[digiKam-users] Keyword (metadata) consistency between programs

[Alan H]

I would very much like to use digiKam as a DAM for my photo collection. However, I'm finding problems with the interchange and display of metadata between processing software used in the past and digiKam (and going forward as I curate a growing collection). Looking at just keywords, I thought my problems would be largely answered when I found the configuration option to "Use a compatible file name for writing sidecar files". In the case of On1 this produces the On1 sidecar format of a ".on1" sidecar (supposedly for jpg photos, but see below) and ".xmp"sidecar (supposedly for raw photos, but not apparent in observations below).

If I am doing something incorrectly please let me know. If this is a program issue, is there anything that can be done to fix it (and when)?

Create sidecars in On1 (Windows 2020.1)
1)Adding a keyword to a jpg photo in On1 creates an .on1 sidecar. Appears to have both a jpg and raw (rw2) tag block (is this correct term?). Keyword only added to jpg block. On1 display jpg photo keyword correctly.
2)Adding a keyword to a raw photo in On1 creates a .xmp sidecar. Has 2 keyword tag blocks: lr:hierarchicalSubject & dc:subject, both containing the keyword. Also adds keyword to raw block in .on1 sidecar. On1 displays raw photo keyword correctly.
3)digiKam, after "Reread Metadata From File" separately for both jpg and raw photos, displays raw photo keyword for both the jpg and raw (rw2) photos.


Create sidecars in digiKam (Windows 6.4.0). (Config: write to XMP sidecar only; Use compatible filenames)
1)Adding a keyword to a jpg photo in dK creates an .on1 sidecar and .xmp simultaneously. The jpg photo keyword is added to both the jpg and raw (rw2) tag block in the .on1 sidecar as well as the .xmp sidecar. The .xmp sidecar has 6 keyword tag blocks: Acdsee, MicrosoftPhoto:LastKeywordXMP, digiKam:TagsList, lr:hierarchicalSubject, mediapro:CatalogSets & dc:subject, all containing the keyword. !!Adds a jpg photo keyword to a .xmp sidecar used (I think) by On1 for only raw photo metadata. On1 2020 displays the jpg photo for both the jpg and raw (rw2) photos.
2)Adding a keyword to a raw photo in dK (after .on1 & .xmp created above) -- the .on1 sidecar still has the original jpg keyword in both the jpg and raw blocks. In the .xmp sidecar the jpg photo keyword is replaced by the raw photo keyword in all 6 blocks. On1 2020 now displays the raw photo keyword for both the jpg and raw photo.

This behavior becomes more scrambled and confusing with repeated keyword additions when switching between one program and the other (digiKam and On1 in this case).  In particular hierarchical keywords are parsed into separate component keywords as processed (I think; at least as visibly evident) in the dc:subject block.

Thanks for your assistance with this inquiry.

Alan
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