XnView Software

XnView: MP1.0 64bits (but already observed in earlier versions)
OS: Windows 64bit

Keywords sometimes disappear when applied to photos processed with Affinity Photo.

When I use XnView MP's "Edit IPTC..." function to apply keywords to a photo edited in Affinity Photo (AP), the keywords will initially seem to be correctly written into the jpg file. This includes verification by going to the image in Windows Explorer>right click>Properties>Details>Tags—but again, initially.

Thereafter, for some but not all AP-processed images, the keywords will just disappear from the jpeg file.

I underline again that this does not happen with all files edited in AP; quite the contrary, it seems to happen arbitrarily but nonetheless regularly.

This seems to happen either after clicking away to some other folder in XnView MP and then coming back to the original folder. Or after clicking away to some other program and coming back to XnView MP (or even just coming back to Windows Explorer), or after restarting XnView MP, or after restarting the computer, bref, doing something other than just letting the computer sit there.

As near as I can determine AP is the common denominator with this problem. I've never observed it in straight-out-of-camera pictures, nor in pictures processed only with RawTherapee (RT), my other image processing program.

I'm reporting this at XnView MP version 1.0, but the problem was present for some time before the arrival of version 1.0.

To try to put some "science" in this, a took six images:

1) A jpeg straight out of camera
2) A jpeg modified in AP only
3) A jpeg modified in RT only
4) A raw (.nef) processed in and exported from AP only
5) A raw (.nef) processed in and exported from RT only
6) A raw (.nef) processed first in RT, then exported to AP for additional modifications and exported thereafter from AP (note that this is my normal order of doing things; I develop raws in RT and send them to AP if surgical modifications are necessary).

I then added the keyword "Test" to all of them, one at a time: All six images kept that keyword after program/folder changes and a computer restart (let's call this "verification").

I then added the keyword "Test 2" to all of them, one at a time: Images 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 kept "Test" and "Test 2" after verification but Image 4 kept only "Test".

I then added the keyword "Test 3" to all of them, all at once (using the "write to all files" function): Images 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 kept "Test", "Test 2" and "Test 3" after verification but Image 4 kept only "Test".

I then added the keyword "Test 4" to all of them, one at a time: Images 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 kept "Test", "Test 2", "Test 3" and "Test 4" after verification but Image 4 kept only "Test".

So, despite that fact that images 2, 4 and 6 all went through AP, only image 4 is showing the problem in the setting of this test.

Let me know if you would like me to furnish you with these jpeg files. Should you want them, do note that I'll have to make them smaller (thus modify them) to allow for the upload. Le cas échéant, would you prefer that I reduce their size using the functionality in XnView MP?

EDIT: Ah! one thing I forgot: This problem does not occur when I add keywords directly in Affinity Photo. AP too has an add keywords function, and photos exported from AP with the keywords already in them do not show the problem presented here.

EDIT 2: Note also that the catalog seems a bit lost too. The Catagories Filter looks like this:

Test (6)
Test 2 (5)
Test 3 (5)
Test 4 (6)

The last one, "Test 4", should count only 5 files.
A View>Update catalog from files does not change anything.

To reproduce:
1. Process an image in and export it from Affinity Photo
2. Use XnView MP's "Edit IPTC..." to add keywords to that file
3. Verify that the keyword is there in Windows Explorer>right click>Properties>Details>Tags
4. Do or go somewhere else on the computer, or restart, etc.
5. Come back to XnView MP or Windows Explorer
6. The keyword may, or may not, still be in the file


Actual behaviour (bug): Keywords sometimes disappear when applied to photos processed with Affinity Photo.

Expected behaviour: Keywords shouldn't disappear when applied to photos processed with Affinity Photo.

could you send me sample files to test, and the settings of IPTC dialog?

I downsized the 6 test images described above using Image>Resize in XnView MP so that they would be small enough to upload, but now, when I try to upload them in the Attachments>Add files function, I'm getting the message: "It was not possible to determine the dimensions of the image. Please verify that the URL you entered is correct." for all of the images except the straight out of camera jpeg....

I looked to see if I could PM you, but I don't see a way to add attachments in that interface...

Any ideas?

No, never mind, I'll get them to you via a PM.

And the IPTC Options window looks like this:


Note that this image too was exported from Affinity Photo (but I didn't try to add any keywords to it).

Merci! Et bonne soirée.

I have tried on your "ESC_*-round2.jpg" files, but using "Edit IPTC", and adding a keyword works at each step. 'Dont load field values' is checked?

I have tried on your "ESC_*-round2.jpg" files, but using "Edit IPTC", and adding a keyword works at each step.

Again, do note that the issue isn't constant; sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. I imagine that's going to make finding the culprit very difficult!

xnview wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 6:47 am'Dont load field values' is checked?

Yes, I do keep "Don't load field values" checked for the very rare occasions when I write additional keywords into multiple files that already have keywords in them.

But yes, that's rare.

In my workflow, I mostly write keywords into single files that may or may not have keywords already in them. And to a lesser extent, I write keywords into multiple files that do not have keywords already in them.

Can the "Don't load field values" have an effect in these more "common" uses?

Hope all that can help!

i've tried 3 times with or without 'dont load field values', but can't reproduce. In your tests, the problem was always on the picture 4)?
Before to open 'Edit IPTC' dialog, you select your 6 files, right?

i've tried 3 times with or without 'dont load field values', but can't reproduce.

Which doesn't surprise me as this is a random thing. See below.

Before to open 'Edit IPTC' dialog, you select your 6 files, right?

Only the keyword "Test 3" was added in a grouped fashion (all six of the jpegs selected>Ctrl I (with "Don't load field values" checked)>keyword added>"Write to all files").

The keywords "Test", "Test 2" and "Test 4" were all added by selecting a single file>Ctrl I>Keyword added>"Write".

the problem was always on the picture 4

Well, picture 4 was the one that was affected in that first round of testing.

For example, I just re-did the test (round 3 folder in the shared link), completely identically to the first test, and in this re-test, all the keywords were correctly added to all the files, including picture 4.

Hello to all,

I'm resurfacing this issue (see first post above for a reminder), which remains in version 1.5.5, because I noticed something interesting:

For these AP-modified files for which keywords seem to disappear, the following tactic seems to resolve the problem:

1) Add keywords using the "Edit IPTC..." function

2) Close the "Edit IPTC..." dialog then

3) Immediately click "update catalog from files" on the view menu then

4) immediately click "Update files from catalog" on the view menu.

Noting that these steps need to be done quickly, one after the other. This necessity for speed gives me the feeling that I need to outrun something? Some auto-update mechanism in the catalog perhaps?

In any case, I hope these few extra lines can be useful.

KLE-France wrote: Tue Oct 03, 2023 10:28 am Noting that these steps need to be done quickly, one after the other. This necessity for speed gives me the feeling that I need to outrun something? Some auto-update mechanism in the catalog perhaps?

Yes perhaps, i'll try again...