MetaEdit

MetaEdit is a tool for tagging photos with custom metadata. MetaEdit works with any camera app and allows individual selection of photos as well.

To use MetaEdit, simply enter the desired metadata into the provided fields, then open any camera app and take some photos, or add them from the photo picker. MetaEdit will cache these photos to be tagged later with the current metadata. Changing the metadata in the input fields will then affect future photos taken. An example of metadata fields is:

Item 1
Status Code: C
Item Inspected: Conveyor
Location: Support structure
Fault Description: Widespread failure of the support structure
Remedial Measure: Reapply protective coating
Fault History: None

Metadata fields can be added, removed, and renamed.

Want to start fresh at any time? Clearing the cache will make MetaEdit forget all photos cached up to this point. They will not be tagged. Photos can also be individually removed from the cache using the cache viewer.

Once you're done, press the "Tag Photos" button to process all taken photos at once. MetaEdit saves editied copies of the photos and offers the option to delete the originals.

Custom metadata is embedded into the UserComment field of the photo's EXIF properties as JSON. The user comment for the above example will be:

{
"Item": 1,
"Status Code": "C",
"Item Inspected": "Conveyor",
"Location": "Support structure",
"Fault Description": "Widespread failure of the support structure",
"Remedial Measure": "Reapply protective coating",
"Fault History": "None"
}

This JSON data can be parsed by an external program. One such program that is in use in the NQENG office is an Excel report document that automatically generates an inspection report from information embedded in photos. A generic template of this document can be found here: https://nqeng.com.au/metaedit-report-excel-template

If the "duplicate photos" option is chosen, MetaEdit also captions photos with the values of the metadata fields. This allows you to search and filter tagged photos using the Photos app. The photo caption for the above example will be:

1 C Conveyor Support structure Widespread failure of the support structure Reapply protective coating None

The Photos app may take some time to index newly edited photos, so searching may not be available straight away. Another thing to keep in mind is that the Photos app is limited to searching only the first 8 terms in the photo caption.

IMPORTANT: If photos are not duplicated by MetaEdit (i.e. the "duplicate photos" option is not on), tagged photos will not be searchable in the Photos app.

The photo caption string is stored the ImageDescription field of the photo's TIFF properties.





Privacy Policy: https://nqeng.com.au/metaedit-privacy-policy

Terms of Use: https://nqeng.com.au/metaedit-end-user-license-agreement

Excel Report Template: https://nqeng.com.au/metaedit-report-excel-template