Dealing with "Imported Keywords" in Aperture

ApertureExperiences-ImportSettings.png

Clearing Keywords with Import Settings I've talked about "Imported Keywords" before. And the situation with "Imported Keywords" has gotten better with Aperture 3.3. No longer do I need to deal with keyword cleanup after export a project as a library and merging it back in later. That's great.

But, "Imported Keywords" continues to show up when importing a photo into Aperture that already has keywords. This can happen via PhotoStream or via a 'traditional' import of a JPG, TIFF, or other image format.

Today I had a "moment of clarity" and realized I could avoid "Imported Keywords" on image import using the Metadata Presets in the Import Settings. The screen scrape is at right showing the pertinent bits.

I've been using Import Settings more or less since I started using Aperture. And by selecting Keywords but not specifying any keywords to add, keywords on imported images are cleared. And no "Imported Keywords" messiness! I honestly can't remember if I created the "Basic Info" Metadata preset or not. If it's a default in Aperture, you may need to add in the "Keyword" field. And of course you can easily create your own with the "Edit" option at the bottom of the "Metadata" pick list.

But Scott...now I've gotta re-keyword the image, you might say. And you're right. It's pay me now or pay me later. Either clear the keywords and re-add after import or import the keywords and do the clean-up in the keywords HUD. For me, clearing keywords is simpler.

A workflow where I use this I export JPGs for editing outside of Aperture. I do this with Photomatix - I don't like that their Aperture plug-in bypasses de-ghosting. On import of the tone mapped image, I'll clear keywords. A quick Lift/Stamp of keywords from the original brackets in Aperture is faster than keyword cleanup in the HUD.

Also, sometimes I'll re-import an image if I've done work in Aperture plugins. The plugins I have a great, but I'm often left with a very large PSD or TIFF file - sometimes 10x the size of my original RAW file. To save disk space, when I'm satisfied with the adjustments, I'll:

  • Export a high quality JPG
  • Re-import the JPG, clearing the keywords
  • Lift/Stamp the keywords to the imported JPG
  • Delete the large PSD/TIFF file

Someday when I have oodles of disk space, maybe I won't have to bother with this.

PhotoStream and "Imported Keywords" remains a problem. As before, I recommend keeping your Aperture keywords locked as a standard practice.

ApertureScott DavenportWorkflow, MetadataComment