What is metadata?
When you work with digital files, you need more than just the file itself. Often, the information stored within the file, like file size, camera settings, who created it, and even details about the situation when it was captured, is just as important. This information is called metadata. It's what makes a simple file a valuable asset.
One of the biggest advantages of using Pics.io Digital Asset Management service is the fact that you can not only see all the metadata your asset contains, but also edit some of this information and save the changes directly within the file.
How does Pics.io capture the metadata available within the file?
There are several standards that regulate the metadata that can be included within a digital file. The most widely-recognized standards are EXIF, IPTC/IIM, and XMP.
Whenever a digital file is uploaded to Pics.io, all the available metadata is captured and saved in the corresponding fields. However, the names of the fields may differ across the standards and software producers. That is why, in order to avoid confusion, Pics.io applies certain rules to how the metadata is parsed, shown on the interface, and preserved in case of changes and alterations.
Starting from July 2018, we have been using a new schema for importing and exporting metadata. It is available for new users who have got registered in Pics.io since that time.
The default rule of reading the metadata goes like this: XMP - IPTC - EXIF. In other words:
First, the system looks at what it’s written in the corresponding field in XMP. The latter is the most recent and advanced of all standards, so if there is some information about the asset in this group, it is likely to be correct.
If XMP is empty, the system moves on to IPTC.
And if IPTC is empty as well, the system relies on what’s available in EXIF.
This default sequence works with cases when all the fields are the same across all the standards (e.g. CreateDate).
However, not all the fields are the same across all the standards. In such cases, Pics.io applies more sophisticated algorithms to make sure all the relevant data is captured. Currently, there are 28 specific rules for reading the metadata in the following fields:
* data from the fields Description/Caption-Abstract/ImageDescription appears in the Description section of the Details panel.
** data from the fields Subject/Keywords appears in the Keywords section of the Details panel.
*** data from the fields Title/ObjectName appears in the Title section of the Details panel.
For example, this is how a specific rule works with the field Creator, which is called differently in different standards:
First, Pics.io looks at what’s written in the field Creator in XMP.
If there’s nothing there, we look at what’s available in the field By-line in IPTC.
If there’s nothing there either, we capture what’s written in the field Artist in IPTC.
Once the relevant information is found, it is copied in all three fields. In this way, we achieve more coherence and clarity when dealing with different standards.
Limitations for metadata parsing in Pics.io
By default, Pics.io parses all the metadata available within the asset and makes it visible on the Details panel. However, there are situations where Pics.io does not parse metadata automatically:
❌ Assets with file size bigger than 1 GB
❌ Assets belonging to the following file formats:
3FR, A, AA, ACR, AFM, ACFM, AMFM, AIFF, AIF, AIFC, APE, ASF, AVI, BMP, DIB, BPG, BTF, CHM, COS, DCM, DC3, DWG, DIC, DICM, DCR, DFONT, DIVX, DJVU, DJV, DOC, DOT, DOCX, DOCM, DOTX, DOTM, DPX, DR4, DSS, DS2, DYLIB, DV, DVR-MS, EIP, EPUB, EXE, DLL, EXIF, EXR, FLA, FLAC, FLV, FPF, FPX, GZ, GZIP, HDR, HEIC, HEIF, HTML, HTM, XHTML, ICC, ICM, ICS, ICAL, IDML, INX, ISO, ITC, J2C, JPC, JSON, K25, KDC, KEY, KTH, LA, LFP, LFR, LNK, M2TS, MTS, M2T, TS, MAX, MIFF, MIF, MKA, MKV, MKS, MOBI, AZW, AZW3, MODD, MOI, MP3, MPC, MPEG, MPG, M2V, MXF, NMBTEMPLATE, NUMBERS, O, ODB, ODC, ODF, ODG, ODI, ODP, ODS, ODT, OFR, OGG, OGV, OPUS, OTF, PAC, PAGES, PCD, PDB, PRC, PFA, PFB, PFM, PGF, PICT, PCT, PLIST, PMP, PPM, PBM, PGM, PPT, PPS, POT, POTX, POTM, PPSX, PPSM, PPTX, PPTM, PSP, PSPIMAGE, R3D, RA, RAM, RPM, RAR, RIFF, RIF, RM, RV, RMVB, RSRC, RTF, RWZ, SEQ, SKETCH, SO, SRF, SVG, SWF, THMX, TTF, TTC, TORRENT, VCF, VCARD, VOB, VSD, WAV, WEBM, WEBP, WMA, WMV, WTV, WV, XCF, XLS, XLT, XLSX, XLSM, XLSB, XLTX, XLTM, ZIP
How can I be sure that Pics.io captured all the metadata that was inside my digital asset?
It usually takes a few minutes for the system to transfer all the information from your digital asset to Pics.io database, unless the system is under high load. In case you upload a batch of assets at once, it may take a little bit more time to parse all the metadata info and save it to Pics.io.
There are some kinds of meta fields that support the Latin alphabet only. That is why, unfortunately, Pics.io will not be able to replicate them if they are filled in with the Cyrillic alphabet. Please check the list of such meta fields below:
Object Name
Caption-Abstract
By-line Title
Catalog Sets
Content Location Name
Contact
Country-Primary Location Code
Copyright Notice
Country-Primary Location Name
By-line
Document Notes
Edit Status
Fixture Identifier
Image Type
Language Identifier
Local Caption
Object Attribute Reference
Prefs
Program Version
Province-State
Reference Service
Similarity Index
Subject Reference
Special Instructions
Sub-location
Writer-Editor
Though, it is still possible to use the Cyrillic alphabet for these fields right in your Pics.io account and easily search for them.
Where can I see all the metadata belonging to my digital asset?
Once you select a digital asset in Pics.io, you can see all the information about this file in the Details panel on the right. All the available metadata is captured from your asset and stored in the corresponding fields, according to the rules describes above.
Some fields may remain empty because apparently there was no available information inside the asset. You can fill in these fields manually with the information you find necessary.
All the fields are divided into 5 categories.
This is where you can find these fields in the Details panel:
Please note that this is the default schema of metadata fields. If it’s not convenient enough for you, you can always change the arrangement of these fields. Learn more about custom fields settings here.
How does Pics.io save changes that I make in the metadata?
One of the standout features of Pics.io is its ability to automatically write back any changes made in the metadata fields directly to the files on your storage side. This means that any edits or additions you make are reflected in the stored files, ensuring consistency and accuracy across platforms. Even if you download the file and use it outside Pics.io, for example in software like Lightroom, the updated metadata will still be there!
Please note that Pics.io's Metadata Writer is available and enabled by default for users on the Small, Medium and Enterprise plans, providing a seamless metadata management experience. Users on the Micro plan can access this feature by purchasing it additionally, thus tailoring the service to meet varying needs and scales of digital asset management.
Pics.io writes the new information back into the file in the same way it originally read it from the asset as it was described above.
In the case of default fields (which are the same for all the standards), the modified info is saved everywhere, i.e. in all the fields that have the same name. For example, if a user changes something in the field CreateDate, this change is saved in all the fields with this name across all the standards, be it XMP, IPTC, or EXIF.
But if the fields are called differently in different standards (as in the case with "Creator", the specific rules will apply. Pics.io will find the corresponding fields, even if they are called differently in different standards, and save the modified info there.
For example, if you change something in the field “CopyrightNotice”, this alteration will be saved in such fields as “Rights” (XMP), “CopyrightNotice” (IPTC), and “Copyright” (EXIF).
NB! Metadata updated in Pics.io for .DWG file format won't be written back to the original files on your storage. Though, this info still remains available in your Pics.io account, so you can search by this data for your assets.