I am using Dopus 10 and Adobe Photoshop 12.0.4. When I use the Opus metadata panel to add or amend metadata on my pictures, it simply does not work. Instead of adding the metadata to the file, I get a separate file created. If I try to add metadata to a file that has not been edited in Photoshop on my machine, there is not a problem. I have tried re-installing Dopus and Photoshop, with no success. The same problem occurs if I use Adobe Bridge. I have also tried other various third party metadata products and they cannot edit the metadata either. It suggests it must be something on my machine, but what? I am using windows 7 64 bit SP1.
What kind of separate file? Another copy of the image, or a .XMP file, or something else?
I have attached one of the files, Leo. It may be an xmp, I do not know. Please note, I renamed the file with a .unk extension in order to upload it.
met-art_ges_9_0085.jpg4824.txt (6.43 KB)
What was the original file extension?
.jpg4824
Judging by the extension and the content of the file (the start of a JPEG with EXIF data), I'd say Opus (and presumably the other tools that behave similarly) started writing the new version of the file to a temporary filename, with the intention of replacing the original file with the new one once it was complete, but something unexpected happens and causes the operation to abort half-way though.
If several programs are doing the same thing then it could be due to them all using the same underlying JPEG library.
(It could also be something more simple, like the target drive running out of disk space. Or something like an anti-virus tool that for some reason takes objection to the data and then blocks further access to the file from the process that was trying to create to.)
If you want, send me a private message with one of the JPEGs and I'll see if the same problem happens for me and, if so, if I can tell why it's happening.
Tagging the file you sent me works fine at my end and so, especially since you're seeing the same thing in other programs, I suspect the issue is being triggered by something you've got installed.
Both Explorer and Opus (I don't know about other tools) allow shell extensions to modify how metadata is stored in files, so checking which relevant shell extensions you have installed makes sense.
Download the latest version of ShellExView and run it. Choose Options -> Filter By Extension Type and then select just MetaData and Property Handler. If there is a problematic component, it'll probably be shown on a red background (non-Microsoft components are shown that way). Try right-clicking it and disabling it to see if that helps.
Here are the extensions I have, so you know you can probably discount these ones and focus on any different ones:
It could also be something like a tool that is locking the file you are trying to modify, though probably not given the way it fails with a half-written temp-file.
Also, make sure you're using the latest Opus code (10.0.1.1 at the moment, link in my sig) so we're both testing with the same thing.
I did what you suggested Leo, and I have attached the results. There does not seem to be much difference between your machine and mine.
However, I have today noticed somnething else odd when I use Photoshop - it happened when I made the attached png file. Sometimes when I save files PHotoshop erros with a message to say it can't save the file as it is in use by another program. It then goes ahead and saves the file with a .tmp extension. YOu can rename the file to png jpg or whatever and it is them OK.
Agreed, that looks fine. Thanks for trying it anyway.
I'm not sure what is going on, to be honest.
Since it seems to be affecting multiple applications on your system, it's probably not an issue in Opus. I'd say it's more likely to be something lower-level which can interfere with JPEGs being written. Anti-virus, indexing service, or similar.
I am not so sure it is NOT a Dopus problem, Leo. I can go to the properties of any of these files and change the metadata. I can see the file re-saving in Opus and the changes are immediately reflected in the Opus Metadata panel.
I have tried disabling the anti-virus and the indexing service, but it makes no difference.
So why do you think it's an Opus problem when similar issues affect Photoshop, Adobe Bridge and various third party metadata products?
It's possible, of course, but that isn't where the evidence seems to point, at least given the descriptions above.
When I say that the problem occurs when I use Adobe Bridge, I mean to say that if I edit the metadata of an image in Adobe Bridge, I get the same problem when I then go on to edit the metadata in Opus. IN other words the problem occurs when I use products from the CS5.5 Adobe Suite. i.e. Photoshop 12.0.4 or Bridge 4.1.054.
Images that have been edited in say Photoshop CS2 or CS3 are fine and the metadata can be edited in the Opus metadata panel. As I said in my last message, I can edit the metadata in CS5 files using the file properties and Opus metadata panel works fine.
This suggests to me some kind of a conflict between Opus and the version of Photoshop (12.0.4) that I am running. I have, of course, tried uninstalling both Photoshop and Opus and re-installing both products.
Anyway, many thanks for your efforts. If I ever find a solution I will post a message.
I have now discovered that if ,after an editing session in Photoshop, i quit the program, log off and log back on again, I can use Opus to edit metadata.
Also, if i use Opus to write a "new" version of the JPEG, I can also edit the metadata. Anyone any ideas? It is driving me insane?
Sounds like something has the file locked and won't let Opus modify it.
Download Microsoft's Process Explorer and run it as administrator (no install required, just unzip the download and then right-click the exe and use Run as Administrator), then use Find -> Find Handle or DLL and type the name of the file. Does anything come up in the list?
I would have to agree with you Leo, except that if I immediately convert the file to a JPEG in Opus after closing it in Photoshop, it rewrites the file, suggesting the file is not in use - as indeed Process Explorer indicates. I am now running Photoshop 12.1, by they way. It looks to me as though the JPEGS Photoshop creates on my machine are somehow different, as nobody seems able to reproduce the problem. I have even created a new user to see if the problem is associated with my logon in some way. I get exactly the same problem.
It can't be what's in the file because you say the same file works after a reboot.
Hooray!!! Problem fixed in 10.0.2.1. Many thanks
Spoke too soon. It is worse than ever. Sometimes it works and sometimes the psd file reverts to an icon and photoshop CS5 will not open it with a message that "this version of Photoshop cannot open the image". Just lost two hours work. I am giving up on DOpus metadata panel. It just isn't worth the hassle.
Can you give us a file and steps (e.g. set tag X to value Y) that can be used to reproduce the problem?
If you send the corrupt file as well, maybe we can work out what went wrong and repair it, depending on what happened to it.
I wish I could, but I threw the useless file away and started the job again. Now when I try to reproduce the problem, of course I can't. But this file is different to the one that corrupted in that I edited the metadata in Fotostation 7 before I re-did the job. My feeling is that the problems come from some PSD files that I edit in Photoshop 12.0.4, but unfortunately it does not happen to every file. Your latest fix seems to have sorted out JPEG files but not PSD. If I come across another I will report it.