What photo metadata editor can write tags and dates directly into the original image file?
Asked 5/11/2013
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2 answers
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I want to add metadata such as date/time, title, and tags to scanned photos before uploading them to Flickr. I’d prefer a tool that can write this information back into the original image file rather than relying only on a catalog/database or creating extra edited copies. Do Lightroom or iPhoto support this workflow, or is there a better tool for writing metadata directly into image files?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
1
I cannot speak of iPhoto, because I have not used it much, but Lightroom (LR) does not require you to store multiple versions of images: in fact, one of the key principles in LR is that it does not touch the original image, but stores all changes/updates to an image in its own database. When loading an image another time, it then loads the original image and re-applies the changes/updates before presenting the image on-screen, or export it in one form or another. LR allows you to edit metadata and then export images including the metadata to disk or even directly to Flickr.
The LR workflow does not help you though, if you wish to using VCS's like git.
There are a number of tools however that allow you to edit for example EXIF information in JPG's (assuming you are talking about JPG's). Here is a page dedicated to this: http://www.labnol.org/software/exif-data-editors/14210/. I am not sure if there are any tools that allow adding custom tags to images.
Hope this helps.
J.
Originally by user15855. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15855
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Lightroom’s normal workflow is non-destructive: it keeps your originals untouched and stores edits/metadata in its catalog, then applies them on export. So if your goal is to overwrite the original file itself, Lightroom is not really designed around that as its primary workflow.
If you want metadata written back into the image file, tools mentioned by the community include:
- Adobe Bridge: good for appending metadata, including applying saved metadata templates to many images at once.
- Aperture: can write IPTC metadata back into originals, and can also adjust timestamps in some cases.
- Dedicated EXIF/IPTC editors: these are often the best fit if your main goal is directly editing metadata in JPG files.
So you’re not missing a Lightroom setting so much as running into a design choice: catalog-based, non-destructive photo managers are built to preserve originals rather than overwrite them. If direct metadata writing is your priority, a metadata-focused tool or Bridge/Aperture-style workflow is a better match.
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