LR Plugin - "real" publish on metadata change

Ferguson

I'd like to suggest an option to save you bandwidth and storage.

I think there's a very nice feature of the LR plugin for most people where with metadata changes it only sends the metadata. Fast, efficient, and adequate for most purposes.

However, not all. I want metadata in the image if it's downloaded, and an important use for me is to allow press and schools to download images. If their copy of the image has incomplete or incorrect metadata, it is a problem.

And since I'm always in a hurry to get shots up, I am often still correcting metadata after the initial upload, maybe fixing a caption here or there, keyword changes where I keyword players, etc.

So here's my workflow and it stinks:

1) Edit some key images, publish fast for press release use
2) Edit the rest, publish
3) Review and edit some more where needed, AND change metadata where I see a need
4) Publish

In step 4, image changes upload the image, but metadata only changes do not. There is no setting that will cause it to do so once you make the metadata change (at least there wasn't a year or so when this came up, maybe something has changed?). So, sadly, Step

5) Publish to make sure all are marked not modified
6) Mark ALL to republish
7) Publish again

This last step is uploading 90-99% of the images again that did not need to be, to get the few that needed to go. I can't remember all the images I changed (only) metadata on, so this is the only way I can get them all up.

How about an option in the publishing plugin (at the global level) that says "Metadata changes upload the whole image".

It will SOUND Like this will be a waste of your bandwidth, but for those that need it to happen, really it will be a lot LESS bandwidth and uploads, as it will only upload what is needed. As it is now, as a safety net, I just mass upload everything at the end. It's not a huge hassle for me, I have 150/25 mbs service. But it means you waste a lot, plus since (unless you changed it) you store all the replaced images forever as well, it would save you storage.

Just a check box -- "upload image data on metadata change".

Please consider it.

Linwood

Hpix

Excellent suggestion. Based on your report, it seems there is a problem is with all methods of uploading to SM, via LR plug-in, or directly via Web upload. I don't currently use Adobe Lightroom so can't test; until LR uploading to SM is fixed I have no reason to continue paying Adobe. But what does that leave? SM's web uploader doesn't do the full job either. I don't know how to re-upload without leaving half of a photo behind.

Half? A photo file has two essential components: image and metadata. Using either upload method, SM seems to screw up one or the other. The problems occur upon re-upload, which (as you say) is common. I probably re-upload 99% of photos, first getting the basic photo online, then often tweaking the image, and almost always revising the metadata (especially Caption, Date, Keywords), often several times.

With any photo storage system it is essential that a PHOTO FILE always be complete and current -- current image, current metadata, as specified and controlled by the photo's owner. There cannot be exceptions. Except for specific situations where the photo owner intentionally withholds certain metadata from a particular posting, there is no excuse for failing to upload 100% of the file, because it would be a never-ending train wreck to deal with undeclared variations. But SmugMug fails, it seems.

When a photo gets uploaded or re-uploaded, SM MUST use the entire new/revised image file, not think it knows what to use or not. THEN, SM MUST pull out the metadata and use that too. It would be impossible for SM to know or guess what metadata is important or changed or anything -- just use what is uploaded, and be sure to upload everything.

This is not just a LR plug-in issue, it applies to SM's web site Upload too. Notoriously Upload with the Replace option does not actually Replace any metadata..It's not clear what causes this disconnect, but it is often invisible without time-consuming rechecking of everything, therefore treacherous. And even when discovered, there's no direct way to fix it. Fixing the "old" image Lightroom problem might require ALSO uploading the image via Web, knowing that seems to update the online image. But LR upload also needed because that is the only way to update the online metadata.

It seems IMPOSSIBLE to REVISE and then RE-UPLOAD a fully self-contained photo as a single action. If users don't know that, and use two upload methods per photo, they won't get what they expect.

SM will sometimes accept the revised image but ignore the revised metadata. SM will sometimes accept the revised metadata but ignore the revised image. Broken x Broken. So, revisions never 100% get online without crazy gyrations, which makes SM scary unreliable. Compounding the problem, to do the 1/2 upload that requires Lightroom requires BUYING it. SmugMug by itself seems to be incapable of uploading 100% of a photo.

To fix my SM library I had to delete all my online photos and reload them, no other way to be sure photos were complete, with current image and current metadata. This bizarre problem with SM seems to be not documented (though forum comments reveal it).

It is not right that SM knows but has not fixed this. Do they really think new features will retain new customers once they discover their photos get broken by SM? I hope I'm wrong, but that's what experiments seem to reveal.

jcharmon

+1 This is an important issue that should be addressed by SM.