Not everybody is a metadata expert. Feeling a bit insecure about Iptc/IIM blocks, XMP packets and multiple Exif header? Where does this leave you when you share your photos with others…?

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It has been a few weeks since we released our latest 0.6 beta of FileMind, the (soon to be) ultimate File Metadata manager. What keeps us so busy these days? If things like eggnog, cookies or other lures of the Holiday season sprint to your mind, you are misguided. It’s actually PDF and metadata editing!

The upcoming release will progress from 0.6 to 0.8, with most of the enhancements inside the code and framework. We are also adding a new dialog window that will change the way you can add new metadata fields to a file. This dialog is also going to be the base for more sophisticated features, such as creating metadata templates and applying them to one or more files in a single step.

The current PDF plug-in also gets a major overhaul, with added support for complex PDF files, encryption and more stability in regards to XMP extraction and writing.

So for now, it’s Happy New Year for everybody – and stay tuned for the new beta!

Hyper Smash

You wonder what could possibly connect the Volkswagen Beetle with IPTC metadata? Evolution!

Well, I rambled got a little bit carried away during my interview with Vlad Georgescu over at OrganizedPictures.com. Truth to be told, the success story of the Beetle is a good analogy to the evolution from IPTC/IIM to XMP.

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Like tinkering with metadata? Sign up for the limited private Metability FileMind beta test now!
FileMind is not yet feature complete; chances are pretty good that your very own requirements may end up as built-in functionality in the final version. All active beta testers receive a FREE license of the release version! Read more…

Adding metadata costs time, there is no doubt. However, content editing applications such as MS Office or Photoshop are not optimized for this. Its best to use a separate tool that allows you to tag your files faster and with a higher accuracy. If you are new to metadata, you may ask yourself: Why bother anyway?

Tagging images, audio and video clips may seem most obvious, since the contain little or no textual information that could be gobbled up by a search tool. Even the snazziest PCs have a hard time to do anything else besides reading text. But is it all about Rich Media files?

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When I first tested Windows Vista in Summer 2006, I was excited to see the new Details Pane located at the bottom of the Windows Explorer. At that time, I was working on a software product called MetaMiner which had a very similar user interface concept. Showing metadata for a selected file directly in the Explorer is a great idea, I thought.

Windows for Forgers

However, the pleasant feeling didn’t last too long. I am convinced the folks at Microsoft had the best intentions to make this new feature a valuable addition to the Explorer. But in my humble opinion, they missed the mark and also forgot to study the Exif specifications carefully… Read more…