If you have metadata related to a source image file in a standard metadata format like XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform), then Capture One will automatically reload the metadata and merge the .XMP sidecar file with the metadata already created in Capture One.
Capture One can read metadata in the following four formats: Embedded EXIF, Embedded IPTC-IIM, Embedded XMP, and .XMP sidecar file. Note that only the .XMP sidecar files could be updated (modified).
Please note that there would be the same XMP file for the images with the same name but with different extensions. For instance, ImageName001.NEF and ImageName001.jpg will have the same XMP file ImageName001.XMP. Outside of the XMP sidecar workflow, the metadata adjustments are recorded along with the rest of the adjustments in .cos files (when in a Session) or in the database (when in a Catalog) separately for each source image.
XMP sidecar files
To activate or deactivate the Auto Sync Sidecar XMP option, go to Capture One -> Preferences on macOS or Edit -> Preferences on Windows. Click on the Image tab in the Preferences dialog box.
Then choose one of the three options from the Auto Sync Sidecar XMP drop-down menu in the Metadata section.
- Full Sync will create and update the XMP sidecar files with any metadata changes. Any information present in the XMP that is not present in Capture One will be loaded. It is a two-way sync.
NOTE: Using Full Sync when working with a large collection of new images can hinder performance. In this situation, it's recommended to use the "manual" sync commands such as Image -> Sync Metadata and Image -> Load Metadata in the main menu. This will achieve the same end result but without the background sync process slowing the processes down. - Load will load the information from any XMP sidecar file into the .cos (session) or cocatalogdb (catalog). It will not update the XMP sidecar file with changes from Capture One. It is a one-way sync.
- None will disable the auto-sync.
Selecting the metadata set
Prefer Embedded XMP over Embedded IPTC toggles the preference when the two sets of data are present in the source image file; the legacy IPTC fields or XMP fields. You can find more info on the difference in this article: XMP and IPTC.
Prefer Sidecar XMP over Embedded Metadata toggles the preference between metadata information in sidecar XMP files (in either IPTC or XMP scheme) over the XMP information embedded in the source file.
NOTE: Above all, Capture One will never write metadata to source files; all metadata changes are done via proxy file.
<< Add Getty Images metadata fields | Deleting images and variants in general >>
Comments
8 comments
Thanks Lily for the explanation of Metadata above. I am still unsure of exactly how it works.
Prior to C1, I was a long time Lightroom user and had it set to read and update metadata inside each image so that I didn't have sidecar files. I regularly use standard file managers as well as LR and C1 to manage my media collection and don't want to risk losing a sidecar file along the way.
Can you please tell me how to set the options in the 'Image > Metadata' area to ensure that C1 writes any changes to metadata I make via the 'Metadata' tool into the original file and not to a sidecar file?
Thanks.
Hi Peter,
Thank you for your question.
Capture One applies a non-destructive approach towards source RAW files, so it will not change the embedded metadata in the RAW file. Instead, Capture One can directly perform a two-way synchronization with the XMP sidecar files (if there are any) when the Full Sync option is enabled. It means that in case you open the RAW file in another application, the information from the XMP sidecar file will be loaded (including the metadata information and adjustments data from Capture One). Also, all the metadata applied in Capture One will be embedded in the output files when you process or export those.
Thanks Lily for explaining the process to me. :-)
Thanks Lily for the explanation
I have noted the point for the RAW files.
For jpeg files instead, is it possible to write metadata to the jpeg files or is it the same than for raw ?
I mean to write to the « original » jpeg ?
Hi Jan,
Thank you for the comment.
Yes, the non-destructive approach will work for any type of source files meaning that the metadata embedded in the jpeg can't also be modified (and added) as well.
Hi Lily,
if I understand well, in C1 I can synchronize metadata of raw file, because there is sidecar file = non-destructive changes in original picture/file.
But in case of jpg what exactly happens in C1, when I change metadata, for example, rating and colors tag? I have a workflow with raw and jpg files together, sometimes I use jpg with small correction in editor and if I need to use raw, then I edit raw. But the issue is that the metadata doesn't synchronize to jpg original file .... probably because it is the destructive approach, am I right. Do you have any advice how to manage metadata of jpg - to synchronize them?
thank you in advance.
MN
Hi Martin,
Thank you for the question.
It is basically the same for .jpg files as well. The metadata of the jpg file cannot be changed. The non-destructive approach refers to any supported file type that can be imported in Capture One.
If there are any changes in metadata, they will be recorded in the exported image.
Please sign in to leave a comment.