There are two kinds of keywords in Lightroom Classic. These are People keywords and Things keywords.
When a the face of a person is detected in Lightroom Classic, the program will draw a rectangle around the face and will put a question mark in the name field. The rectangles are visible in the Loupe view and when the face rectangle view icon is selected. This rectangles may also be made visible under the menu /Photo/People/Draw Face Regions.
If you have enabled Edit/Catalog/Automatically write changes to XMP, and there is a keyword change, then Lightroom Classic will write the metadata to the file on the hard drive. So if I have a rectangle and put in the name “Richard Lyman”, then Lightroom will make a keyword and write the name and rectangle to the file on the hard drive as a Metadata Working Group Region. The FaceTags plugin in Photoshop will now be able to use that rectangle for creating Graphic Information Format, GIFs, or face tag labels.
In the course of many years of collecting family photos and transitioning through several Microsoft and Adobe applications, the metadata can get messed up. When the FaceTags plugin runs on a folder, it will analyze the metadata and make recommendations for cleaning this up. The plugin also makes a batch file that can be used to apply some of the recommendations.
The recommendations should be run on a copy of your original photos. It only takes a couple of seconds to type control C, control V to copy your photo tree. Exiftool must be installed somewhere in the operating system environment path in order to run the exiftool commands in the recommendations. It can be placed in the Windows folder, for instance. Exiftool leaves the original files with the _original suffix so they never can be lost, although it can be a pain to rename them back to their original names. Therefore it is best to experiment on the copy of your photo tree when running the recommendations.bat file.
“How does Lightroom Classic differentiate between People and Things keywords in the tagging process? Also, is there a way to customize the automatic face detection settings?”
Lightroom Classic offers two types of keywords: People and Things. When a face is detected, it highlights it with a rectangle and prompts for a name. Metadata changes are saved to the file if enabled, allowing tools like the FaceTags plugin to use this data. Over time, metadata can get corrupted, but the FaceTags plugin helps clean it up by analyzing and providing recommendations. Have you tried using Exiftool to manage metadata in your photo collection?
Lightroom Classic offers a useful feature for organizing photos by automatically detecting faces and assigning keywords. The ability to write metadata directly to the file ensures compatibility with tools like the FaceTags plugin in Photoshop. Managing metadata over time can be tricky, especially with multiple applications involved, so it’s wise to work on copies of your photos when using batch recommendations. This approach helps avoid accidental loss or confusion with renamed files. How effective do you find these tools for organizing and cleaning up metadata in large photo collections?
Lightroom Classic offers a sophisticated way to manage and organize photos using People and Things keywords. The face detection feature is particularly useful for identifying and tagging individuals in your photo collection. The ability to write metadata changes directly to the XMP file ensures that your edits are preserved and can be utilized by other applications like Photoshop. Additionally, the FaceTags plugin provides a robust solution for cleaning up metadata and creating face tag labels. Have you tried using the batch file generated by the FaceTags plugin to streamline your photo organization process?
Lightroom Classic’s ability to detect and tag faces is quite impressive. The metadata handling, especially with the FaceTags plugin, seems efficient for organizing family photos. It’s good practice to always work on a copy of your photo tree to avoid potential data loss. Exiftool integration adds another layer of control over metadata management. How does Lightroom Classic ensure the accuracy of face detection in varying photo qualities?