Editing RAW metadata with digiKam
Submitted by cauliergilles on Thu, 2008-08-21 09:30
This is a great news for photographers: digiKam is now able to edit metadata from RAW files. Andreas Huggel from Exiv2 project has started to support writting mode with some TIFF/EP RAW files in this library. Currently Adobe DNG, Nikon NEF, and Pentax PEF file are supported.
See below a screenshot of digiKam for KDE4 editing XMP metadata from a NEF file:
Of course new RAW file formats will supported in the future by Exiv2 library. If your prefered RAW format is not yet supported, don't cry. In digiKam, all is ready for that. You will just need to update Exiv2 and sync in batch your files metadata with digiKam database using "Tools/Update Metadata Database" menu entry.
Cooooooool
Great news! So it will be possible to put Geotagging info directly in the RAW files right? I'm using .cr2, so it's not possible now, but I can already geotag everything, the info will be in digikam db, and once cr2 is supported, I use the update tools to mirror the info from the digikam db directly into the cr2, do I get it right?
Geotagging : Yes !!!
Yes. Geolocation informations are stored in Exif and/or XMP. So nothing will be lost...
In fact all Metadata can be edited: Exif, Iptc, and Xmp.
CR2 RAW format is a TIFF/EP like image. It will be supported in the future.
Wow, that's great. Btw, is
Wow, that's great. Btw, is tagging using Nepomuk (I think it's called like that) supportedso that it can be found (in future KDE 4.x releases)? Thanks
Nepomuk
No. for the moment, digiKam do not use Nepomuk, and nothing will be done for 0.10.0 release in this way.
We have already integrated some KDE4 technologies like Solid, Phono, Marble, etc. We have also a new Database schema and a new Database interface with a lots of new search tools. Changes in codes are very important, and it's time to finalize and stabilize all. If we add another brik like Nepomuk, we will not able to release digiKam for Chrismast, like it's planed.
Also, digiKam work very well without Nepomuk. It's not urgent to implement something with Nepomuk for the moment. Also, i would to see really Nepomuk used in production, without to lost important informations.
For me Nepomuk is too young to be used in digiKam as well. Also, there is no plan to replace the digiKam database interface by Nepomuk. It will never be done. Only an interface to sync digiKam database with Nepomuk will be done.
Don't do that. There are
Don't do that. There are plenty of reason to NEVER rewrite a RAW file. The only exception being DNG. Camera vendors have already proved why it was wrong, as when they started to do it, other software where unable to re-read them.
There is an option to
There is an option to especially not touch RAW file metadata... It's disable by default
Gilles Caulier