Skip to content

Metadata Standards & Synchronization

Understanding how Metadata Fix handles metadata across multiple standards for maximum compatibility.

Overview

Metadata Fix writes metadata to multiple industry standards simultaneously to ensure your images work with the widest range of software.

Supported Standards

  • EXIF - Camera and technical data
  • XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) - Most flexible modern standard
  • IPTC IIM - Legacy standard for broad compatibility
  • MWG (Metadata Working Group) - Essential fields and face regions

Metadata Synchronization

Automatic Cross-Standard Sync

When you edit metadata, Metadata Fix automatically writes to multiple locations:

Example: Setting Artist/Creator

When you enter an artist name, it's written to:

  • XMP:Creator
  • EXIF:Artist
  • IPTC:By-line

All three fields are kept synchronized automatically.

Keyword Synchronization

Keywords are especially important for compatibility. Metadata Fix syncs keywords across multiple standards:

Flat Keywords (simple, non-hierarchical):

  • XMP-dc:Subject - XMP Dublin Core standard
  • IPTC:Keywords - IPTC legacy standard

Hierarchical Keywords (organized in tree structure):

  • XMP-lr:HierarchicalSubject - Adobe Lightroom format
  • XMP-digiKam:TagsList - digiKam format

Universal Compatibility

This sync ensures your keywords work in:

  • Adobe Lightroom
  • Adobe Bridge
  • digiKam
  • ACDSee
  • Photo Mechanic
  • Windows File Explorer
  • macOS Finder

Keyword Options

When editing keywords, you have control over how they're handled:

Flatten Hierarchical Keywords:

  • Converts nested keywords like People|Family|Parents to flat Parents
  • Useful for software that doesn't support hierarchies

Replace Existing Keywords:

  • Replaces all existing keywords (checked)
  • Appends to existing keywords (unchecked - default)

Face Region Standards

Face regions are written in three formats simultaneously for maximum software compatibility:

1. MWG (Metadata Working Group)

Most widely supported standard

  • Uses normalized coordinates (center-point, 0-1 range)
  • Stores person name with region
  • Supported by: Lightroom, digiKam, XnView, Picasa

Format: 

mwg-rs:RegionList
  - mwg-rs:Area (center X, Y, width, height)
  - mwg-rs:Name (person name)
  - mwg-rs:Type (Face)

2. Microsoft Photo (MP)

Windows ecosystem standard

  • Rectangle coordinates (x1, y1, x2, y2 format)
  • Native to Windows Photo Gallery
  • Supported by: Windows Photos, Windows Live Photo Gallery

Format: 

MP:RegionInfo
  - MP:Regions
    - MP:Rectangle (x1, y1, x2, y2)
    - MP:PersonDisplayName

3. IPTC Extension

Future-proof international standard

  • Normalized coordinates with region boundaries
  • Professional media asset management
  • Supported by: Professional DAM systems

Format: 

Iptc4xmpExt:ImageRegion
  - Iptc4xmpExt:RegionBoundary
  - Iptc4xmpExt:Name
  - Iptc4xmpExt:rRole (Face)

FHMWG Essential Metadata

Metadata Fix implements the Family History Metadata Working Group essential fields:

Core Fields

Field XMP Location IPTC Location EXIF Location
Title XMP-dc:Title IPTC:ObjectName -
Description XMP-dc:Description IPTC:Caption-Abstract EXIF:ImageDescription
Artist/Creator XMP:Creator IPTC:By-line EXIF:Artist
Copyright XMP-dc:Rights IPTC:CopyrightNotice EXIF:Copyright
Date Created XMP:DateCreated IPTC:DateCreated EXIF:DateTimeOriginal

Date/Time Handling

ISO 8601 Format with Timezone:

  • Separate fields for date, time, and timezone offset
  • Combined into: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS±HH:MM
  • Example: 2024-10-12T14:30:00-07:00
  • Preserves timezone for accurate location-based sorting

Location Metadata

Hierarchical Location:

  • Location Name (specific place/landmark)
  • City
  • State/Province
  • Country
  • GPS Coordinates (latitude, longitude)

Written to:

  • IPTC:Sub-location
  • IPTC:City
  • IPTC:Province-State
  • IPTC:Country-PrimaryLocationName
  • EXIF:GPSLatitude / EXIF:GPSLongitude

Metadata Preservation

All Metadata Preserved

Metadata Fix uses ExifTool's -TagsFromFile -all:all to guarantee preservation:

✅ Camera metadata - Make, model, lens, settings
✅ GPS data - Location, altitude, timestamp
✅ Color profiles - ICC profiles preserved
✅ Thumbnails - EXIF thumbnails maintained
✅ Maker notes - Proprietary camera data
✅ Unknown fields - Even unrecognized tags preserved

What Gets Modified

Only the fields you explicitly edit:

  • Title, Description, Artist, Copyright, Date
  • Location and GPS coordinates
  • Keywords
  • Face regions

Everything else passes through untouched.

Format-Specific Handling

JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg)

  • ✅ Excellent metadata support
  • All standards fully supported
  • Best format for embedded metadata
  • RECOMMENDED for most users

HEIC/HEIF (.heic, .heif)

  • ✅ Full metadata support
  • Same capabilities as JPEG
  • Modern Apple format
  • Requires conversion for older software

TIFF (.tiff, .tif)

  • ✅ Full metadata support
  • Professional archival format
  • Large file sizes
  • Excellent for preservation

WebP (.webp)

  • ✅ Full metadata support
  • Modern web format
  • Good compression
  • Growing adoption

PNG (.png)

  • ⚠️ Unreliable embedded metadata
  • Weak standard support across software
  • Recommendation: Use XMP sidecar
  • Alternative: Convert to JPEG

XMP Sidecar Files

What is an XMP Sidecar?

A separate .xmp file containing all metadata in XML format.

Benefits:

  • Backup - External copy of all metadata
  • Non-destructive - Original image unchanged
  • Portable - Transfer metadata separately
  • Universal - Works with any image format
  • PNG solution - Reliable metadata for PNG

Sidecar Precedence

When both sidecar and embedded metadata exist:

For PNG files:
Sidecar is authoritative - embedded data ignored

For other formats:
Both respected, sidecar takes precedence for conflicts

Creating Sidecars

Two modes available:

Mirror/Backup Mode:

  • Metadata embedded in image (normal)
  • PLUS sidecar created as backup
  • Both files have same metadata

Privacy Strip Mode:

  • Metadata removed from image
  • Sidecar contains all metadata
  • Share clean image publicly
  • Keep sidecar privately

Software Compatibility

Tested With

  • ✅ Adobe Lightroom Classic
  • ✅ Adobe Bridge
  • ✅ digiKam
  • ✅ XnView MP
  • ✅ Photo Mechanic
  • ✅ ACDSee Photo Studio
  • ✅ Windows Photos
  • ✅ Windows File Explorer
  • ✅ macOS Photos (partial)
  • ✅ macOS Finder
  • ✅ ExifTool

Standards Support

Software MWG Regions MP Regions IPTC Regions Keywords Sidecar
Lightroom ✅ - - ✅ ✅
digiKam ✅ - ✅ ✅ ✅
Windows Photos - ✅ - ✅ -
Bridge ✅ - - ✅ ✅
XnView ✅ ✅ - ✅ ✅
Photo Mechanic - - - ✅ ✅

Best Practices

For Maximum Compatibility

  1. Use JPEG format when possible
  2. Write to all standards (automatic in Metadata Fix)
  3. Create XMP sidecars for archival backup
  4. Use consistent naming across images
  5. Include essential metadata (title, date, location)

For Professional Workflows

  1. XMP sidecars for all images (backup)
  2. Hierarchical keywords for organization
  3. GPS coordinates for location tracking
  4. Copyright information on all images
  5. Date/time with timezone for accuracy

For PNG Files

  1. Always create XMP sidecar
  2. Or convert to JPEG for embedded metadata
  3. Don't rely on PNG embedded metadata
  4. Keep sidecar and image together (same filename)

Technical Details

Coordinate Systems

MWG Normalized (0-1 range): 

Center: (0.5, 0.3) = middle horizontal, upper third vertical
Size: (0.15, 0.2) = 15% width, 20% height

Microsoft Rectangle (pixel coordinates): 

Rectangle: (100, 200, 300, 500)
= top-left (100, 200) to bottom-right (300, 500)

IPTC Boundary (normalized): 

Boundary: (0.2, 0.1, 0.8, 0.9)
= left 20%, top 10%, right 80%, bottom 90%

Rotation Handling

When images are rotated:

  • Face region coordinates automatically updated
  • All metadata fully preserved
  • Orientation tag correctly set
  • No manual adjustments needed

Next Steps