4 possible title fields:
iptc: objectname or headline
xmp: title or headline

some agencies like DT and programs like MS pro photo use the xmp title, not the iptc title, so if you can stuff all thpose if they're blank that would be great

i'm still trying to figure out why  some images title don';t get read - this happens on DT amd  some other sitesd, and it happens in SYm too - it seems to only happen when it's a jpg I created in PS that has no camera iptc info, but does have title, caption, etc

in any case, the more you can create something instead of blank space, the better

I am happy that it reads title, description aand keywords.  I always fill in copright name and site url as well.  I think I would prefer site rather than image url as things change over time.

I will pick the last option in the poll as I understand that one 

Will this re-do previously uploaded images.?

Just been thinking, maybe we could include explanatory message in data explaining that image is availabe to licence and what that means and that if is found anywhere else an invoice will be issued that will far outweigh original fee    or am I just being evil

Well, probably more paranoid. I suppose a determined person could find any way to override your IPTC so disregard. I just don't want some person coming back to me say "hey, this happened because you set it up so..."

v1.3.6
https://github.com/orangeman555/symbiostock/blob/master/symbiostock.zip?raw=true

Just a note:
In case you didn't see it in the email, the image reprocessor is on the way, as well as a way to update all of your IPTC data, and even micromanage it. Since I've laid so much of the foundation for it, its quite possible it will be done tomorrow.

Sounds great Leo! I think it is really useful to be able to "spread" your name and contact details that way.
If there�s any chance you can take care of the processing for "related images" in the same go, this would be perfect - I can still only process first approx. 250 images out of 2.800 since the script then simply stops. The script seems to be pretty demanding anyway: Once I execute it, I can hardly access my website in the same time (bluehost).

Good luck for these ventures, looking forward to its outcomes!

In new version all info goes to EXIF and IPTC, but Exif Viewer installed in Firefox has problems with displaying some data. Javascript error console shows errors with "Image Locations" and something other. Can someone confirm this or it is only my problem? 
And I think is is because this all stuff is too much for current version of Exif Viewer. FxIF shows everything with no errors.

Sounds great! I would like to be able to add title, description, copyright, keywords, and site url and have it be non-strippable. When i say non-strippable, i mean as much as can be done to prevent the average purchaser from stripping. I know there are thief geeks who can do whatever and strip it...that is out of all of our controls.

What if someone uses Symbiostock to steal your images and change IPTC data? So what is a really good thing could end up being an issue if used wrong.

Can you explain more of how this could happen? How can someone use symbiostock to steal my images? Are you saying that you (or anyone else) actually have access to my high rez files on my server through symbiostock? I am not accusing here, i am just trying to understand how someone could use symbiostock any more than they can through regular channels.


Edit:my hosting company would have that access. Is that what you mean.

No prob will fix today

Hi there! Thanks for those details on copyright. Exif is a detail which I can also implement. I can see there are LOTS of fields and options in photoshop/bridge showing just how much info can be written. Today I'm going to see what is causing problems and fix it, along with that.

Anyone who has "crashed" can you please set me up with an admin account on your site leo[at]symbiostock.com so I can see whats causing it and change it on my end?

Hi there! Thanks for those details on copyright. Exif is a detail which I can also implement. I can see there are LOTS of fields and options in photoshop/bridge showing just how much info can be written. Today I'm going to see what is causing problems and fix it, along with that.

Anyone who has "crashed" can you please set me up with an admin account on your site leo[at]symbiostock.com so I can see whats causing it and change it on my end?

L�o, just create a admin user. Mail was sended. Let me know if ok. Hitvectors.com. Thx

Can you dropbox me the file? That would help immensely. Interesting your EXIF is getting stripped? You have EXIF data you've put in?

Quote from: Travelling-light on May 06, 2013, 16:27

Quote from: Leo on May 06, 2013, 16:18

Quote from: Travelling-light on May 06, 2013, 15:27

When I open a preview or thumb in Photoshop, I get a warning popup: "This file contains image info data which cannot be read and has been ignored.". Obviously I can't see what that is in PS, and Thumbs Plus sees the same metadata as PS.

Your on a mac? That might be the issue (and I can probably fix it)

Nope, Windows 7 PC

But go ahead and fix the mac issue...I am on a mac 

I dunno if its a  mac issue. Your on a  mac? Then you should be invincible to issues right?

Quote from: Leo on May 06, 2013, 17:00

Quote from: cclapper on May 06, 2013, 16:33

Quote from: Travelling-light on May 06, 2013, 16:27

Quote from: Leo on May 06, 2013, 16:18

Quote from: Travelling-light on May 06, 2013, 15:27

When I open a preview or thumb in Photoshop, I get a warning popup: "This file contains image info data which cannot be read and has been ignored.". Obviously I can't see what that is in PS, and Thumbs Plus sees the same metadata as PS.

Your on a mac? That might be the issue (and I can probably fix it)

Nope, Windows 7 PC

But go ahead and fix the mac issue...I am on a mac 

I dunno if its a  mac issue. Your on a  mac? Then you should be invincible to issues right?

Apparently not because you just asked the question, a couple of lines up. 

Hey look! A quote pyramid! Yeah, macs were invincible as long as they were not a target and windows was

Found the problem. Its your embedded thumbnails. And there is no obvious ways to "deal" with these at this point since its a custom feature your camera uses. I'm going to opt to just let it sit "as is" because it does not corrupt the image, but just gives an annoying "unreadable" prompt.

Here's a snippet from the library I'm using concerning this issue:

Quote

WARNING: Because the EXIF standard allows pointers to data outside the APP1 segment, if there are any such pointers in a makernote, this function will DAMAGE them since it will not be aware that there is an external pointer. This will often happen with Makernotes that include an embedded thumbnail. This damage could be prevented where makernotes can be decoded, but currently this is not implemented.

Out of some nerdy curiosity does your camera end up being one of these?:

Agfa, Canon, Casio, Contax, Epson, Fujifilm, Konica, Minolta, Kyocera, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax (Asahi), Ricoh and Sony

Generally this package handles all of these, but the thumbnail issue will remain. Its not crucial, just annoying.

Canon, and also Panasonic - same issue.

OK, I can just suppress the warning if it's nothing major. I see from ExifToolGUI there's a 256px thumbnail in there.

Thanks, Leo.

The question is - accounting for ALL issues - everyone has different quirks like this. Its hard put in a one-solution-fits-all for this problem. The vast majority of people will not have exif problems like this as far as I know (could be wrong, I'm an illustrator).

My solution:

1. Embed EXIF/IPTC in previews (web stuff)
2. DO NOT embed it in sold images (ie, IPTC is blank)

This is so customer does not see a funky "info" prompt and think they bought a faulty image (which is not the case, but you know how people are)

Does this sound like a good compromise? I'd like some opinions.

Also I'd like to let everyone know I fixed the crash bug for those using GD library. It was a typo in code.

It's much more important to have IPTC metadata in the downloaded file than the previews and thumbs, as it's our major protection against 'Orphan Works' ripoffs. Previews can at least have watermarks.

Looks like problem solved. IPTC is everywhere now.

For now it rests this way - if you already had data, it will stay there on downloadable ones

Leo,

I downloaded and installed the New version - 1.3.6' this morning.
But it broke uploads.
When I uploaded a new file the mini thumbnail did't appear.

Also not clear about "Upload an image. Save it to your desktop."
Save it from where?

Sorry if this seems like a dumb question but I'm no computer whiz.

I've reverted back to the previous version.

Steve

Hi there,
This issue is fixed now. It applied to anyone who is using GD library instead of ImageMagick.

Sounds great! I would like to be able to add title, description, copyright, keywords, and site url and have it be non-strippable. When i say non-strippable, i mean as much as can be done to prevent the average purchaser from stripping. I know there are thief geeks who can do whatever and strip it...that is out of all of our controls.

anyone with an exif editor, or many photo editing programs can strip, modify or change your exif & iptc once they have your image - that's why I've not been all that concerned about this aspect - those who want to steal your image can do so once they download - but how may thieves are going to bother when there's so much free stiuff already floating around?

the ms agency stripping was of discussed because they seemed to be purposely stripping the info, but it may be that their programs were automatically stripping the info the way wordpress does -- this is not a function of re-sizing - resize in any photoeditor and the iptc stays the same

Reprocessing all files went ok, only one file was problematic, I saw blank screen with message "Invalid Date - must be YYYY-MM-DD format".  There was one field with "YYYY/MM/DD".

And reprocessing makes only new preview images, leaving thumbnails untouched.