[baw]

Received an email from Pentax Netherlands that the Pentax RAW files do NOT support embedded IPTC data.
Does this mean that Pentax has no interest in professional photographers or are they using other (to me unknown) ways to embed image data into their files?

(I'm aware of XMP sidecar files, but they are no substitute foe embedded image data imo.)

[jfdavis58]

Your 'pet-peeve', right? I don't think any RAW format supports IPTC data directly. And besides, how would you populate the fields; much of the IPTC data has specific formatting requirements: spelling, order, numbers, etc. Entering such information with one or two push-buttons and a four-way controler would be tedious and prone to error.

Photoshop supports EXIF and IPTC-the fields you can access. But to combine this additional material AND the RAW data, you would need to bundle it as DNG. TIFF and JPEG specifications include IPTC data as an option, but no RAW data inclusion.

I'm curious; why would a photographer part with the RAW files? Who would want them instead of a JPEG or TIFF?<---Other than to steal.

[WMBP]

I don't think any RAW format supports IPTC data directly. And besides, how would you populate the fields; much of the IPTC data has specific formatting requirements: spelling, order, numbers, etc. Entering such information with one or two push-buttons and a four-way controler would be tedious and prone to error.

Photoshop supports EXIF and IPTC-the fields you can access. But to combine this additional material AND the RAW data, you would need to bundle it as DNG. TIFF and JPEG specifications include IPTC data as an option, but no RAW data inclusion.

I'm curious; why would a photographer part with the RAW files? Who would want them instead of a JPEG or TIFF?<---Other than to steal.

I agree with John. I have no trouble entering IPTC data in Lightrooom and then exporting JPEGs with that info embedded, and I think this can be done in most other decent Raw workflow apps as well. I do actually convert my PEF files to DNG on import into Lightroom, and I understand that DNG can store metadata inside the file, but I don't know how to do that - I'm sure it's easy, I just have not taken 2 minutes to figure it out because I don't feel the need.

Will

[bart_hickman]

I agree with John. I have no trouble entering IPTC data in Lightrooom and then exporting JPEGs with that info embedded, and I think this can be done in most other decent Raw workflow apps as well. I do actually convert my PEF files to DNG on import into Lightroom, and I understand that DNG can store metadata inside the file, but I don't know how to do that - I'm sure it's easy, I just have not taken 2 minutes to figure it out because I don't feel the need.

Will

I'm pretty sure it just does it when you add metadata to your DNG's. At least that's how it works in Bridge CS3 (which I assume behaves the same as Lightroom). Now whether the IPTC metadata is physically attached in IPTC format or wrapped as XMP data I'm not sure. I think this varies with file type and metadata type.

Bart