Bug 500239 - Face tags from iPhone cannot overwritten or deleted.
Summary: Face tags from iPhone cannot overwritten or deleted.
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: digikam
Classification: Applications
Component: Faces-Detection (show other bugs)
Version: 8.6.0
Platform: Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Digikam Developers
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-02-17 10:02 UTC by Rainer Giese
Modified: 2025-03-22 09:31 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In: 8.6.0
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
Debug Log (3.44 KB, text/plain)
2025-03-17 08:53 UTC, Rainer Giese
Details
Sample image (2.76 MB, image/jpeg)
2025-03-17 08:56 UTC, Rainer Giese
Details

Note You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.
Description Rainer Giese 2025-02-17 10:02:50 UTC
Since I have an iPhone 16 (had a 7 before), the photos have already face tags pre-set.
But these are often from people I don't know.

If I remove all the face tags at once, they reappear after a few seconds.

If I delete them all individually, they are initially gone. But if I set my own tag and name the person, all the empty tags are there again and the one I set myself is not.
Comment 1 Maik Qualmann 2025-02-17 10:41:42 UTC
These problems are fixed in the upcoming digiKam-8.6.0. Please test the pre-release version from here:

https://files.kde.org/digikam/

Please note that for HEIF images you have to enable writing with ExifTool in the digiKam metadata settings.

Maik
Comment 2 Maik Qualmann 2025-02-18 20:15:36 UTC
Any feedback? I'm closing the bug.
If the problem can still be reproduced with digiKam-8.6.0, reopen the bug report with a sample image.

Maik
Comment 3 Rainer Giese 2025-03-06 08:41:26 UTC
I have now installed the 8.6-PreRelease (version from 2025-03-06 06:19) , but it crashes during starting.
I still can answer the retraining question for the face database, and a few seconds after then digikam closes all eyes.
If I skip all the entry questions, digikam not crashes, but the behavour with the presetted face tags from iPhone is still the same.
Comment 4 Maik Qualmann 2025-03-06 10:46:38 UTC
Ok, the crash is a problem converting the face database, not reported before. Here we need a DebugView log, as described here for Windows:

https://www.digikam.org/contribute/#windows-host

For the face tag problem we need a sample image.

Maik
Comment 5 Maik Qualmann 2025-03-06 20:50:21 UTC
Git commit bc9b82df45ef3f5df3b2a1b33c6fb2ffa645f855 by Maik Qualmann.
Committed on 06/03/2025 at 20:49.
Pushed by mqualmann into branch 'master'.

start face detector after signal/slot connections

M  +2    -4    core/app/views/sidebar/peoplesidebarwidget.cpp

https://invent.kde.org/graphics/digikam/-/commit/bc9b82df45ef3f5df3b2a1b33c6fb2ffa645f855
Comment 6 Rainer Giese 2025-03-17 08:51:40 UTC
Sorry for delay, I was busy.

I know checked  with released version 8.6. from Saturday.
All behavour is the same.
I attach a debug log and a sample image.
Comment 7 Rainer Giese 2025-03-17 08:53:11 UTC
Created attachment 179489 [details]
Debug Log
Comment 8 Rainer Giese 2025-03-17 08:56:15 UTC
Created attachment 179490 [details]
Sample image
Comment 9 Maik Qualmann 2025-03-19 09:10:23 UTC
The problem is clear. Apple has written empty, unnamed face regions into the images. digiKam imports them, but would never write them back. If you remove them, digiKam assumes no metadata needs to be written. So, if you remove them, you have to manually write the database to the image. This will remove all face regions (we don't write any without names).

Please note that for HEIF images, writing with ExifTool must be enabled.

Maik
Comment 10 Rainer Giese 2025-03-21 09:23:13 UTC
I understood, what you mean, but for me it's not really clear. I tried the following :

- show one picture or select some pictures
- menu Entry : write metadata to file
--> the empty face tags are still there

- show one picture or select some pictures
- rightclick - remove all faces
- menu Entry : write metadata to file
--> same result

My exiftool-version is 13.19, writing to HEIF is enabled.
Comment 11 Maik Qualmann 2025-03-22 07:07:27 UTC
Please take a screenshot of your digiKam Settings-> Metadata-> Behavior tab.

Maik
Comment 12 Rainer Giese 2025-03-22 09:22:02 UTC
Ok, I got it, now it works.
The option "write facetags to metadata" was not enabled, thank you for the hint..

One more question : when it makes sense to enable the "delegate all metadata write operations to ExifTool" ?
Comment 13 caulier.gilles 2025-03-22 09:31:23 UTC
Hi,

Use ExifTool instead Exiv2 to support file format not handled for writing operation by Exiv2. Typically, RAW and video.

https://docs.digikam.org/en/setup_application/metadata_settings.html#metadata-behavior

There are also long time know Exiv2 bug not fixed as the multiple Exif sections supported in JPEG format. 

Best

Gilles Caulier