[digiKam-users] Moving photos and database files

[JayRutherford]

Greetings,

Linux Mint with 6.4.0 Appimage, I have my photos (230GB) and database files on one hard drive. I would like to MOVE the photos and database files to the cloud (pCloud specifically) but am concerned that I might lose 20 years worth of tags or other photo information.

Any suggestion for the best way to move everything to the cloud? It seems like I could copy everything there, including the database files, start digikam and point it to the cloud folder. /home/jay/pictures ---> /home/jay/pCloudDrive/pictures . Could it be that simple?

Thank you and best wishes,

Jay Rutherford

Le 13/05/2020 à 15:56, [hidden email] a écrit :

> Greetings,
>
> Linux Mint with 6.4.0 Appimage, I have my photos (230GB) and database
> files on one hard drive. I would like to MOVE the photos and database
> files to the cloud (pCloud specifically) but am concerned that I might
> lose 20 years worth of tags or other photo information.
>
> Any suggestion for the best way to move everything to the cloud? It
> seems like I could copy everything there, including the database files,
> start digikam and point it to the cloud folder. /home/jay/pictures --->
> /home/jay/pCloudDrive/pictures . Could it be that simple?
>
> Thank you and best wishes,
>
> Jay Rutherford
>

may work, but it will be desperately slow :-(

anyway if you copy the metadata to images, no loss risk

I do the same, but on an external usb3 disk, it's already a bit slow
(more than internal ssd!!)

jdd

--
http://dodin.org

[Chris Green]

On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 04:10:36PM +0200, [hidden email] wrote:
>
> anyway if you copy the metadata to images, no loss risk
>
How can one guarantee that happens all the time?  It's *far* from
obvious how to configure Digikam to do it.

--
Chris Green

Le 13/05/2020 à 17:22, Chris Green a écrit :
> On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 04:10:36PM +0200, [hidden email] wrote:
>>
>> anyway if you copy the metadata to images, no loss risk
>>
> How can one guarantee that happens all the time?  It's *far* from
> obvious how to configure Digikam to do it.
>
?

only an option to tick, always done for me

jdd

--
http://dodin.org

[Chris Green]

On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 05:34:34PM +0200, [hidden email] wrote:

> Le 13/05/2020 à 17:22, Chris Green a écrit :
> > On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 04:10:36PM +0200, [hidden email] wrote:
> > >
> > > anyway if you copy the metadata to images, no loss risk
> > >
> > How can one guarantee that happens all the time?  It's *far* from
> > obvious how to configure Digikam to do it.
> >
> ?
>
> only an option to tick, always done for me
>

Which option?

In the Metadata section of Settings there's:-
   Use Lazy Synchronization
   If possible write metadata to RAW files
   Update file modification timestamp when files are modified
   Rescan when files are modified
   Clean up the Metadata from database when rescan files

...and then in the Album menu we have:-
    Write metadata to files
    Reread metadata from files

...and in the Item menu:-
    Write metadata to files
    Reread metadata from files

So which option do I tick to ensure that metadata is *always* written
to the image files?  I don't want to have to remember to click the
"Write metadata to files" menu option every time I change something
(or at least every time I exit Digikam), I just want it to happen all
the time, *every* time I change something.

It's also not clear what is meant by 'files' in the above options and
settings, are they image files, sidecar files, or both, or what?

--
Chris Green

[Remco Viëtor]

On mercredi 13 mai 2020 19:04:34 CEST Chris Green wrote:

> On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 05:34:34PM +0200, [hidden email] wrote:
> > Le 13/05/2020 à 17:22, Chris Green a écrit :
> > > On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 04:10:36PM +0200, [hidden email] wrote:
> > > > anyway if you copy the metadata to images, no loss risk
> > >
> > > How can one guarantee that happens all the time?  It's *far* from
> > > obvious how to configure Digikam to do it.
> >
> > ?
> >
> > only an option to tick, always done for me
>
> Which option?
>
> In the Metadata section of Settings there's:-
>    Use Lazy Synchronization
>    If possible write metadata to RAW files
>    Update file modification timestamp when files are modified
>    Rescan when files are modified
>    Clean up the Metadata from database when rescan files

Nothing to do with what you write, except for the raw files...

> ...and then in the Album menu we have:-
>     Write metadata to files
>     Reread metadata from files
Writes just when you tell it to, like most meny commands

> ...and in the Item menu:-
>     Write metadata to files
>     Reread metadata from files
Writes just when you tell it to, like most menu commands

> So which option do I tick to ensure that metadata is *always* written
> to the image files?  I don't want to have to remember to click the
> "Write metadata to files" menu option every time I change something
> (or at least every time I exit Digikam), I just want it to happen all
> the time, *every* time I change something.

You managed to miss everything in the settings that had to do with actually
writing metadata:

In the metadata section of settings, there the first tab (which you noticed)
which starts with a section "Write This Information to the Metadata". That
tells you what to write to the image files (but raw files will not be written
to unless specified in the second section)

In the same section of the settings (metadata), there is a second tab, called
"sidecars". There, you can specify how to use sidecars.
And in the "advanced" section you can detail which namespaces/tags should be
used in the sidecars.


> It's also not clear what is meant by 'files' in the above options and
> settings, are they image files, sidecar files, or both, or what?
That depends on what you have specified in the settings dialog.

[digikam-2]

On Wed, 13 May 2020 18:04:34 +0100
Chris Green <[hidden email]> wrote:

> It's also not clear what is meant by 'files' in the above options
> and settings, are they image files, sidecar files, or both, or what?

Usually, it's not a good idea to write to the image file unless the
imagefile is a tiff or a jpeg. Personally, I use the lazy writing
with the sidecars written when I exit DK. It's very slow (w/o lazing
writing) when having to write 500 or 1000 files because I have
assigned a tag to a whole album.

It's much safer to write to the xmp. Then come the problem of the
format of the name of the xmp.

* file1.cr2 ==> file1.xmp (the lightroom format) DK can write to it
  if file other format doesn't exist yet. Then LR will read the
  changes.
* file2.cr2 ==> file2.cr2.xmp. Darktable will be able to read and
  write the xmp
* Rawtherapee doesn't care it has its own pp3 sidecar.

--
sknahT

vyS

> ...and then in the Album menu we have:-
>      Write metadata to files

this one

> So which option do I tick to ensure that metadata is *always* written
> to the image files?

always to  jpg files. Add xml side file for at least any other

jdd

--
http://dodin.org

[Chris Green]

On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 11:33:47AM -0700, [hidden email] wrote:
> On Wed, 13 May 2020 18:04:34 +0100
> Chris Green <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> > It's also not clear what is meant by 'files' in the above options
> > and settings, are they image files, sidecar files, or both, or what?
>
> Usually, it's not a good idea to write to the image file unless the
> imagefile is a tiff or a jpeg.

Mine are JPEG (as come direct from camera), I simply want to be sure
that *all* my metadata is always in those files so that if I make sure
they're safe I have all my picture data.  If some data is in a
database somewhere else that is *much* more difficult to back up
securely I have a problem.

--
Chris Green

[Chris Green]

On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 09:18:55PM +0200, [hidden email] wrote:

>
> > ...and then in the Album menu we have:-
> >      Write metadata to files
>
> this one
>
> > So which option do I tick to ensure that metadata is *always* written
> > to the image files?
>
> always to  jpg files. Add xml side file for at least any other
>

So I have to remember every time I exit from Digikam to open the menu
and click "Write metadata to files"?  What happens if my system
crashes or if I turn it off forgetting to close down Digikam?

Surely there should be a way to set things up so that metadata is
always saved with the images.  Having it only in a (totally separate,
maybe even on a different system) database seems very risky to me.

--
Chris Green

Le 13/05/2020 à 21:41, Chris Green a écrit :

> On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 11:33:47AM -0700, [hidden email] wrote:
>> On Wed, 13 May 2020 18:04:34 +0100
>> Chris Green <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>>> It's also not clear what is meant by 'files' in the above options
>>> and settings, are they image files, sidecar files, or both, or what?
>>
>> Usually, it's not a good idea to write to the image file unless the
>> imagefile is a tiff or a jpeg.
>
> Mine are JPEG (as come direct from camera), I simply want to be sure
> that *all* my metadata is always in those files so that if I make sure
> they're safe I have all my picture data.  If some data is in a
> database somewhere else that is *much* more difficult to back up
> securely I have a problem.
>

no problem*

that said, no write to a file is 100% safe. I already sometime find a
jpeg file half grey because something stopped writing the end of the file

not specially a digikam problem

jdd

--
http://dodin.org

Le 13/05/2020 à 21:45, Chris Green a écrit :

> So I have to remember every time I exit from Digikam to open the menu
> and click "Write metadata to files"?

??? why?? set the option and forget it, why do you want the option ticks
out itself??

jdd


--
http://dodin.org

[Andrew Goodbody]

On 13/05/2020 20:45, Chris Green wrote:
> On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 09:18:55PM +0200, [hidden email] wrote:
>>
>>> ...and then in the Album menu we have:-
>>>       Write metadata to files
>>
>> this one

No, that is a one off operation not a permanent setting.

>>> So which option do I tick to ensure that metadata is *always* written
>>> to the image files?
>>
>> always to  jpg files. Add xml side file for at least any other
>>
> So I have to remember every time I exit from Digikam to open the menu
> and click "Write metadata to files"?  What happens if my system
> crashes or if I turn it off forgetting to close down Digikam?
>
> Surely there should be a way to set things up so that metadata is
> always saved with the images.  Having it only in a (totally separate,
> maybe even on a different system) database seems very risky to me.

Yes of course.

 > Which option?
 >
 > In the Metadata section of Settings there's:-
 >     Use Lazy Synchronization
 >     If possible write metadata to RAW files
 >     Update file modification timestamp when files are modified
 >     Rescan when files are modified
 >     Clean up the Metadata from database when rescan files

In the box above this section which is titled 'Write This Information to
the Metadata', tick everything. This controls what is written to your
images unless you have digikam set to write to sidecars only.

Andrew

[Chris Green]

On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 10:11:42PM +0200, [hidden email] wrote:
> Le 13/05/2020 à 21:45, Chris Green a écrit :
>
> > So I have to remember every time I exit from Digikam to open the menu
> > and click "Write metadata to files"?
>
> ??? why?? set the option and forget it, why do you want the option ticks out
> itself??
>
I'm confused, it's not an option that you set is it, it's an action
that happens when you click on that particular menu item.

I'm not being silly am I?  There isn't a configuration option that
says "Write metadata to files" is there?  It's jus a menu option that
does that write when you click on it.

An option in the configuration has a 'tick box' that you can set on
and off and I don't believe there's one for "Write metadata to files".
If the "Write metadata to files" menu option *does* set a
configuration setting then surely there should be somewhere that one
can see whether the option has been set of not.

--
Chris Green

[Chris Green]

On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 09:26:35PM +0100, Andrew Goodbody wrote:

> On 13/05/2020 20:45, Chris Green wrote:
> > On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 09:18:55PM +0200, [hidden email] wrote:
> > >
> > > > ...and then in the Album menu we have:-
> > > >       Write metadata to files
> > >
> > > this one
>
> No, that is a one off operation not a permanent setting.
>
> > > > So which option do I tick to ensure that metadata is *always* written
> > > > to the image files?
> > >
> > > always to  jpg files. Add xml side file for at least any other
> > >
> > So I have to remember every time I exit from Digikam to open the menu
> > and click "Write metadata to files"?  What happens if my system
> > crashes or if I turn it off forgetting to close down Digikam?
> >
> > Surely there should be a way to set things up so that metadata is
> > always saved with the images.  Having it only in a (totally separate,
> > maybe even on a different system) database seems very risky to me.
>
> Yes of course.
>
> > Which option?
> >
> > In the Metadata section of Settings there's:-
> >     Use Lazy Synchronization
> >     If possible write metadata to RAW files
> >     Update file modification timestamp when files are modified
> >     Rescan when files are modified
> >     Clean up the Metadata from database when rescan files
>
> In the box above this section which is titled 'Write This Information to the
> Metadata', tick everything. This controls what is written to your images
> unless you have digikam set to write to sidecars only.
>

Thank you Andrew! The first person who seems to have understood what I
have been talking about all this time! :-)

OK, so ticking these boxes means more than just 'Write This
Information to the Metadata', it means that the information is written
to the metadata ***in the image files***.  It's this that needs
clarifying to my mind, metadata can be written to three different
places:-
    The database
    Sidecar files
    The image files
I think it needs to be much clearer in the configuration set-up where
the metadata is going to be written (if anywhere).

I'm sorry if I've been a bit confrontational about this but it's
something I have had problems with for a very long time and security
of metadata is important.

Thank you everyone for your patience.

--
Chris Green

Le 13/05/2020 à 23:04, Chris Green a écrit :
> On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 10:11:42PM +0200, [hidden email] wrote:

>> ??? why?? set the option and forget it, why do you want the option ticks out
>> itself??
>>
> I'm confused, it's not an option that you set is it, it's an action
> that happens when you click on that particular menu item.

sorry, my error, I didn't even know of this other option

>
> I'm not being silly am I?  There isn't a configuration option that
> says "Write metadata to files" is there?  It's jus a menu option that
> does that write when you click on it.
>
> An option in the configuration has a 'tick box' that you can set on
> and off and I don't believe there's one for "Write metadata to files".

as said by an other, there is one in the config menu

jdd


--
http://dodin.org