Layout: tags for video

[twe]

In my thumbnail layout, I want to display camera model.
For still images this works fine, but not for video.
I have lots of MOV files, filmed with various Nikon DSLRs and iPhones, but each device seems to have the "model" information in different metadata tags.

Example:
Nikon D7100: {File.MD.Nikon::NCTG\2\Model\0}
Iphone5S: {File.MD.QuickTime::ItemList\2\Model\0}
Iphone4S: {File.MD.QuickTime::ItemList\5\Model\0}
Iphone4S: {File.MD.QuickTime::UserData\\xa9mod\Model\0}
Iphone4S: {File.MD.QuickTime::ItemList\2.5\Model\0}

I tried to mix all tags i could find in one custom template, and that work for most files, but not all.
Is there an easier way to display model information for MOV files in the Layout Editor ?

[Mario]

Welcome to the wonderful world of metadata.
There is no standard for metadata in video files. Some support the Apple QuickTime tags (which are a moving target all by themselves). Some support some kind of other tags (FlashPix tags, e.g. in MS formats). Or the don't support any metadata at all.

Thanks to Exiftool and the great works of Phil Harvey we have at least the ability to display a large number of these video metadata in the Metadata Panel.

If all your videoi files store the camera model in different tags, I suggest you write to the camera vendor and ask for a standardization. Or a tool which allows you to process the metadata your camera creates in some useful way. After all you paid them with your money, right?

Naturally, they'll be having a big laugh at you and then move your email directly into the bin. Vendors give a damn, frankly. They have your money already, so what.

Now to your problem.  Several ideas:

1. Use a Metadata Template to copy the tags from the various sources into one common tag. You can use the has formatting function and the like to determine if a tag is null/empty and then fall back to another tag.

2. Use ExifTool directly to copy/re-write tags in your image files. Ask on the ET forum if you need specifics or tips.

3. Copy the tag manually or via a Metadata Template into a common XMP tag.

4. Setup a custom HTML Panel template which handles this problem. The template can use different variables while trying to produce the output you desire.

5. Create an IMatch App which understands the metadata in your video files and is able to render the information you want to see. You can even include a preview if the format is supported by HTML 5. Only a few formats are, though. License and DRM issues.

Geez. IMatch 5 is flexible. I hope people will honor that by buying it   

[twe]

Thanks for lots of alternatives Imatch is indeed very flexible.
As mentioned I found many different tags regarding "model", but some did not work. I testet each one in VarToy..and one that did not work was this: {File.MD.QuickTime::UserData\\xa9mod\Model\0}
It does not display a result in VarToy, even if it is copied as a variable directly from the metadata browser.

Read that you solved a related issue in the post With topic "Quicktime metadata in wrong Fields". This looks to also solve my issue in the next build. The problem is probably the double slashes \\.

[Mario]

Yes. The \ as part of the tag id was a problem and caused variables to fail to return a result. That's fixed for 5.0.148.