One should not confuse the storage of photos which can be simply chronological, and the search or selection of photos which will be based on metadata, in particular keywords. They also allow automatic display of captions (or labels or titles.) There are also many methods of sorting and filtering photos.Īll these methods make thematic sorting and storage of photos unnecessary. This function is very rich, but searches for information in the catalog are much faster than searches for other metadata. The 'Search' function in the Tools menu. The options are in 'Settings, Explorer, Quick search' (check at least IPTC and Catalog), This search is also about file names. (Remember that you can use 'View, Show files in subfolders) This box allows you to quickly find a photo based on a criterion, but only among the photos currently displayed. With the Ctrl key you can select several categories, and with the Alt key you can exclude categories. It is an extremely efficient tool if you have filled in your photos with well-chosen keywords (categories), and possibly ratings (1 to 5 stars) or colors. We can also say that the category filter allows you to find photos containing a certain keyword. The 'Category Filter' panel allows you to find photos with a specific category. XnViewMP offers several ways to take advantage of the metadata you have added to your photos These various metadata are not managed in the XnViewMP catalog, but only written (or read) in the photos, which should make you want to make backup copies of your photos if you were not already convinced of this necessity. One can also use the companion XMP files by having checked this option in 'Settings, Metadata'. Users with specific needs for using XMP metadata can instead use the 'Edit XMP' window, which works similarly. In fact, only the 'Caption' and 'Source' tabs contain fields commonly used by amateur photographers. Then go through the other tabs and enter information in the boxes, then click the write button so that this data is written in the photos. First you have to choose if you want to write 'IPTC only' or 'IPTC + XMP' in the 'Mode' box of the last tab. To write these metadata, select photos then open the window 'Tools, Metadata, Edit IPTC' (or Ctrl I). This other information can also be written in the IPTC group and in the XMP group The other metadata managed by XnViewMP are quite numerous There are for example Caption, Title, Author, Credits, Locations. This information is also stored in the catalog, and has its own export options in the same options screen, 'Settings, Metadata' (available only in XMP) There are two other metadata managed like the keywords: the 'Star Ratings' and the 'Color Labels'. There is a parallel between 'categories' and 'keywords': categories refer to the XnViewMP catalog and correspond to the keywords written in the photos when an export option had been validated. Note: it is necessary to deselect the photos after checking the category boxes In order for the 'Categories' tool to write the keywords in IPTC or XMP format, you must have previously validated the corresponding export options in the 'Settings, Metadata' screen, otherwise only the 'catalog' contains the categories linked to the photos, (in which case it is advisable to regularly make backup copies of the catalog, simply by copying the xnview.db file after quitting XnViewMP).

I use the term 'assign categories to photos' to describe the action of linking a photo, a category and the corresponding keyword, which is done by simply checking a category box in the 'Categories' panel while photos are selected.

This tool also manages a database, 'the catalog'. Keywords are metadata like any other, but XnViewMP has a specific tool called 'Categories' to ease their management. The 'JPG' image format and some others pictures formats support metadata embedded in the image file itself.īut other formats only support certain kinds of metadata, for example the 'raw' formats only support external XMP metadata, put in a companion file next to the image file. The XMP standard is tending to replace IPTC, but one can continue to use these two families simultaneously. You can add a lot of information to describe, qualify, or organize and sort the photos, in IPTC or XMP metadata. The EXIF metadata are now reserved for technical information, it is logical not to modify them except for the dates and GPS coordinates which can be created or modified if necessary, using the menu 'Tools, Change timestamp' or 'Tools, Metadata, Edit GPS data'. There are basically three families, from the oldest to the most recent: EXIF, IPTC, XMP. Metadata can be added to photos to facilitate their management. This is a translation of a french version : viewtopic.php?p=170164#p170164

Xnviewmp write ratings to metadata