To specify the metadata that appears in the Metadata
panel, do one of the following:
Last updated on
Sep 5, 2024
- Bridge User Guide
- Introduction
- Work with assets
- Creative Cloud Libraries in Bridge
- Create PDF contact sheet in the Output workspace
- View and manage files in Adobe Bridge
- Work with metadata in Adobe Bridge
- Work with the Adobe Bridge cache
- Use keywords in Adobe Bridge
- Start Adobe Bridge
- Adjust Adobe Bridge Content panel display
- Preview images and edit capture time
- HEIC and HEIF image files support in Adobe Bridge (Windows)
- Use collections in Adobe Bridge
- Stack files in Adobe Bridge
- Automate tasks in Adobe Bridge
- Workflow Builder
- Preview dynamic media files in Adobe Bridge
- Create web galleries and PDFs
- Work with Bridge shared cache
- Manage media cache
- Quick Actions
- Content Credentials
- Bridge and other Adobe apps
- Export and publish
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Adobe Camera Raw
- Troubleshooting
About metadata
Metadata is a set of standardized information about a file, such as author name, resolution, color space, copyright, and keywords applied to it. For example, most digital cameras attach some basic information to an image file, such as height, width, file format, and time the image was taken. You can use metadata to streamline your workflow and organize your files.
About the XMP standard
Metadata information is stored using the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) standard, on which Adobe Bridge, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Photoshop are built. Adjustments made to images with Photoshop Camera Raw are stored as XMP metadata. XMP is built on XML, and in most cases the metadata is stored in the file. If it isn’t possible to store the information in the file, metadata is stored in a separate file called a sidecar file. XMP facilitates the exchange of metadata between Adobe applications and across publishing workflows. For example, you can save metadata from one file as a template, and then import the metadata into other files.
Metadata that is stored in other formats, such as Exif, IPTC (IIM), GPS, and TIFF, is synchronized and described with XMP so that it can be more easily viewed and managed. Other applications and features also use XMP to communicate and store information such as version comments, which you can search using Adobe Bridge.
In most cases, the metadata remains with the file even when the file format changes (for example, from PSD to JPG). Metadata also remains when files are placed in an Adobe document or project.
Note:
If you are a C++ or Java developer, use the XMP Toolkit SDK to customize the processing and exchange of metadata. If you are an Adobe Flash® or Flex developer, use the XMP File Info SDK to customize the File Info dialog box. For more information, visit the Adobe website.
Working with metadata in Adobe Bridge
Many of the powerful Adobe Bridge features that allow you to organize, search, and keep track of your files and versions depend on XMP metadata in your files. Adobe Bridge provides two ways of working with metadata: through the Metadata panel and through the File Info dialog box.
In some cases, multiple views exist for the same metadata property. For example, a property may be labeled Author in one view and Creator in another, but both refer to the same underlying property. Even if you customize these views for specific workflows, they remain standardized through XMP.
A file’s metadata contains information about the contents, copyright status, origin, and history of the file. In the Metadata panel, you can view and edit the metadata for selected files, use metadata to search for files, and use templates to append and replace metadata.
Depending on the selected file, the following types of metadata may appear:
File Properties
Describes the characteristics of the file, including the size, creation date, and modification date.
IPTC (IIM, Legacy)
Displays editable metadata such as a description and copyright information. This set of metadata is hidden by default because IPTC Core supersedes it. However, you can display IPTC (IIM, legacy) metadata by selecting it from the Metadata options in the Preferences dialog box.
IPTC Core
Displays editable metadata about the file. The IPTC Core specification was developed by the International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) for professional photography, especially news and stock photos.
IPTC Extension
Includes additional identifying information about photo content, including rights-related details.
Fonts
Lists the fonts used in Adobe InDesign files.
Linked Files
Lists files that are linked to an Adobe InDesign document.
Plates
Lists CMYK plates specified for printing in Adobe Illustrator files.
Document Swatches
List the swatches used in Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator files.
Camera Data (Exif)
Displays information assigned by digital cameras, including the camera settings used when the image was taken.
GPS
Displays navigational information from a global positioning system (GPS) available in some digital cameras. Photos without GPS information don’t have GPS metadata.
Camera Raw
Displays settings applied by the Camera Raw plug-in.
Audio
Displays metadata for audio files, including artist, album, track number, and genre.
Video
Displays metadata for video files, including pixel aspect ratio, scene, and shot.
Edit History
Keeps a log of changes made to images with Photoshop.
Note: The History Log preference must be turned on in Photoshop for the log to be saved with the file’s metadata.
DICOM
Displays information about images saved in the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format.
Mobile SWF
Lists information about SWF files, including title, author, description, and copyright.
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- Choose Preferences from the Metadata panel menu.
- Choose Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Bridge > Preferences (macOS), and then select Metadata from the list on the left.
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Select the metadata fields that you want to display in the Metadata panel.
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Select the Hide Empty Fields option to hide fields with no information in them.
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Click OK.
The metadata placard
The metadata placard uses common icons for digital camera commands and functions.
A. Aperture B. Metering mode C. White balance D. Image dimensions E. Image size F. Color profile or filename extension G. Shutter speed H. Exposure compensation I. ISO
Metering mode icons that appear in the metadata placard:
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Average or centerweighted average |
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Evaluative |
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Spot |
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Multispot |
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Matrix or pattern |
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Partial |
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Centerweighted average or center weight |
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Other or unknown |
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Digital ESP |
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Note:
See the documentation that came with your camera for more information on its metering mode icons.
White balance icons that appear in the metadata placard:
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As shot |
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Tungsten |
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Auto |
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Fluorescent |
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Daylight |
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Flash |
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Cloudy |
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Custom |
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Shade |
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To show or hide the metadata placard, do one of the following:
- Select or deselect Show Metadata Placard from the Metadata panel menu.
- Select or deselect Show Metadata Placard in Metadata preferences.
View metadata
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Do any of the following:
- Select one or more files and view the information in the Metadata panel. If you select multiple files, only metadata that is common to the files appears. Use the scroll bars to view hidden categories. Click the triangle to display everything within a category.
Note:You can change the typeface size in the panel by choosing Increase Font Size or Decrease Font Size from the panel menu.
- Select one or more files and choose File >File Info. Then, select any of the categories listed at the top of the dialog box. Use the left and right arrows to scroll categories, or click the down arrow and select a category from the list.
- Choose View > As Details to display the metadata next to the thumbnails in the Content panel.
- Choose View > As List to display the metadata in columns in the Content panel.
- Position the pointer over a thumbnail in the content area. (Metadata appears in a tool tip only if Show Tooltips is selected in Thumbnails preferences.)
Metadata panel Metadata panel
Edit metadata in the Metadata panel
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Click the Pencil icon to the far right of the metadata field you want to edit.
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Type in the box to edit or add metadata.
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Press Tab to move through metadata fields.
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When you have finished editing the metadata, click the Apply button
at
the bottom of the Metadata panel. To cancel any changes you’ve made,
click the Cancel button 
at
the bottom of the panel.
View Camera Raw and Lightroom metadata in Adobe Bridge
Because Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, and Lightroom all use the XMP standard for storing metadata, each application can read metadata changes made in the others. If you add a star rating or IPTC information to a photo in Adobe Bridge, for example, Lightroom can display that metadata in the Library module. Similarly, adjustments or other metadata changes that you make to a photo in Camera Raw or Lightroom appear in Adobe Bridge. Metadata changes made in Lightroom must be saved to XMP in Lightroom in order for Adobe Bridge to recognize them.
While browsing files, Adobe Bridge rereads metadata, detects changes, and updates previews automatically. When Adobe Bridge detects metadata changes have been made to a photo, it displays a Has Settings badge 
in the photo thumbnail in the Content panel.
Note:
If you switch between Lightroom and Adobe Bridge rapidly, you may notice a delay in the update appearing in the Content and Preview panels. If, after waiting a few seconds, Adobe Bridge does not automatically display metadata changes from Lightroom or Camera Raw, choose View > Refresh, or press F5.
View linked InDesign files
Adobe InDesign CS5 and CS6 documents that contain linked files display a link badge 
in the upper-right corner of the thumbnail in the Content panel. The metadata for the linked files is available in Adobe Bridge.
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Select an Adobe InDesign document with linked files in the Content panel of the Adobe Bridge window.
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In the Metadata panel, expand the Linked Files section to view the names and paths of the linked files.
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Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the .indd file and choose Show Linked Files to see the linked files in the Contents panel.
View colors (Illustrator and InDesign) or fonts (InDesign)
When you select an InDesign document, the Metadata panel displays fonts and color swatches used in the document. When you select an Illustrator document, the Metadata panel displays plates and color swatches used in the document.
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Select an InDesign or Illustrator document in the Content panel of the Adobe Bridge window.
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In the Metadata panel, expand the Fonts (InDesign only), Plates (Illustrator only), or Document Swatches sections.
Add metadata using the File Info dialog box
The File Info dialog box displays camera data, file properties, an edit history, copyright, and author information. The File Info dialog box also displays custom metadata panels. You can add metadata directly in the File Info dialog box. If you select multiple files, the dialog box shows where different values exist for a text field. Any information you enter in a field overrides existing metadata and applies the new value to all selected files.
Note:
You can also view metadata in the Metadata panel, in certain views in the Content panel, and by placing the pointer over the thumbnail in the Content panel.
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Select one or more files.
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Choose File > File Info.
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Select any of the following from the tabs at the top of the dialog box:Note:
Use the Right Arrow and Left Arrow keys to scroll the tabs, or click the down-pointing arrow and choose a category from the list.
Description
Lets you enter document information about the file, such as document title, author, description, and keywords that can be used to search for the document. To specify copyright information, select Copyrighted from the Copyright Status pop-up menu. Then enter the copyright owner, notice text, and the URL of the person or company holding the copyright.
IPTC Core
Includes four areas: Content describes the visual content of the image. Contact lists the contact information for the photographer. Image lists descriptive information for the image. Status lists workflow and copyright information.
IPTC Extension
Includes additional identifying information about photo content, including rights-related details.
Camera Data
On the left, lists read-only information about the camera and settings used to take the photo, such as make, model, shutter speed, and f‑stop. On the right, lists read-only file information about the image file, including pixel dimensions and resolution.
GPS
Displays navigational information from a global positioning system (GPS) available in some digital cameras. Photos without GPS information don't have GPS metadata.
Video Data
Lists information about the video file, including video frame width and height, and lets you enter information such as tape name and scene name.
Audio Data
Lets you enter information about the audio file, such as title and artist.
Mobile SWF
Lists information about mobile media files, including title, author, description, and content type.
Categories
Lets you enter information based on Associated Press categories.
Origin
Lets you enter file information that is useful for news outlets, including when and where the file was created, transmission information, special instructions, and headline information.
DICOM
Lists patient, study, series, and equipment information for DICOM images.
History
Displays Adobe Photoshop history log information for images saved with Photoshop. The History option appears only if Adobe Photoshop is installed.
Advanced
Displays metadata properties as they are stored within their namespace structures.
Raw Data
Displays XMP text information about the file.
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Type the information to add in any displayed field.
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(Optional) Click Preferences at the bottom of the File Info dialog box for options to speed metadata editing: enable auto-completion, reset XMP changes, or restore the default dialog box.
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Click OK to apply the changes.
Work with metadata templates
You can create new metadata templates in Adobe Bridge by using the Create Metadata Template command. You can also modify the metadata in the File Info dialog box and save it as a text file with a .xmp filename extension. You share XMP files with other users or apply them to other files.
You can save metadata in a template that can be used to populate metadata in InDesign documents and other documents created with XMP‑enabled software. Templates you create are stored in a shared location that all XMP‑enabled software can access.
- To create a metadata template, choose Tools > Create Metadata Template. Enter a Template Name, and select the metadata values that you want to include. Then click Save.
Note:
If you select a metadata option and leave the corresponding box empty, Adobe Bridge clears existing metadata when you apply the template.
- To go to a saved metadata template in Explorer (Windows) or the Finder (Mac OS), choose Tools > Create Metadata Template. Click the pop-up menu in the upper-right corner of the Create Metadata template dialog box and choose Show Templates Folder.
- To delete a metadata template, select it in the Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS) and press Delete, or drag it to the Recycle Bin (Windows) or the Trash (Mac OS).
- To apply metadata templates to files in Adobe Bridge, select one or more files and then choose a command from the Metadata panel menu:
Append Metadata > [template name]
Applies the template metadata where no metadata value or property currently exists in the file.
Replace Metadata > [template name]
Completely replaces any existing metadata in the file with the metadata in the template.
- To edit a metadata template, choose Tools >Edit Metadata Template > [template name]. Enter different values for the included metadata and click Save.
- To save a file’s metadata as an XMP file, choose File >File Info. Click the pop-up menu at the bottom of the dialog box, next to the Preferences button, and chose Export. Type a filename, specify a location, and click Save.
Note:
You can only export metadata from one file at a time. If multiple files are selected, the Export option is not available.
Import metadata into a document
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Select one or more files.
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Choose File > File Info.
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Choose Import from the pop-up menu at the bottom of the dialog box.Note:
You must save a metadata template before you can import metadata from a template.
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Specify how you want to import the data:
Clear Existing Properties And Replace With Template Properties
Replaces all metadata in the file with the metadata in the XMP file.
Keep Original Metadata, But Replace Matching Properties From Template
Replaces only metadata that has different properties in the template.
Keep Original Metadata, But Append Matching Properties From Template
(Default) Applies the template metadata only where no metadata value or property currently exists in the file.
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Click OK.
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Navigate to the XMP text file and click Open.
