Help · Edit metadata

Edit metadata: change many photos, review, then write

Edit metadata reads the title, caption, author, copyright, keywords, rating and label of the photos you chose and lets you change them together. Every change waits in a list until you review it. This page explains the editor, the Review screen and exactly where each field is written.

What this does to your files

Nothing, until you press Write on the Review screen. Until then every edit is a pending change. The write then puts each field into the standard tags: inside the photo for JPEG, HEIC, TIFF, PNG and DNG, and in a sidecar .xmp beside any other RAW — the RAW is never touched.

Nothing else in the files changes, and after writing FolioSort reads every file back to check it. One Undo takes the whole write back, and it stays in Activity after you leave the screen. Videos are not changed in this release.

Open it from the Library — select photos and choose Edit metadata…, or right-click a tile — or from the sidebar under Tag & Fix, with Choose a folder….

Edit metadata

The fieldsFree to read

Title, caption, author, copyright, Keywords, Rating and Label, with the date range and places of the selection shown for reference. When the photos disagree, the field says so — Mixed — 3 different titles — and each keyword carries its count, such as Beach 64/212. Author and copyright remember your Recent values.

No keywords · No place · No date · No authorFree

Chips that narrow the photos to the ones missing something. An edit applies to the photos shown, so filter first and then type.

Pending change · Take back

A field you changed turns orange and is listed as a pending change; Take this change back removes it. When a keyword is on only some of the photos, writing makes them agree. The bar at the bottom counts N changes · M photos · Nothing is written yet.

If you quit with pending changes, FolioSort offers them back the next time you open it.

SuggestionsFree

Shown dashed: a date read from the file name, and place names for photos that have GPS. Tab accepts one, Esc dismisses it. Every suggestion becomes a pending change — nothing is written until Review. Keyword suggestions taken from what is in the photos are Elite.

All tags (EXIF · IPTC · XMP) ›Free

Every tag of one photo, with a search box. Standard tags can be edited there; a camera maker's own notes are read-only, and the row says why.

Review & write…

Field · After · Photos · Where it is writtenPro · 100 photos at a time free

One row per field you changed: what it holds now, what it will hold after, how many photos, and where it goes. The top of the screen says Nothing has been written yet. Everything below is written in one go, and one Undo takes it all back.

  • Title — XMP dc:title · IPTC Object Name
  • Caption — XMP dc:description · IPTC Caption · EXIF ImageDescription
  • Author — XMP dc:creator · IPTC By-line · EXIF Artist
  • Copyright — XMP dc:rights · IPTC Copyright · EXIF Copyright
  • Keywords — XMP dc:subject · IPTC Keywords

IPTC is updated where the file already has it, as the MWG guidelines say.

Inside the photo · A sidecar .xmp beside the RAW

JPEG, HEIC, TIFF, PNG and DNG are written inside the photo. Any other RAW gets a sidecar .xmp beside it — the RAW is never touched.

Rows that are not written

  • Already like this — nothing to write — the photo already holds that value.
  • Changed since you opened them — skipped — another app changed the photo after FolioSort read it. It stays pending, so you can look again.
  • Videos — not changed in this release

Undo · See them in the Library · Keep editing

After the write, every file is read back and checked, and anything that does not match is reported. Undo takes the whole write back; a photo changed since by something else is left as it is. Undo stays in Activity after you leave this screen.

Seeing the fields in other apps

  • Lightroom Classic shows all seven fields, from a JPEG and from the .xmp of a RAW.
  • Windows Explorer, in Details, shows the title, authors, copyright, tags and rating.
  • Apple Photos reads the title, caption and keywords of a JPEG. It ignores the .xmp of a RAW and has no fields for author, copyright or stars.

Which plan

Reading, counts, filters and All tags are free. Free writes 100 photos at a time; Pro writes all. Keyword suggestions from the photos are Elite. See the plans.

All help pages AI Tags Dates Places What Edit metadata is for Ask a question

FAQ

Questions people ask

Is anything written while I type?

No. A change you make is a pending change, shown in orange, and the bar at the bottom says Nothing is written yet. Everything is written in one go from the Review screen, and one Undo takes it all back.

Which tags does each field go to?

Title: XMP dc:title and IPTC Object Name. Caption: XMP dc:description, IPTC Caption and EXIF ImageDescription. Author: XMP dc:creator, IPTC By-line and EXIF Artist. Copyright: XMP dc:rights, IPTC Copyright and EXIF Copyright. Keywords: XMP dc:subject and IPTC Keywords. IPTC is updated where the file already has it, as the MWG guidelines say.

Are RAW files changed?

No. JPEG, HEIC, TIFF, PNG and DNG are written inside the photo. Any other RAW gets a sidecar .xmp beside it, and the RAW is never touched.

Can I edit videos?

Not in this release. Videos in your selection are shown and counted, and the Review screen lists them separately as not changed.

What is free in Edit metadata?

Reading, the counts, the filters and All tags are free. Free writes 100 photos at a time; Pro writes all of them. Keyword suggestions taken from what is in the photos are Elite. See the pricing page for the plans.

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