File > File Info - Does Elements have this menu command?

[DannyRaphael]

Would someone confirm for me one way or the other if one can add "keywords" to an image's metadata like one can in Photoshop

via File > File Info...

Thanks in advance.

[Doug Nelson]

File Info in Elements lets you edit Title, Author, Caption, Copyright Status, Copyright Notice, and Owner URL.

So, yes File Info is available, but no you can't insert Keywords.

[mlatham]

The file properties you mention are stored usually in the IPTC data. The other place text information can be stored is in the EXIF data. The difference between the two is that EXIF fields are geared to camera OEMs and usually contain info about the camera, exposure, flash and other things like that. The IPTC fields are geared towards who is in the photo, copyright, location and other classification type data.

My background is in application design at work and genealogy / document and photo preservation as hobbies. Because of a house fire a number of years ago, I have turned to digital storage of photos as my long term archival methodology.

As I set about deciding on the processes that I would follow I came up with a number of criteria that needed to be met.
1. Labeling needed to be done. A photo of great Aunt Margaret isn't nearly as useful if you don't know it is great Aunt Margaret.
2. Labeling of the photo should stay with the photo when it is copied, moved or edited.
3. Labeling should in a standardized format that is readable by many photo apps, preferably by windows.
4. I needed to be able to add the same comments to a large group of photos at the same time.
5. Photo quality need to be good, and file sizes manageable.

There were a number of other important criteria but these relate to preserving the historical significance of the photo or document.

I chose JPEG, I use almost no compression and 300 - 600 resolutions. JPEG supports both EXIF and IPTC fields. I use Thumbs to sort, file and edit IPTC info on single pictures. It is a reasonably priced shareware tool, that works reasonably well on the platforms I have tried it on. I use Digital Pro http://www.proshooters.com/dp2/index.htm for downloading my digital film and adding IPTC comments to multiple photos at once. It is a little more expensive, but depending on the number of photos you need to label may be worth it.

[DannyRaphael]

This is very interesting information and one of the more useful contributions I've seen of late. Sure appreciate you sharing your considerable knowledge in this area.

[mlatham]

I have put considerable thought and hours into this subject and would be glad to share the info if there is interest. Of course this probably isn't the thread for this discussion. I am also not sure where the right thread would be. It does have to do with various tools but is more a methodology than tools.

I have found the info on this site very useful to make all the photos I am acumulating better. I am happy to share my expertise from a slightly different field.

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by mlatham

I have put considerable thought and hours into this subject and would be glad to share the info if there is interest. Of course this probably isn't the thread for this discussion. I am also not sure where the right thread would be. It does have to do with various tools but is more a methodology than tools.

I have found the info on this site very useful to make all the photos I am acumulating better. I am happy to share my expertise from a slightly different field.

You raise a good point regarding "where" to post/share this type of info.

The "Tips" subforum looks like the most logical place as the site is currently organized... http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/a/

Perhaps the scope of the "Input/Output" forum should be expanded to "Input/Output, Workflow." That (to me) would make better sense. I'll run it up the flagpole.