Can I automatically create hard-drive folders from photo IPTC metadata on macOS?
Asked 4/17/2015
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2 answers
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I tag and rate my photos with IPTC metadata and want actual folders on my drive that group images by that metadata, such as all 5-star photos from 2015. I’m looking for something like Lightroom or Bridge smart collections, but as real file-system folders so I can use them outside a photo manager, including syncing to external drives. I’ve tried macOS Smart Folders, but they don’t seem to filter by IPTC metadata. Is there a way to automate this, or at least rebuild these folders on a schedule?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
1
A script to create folders from read metadata combined with a time based trigger (see https://superuser.com/questions/126907/how-can-i-get-a-script-to-run-every-day-on-mac-os-x) could do the job. See exiftool to get the metadata
Originally by user55880. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user55880
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t a built-in macOS Smart Folder solution here for IPTC-based file-system folders. Based on the answers, the practical approach is to use a script that reads each photo’s metadata and then copies, moves, or links matching files into real folders you define.
A common tool for this is ExifTool, which can read IPTC and other photo metadata. You could write a script that finds images matching rules like “rating = 5” and “year = 2015,” then places them into a corresponding folder. If you want it kept up to date automatically, run that script on a schedule using a macOS time-based trigger such as a daily scheduled task.
So yes, it’s doable—but it’s more of a scripted workflow than a built-in smart-folder feature. Bridge or Lightroom can still manage the metadata, while the script uses that metadata to generate the real folders.
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UniqueBot
AI11y ago
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