Displaying Metadata with Your Images
You use the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu in the tool strip to turn on and turn off the display of metadata overlays that appear with images in the Viewer and Browser. You can also use this pop-up menu to turn on and turn off the display of metadata tooltips. You can switch between the “basic” and “expanded” metadata overlay views independently for both the Viewer and Browser. In addition, you access the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog for the Viewer and Browser using the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
You use the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog to specify the metadata fields to display in the basic and expanded metadata overlay views for both the Viewer and Browser, as well as the metadata that appears in metadata tooltips. You can choose to display a wide variety of EXIF and IPTC metadata fields. In addition, you can add Aperture-specific metadata fields, such as rating and version name, as well as photo usage information, such as whether an image has been emailed or ordered via Apple’s print service. You can also specify whether to display the image’s metadata over the lower portion of the image or below it, and you can choose to display metadata with labels to make it easier to identify the types of metadata being displayed.
Some metadata overlay views are specifically designed for displaying information in the Viewer, in the Browser in grid view or list view, or in metadata tooltips. The following table lists the metadata overlay views that you can choose and the information that each view displays.
Metadata overlay view | Information displayed |
|---|---|
Viewer - Basic | Badges, rating, and keywords |
Viewer - Expanded | Rating, badges, aperture (f-stop), shutter speed, exposure bias, focal length (35mm), focal length, lens minimum (mm), maximum lens aperture, lens maximum (mm), lens model, caption, keywords, version name, date, ISO speed rating, file size, and project path |
Grid View – Basic | Badges, rating, and label |
Grid View – Expanded | Badges, rating, version name, and label |
List - Basic | Version name, badges, label, rating, date, aperture (f-stop), shutter speed, exposure bias, ISO speed rating, focal length (35mm), focal length, lens minimum (mm), maximum lens aperture, lens maximum (mm), lens model, pixel size, orientation, aspect ratio, filename, file size, camera model, import session, and project path |
List - Expanded | Version name, badges, color label, rating, date, caption, keywords, provider, copyright notice, title, filename, file size, camera model, import session, project path, aperture (f-stop), shutter speed, exposure bias, ISO speed rating, focal length (35mm), focal length, lens minimum (mm), maximum lens aperture, lens maximum (mm), lens model, and pixel size |
Metadata Tooltips | Version name, filename, date, file size, caption, keywords, aperture (f-stop), shutter speed, exposure bias, focal length, ISO speed rating, focal length (35mm), focal length, pixel size, camera make, camera model, and rating |
Turning the Display of Metadata On or Off
You can turn the display of metadata on and off and switch between metadata overlay views in the Viewer and Browser independently using menu commands or the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu in the tool strip.
Choose View > Metadata Display, then choose Show Metadata from the Viewer section of the submenu (or press Y).
In the tool strip, choose Show Metadata from the Viewer section of the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
Choose View > Metadata Display, then choose Switch to Expanded View from the Viewer section of the submenu (or press Shift-Y).
In the tool strip, choose Switch to Expanded View from the Viewer section of the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
Choose View > Metadata Display, then choose Switch to Basic View from the Viewer section of the submenu (or press Shift-Y).
In the tool strip, choose Switch to Basic View from the Viewer section of the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
Choose View > Metadata Display, then choose Show Metadata from the Browser section of the submenu (or press U).
In the tool strip, choose Show Metadata from the Browser section of the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
Choose View > Metadata Display, then choose Switch to Expanded View from the Browser section of the submenu (or press Shift-U).
In the tool strip, choose Switch to Expanded View from the Browser section of the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
Note: Switching to the expanded view increases the number of columns displayed in list view.
Choose View > Metadata Display, then choose Switch to Basic View from the Browser section of the submenu (or press Shift-U).
In the tool strip, choose Switch to Basic View from the Browser section of the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
Note: Switching to the basic view decreases the number of columns displayed in list view.
You can also turn the display of metadata tooltips on and off.
Choose View > Metadata Display > Image Tooltips (or press T).
In the tool strip, choose Show Metadata Tooltips from the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
A checkmark appears next to the menu item when metadata tooltips are turned on.
Specifying the Type of Metadata to Display in the Viewer and Browser
You use the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog to specify the types of metadata that are shown in the basic and expanded views for the Viewer, the Browser in grid view and filmstrip view, and the Browser in list view. You can also specify the types of metadata shown in metadata tooltips.
Note: When you choose a metadata overlay view for the Browser in list view, the metadata overlay view determines the number of columns that appear. Each metadata item in the metadata overlay view corresponds to a list view column.
Do one of the following:
Choose View > Metadata Display > Customize (or press Command-J).
In the tool strip, choose Edit from the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
The Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog appears.
Choose the metadata overlay view you want to modify from the View pop-up menu.
In the Metadata Fields column, do any of the following:
- To add EXIF information, such as exposure and aperture settings: Click the EXIF disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata fields you want to add to the metadata overlay view.
- To add IPTC information, such as copyright information and keywords: Click the IPTC disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata fields you want to add to the metadata overlay view.
- To add Aperture information, such as version name and color labels: Click the Aperture disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata fields you want to add to the metadata overlay view.
- To add audio and video clip information, such as duration, data rate, and frames per second (fps): Click the Audio/Video disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata fields you want to add to the metadata overlay view.
- To add information about photo usage, such as whether or not an image has been printed or emailed: Click the Photo Usage disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata fields you want to add to the metadata overlay view.
The selected metadata fields are added to the Display Order column.
If you want to change the order in which the metadata fields are displayed in the overlay, from left to right, drag the metadata fields in the Display Order column into a new arrangement.
The topmost metadata item in the Display Order column appears on the left side of the overlay.
When you are satisfied with the metadata fields assigned to the selected metadata overlay view and the arrangement of the metadata fields in that view, click OK.
Do one of the following:
Choose View > Metadata Display > Customize (or press Command-J).
In the tool strip, choose Edit from the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
The Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog appears.
Choose the metadata overlay view you want to modify from the View pop-up menu.
In the Display Order column, click the Remove (–) button next to the metadata field you want to remove.
When you are satisfied with the metadata fields assigned to the selected metadata overlay view and the arrangement of the metadata fields in that view, click OK.
Do one of the following:
Choose View > Metadata Display > Customize (or press Command-J).
In the tool strip, choose Edit from the Metadata Overlays pop-up menu.
The Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog appears.
Choose Metadata Tooltips from the View pop-up menu.
In the Metadata Fields column, do any of the following:
- To add EXIF information, such as exposure and aperture settings: Click the EXIF disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata fields you want to add to the metadata tooltip.
- To add IPTC information, such as copyright information and keywords: Click the IPTC disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata fields you want to add to the metadata tooltip.
- To add Aperture information, such as version name and color label: Click the Aperture disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata fields you want to add to the metadata tooltip.
- To add audio and video clip information, such as duration, data rate, and frames per second (fps): Click the Audio/Video disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata fields you want to add to the metadata tooltip.
- To add information about photo usage, such as whether or not an image has been printed or emailed: Click the Photo Usage disclosure triangle, then select the checkboxes next to the metadata fields you want to add to the metadata tooltip.
The selected metadata fields are added to the Display Order column.
If you want to change the order in which the metadata fields are displayed in the tooltip, drag the metadata fields in the Display Order column into a new arrangement.
When you are satisfied with the metadata fields assigned to Metadata Tooltips view and the arrangement of the metadata fields in that view, click OK.
You can use the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog to specify whether metadata overlays displayed with images in the Viewer or in the Browser in grid view or list view appear over the lower portion of the image or directly beneath it.
In the area below the Display Order column of the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog, deselect the “Show metadata below image” checkbox.
In the area below the Display Order column of the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog, select the “Show metadata below image” checkbox.
You can also use the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog to specify that a metadata overlay view show metadata with labels. Labels provide the names of the metadata fields and help identify the types of metadata being displayed. In some views, metadata labels are shown by default, but you can turn them off in the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog. Turning off metadata labels can help save visual space in the selected metadata overlay view, allowing you to add more metadata fields to it.
In the area below the Display Order column of the Browser & Viewer Metadata dialog, select or deselect the “Show metadata labels” checkbox.
Metadata labels are turned on or off for the selected metadata overlay view. When metadata labels are turned on, they are displayed with the metadata fields they identify.