Metadata is digital content information; it is often stored inside the same file as a text block (rarely in a separate sidecar file). Any DAM system should support these files.
Main benefits of the Metadata
- Once the file information is entered, it is never lost. It travels along with the file whenever it is copied or moved to another location.
- This system helps you or someone else to understand the graphic content.
- It allows the quick integration of your document to an external system with no additional effort.
- It will protect your ownership and copyrights.
- It allows you to locate your documents, quickly and easily.
- It enables future reuse and further identification.
The main problems of metadata
- The major drawback of metadata is that there are too many metadata standards.
- Metadata belongs to various document types and contains numerous fields. For example, EXIF 2.2.1 specification contains more than 100 attributes. EXIF Subsets named, “Maker Notes,” and supported by dozens of camera vendors, contains several hundred attributes. XMP (besides a set of the standard schemes), can be extended by customers and third-party software solutions. Because metadata standards continue to evolve, newer versions will include new metadata fields.
- New metadata standards often include a subset of the old standards; this same information can be stored in different metadatas. Because new metadata standards emerge gradually, not all software programs support the latest metadata standards. To provide backward compatibility, the “true” DAM system should support all kinds of metadata including outdated ones.
- There is more. Besides the cross-format metadata standards (such as EXIF, IPTC and XMP) many file formats can hold some piece of metadata information natively. For example: Adobe PDF, AutoCAD DWG, PNG, GIF and many other formats.
How Daminion solves the problem
Daminion helps you avoid the chaos; you can operate with a limited list of the 20-30 tags, instead of 1000s of metadata fields.
Tags describe the properties of the document, and any document characteristic is a tag: Weight, Height, Lens, Title, Rating, Description, Authors, Events, People, Creation Date, Shown Location, etc.
Daminion offers sets of tags for photographers, designers, architects, and constructors.
Each tag is linked to a set of metadata. Daminion will map each tag in every media format. The program supports all major metadata standards including EXIF, IPTC, XMP, MWG, and a set of native metadata formats.
So, you can enjoy your work and operate with a limited set of 20 tags, while Daminion does the hard job of synchronizing tags with metadata for you.
