Top 5 Ways to View and Edit Metadata (Practical Guide + Real Examples)

When you manage a large number of digital assets—photos, videos, documents—you quickly realize that filenames alone don’t help much.

That’s where metadata comes in.

Metadata is what turns a chaotic archive into a searchable, structured library.

In this guide, you’ll find the five most practical ways to view metadata and the five most reliable ways to edit it, along with real examples from organizations we’ve helped and expert insights gathered from more than 800 DAM deployments.

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What Metadata Actually Is (and Why It Matters)

Metadata is essentially “data about your data.” It describes your files in a structured way so that both teams and software can understand what each asset contains and how it should be used.

Instead of relying on filenames like IMG_5402_final_v3.jpg, it adds meaningful context, such as:

• who created the asset
• when and where it was produced
• what it contains
• what project it belongs to
• whether it’s approved, restricted, expired, etc.

Types of Metadata Specifications

From our work with teams of all sizes, we see that misunderstandings about EXIF, IPTC, and XMP are one of the biggest causes of metadata inconsistency. Different tools read and write different fields, which is why a file can look “empty” in one viewer and full in another.

For example, a photo taken on a camera, edited in Photoshop, and then uploaded to a cloud drive may carry three different sets of metadata: some overlapping, some missing.

So, let’s clarify what’s going on through a quick overview of the main metadata standards:

Once you know how these pieces fit together, it becomes much easier to manage metadata effectively, and to choose the right tools for keeping it consistent across your entire library.

💡 If you’re exploring how to structure large image libraries around these standards, here’s a deeper dive into organizing visual archives.

Top 5 Ways to View Metadata

These are the methods teams use most often, from the fastest checks to advanced professional workflows.

1. View Metadata in Windows Explorer (Quick & Built-In)

This is the fastest method when you need a quick overview of basic data such as camera settings or file dimensions.

• How to view: Right-click the file → Properties → Details
• You’ll see:
  • Dimensions
  • Camera EXIF
  • Capture date
  • Author (if available)
• Limitations:
  • No IPTC or XMP
  • No batch view
  • Not suitable for large libraries

2. View Metadata in macOS Finder

• How to view: Select a file → Command + I (Get Info).
• You’ll see: A simple set of EXIF details.
• Limitations:
  • IPTC/XMP aren’t shown
  • Only basic info is available
  • Hard to use for volume work

3. View Metadata in Photo Tools (Lightroom, Photoshop, Bridge)

Most creative tools have built-in metadata panels.

• How to view: Open the file → find the Metadata, Info, or Properties panel.
• You’ll typically see:
  • EXIF
  • IPTC keywords
  • Captions and descriptions
  • Copyright
• Limitations:
  • You need to open files individually
  • Different tools map metadata differently
  • Not ideal for managing thousands of assets

4. View Metadata with ExifTool (for Power Users)

ExifTool exposes everything inside your file, even hidden fields.

• How to view: Run ExifTool in the terminal (macOS/Linux) or Command Prompt / PowerShell (Windows).
• You’ll see:
  • Full EXIF data (camera, exposure, GPS, device info)
  • IPTC fields (keywords, captions, creator, copyright)
  • XMP properties
  • Technical and hidden fields not visible in GUI tools
  • Format-specific metadata (for video, audio, PDFs, RAW files)
• Limitations:
  • Command-line interface
  • Not designed for teams or non-technical users

5. View Metadata in a DAM System (Daminion)

A Digital Asset Management system provides the most complete, consistent view of metadata across all file types: images, videos, documents, audio, PDFs, and more.

• How to view: Open the asset inside the DAM interface and select it. Metadata is displayed in a dedicated panel alongside the preview and can be viewed for one file or hundreds at once.
• You’ll see:
  • EXIF data (capture details, device information, GPS)
  • IPTC fields (keywords, titles, descriptions, creator, copyright)
  • XMP metadata
  • Video codecs and technical video properties
  • Audio metadata
  • Office and PDF metadata fields
  • Custom metadata fields defined by your organization
• Limitations
  • May require some initial setup and structure planning
  • More powerful than simple viewers, which may be unnecessary for very small libraries

Top 5 Ways to Edit Metadata: From Simple to Professional

Once you know how to view metadata, the next step is keeping it clean and consistent across your entire library. 

Below are the five most common ways teams edit metadata — from basic OS tools to professional solutions used in creative, marketing, public sector, and production environments.

1. Edit Metadata in Windows Explorer (Basic Edits Only)

• How to edit: Right-click the file → Properties → Details → Click the fields you want to change.
• What you can edit:
  • Title
  • Subject
  • Comments
  • Some author fields
• Remove metadata: Use “Remove Properties and Personal Information.”
• Limitations:
  • Only a few IPTC fields are editable
  • No XMP editing
  • No batch editing
  • Easy to create inconsistencies if multiple people do it differently

2. Edit Metadata in macOS Preview (Privacy-Only Editing)

macOS offers almost no native tools for editing descriptive metadata, but it does allow you to remove certain privacy-sensitive fields.

• Remove location data: Open the image in Preview → Tools → Remove Location Info
• Limitations:
  • Cannot edit IPTC or XMP metadata
  • Cannot add keywords, descriptions, copyright, or usage rights
  • No batch editing
  • Not suitable for cataloging or workflow-based metadata management

macOS essentially offers a metadata remover, not a metadata editor.

3. Edit Metadata in Photo Tools (Lightroom, Photoshop, Bridge)

Most creative teams start here because the tools are familiar. But it’s not ideal for organization-wide metadata consistency.

• How to edit: Open the file (or select multiple files) → go to the Metadata / Info / Keywords panel
• What you can edit:
  • IPTC keywords
  • titles and descriptions
  • copyright and creator info
  • basic XMP metadata
• Limitations:
  • No controlled vocabulary → inconsistent tags
  • Easy to overwrite each other’s metadata
  • Not ideal for large digital archives
  • Limited governance or permissions

4. Edit Metadata with ExifTool (Advanced, Technical Editing)

ExifTool can modify any IPTC/XMP/EXIF field across huge sets of files.

• How to edit: Run ExifTool commands in the terminal or command prompt to write → Update or remove specific metadata fields for one file or many files at once
• What you can edit:
  • EXIF metadata (camera data, dates, GPS, technical fields)
  • IPTC metadata (keywords, titles, descriptions, copyright)
  • XMP metadata and custom namespaces
  • Format-specific metadata for images, video, audio, and documents
• Limitations:
  • Requires technical expertise to use safely
  • High risk of large-scale mistakes if misused
  • Not sustainable for ongoing, day-to-day team workflows

5. Edit Metadata in a DAM System (Daminion) — Most Scalable Method

A Digital Asset Management (DAM) system brings structure, consistency, and governance to metadata workflows for teams across industries.

Unlike OS tools or creative apps, which show only a portion of embedded data, DAM tools like Daminion handle all major metadata standards in a unified place.

• How to edit: Select one or multiple assets in the DAM interface → Edit metadata in a dedicated panel → apply changes instantly or write them back to files via XMP
• What you can edit:
  • Batch-edit metadata across thousands of assets
  • Apply controlled vocabularies to prevent typos and duplicates
  • Write IPTC/XMP metadata back into files
  • Control who can edit metadata with role-based permissions
  • Add custom fields for clients, approval status, campaigns, or departments
  • Enrich assets with AI-generated tags
  • Track versions and restore previous metadata states
• Limitations:
  • Metadata can only be edited in fields that are set up in advance, so everyone follows the same rules and information stays consistent

Comparison: How Common Tools Handle Metadata

Before we move on to the next chapter, let’s look at the basic definitions of metadata types:

Real-World Metadata Wins

After working with more than 800 organizations across architecture, higher education, cultural heritage, and creative production, our Daminion team sees the same metadata challenges appear again and again: inconsistent IPTC fields, overwritten keywords, scattered archives, and unclear usage rights.

Here are three real examples that illustrate how structured metadata transforms day-to-day work:

1. Environmental Management (West Gippsland CMA)

West Gippsland CMA works with thousands of photos from field inspections, flood events, and environmental monitoring, all stored locally. Before Daminion, images were saved with inconsistent names and without a clear metadata structure. Staff often had to browse folders manually, and finding a single photo could take hours, sometimes even days.

With Daminion, the team introduced structured metadata and GPS fields, linking photos directly to maps and GIS tools. Images can now be searched by location, category, or keywords, even visually from a map interface.

2. Architecture Studio (Leroy Street Studio)

Leroy Street Studio had accumulated decades of architectural photos, drawings, PDFs, and presentations. These files were stored in folders and managed with basic tools that offered limited search and categorization. As a result, architects often searched online instead of reusing internal project references.

After implementing Daminion, the studio created a custom metadata structure tailored to architectural workflows, covering projects, styles, and document types.

3. Creative Production Studio (Floyd County Productions)

Floyd County Productions, an animation studio best known for long-running TV series, manages an archive containing millions of production files created over many years. Before Daminion, artists relied on an internally developed tool that became increasingly difficult to maintain, making it harder to locate reference assets from past seasons.

With Daminion, the studio turned its existing file and folder structure into usable metadata. Instead of manual tagging, the system reads structured file names and directories, allowing artists to search for characters, poses, outfits, and props across seasons without changing their workflow.

Make Metadata Work for Your Team

Metadata is what makes a digital library usable, but only if it’s searchable, consistent, and aligned with how your team actually works.

Basic tools (Explorer, Finder, Lightroom) work well for simple tasks, but once your library grows and more people rely on it, a centralized metadata workflow becomes essential.

A DAM system like Daminion keeps metadata accurate across your entire library and gives your team a fast, reliable way to find, edit, approve, and reuse assets. If you’re ready to see how this could look for your team, book a short demo with Daminion to see efficient metadata management in action.

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