It isn’t always desirable or practical to call up the Metadata panel when you want to see a specific bit of data, but thankfully you have options. After import, any applied keywords will be displayed in the Keyword List panel and any applied metadata will appear in the Metadata panel. However, if you choose to apply keywords at this stage you need to choose tags that apply equally to all photos being imported. This isn’t a problem for my metadata preset, since I created that with all photos in mind. It is critical to remember that anything you select in this panel will be applied to all photos being imported at the time. Clicking the Metadata drop-down menu will reveal any previously created presets, or you can choose the edit option to create one from here. I personally don’t tend to apply a develop preset at this stage, but I do always apply the metadata preset I created that contains my copyright and contact information. Any of these things can always be applied after import, but choosing to apply them at the moment of import can make the process more efficient. Within this panel you can apply a develop preset, a metadata preset, and keywords. On the Import dialog, whether you are using one of the copy options, move, or add, you will always see the Apply During Import panel. Let’s switch over to the Import dialog to see what metadata can be entered from there. That metadata preset can now be applied as a batch operation to any number of selected photos or you can configure it to be applied as part of the import process. Step Four: Click the Preset drop-down menu at the top and choose Save Current Settings as a New Preset, then give the preset a meaningful name to complete the process. Step Three: Make sure a checkbox appears next to any field you want to insert your own data for (like the above mentioned fields), and uncheck any blank fields (unless you want to wipe the information contained in the photo’s own metadata for that field). In my case I populated the fields related to copyright and contact information. Step Two: In the Edit Metadata Presets dialog box, enter the relevant information for the fields you want to include in the preset. Step One: Click the Preset drop-down menu at the top of the Metadata panel and choose Edit Presets (or go to Metadata > Edit Metadata Presets). I find that the Copyright, Copyright Status, Creator, Rights Usage Terms, and Copyright info URL fields are good candidates for including in a preset. In cases where the data could be applied to a large number of photos (or even all photos), then you might consider creating a Metadata preset to make it easier to apply that information quickly and consistently. For example, the icon associated with the Folder field will switch the view to the folder containing the selected photo, while the icon associated with the Cropped pixel dimensions will open the selected photo in the Crop tool. Place your cursor over each button to see a tooltip describing what it will do for each data point. To the right of some fields is a small icon with a right-facing arrow, which when clicked can perform a specific task. Some of the fields are editable, but most are not as it really depends on the type of information. At the top of this view is File Name field, which is an editable field that can be used to rename the selected photo if needed. We’re probably most familiar with the Default view, which includes the most useful EXIF metadata along with fields for entering information like title, caption, copyright, and more. At the top of the Metadata panel is a drop-down menu that provides access to the different views.
Located in the Library and Map modules, the Metadata panel can be set to display the information about a selected photo in a dozen different ways. The most well known location, and where you can find the most data in one place, is the Metadata panel. This information is so important that Lightroom Classic displays it in a variety of ways. The more data we add to the catalog (which is a database after all) the more we can leverage that data in our workflows. Beyond this EXIF metadata, Lightroom Classic also gives us the ability to add more information about each photo, such as keywords, titles, captions, star ratings, flags, and a host of other data points. This EXIF metadata is automatically added to the catalog during import. This includes information like shutter speed, ISO, aperture, capture date/time, and so on.
Some metadata is created and applied to your photos at the moment the shutter is pressed, which is called EXIF metadata.
Metadata is information about your photos.
#Lightroom view photo metadata how to#
Learning how to edit and add to that information can help us manage, find, and organize our photos over time. Lightroom Classic’s catalog is simply a database of information about our photos.