PSP 8: Any fix for this bad design?

[terrypin]

Couldn't get a full description in the Subject box. By 'bad design' I mean the regrettable way that PSP 8 corrupts the JPG Comment and deletes the IPTC caption whenever a JPG is edited. Presumably later versions have fixed this, but I'm too comfortable with my ageing version to change. So I'm wondering of anyone knows whether there's any way to hack PSP8 to fix this? I find it so convenient to be able to show the Comment with a couple of clicks in IrfanView:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4019461/IrfanV ... tion-2.jpg

Edit: Just found that PSP8 also destroys Explorer > Properties > Comments

Or any suggestions on other ways to confidently preserve notes about a photo that will survive PSP 8's editing please?

Edit: I'm coming around to the conclusion that the easiest/safest approach is to add a Comments.txt file to every folder of original photos. Ideally this would be soon after creation, but if necessary re-constructed months/years/decades afterwards.
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Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[terrypin]

None of the experts here with any advice on this please?

At the very least, can anyone tell me what was the first version after PSP 8 that doesn't destroy JPG Comments, IPTC Captions and Windows Comments?

My ideal would be to hear from some clever programmer who has discovered how to hack out whatever part of PSP8 takes this disastrous EXIF-destroying action!

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Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[hartpaul]

Just tested and even in X5 the comment is not saved. Also in Irfanview same thing.
I suspect that that comment field even though supported by Irfanview is mainly for making a comment after the final edit.
If you prefer to make comments while the memory is good after shooting , you would be best to make an archival copy of the images in another folder after the comments and then only work on those that neeed to be worked on and add the comment as a final touch.

[terrypin]

Thanks, appreciate the feedback.

Wow, that is surprising! Incredible it hasn't got fixed in all that time. Such valuable data. Doesn't even need editing in PSP, a mere open and save destroys the JPG Comment and the IPTC Caption. (I was mistaken earlier about the EXIF data; that appears to be retained.)

Ever get Corel contributing here? I'd be interested in their explanation.

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Your suggestion might be a good solution for all future photos and those of the existing 24,000 which so far have not been irreversibly damaged by PSP. But that leaves many thousand for which I'm seeking an alternative. Straying way OT now but...
I'm coming around to the conclusion that the easiest/safest approach is to add a Comments.txt file to every folder of original photos. Ideally this would be soon after creation, but if necessary re-constructed months/years/decades afterwards.

The bulk of my photos are named like this 20050817-162927-Ardingly.JPG

So a line in my Comments.txt might be:

C:\Docs\My Pictures\PHOTOS\TP04\20040820-110033.JPG View about 6 miles into the walk.

Making them easy to sort for later editing/identification of the photo when opened in IrfanView.

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I don't follow what you mean by "Also in Irfanview same thing." PSP is the only program I've used so far with this destructive flaw. Comments created/edited in IV survive editing in IV, so that can't be what you meant?

OT again, but there's a snag with IV too in this context that I discovered yesterday. Any comment with a backslash (such as used in those filenames above) gets doubled up. So that path above becomes
C:\\Docs\\My Pictures\\PHOTOS\\TP04\\ and after the next edit it's doubled again to
C:\\\\Docs\\\\My Pictures\\\\PHOTOS\\\\TP04\\\\
A major snag for my plan! Some sort of Esc character legacy. I've emailed Irfan about it.


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Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[hartpaul]

Sorry . Just did a recheck and Irfanview does save the comment data on a reopen and resave (may have had a box unticked there)
Irfanview V 4.30 has as save options
Keep Original Exif Data
Keep Original IPTC data
Keep original Jpg comment
Keep Original XMP data.

In X4 much of the Exif data is kept however even though I typed in the Creator information in X4 and saved that it was not viewable in Irfanview. However it was viewable upon reloading into X4 so it seems that Corel writes the IPTC data in a non standard format or non standard location so that it is only readable in PSP.
As well even though the help files mention IPTC data this is not recognised as such in X4 .
Also the keywords categories so useful in stock photography is completely ignored in PSP.
Edit - Just found that the IPTC data is better supported in Manage mode. But still once written it is not viewable in Irfanview.