XnView Software

I'm a new user of XnView MP, and I'm trying to use it for image culling at the start of my workflow, before images go into Lightroom.
I have both raw and jpeg images, and xnviewmp is good at dealing with those files together.

One problem I'm seeing is the way XnViewMP deals with rating metadata when sidecar files are enabled.

XMP sidecar files are required because of Lightroom and adobe software. Everything else I use, like the Windows operating system itself, demands that ratings be in the jpeg metadata and ignores XMP sidecar files.

If "update or create xmp sidecar" is checked, xnview writes to the sidecar and NOT jpeg metadata.
If that option is NOT checked, it writes JPEG metadata but not sidecar.

It's mutually exclusive. You cannot write both. This is bad.

Evidently there was an issue a while back where it was writing both the jpeg and the sidecar, but someone objected because they didn't want their original file touched, and so it seems a change was made. viewtopic.php?f=82&t=29504

But either/or isn't really appropriate either.
I need windows and other programs to be able to use the ratings. And I need adobe software to be able to as well.

It seems to me the options in the Metadata tab should be to write jpeg metadata, or not. And the options in the sidecar tab should be to write the sidecar file, or not. You should be able to check them both, to get the data written to both files.

But if you check the option in the sidecar tab, it essentially (silently) invalidates the choice made in the Metadata tab.

Am I doing something wrong? Is there a way to get it to write ratings to both?

yes currently it's not possible. I'll add an option...

I was thinking something similar:
Settings - metadata - add high level rw options

Thank you, Pierre! That's great! Much appreciated.

xnview wrote: Mon May 13, 2024 7:14 am yes currently it's not possible. I'll add an option...

Hi Pierre, you said you would add the option to use XMP sidecars and embedded EXIF metadata simultaneously, but I still don't see this option in version 1.8.2

Will this be coming soon?

Thank you!

Are there any developments on this topic?

Pierre, you said a year ago you would add this as an option.

Can you tell us when this will happen, please?

Saving ratings in file metadata and also sidecar files simultaneously is still not possible. This capability is needed for compatibility with other software.

Thank you!

Sorry about the delay. So the problem is only when saving rating? categories are saved in xmp and file itself, right?

See issue for current status and some details.

This problem is supposed to be fixed in XnView MP 1.9.0. Please check and confirm the bug fix here.

Hello Pierre,

as far as I am concerned, the function is not yet available in XnView MP v1.9.1:

My workflow:
1: the camera creates a RAW and a JPG for each shot
2: RAW and JPG are linked as companion files in XnView MP
3: after the import into XnView MP, I view and evaluate (stars and colors) the images based on the JPG.
4: the RAWs have to be manually adjusted to the rating of the JPGs.

Step 4: is very time consuming and it would be nice if XnView MP could do this automatically, just as it does when renaming, deleting or moving.

Thank you very much for your support and of course for the great XnView MP!

this fix is for images+xmp companions