Using the 'Photo-Keywords.com' Keyword List with Other Image Management Programs

There are currently 119 different versions of the Hierarchical Image Keyword Catalog, carefully chosen to match the area YOU are interested in. Each of these versions has the same formatting, with synonym and excluded category header options (the words in the {CURLY} and [SQUARE] brackets). These versions are all suitable for LightRoom (v1.1 to v5) and Photo Mechanic.

If you are using the Adobe Bridge program, it can cope with excluded category header options (the words in the [SQUARE] brackets) but cannot cope with synonym options (the words in the {CURLY} brackets). To convert the catalog to a format suitable for the Adobe Bridge program, all you have to do is to open the catalog in a Text Editor (see below) and delete all the curly brackets. The synonym terms will still be there, but on an extra level below the 'father-keyword', so will need adding by hand.

If you are using the Aperture, BreezeBrowser, or FotoStation programs, they cannot cope with either the synonyms (the words in the {CURLY} brackets) or the excluded category header options (the words in the [SQUARE] brackets). To convert the catalog to a format suitable for the Aperture, BreezeBrowser, or FotoStation programs, all you have to do is to open the catalog in a Text Editor (see below) and delete all the curly brackets and all the square brackets. The synonym terms are still there, but on an extra level below the 'father-keyword', so will need adding by hand. The Category Headers are also there, and will export as keywords that can be deleted if not required.

Programs To Edit The Keyword List

The good news is that all you need to edit your keyword lists is a Text Editor program. You can also use the same program for building new keyword lists. You might already have a favorite program that you are used to. The essential requirements for a suitable Text Editor program are:

Saves its files in the UTF-8 format
Visualizes hidden characters, such as TAB and SPACE

Other useful functions are:

Global and selective sorting
Box selection
Spell checking
Case changing and Capitalizing
Search and Replace

Won't a Word Processor program do just as well? You might be quite familiar with your favorite Word Processor program, and quite like the way it works. Unfortunately, Word Processors, whilst trying to be helpful, ordered, and pretty, save more than just the basic text information. Font height and color, paragraphs and page footers: none of these are useful in a Photo Keyword List if we then wish to import it into the Bridge, Aperture, BreezeBrowser, or FotoStation programs.

My suggestion for a suitable Text Editor program is 'PSPad'. Its free to download and use, (though they do ask for a donation), and is just the thing to get you started.

NB: When you start PSPad for the first time, click 'Settings > Program Settings > Editor (part 2)'. You should then check the box marked 'Real Tabs', and set the 'Tab Width' to 6 or more. I'd also recommend that you click 'Format > Font' and choose a fixed-width font, like Courier New.

Text file keyword list diplayed in PSPad

Here we see a screen capture of a simple Keyword List displayed in 'PSPad'. I've clicked 'View > Special Characters' to get the program to display the characters that are normally hidden. TAB is indicated by the little '>>' symbol. SPACE is indicated by a dot or period. CARRIAGE RETURN/LINE FEED is indicated by backwards-P at the end of each line.

Editing the keyword catalog to remove brackets is very easy. The first thing to do is to make a copy of the keyword catalog to work on, in case you make a mistake.

Next, start PSPad and open the keyword catalog copy. Click 'Search > Replace'. The 'Replace' window will open, as shown above. To delete all curly brackets, type the left-hand curly bracket in the 'Find' box, and leave the 'Replace' box empty. Click 'OK' and all the left-hand curly brackets will have been deleted. (Its programmer's logic: replace with nothing equals deleting.) Repeat with a right-hand curly bracket, and then save the file. The same technique is used if you wish to delete all square brackets.

If you need help with this, please Contact me with your original purchase details.

Advanced Keyword List Editing

A text-editor is fine to start with, but what happens if you want to sort your list, spot errors, identify duplicates, search and replace, visualize the list, and other functions whilst editing? Surprisingly, there are remarkably few programs designed to work with tab-indented lists. I used to create my own tools to build my own lists, as there was nothing else that did what I needed. Eventually I put all of the tools together, added a raft of new features, and now sell the program from this website - see my Tab-List Tools page.