H3D-39 Auto Writing Filename to Caption

we are using a H3d-39 along with Flex Color and Adobe Bridge CS3. And when we

open the Hassy files in Bridge and call up the metadata window the hasselblad

filename appears in the caption field. Which I guess means that the camera

automatically writes the filename into the caption field. So we caption them to

say 'young woman' and seemingly everything is fine. However, when we upload to

agencies including our own the caption reverts back to the Hasselblad filename

(eg A 12345). So we have to re-caption all the images individually on every site

we are submitting to!

The problem is definately the camera, as when we shoot with the Canon the

captions always stay.

Do you know if there is some way of stopping the filename writing itself to the

caption field? It seems like a totally pointless feature to me!

Okay, for starters, you have not logically shown that the problem is definitely the

camera. You take a picture, download it from the memory card or camera to your

computer. You edit the picture's metadata in some program. At some point, it

reverts back. How exactly is that the camera's doing? It sounds to me like Bridge

is the culprit from your description, but your workflow description leaves out some

important details.

Are you opening the 3FR/FFF files directly from the camera in Bridge, or

TIF/JPG/DNG files you exported from Flexcolor? I am able to take an FFF file from

my camera, open Flexcolor's metadata window and change the caption (which does

default to the filename, what else would you have as the default?) and export the

image as a TIF, DNG or JPG. I then open the TIF, DNG or JPG file in Photoshop

and the caption seen in the file info is exactly what I put in there. Add your captions

in Flexcolor and they should remain intact downstream. If not, come back and

describe your workflow with more detail and I'll try to help you track down the

problem.

Image is shot on the H3d, storing to a CF card. Then the images are lifted from the card onto our network as FFFs in Flexcolor. Images get some editing in Flexcolor, then are exported as JPEGs. By this point no metadata has been touched at all, no defaults, no editing, no nothing.

Then the images are captioned and keyworded in Adobe Bridge, before being edited in Photoshop (all CS3). At this point I might add, all metadata appears to be correct in the images using Bridge's (Ctrl+Alt+I - Get Info box).

We then upload images to agencies by FTP or DVD. When the images arrive at the agencies, all images are missing captions, but keywords are intact.

This only happens with captions on Hasselblad shot images, it has never happened with the Canon. And the fact Hasselblad seems to default the caption as the images' filename, whereas the Canon doesn't indicates to me that the problem is this default caption writing the Hasselblad does.

"what else would you have as the default?"

- Nothing, the image wouldn't have a caption at that point, it shouldn't as no one has entered one. All image databasing software and computer operating systems can detect filenames without it needing to be written into the caption (description) field.

Captioning in Flexcolor is not something that would be efficient for us to do.

Thanks for your help and interest Bill, look forward to hearing from you.

Okay, you've just told me that you captioned the jpeg files in Bridge, and later the

captions disappear. How could this possibly be Hasselblad's fault, when you haven't

been using their hardware or software since before you added the captions, and are

operating on standard file formats?

I think you need to save your work from Photoshop & Bridge and then look at one of

those files before you upload it by FTP or DVD, preferably with a different program.

If you were on a Mac, I'd have some suggestions as to what to use, but on a PC I

don't know. You could email me a sample file if you like. My suspicion is that we'll

find out that the captions aren't there. Unfortunately I've got an ancient copy of

Photoshop, and no Bridge...

We might have to agree to disagree on the default caption behavior. I don't see the

harm having a non-empty caption field is causing. If you typically caption your

images, it will be overwritten. If you don't typically caption your images, it gives you

a pointer back to the original file even if you've renamed the image file. I find that

more useful than a blank field.

I don't have an answer to that one but I have another question. I just shot a job and I shot all of the images into the new image bank.

90 % of the images processed out off the bank from the original 3FR files processed into the fff files just fine. They load into flex color

for manipulation. However 10 % of the images processed into fff are not recognizable in flexcolor or phocus. Because of stoage issue

we throughout the original 3FRs. First question is: why does Flexcolor not see the fff's? Also has anyone else encountered this and is

the a way to get flexcolor to see the new fff's? Please help if anyone has an answer.

Thanks Achille