Replace Source Images with PDFs

[MichaelQ]

When I converted to Reunion many years ago I had many hundreds of jpg images of source documents. I have since converted them all to PDFs with identical names (except for file type extension) in another folder. Now I would like to replace the images with those PDFs.
I have made a duplicate copy of the Family file and was planning to move the PDFs to the same location as the images and then delete all of the images. I am expecting Reunion to search and find the PDf files.
Is there a better way of achieving my aims?

[Mark]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

I have made a duplicate copy of the Family file and was planning to move the PDFs to the same location as the images and then delete all of the images. I am expecting Reunion to search and find the PDf files.

This won't work -- the PDF files have different file extensions (they end in .pdf instead of .jpg) which is part of what Reunion looks at when looking for missing multimedia files. Because of the different file extensions Reunion won't "see" the PDFs as being the missing JPGs.

If I may ask, what's your reason for changing to PDF? And did you simply convert the JPG files you already had to PDF?

Thanks,

[MichaelQ]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

This won't work -- the PDF files have different file extensions (they end in .pdf instead of .jpg) which is part of what Reunion looks at when looking for missing multimedia files. Because of the different file extensions Reunion won't "see" the PDFs as being the missing JPGs.

If I may ask, what's your reason for changing to PDF? And did you simply convert the JPG files you already had to PDF?

Thanks,

I did simply convert the jpgs and I did so in order that they can be searched for key words and I am able to place notes etc on to them. I also like to place the source number on the documents and doing that in PDFs is less invasive.
Can you suggest an alternative?

[Mark]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

Unfortunately, I think you're simply going to have to manually remove the JPG versions of the documents and add the PDF versions.

Sorry I don't have a better solution,

[MichaelQ]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

Thank you Mark for giving your time to my request.

[Dennis J. Cunniff]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

Sorry I don't have a better solution,

Could he not export a GEDCOM, find all ".jpg" and replace with ".pdf", then import that GEDCOM into a new family file?

[Mark]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

He could, however, GEDCOM is not a perfect representation of the data in your family file. For example, you would lose any marking of entries, formats for reports that you've created, and any settings that you've changed from the defaults (among other things).

It's best not to go from Reunion Family File to a GEDCOM back to a Reunion Family File.

[ttl]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

I did simply convert the jpgs and I did so in order that they can be searched for key words and I am able to place notes etc on to them. I also like to place the source number on the documents and doing that in PDFs is less invasive.
Can you suggest an alternative?

I don't know the limitations on amount, but information can be included in the metadata for any file, including jpegs. The easiest way to do this is to highlight the file icon in the Finder and choose File>Get Info. You can then input notes and keywords in the info window. This is searchable and viewable in the Finder, but will not be visible in the image.

If you don't need the data as a part of the image file, you can of course include notes on each image linked to Reunion by editing them in the Multimedia Window.

[MichaelQ]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

Tim thank you for your suggestion. I am assuming that you suggest I retain the jpg and insert data into file info. This would create more work on each file which is the very thing I am trying to avoid.

[Bruce Christopher]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

information can be included in the metadata for any file, including jpegs. The easiest way to do this is to highlight the file icon in the Finder and choose File>Get Info. You can then input notes and keywords in the info window. This is searchable and viewable in the Finder, but will not be visible in the image.

Interesting suggestion; I had never used the Comments field of the Get Info window before. What I observed, however, in trying it out, is that the entered comments seem to only exist in the Get Info window, and not in the actual jpeg file. By that I mean that when I subsequently opened the file in Photoshop and used its “File info” command, the comments entered in the Get Info window are nowhere to be seen in any of the metadata fields accessible through Photoshop. I don’t know how Mac OS Finder links the Get Info data with the actual image file, but I would be concerned that if such a file were copied to a Windows or other non-Mac platform, you might lose the Get Info comments.

[theKiwi]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

Interesting suggestion; I had never used the Comments field of the Get Info window before. What I observed, however, in trying it out, is that the entered comments seem to only exist in the Get Info window, and not in the actual jpeg file. By that I mean that when I subsequently opened the file in Photoshop and used its “File info” command, the comments entered in the Get Info window are nowhere to be seen in any of the metadata fields accessible through Photoshop. I don’t know how Mac OS Finder links the Get Info data with the actual image file, but I would be concerned that if such a file were copied to a Windows or other non-Mac platform, you might lose the Get Info comments.

Yes, you would lose the info that you put in a Get Info window.

You should use something to edit the file and put the metadata directly in to the file. Since you have Photoshop you can use that to put the information into the IPTC fields that will then travel with the file.

Roger

[CAshbridge]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

If I may ask, what's your reason for changing to PDF? And did you simply convert the JPG files you already had to PDF?


Mark,
Is a jpg or pdf preferred for source documents? I have both and am wondering if they should all be standardized?

Thanks.
Carole

[donworth]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

I believe the FINDER Get Info comments are stored in the file directory for that volume - not in the file itself. The file information you can edit in PhotoShop is stored as meta data in the IPTC headers for that file. I would assume that if you send a file to someone on a Windows computer the FINDER comments will drop off. But the IPTC headers will remain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPTC_Information_Interchange_Model

Personally, I prefer not to rely on meta data for my old photographs and record images. Mostly because I have no idea whether some future genealogist in my family that inherits my digital files will be able to access it. I prefer to use "old school" methods like adding white space under the photo with a caption or putting the caption into the file name like this:

WORTHDon1952InHisCubScoutUniformGlendaleCA.jpg

And I try to only use VERY standard file types that are likely to still be decipherable in 20 years - like jpg or tiff, pdf, txt, mp3, ged, etc.

Don

[Valencia]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

Tim thank you for your suggestion. I am assuming that you suggest I retain the jpg and insert data into file info. This would create more work on each file which is the very thing I am trying to avoid.

Very helpful suggestion

[ttl]

Re: Replace Source Images with PDFs

I don’t know how Mac OS Finder links the Get Info data with the actual image file, but I would be concerned that if such a file were copied to a Windows or other non-Mac platform, you might lose the Get Info comments.

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