X8 & Saving Exif

[JustSomeGuy]

I've searched the forum for a direct answer to a question and didn't find anything hence this post.

I used Corel products for years but stopped in ver X6 because of it's inability to save ALL Exif information.

If memory serves me correct I purchased ver X7 and it's Exif saving capabilities were no better so I " returned " it.

Hopefully Corel has resolved the problem because I'd like to start using it again. It has some options my other
editing software doesn't handle very well but prior to investing in ver X8 I would appreciate knowing if it will save everything.

Thanks for your help...............

[Jean-Luc]

I've searched the forum for a direct answer to a question and didn't find anything hence this post.

I used Corel products for years but stopped in ver X6 because of it's inability to save ALL Exif information.

If memory serves me correct I purchased ver X7 and it's Exif saving capabilities were no better so I " returned " it.

Hopefully Corel has resolved the problem because I'd like to start using it again. It has some options my other
editing software doesn't handle very well but prior to investing in ver X8 I would appreciate knowing if it will save everything.

Thanks for your help...............

You may install the Trial version (full operational) and see if your needed Exif infos are saved...

[JustSomeGuy]

That's a great idea but I thought I'd do one better because I said to myself that surely Corel has it right by now.

I actually bought the program today and gave it a go. I'm sad to report it doesn't save any more of the info than
ver X6 or X 7 did / does. That surprised me but what surprises me more is Corel users that are serious photographers
aren't screaming blue murder because the Exif info isn't saved in it's entirety.

Unfortunately I've now removed the program from my computer and requested a refund.

[Jean-Luc]

Which are the missing Exif infos ?
I'm not using Exif infos except the basics. So, I'm curious about the lack...

Jean-Luc

[JustSomeGuy]

Which are the missing Exif infos ?
I'm not using Exif infos except the basics. So, I'm curious about the lack...

Jean-Luc

My suggestion would be for you to view your Exif info prior to editing and then view it again after editing.
I'm not intending to be a jerk and the reason I suggested that is because the list is just too long for me to
outline here. If I knew how to do a full screen capture I'd post it here as an example.

I'll admit there's a lot of useless info ( to me ) but there's lots of stuff I often look at when I've got time to kill and want to
reflect on what I could have done the shot differently. My other software, which will remain nameless leaves everything intact.

Edit: Something else I should have mentioned. There are some photography forums that I post on that require the
ability to be able to view a posters Exif info with the right click option. That allows other photographers the ability
to see what a photographer did when taking the shot. It's a great educational tool when used that way.

[JustSomeGuy]

Ok I've figured out something that will work Jean-Luc.
It's really long winded and I hope the mods don't mind. It shows exactly
what I'm talking about and I truly hope Corel fixes it. I love the software
for every other reason.


This first set is what PSPX 6-7 and 8 saves.......................
( both files were resized for uploading to the internet hence the small size. I shoot
everything in RAW. )

File name Short-eared Owl_3174-2.jpg
File Size 2.5MB
Camera Model Name Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Shooting Date/Time 1/26/2015 11:17:00 AM
Tv (Shutter Speed) 1/1600
Av (Aperture Value) 5.6
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 640
Image Size 2807x1871
Color Space sRGB


This is what my software saves.... I've removed my name for obvious reasons.


File name Pacific Loon 3646.jpg
File Size 1.9MB
Camera Model Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Firmware Firmware Version 1.0.5
Shooting Date/Time 10/30/2015 11:06:39 AM
Copyright Notice #########
Owner's Name #########
Shooting Mode Shutter-Priority AE
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/800
Av(Aperture Value) 8.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation -1/3
ISO Speed 1000
Auto ISO Speed OFF
Lens EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM +1.4x III
Focal Length 560.0mm
Image Size 1920x1080
Aspect ratio 3:2
Image Quality Fine
Flash Off
FE lock OFF
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode AI Servo AF
AF Configuration Tool Case 2
Tracking sensitivity -1
Accel./decel. tracking 0
AF point auto switching 0
AF area select mode Spot AF
Picture Style
Contrast 0
Saturation 0
Color tone 0
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction Disable
High ISO speed noise reduction Standard
Highlight tone priority Disable
Auto Lighting Optimizer Standard
Peripheral illumination correction Enable(Correction data not available)
Chromatic aberration correction Enable(Correction data not available)
Distortion correction Disable
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode Single shooting
Live View Shooting OFF
Camera Body No. ############
Comment

[gbotes]

Hmm, I was also wondering about this. I also prefer having all EXIF information available, intact and editable. So perhaps this is why I did not yet find a feature in PSP to add the copyright notice and owner name. in Linux i used to run a bash script that just crawled through my folders and added whatever info I wanted. I don't have something similar for MS Windows yet.

I haven't found it's lack absolutely critical as yet, as most clients just want the pics. But I agree that there are standards that should be adhered to.

EDIT: OK, wait - this question made me curious so I checked if I could add copyright at least via script - and that can be done. Recording the script showed the following that was recorded, and probably one could insert info in place of the "None":

'ArtistName': None,
'CopyrightHolder': None,
'Description': None,
'Title': None,
'DisplayArtist': True,
'DisplayConditions': True,
'DisplayDate': True,
'DisplayGPS': True,
'DisplayImage': True,
'DisplayInput': True,
'DisplayMakernote': True,
'DisplayDataOnly': True,
'ExifTitle': None,
'ExifArtistName': None,
'ExifCopyright': None,
'ExifComments': None,
'ActivePage': App.Constants.ImageInfoPropertySheet.EXIFPage,
'City': None,
'State': None,
'Country': None,
'Credit': None,
'Source': None,
'Headline': None,
'DescWriter': None,
'Instructions': None,
'TransRef': None,
'Urgency': None,
'ExifOrientation': 1,
'ExifDateTimeDigitized': None,

[JustSomeGuy]

EDIT: OK, wait - this question made me curious so I checked if I could add copyright at least via script - and that can be done. Recording the script showed the following that was recorded, and probably one could insert info in place of the "None":

If Corels competition can get it right surely Corel can as well. We shouldn't have to go and edit or enter anything ourselves. The only option that should be there
is to uncheck saving Exif info.

I know there's a huge difference in cost between Corel and the other programs I use but there was a time when PSP did what the rest do. I don't recall what version it
disappeared from but disappear it did.

When it did work it didn't matter if it was when a person used " Save " or " Save As " everything stayed as it should. Sometimes I shake my head at people
or corporations that fix stuff what ain't broke if you know what I mean.

[JoeB]

EDIT: OK, wait - this question made me curious so I checked if I could add copyright at least via script - and that can be done. Recording the script showed the following that was recorded, and probably one could insert info in place of the "None":

If Corels competition can get it right surely Corel can as well. We shouldn't have to go and edit or enter anything ourselves. The only option that should be there
is to uncheck saving Exif info.

I know there's a huge difference in cost between Corel and the other programs I use but there was a time when PSP did what the rest do. I don't recall what version it
disappeared from but disappear it did.

When it did work it didn't matter if it was when a person used " Save " or " Save As " everything stayed as it should. Sometimes I shake my head at people
or corporations that fix stuff what ain't broke if you know what I mean.

First, let me say that I do agree with you that if a feature (like this Exif one) existed in previous PSP versions then I can't see a reason why it should become more limited in later versions. And given that @gbotes has shown that many of the Exif categories still exist and could be edited there seems no reason at all that they shouldn't all show up.

Given that, if the ability had not been previously available in PSP then I would take the position that Corel should not necessarily add it because, as you pointed out, there is a large cost difference between PSP and most other programs that do provide all of the Exif stuff, plus more options I would suspect. Just sayin', as my younger sisters would say.

[JustSomeGuy]

First, let me say that I do agree with you that if a feature (like this Exif one) existed in previous PSP versions then I can't see a reason why it should become more limited in later versions. And given that @gbotes has shown that many of the Exif categories still exist and could be edited there seems no reason at all that they shouldn't all show up.

Given that, if the ability had not been previously available in PSP then I would take the position that Corel should not necessarily add it because, as you pointed out, there is a large cost difference between PSP and most other programs that do provide all of the Exif stuff, plus more options I would suspect. Just sayin', as my younger sisters would say.

I agree until I tell myself that's it's tough to compete with the big boys if you don't try and catch up to what they're doing. Corel and /or it's previous stakeholders have been at it
for an equal length of time....... no?
**** I wish I could remember what ver had it ****

[MarkZ]

I used Corel products for years but stopped in ver X6 because of it's inability to save ALL Exif information.

Hopefully Corel has resolved the problem because I'd like to start using it again. It has some options my other
editing software doesn't handle very well but prior to investing in ver X8 I would appreciate knowing if it will save everything.

Thanks for your help...............

I've been following this thread with interest and wondering if I can add to it. As with so many features of X8, EXIF could be better. I find that information appears for one file and not in another even though their provenance is identical.

I dug out PSP X4 and compared the EXIF information between it and X8, illustrated below - no difference. X8 is on the left and X4 on the right. The line spacing is slightly different so X4 shows a few lines more than X8 but I can get to them and a few more by scrolling down.

Comparison of EXIF for X8 (left) and X4

In this thread you list data that you say PSP saves, ten lines. I normally shoot RAW, use ASP to create a jpg and then process in PSP as needed. I've looked at the EXIF content for files produced by my camera, both RAW and JPG, JPG from ASP and JPG from PSPX8. Here are the number of lines of EXIF information for each for the same initial image, other than the camera jpg:

• RAW 299
• Camera jpg 347
• ASP jpg 161
• PSP X8 jpg 222

There is a ton of information from the camera such as face recognition, GPS data, light value at each segment, temperature etc. So for programs such as ASP and PSP the decision needs to be made which camera information should be preserved in the subsequent format. Corel needs to review whether more should be preserved but also evaluate the balance between what most users want and bloat.

For my purposes I find the PSP data adequate but am disappointed that it does not show in all images. I keep an original of the image, the RAW file, and if I want to find out more about what I did I use an external EXIF reader (which is how I produced the results listed above) for the information I want. I do this so rarely that I feel it is not onerous.

[JoeB]

@MarkZ,

In case others are interested, could you let us know what external EXIF reader you use, and if you have a reason(s) for using that particular reader over another one?

[MarkZ]

I think there are dozens of EXIF readers out there but I've landed on two, both free, that work for me.

The first I came across years ago that I like is PhotoMe. I like the organization and display of the results and it has some nice touches such as showing a graphic of the readings on each exposure value area used for the photo. I don't like the fact that it opens each file one at a time so it is difficult to compare different files. It is possible to export the information and paste it into a text file.

The second reader that AFX in the ASP forum referred to is called ExifTool by Phil Harvey. It is a command line .exe program so could be considered primitive in today's graphical world. But it is very powerful. I've only scratched the surface in its capabilities and have learned enough to have residing on the desktop and if I drag a file into the icon it produces a text file of the complete EXIF. This is much easier than searching for the file to open in PhotoMe. A file is available as a manual for ExifTool.

[JoeB]

Thanks for the info!