Any example templates for meta data display

[reader]

Just looking thru the meta data setup, gives me a headache.  It looks vastly complicated.
I'd like to see a few basic things about every image.

The Dashboard info
Image resolution in pixels (123 x 567)
Absolute file name someroot/sub1/sub2/filename.psd
File size in mb

Then if I want more info, I can go tromping around thru the maze.

Are there some sample templates that folks have created available somewhere?

[JohnZeman]

I've zipped and attached my metadata panel layouts to this, feel free to do anything you want with them.  jz Common Info is the one I use the most.

Some of my panel layouts are test metadata panels which will probably be meaningless to you.  One named GPS I use only to save the current image's GPS coordinates and location info as a metadata location template to use with other images.


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[reader]

I've zipped and attached my metadata panel layouts to this, feel free to do anything you want with them.  jz Common Info is the one I use the most.

Some of my panel layouts are test metadata panels which will probably be meaningless to you.  One named GPS I use only to save the current image's GPS coordinates and location info as a metadata location template to use with other images.

I appreciate your efforts.  Unfortunately I don't have the first clue of what it is.  It doesn't look any less confusing than other bunch already there.

Perhaps I'm using the wrong terms.  I had hoped for a template that would limit the display to the few things I posted.

This whole metadata section seems way over complicated.... I wanted a nice sensible default that shows the default dashboard and 3 or four other pieces of information.  I have no idea what to do with the piles and piles of information that seem to be all over every one of these panels.

Maybe this is too complex for me but isn't there a way to set things so that when I click an image I see the dashboard, the size in pixels (1000 x 2000) type notation, the resolution, the absolute file name and the size in mb.... and that is ALL I want to see.... I don't want to have to dig thru piles of confusing mess to find that kind of basic information about an image.

[ubacher]

If you put the cursor over the "i" icon on the thumbnail you get basic information. This is called the
File Window Tip and can be customized under Preferences-> FileWindowTip.
This customizing is initially a bit daunting because of the formatting options.

The information in the Metadata panel you can also customize by creating a new panel
and only including the items you like to see. Not too difficult but neither trivial.

A third way to look at metadata is more suitable for debugging. Run the exiftool command processor..
This will list metadata that is actually contained in the file ( and not any metadata which Imatch keeps internally
and neither metadata which ought to have been stored in the file but which has not yet been written out to it - indicated by
the yellow pencil icon over the thumbnail)

The info JohnZeaman sent you is for yet another way to get a customized display - it
will appear under App Panel1 if you install it. It is useful as is but actually intended as a starting point for your own
customization. Save this for when you are more familiar with
the built-in functionality.

[JohnZeman]

ubacher I think you and I are overshooting the mark here as reader seems to need a starting point. 

reader attached is a screen shot of my primary metadata panel layout.  I'm about to log off for the night but if something like that but configured to show only what you want IS what you want, then I'll put something together for you in the morning.



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[reader]

If you put the cursor over the "i" icon on the thumbnail you get basic information. This is called the
File Window Tip and can be customized under Preferences-> FileWindowTip.
This customizing is initially a bit daunting because of the formatting options.

The information in the Metadata panel you can also customize by creating a new panel
and only including the items you like to see. Not too difficult but neither trivial.

A third way to look at metadata is more suitable for debugging. Run the exiftool command processor..
This will list metadata that is actually contained in the file ( and not any metadata which Imatch keeps internally
and neither metadata which ought to have been stored in the file but which has not yet been written out to it - indicated by
the yellow pencil icon over the thumbnail)

The info JohnZeaman sent you is for yet another way to get a customized display - it
will appear under App Panel1 if you install it. It is useful as is but actually intended as a starting point for your own
customization. Save this for when you are more familiar with
the built-in functionality.

Ahh, Thank you sir.  The `i' Icon answers most of what I was after...  And somewhere along I had already learned that bit of info... but due to lack of use of IM5 for a few mnths... it had slipped out of my pea brain. 

Your assessment and descriptions of the several ways to do metadata were good information and very helpful....

[reader]

ubacher I think you and I are overshooting the mark here as reader seems to need a starting point. 

reader attached is a screen shot of my primary metadata panel layout.  I'm about to log off for the night but if something like that but configured to show only what you want IS what you want, then I'll put something together for you in the morning.

Thanks for your kind offer....
I think all I really needed for the moment was access to basic info... as Ubacher has surmized... at least for now.  I do want to setup a simplified  panel for metadata too, but not so urgent now.  Perhaps by the time I get around to needing something more complete I will be able to do it alright.

[reader]

Harry wrote: .... Thanks for your kind offer....
I think all I really needed for the moment was access to basic info... as Ubacher has surmized... at least for now.  I do want to setup a simplified  panel for metadata too, but not so urgent now.  Perhaps by the time I get around to needing something more complete I will be able to do it alright.

Just one little thing wrong when I use the `i' Icon, it gives information drastically different from every other image processing tool I've used.

It shows my Raw images (sony *.arw) as being 1616 x 1080 and 24.59 MB when every other tools shows them as 4000 x 6000 and 24.59.

Well, the MB does vary per image but the other is steady and different by quite a large measure.

[Mario]

IMatch ships with a set of metadata panel layouts (if you don't know yet what the Metadata Panel layout is, check out the help). These layouts have been designed for different users and document types. If none of these fits your personal needs, you can setup a custom metadata panel layout which shows only the fields you want to see, and in the form you want to see them. IMatch also allows you to customize the file window info tip and many of the other displays.

IMatch is all about flexibility. This flexibility means that you have many options. Some of the options you may find "daunting" while you will find other options very cool and useful. The next user will find the option you find useful "daunting" and options you find scary indispensable.  There is no flexibility without a bit of complexity.

I think that the online help does a pretty decent job in explaining how you can add or remove individual metadata fields in the Metadata Panel layout. I suggest you read it and then ask more specific questions, e.g. "I want to show this and that information in the metadata panel, how do I do that?". Other users may learn from the answers you get here as well and so this is a win-win. Reading the help may also give you some ideas on how to use IMatch more efficiently. All the daunting features have been added because users use them 

It shows my Raw images (sony *.arw) as being 1616 x 1080 and 24.59 MB when every other tools shows them as 4000 x 6000 and 24.59.

If you refer to the file window into tip, IMatch here displays the data as it was imported into the database. The file size is taken directly from the Windows file system and formatted according to your specification in MB, KB or bytes. There should be no difference to all the other software you use, unless they use a different rounding or something.

If the image dimensions are wrong, the problem is usually that the installed WIC codec did not deliver the proper size information. Which WIC codecs do you have installed?

To test: Select one of your ARW files in a file window. From the Help > Supprt menu choose WIC Diagnosis. Attach the information returned to your reply. This will show us which codecs you have and what they return for the selected image.

If you don't know about WIC codecs, please see this general information about WIC on my web site: http://www.photools.com/1167/wic-support-codec-availability/

[DigPeter]

Just looking thru the meta data setup, gives me a headache.  It looks vastly complicated.

Yes - it is daunting to start with, but if you follow Mario's and others' advice and stick to it, all will become clear.  Basically the metadata panel is almost infinitely variable.

[JohnZeman]

Just looking thru the meta data setup, gives me a headache.  It looks vastly complicated.
I'd like to see a few basic things about every image.

The Dashboard info
Image resolution in pixels (123 x 567)
Absolute file name someroot/sub1/sub2/filename.psd
File size in mb

Reader you can try the attached metadata panel layout if you want.  It's pretty basic and only shows the dashboard, file name, folder path, and image dimensions.  File size in mb isn't available in the metadata panel that I can tell, but you can add it to the file window tip (i) or use one of my metadata apps to display it.

I included all of the image dimension variables because I don't know which ones will work for your cameras, just remove the ones you don't want.

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[reader]

[...] Thanks for meta data panel tips
I will be studying that before attempting a nice concise 'layout' for most of my work.

reader wrote: It shows my Raw images (sony *.arw) as being 1616 x 1080 and 24.59 MB when every other tools shows them as 4000 x 6000 and 24.59.

If you refer to the file window into tip, IMatch here displays the data as it was imported into the database. The file size is taken directly from the Windows file system and formatted according to your specification in MB, KB or bytes. There should be no difference to all the other software you use, unless they use a different rounding or something.

If the image dimensions are wrong, the problem is usually that the installed WIC codec did not deliver the proper size information. Which WIC codecs do you have installed?

To test: Select one of your ARW files in a file window. From the Help > Supprt menu choose WIC Diagnosis. Attach the information returned to your reply. This will show us which codecs you have and what they return for the selected image.

If you don't know about WIC codecs, please see this general information about WIC on my web site: http://www.photools.com/1167/wic-support-codec-availability/

I do not find the dialog referenced in cited URL.  It appears to be a different path than I can find. 

Is this the one: `Edit / Preferences / File Formats'; Here I find a list of codecs incuding the one from my camera vendor (sony) with

• Enable checked.  No mention whatever of WIC. I did as suggested .. downloaded / installed the newest codec from sony.
  
  Let me explain a bit more:
  I'm running a very newly installed re-install of win7.  I have most of my normal tools installed, like the whole adobe suite, Irfan View, Breeze Browser and more, but not all my normal tools.  I usually have 'Fast Picture Viewer' and the latest codec pkgs installed.  But have not installed those yet.  Perhaps size problems will disappear when I get that done.
  
  Meantime, it seems your comments:
  

  ... IMatch here displays the data as it was imported into the database. The file size is taken directly from the Windows file system ...

  do not hold water in my partially done setup.  I've attached screen grabs showing windows explorer displaying 6000 x 4000 while IM5 shows 1616 x 1080.  So it appears that windows knows the right size but is not passing it to IM5.  The snap is taken after I installed latest Sony codec.
  
  Please see 4 attachements:
  
  1) showing a sony codec being enabled in the preferences / File formats dialog
  2) The requested WIC-Diagnostics showing a codec failing
  3) Image of windows file explorer showing 6000 x 4000 px
  4) Image from IM5 showing same file at 1616 x 1080
  
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[jch2103]

It would likely be prudent to (re-)install Fast Picture Viewer codecs, especially as you apparently used them before your recent Win7 re-install.

[Mario]

The WIC diagnosis can be accessed via the Help menu in the main menu bar in IMatch. There, choose Support and then WIC Diagnostics.

When I speak of file size I mean how many bytes a file allocates on disk. The width and height of an image are it's dimensions. If you have no WIC codec installed, IMatch will not be able to process your files. It seems to be able to extract only the embedded JPEG preview, which is smaller than the real RAW file.

Either install the codec delivered by Sony, one of the Microsoft WIC codecs if they support the ARW format you use (not guraneteed) or the FastPictureViewer code pack.

Then rescan the images to process them via the new installed codec: Hold down <Ctrl> when you choose the Rescan command from the context menu of the folder to get the dialog with the additional options, then choose "force update"). This will reload the images completely and should bring in the image at full size.