Metadata Editor Functions

[Peter Katt]

I’ve been reviewing metadata editors for a large project of 60,000 images. I have a number of metadata related questions that maybe somebody can help with. For my envisioned use some key metadata entry functionality would be:
(1) Custom Forms: If there are only a few metadata fields to populate I do not wish to spend time skipping around individual forms for EXIF, IPTC and XMP. I know it matters where the data goes, but for convenience I’d like the fields I need on one form. XnViewMP has more customisation facilities than just about any other metadata editor, but strangely not custom forms? Or have I missed something?
(2) List-Box: This is the facility to set up predefined lists for metadata fields so that data entry is quick, controlled and avoids typos. I see that there is a 'down' marker ‘V’ beside some fields, but I’m struggling to figure out how to use this. If it is a list-box, how and where do you define the allowable values? Can this reference the Category Sets?
(3) Auto Repeat: This is where the previous entry for a particular field can be recalled when dealing with the next image. This helps to save time if a sequence of almost identical titles or comments are being entered for a series of images. I see there is ‘more’ marker ‘>’ beside some fields which opens up several options. But again I’m struggling to figure out how this is supposed to work and what the various option do.

It is a great pity that there is not a comprehensive user guide. The XnViewMP for Beginners by Roger Carter is good, but unfortunately contains very little on the metadata functionality. Maybe next version Roger Meantime can anyone help?

[michel038]

First you have to choose wich metadata you want to use. (places ? person names ? keywords ? copyright ? ...)
Bogdan Hrastnik wrote a useful document : http://u88.n24.queensu.ca/~bogdan/artic ... _what.html

I think exif user data are obsolete. Best choice is to use iptc+xmp at the same time.
Almost all software can read iptc, and recent softwares use xmp.
With xnviewmp, it's easy to create both iptc and xmp metadata.

I'm using keywords, city, province-state : it's a big amount of work.
Sometimes I add caption, star rating, but with 60000 photos, it will take some years to be achieved ...
I also used picasa software for face recognition.

I wrote a BIG user guide in french for xnviewmp. Maybe this file translated by google will give you some help ...
(paste the link below in google translate)

[Peter Katt]

Thank you for your response. I've had a quick look at your user guide, and although Google's translate is a bit clunky, it will be a really good help to me. You have put so much work into it. Just great!
In terms of the 60,000 images - you're right it is a massive task and for that reason I need a really slick metadata editor. My proposed workflow is to use Google Photos AI to help classify groups of images into say 'sports>rugby' 'sports>hockey', 'drama' etc. That will give me some broad categories and filter out what is worth keeping. But first, as you probably know, Google Photos does not preserve any directory structure. So, my 'work-around' for this is first to rename all images and prefix them with a 'pathname', then when I pull them back from Google in batches I will be able to restore them into directories. Ideally I'd like to use an AI engine other than Google, but... As a second pass it would be possible to add more metadata to some of the images for things that Google cannot 'see'.

[michel038]

I did not try Google images (Google always throws his apps into the trash, and our work with them) but for a first sort, it's a good idea.

If 'exif date taken' is preserved by Google images (it should do), you can use this criteria to rebuild a chronologic directory structure with XnViewMP "Tools, Import and sort" menu
With yyyy-MM-dd and {Filename}, you will get folders for each day ... (or months with : yyyy-MM)

[michel038]

The place for user guides or tutorials is :
https://www.xnview.com/wiki/index.php/X ... User_Guide