Picasa uses its proprietary picasa.ini file by
default, and – even if you change the
program’s settings to use XMP – its lack of
sidecar functionality means that it can only
use the format with JPEG image files.Lightroom Case Study
Even if your database software is capable of
reliably writing metadata to your images or to
sidecar files, you still need to keep an eye on
when and how it replicates metadata. For
example, Lightroom’s Catalog settings include
the non-default Automatically write changes
into XMPoption. If you don’t activate this
option manually, any changes you make to
your image metadata will be saved in the
Lightroom Catalog but not in the images
themselves.
However, because Lightroomsaves both
IPTC metadata and editing steps to XMP, it
is not generally advisable to automatically
save all changes to a sidecar file, as they are
duplicated in the database itself, which
slows the program down appreciably,
especially if you are working on large
numbers of images.
Lightroom is a good example of the
advantages that can be gained when software
manufacturers concentrate on using pure
database functionality rather than the image
files themselves when managing data. For this
reason, you need to make doubly sure that
you back up your database regularly. If you
use the metadata stored with your images
with other applications too, it is essential to
write any changes in metadata to your image
or sidecar files immediately.
While we are on the subject of Lightroom
peculiarities, note that differences between
camera and image metadata are not visible inthe program’s default view. You can change
this by activating the Unsaved Metadata
option in the Library View Options dialog.
Lightroomthen marks the files for which
metadata still has to be synchronized with an
arrow icon in the top right-hand corner.Again, the exact setup options you select
will depend on your own particular
requirements. We recommend that you back
up the LightroomCatalog regularly and avoid
using other applications to access your
images.Image Database Software | Metadata
Small companies and individuals often
get by without keywording their images,
simply because it’s easier not to. However,
even if you really dislike doing more work
on an image than is absolutely necessary,
you should always include at least
copyright information with your images –
otherwise you run the risk of losing the
rights to your own work.In the USA and the UK, images that are
published without copyright information
are considered to be ‘orphaned works’.This concept may seem a little
rough-and-ready, but is a reaction to
the untold numbers of archives that are
brimming with insufficiently labeled
photos. It is often impossible to find the
creators of older images, so it became
necessary to come up with workable rules
for public images that have no obvious
owner.If you want to retain the rights to your
own work, you must tag your images
appropriately. Here too, you need towatchout for potential errors and
idiosyncracies. Up to and including the
CS3 version, the PhotoshopSave for Web
command automatically deleted all
metadata. Various CMS systems and cloud
applications are also known metadata
killers. For example, WordPressdeletes all
metadata if you simply crop an image or
reduce its size.By the way, unauthorized deletion of
image metadata is illegal in the USA and
most of Europe.No Metadata, No Rights ...
There are many metadata standards
currently in use, and a number of
accreditation committees involved in
their development. The global software
industry has recognized the issues, and
Microsoft and Adobe have created the
Metadata Working Group in order to
coordintate progress in this complex
area. The group’s website includes aPDF that describes the 13 (!) current
standards that are in use (see
http://www.metadataworkinggroup.org/
pdf/mwg_guidance.pdf). In contrast, the
Embedded Metadata Manifesto.
(http://embeddedmetadata.org) is
attempting to persuade the world to save
metadata directly to image files and not
in the form of separate sidecars.Strategic Metadata Development
The Metadata Working Group website includes detailed information on
the current state of the often confusing world of metadata standards