Metadata Editing

Use these sections in the right panel:

• File Info - read-only capture information
• EXIF Corrections - supported changes to dates, location, and camera information
• IPTC Editor - editorial, rights, contact, and descriptive metadata

Use the right-panel toggle in the toolbar if this panel is hidden. Several sections include a gear icon so you can show or hide individual rows and keep the panel focused on what you use most.

You can also edit individual fields directly in List View. Filename/date/IPTC cell edits affect one row, not the whole selection. Inline text commits on Return or leaving the field, independently of the right-panel auto-save preference; status controls can affect multiple selected rows. See the List View guide for editable columns and saving behavior.

Single-Photo Editing

Select one photo and wait for its metadata to load before editing IPTC.

• Enter a caption, keywords, or other values, then click Apply to save
• Wait for saving to finish and check any errors before exporting or closing
• Text fields can also use supported {Variable} tokens to insert information from the current photo

Settings > General > Metadata Writing > Auto-save IPTC editor changes is off by default. If enabled, leaving an edited item can save its changes automatically. Do not assume typing alone has already saved the metadata.

One button per keyword: use a Stream Deck or programmable keypad to combine field focus, text entry, and saving. See External Devices & Automation for an introduction and a step-by-step keywording example.

Saved Keywords

Keep a reusable list of names, places, or subjects so you can add consistent keywords without retyping them. Saved keywords are available in the IPTC editor, Bulk Editor, and IPTC templates.

1. Open Tools > Saved Keywords….
2. Enter or paste keywords separated by commas or line breaks, such as Travel, New York, then click Add.
3. In the IPTC editor’s Keywords field, click the list button, search, and click words to add them. Checked words are already in the field.
4. Click Apply to save the photo. For several photos, enable Keywords in the Bulk Editor, choose whether to replace or add to existing keywords, then click Apply to N Photos.

You can also type part of a saved keyword, choose a suggestion, then press Return or click + to add it. Type your own keywords the same way; adding them to a photo does not automatically save them to the reusable list.

In the picker, Manage Keywords… opens the list manager. Use the pencil to rename a word and Save, or the trash button to delete it. These changes do not rename or remove keywords already used in photos or templates. To remove a keyword from the current photo, click its × and apply the edit.

To share the list across your devices, enable Settings > iCloud Sync > Saved Keywords on each one using the same Apple Account. It is on by default. This shares the list, not keyword edits on photos; deleting a saved keyword also removes it from the synced list on other devices.

IPTC Editor

On Mac, assign shortcuts under Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts > IPTC Field Focus to jump directly to Caption, Keywords, or another field for one selected photo or the focused photo in Full View. The editor opens and focuses the field automatically. See IPTC field shortcuts for setup and limitations.

The IPTC Editor is organized into collapsible sections. All fields are optional - only the sections and rows you edit are written.

Content

• Title
• Headline
• Caption / Description
• Keywords
• Alt Text Accessibility
• Extended Description Accessibility
• Intellectual Genre
• IPTC Scene Codes
• IPTC Subject Codes
• Products
• Artwork / Objects
• CV Terms

Admin

• Job ID
• Instructions
• Date Created
• Description Writer
• Organization Names
• Organization Codes
• Digital Image GUID
• Max Available Width / Height
• Registry Entries

Contact

• Creator Names
• Creator Job Title
• Contact Email, Phone, Website
• Contact Address, City, State/Region, Country, Postal Code

People & Places

• Person Names
• People (Detailed) - each entry supports Name, Description, Characteristics, and Identifier
• Contributors
• Locations Created / Shown - full IPTC location structure per location: Location Name, Sublocation, City, Province/State, Country, Country Code, World Region, and GPS coordinates
• Event Name and Event IDs
• Genres

Rights

• Copyright Notice
• Copyright Status
• Credit Line
• Source
• Usage Terms
• Rights URL / Web Statement of Rights
• Data Mining permission
• Copyright Owners
• Licensors
• Image Suppliers and Supplier Image ID
• Image Creators and Creator Image ID
• Model Release Status and IDs
• Property Release Status and IDs
• Minor Model Age Disclosure
• Model Ages
• Additional Model Info
• Other Constraints

AI Source

• Digital Source Type
• AI System Used and Version
• AI Prompt Writer Name
• AI Prompt Information

File Info and EXIF Corrections

File Info shows read-only EXIF metadata for the selected photo. When you need to correct capture data, the EXIF Corrections section becomes active:

• Date/time offset - shift DateTimeOriginal by years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds
• Absolute date picker - set an exact capture date and time rather than applying an offset
• GPS - enter latitude and longitude manually, or use the location search field to find a place by name
• Camera metadata overrides - independently correct Camera Make, Camera Model, Lens Make, Lens Model, ISO, Focal Length, Aperture, Shutter Speed, and EXIF UserComment

Click Apply Corrections to commit EXIF corrections. Available controls depend on the source and selection.

Apple Photos supports date and location corrections only. These change the Photos library item’s date/location, not the original file’s embedded EXIF. Camera/lens, exposure, orientation, and comment overrides are unavailable for Apple Photos sources. File Info can still show camera and lens data once loaded; see Statistics for full metadata scanning and iCloud download costs.

UserComment is useful for short capture notes that do not belong in IPTC fields - for example, recording film stock while scanning or organizing analog work.

EXIF Camera Presets

Use Presets in EXIF Corrections to reuse camera/lens, ISO, focal length, aperture, shutter speed, and comment values.

1. Enter the corrections, then choose Presets > Save as Preset….
2. Name the preset, include only the fields you want, and click Save.
3. On another eligible photo or selection, choose the preset under Load Preset. Review the values and click Apply Corrections to write them.

Loading a preset only fills the correction controls. You can combine presets; later ones replace overlapping fields. Manage Presets… lets you edit, duplicate, or delete them. These presets do not include date or GPS corrections and do not enable camera corrections for unsupported sources such as Apple Photos.

Capture Timezone

When a photo’s EXIF data includes a timezone offset (OffsetTimeOriginal), the File Info panel shows two time values:

• The capture time in the camera’s local timezone
• The equivalent time in your Mac’s current timezone (shown when they differ)

This is useful for travel photography where the camera was set to a different timezone than where you are reviewing the images.

Place Names from GPS

When a photo has GPS coordinates, PhotoCuller can find the place name and fill IPTC location fields such as City and Country.

Location Search

In the People & Places section, you can type a place name into the location search field to fill location fields without entering coordinates manually.

Multi-Photo Editing

When multiple items are selected, the right panel switches to batch mode with two independent sections: the IPTC Bulk Editor and Batch EXIF Corrections.

IPTC Bulk Editor

The IPTC Bulk Editor lets you edit IPTC fields across all selected photos directly - no template required.

• Every field has a checkbox
• Only checked fields are written when you click Apply to N Photos
• For fields containing lists, such as Keywords, Person Names, Organizations, and other list-based IPTC rows, a merge mode picker appears

To use the Bulk Editor:

1. Select two or more photos.
2. Check the fields you want to edit.
3. Enter the values.
4. Choose whether to replace or add to existing lists.
5. Click Apply to N Photos.

Prefill from a Template

A template picker at the top of the Bulk Editor lets you load values from a saved IPTC template. This populates the fields and checks the boxes for you - you can then adjust values before applying. Session variables required by the template are shown and must be filled before applying.

Batch EXIF Corrections

With multiple items selected, EXIF Corrections applies to eligible items. Apple Photos supports date/location changes, not the camera overrides listed below:

• Date offset - shifts all selected items by the same amount
• GPS assignment - writes the same GPS coordinates to all selected items; enable Skip photos that already have GPS to avoid overwriting existing location data
• Camera info overrides - applies the same make/model/lens/ISO/focal length/aperture/shutter speed/UserComment values to the whole selection

Click Apply Corrections to run.

Metadata Write Behavior

Where metadata is stored depends on your source type and settings.

Filesystem sources

When both an embedded XMP block and a .xmp sidecar exist for the same file, PhotoCuller reads the sidecar first and ignores the embedded block.

For direct culling and IPTC edits, For JPEG, HEIF, and TIFF, save metadata in file controls JPEG and HEIF-family saving. Turn it off to use separate XMP files for those formats. TIFF and PNG still use separate XMP files regardless of this setting. Keep sidecars with the photos.

Apple Photos sources

See Apple Photos metadata sync for device requirements and workflow output options for carrying PhotoCuller metadata into exported files. Quick Transfer alone does not export that metadata.

Safety Tips

• Use a small test selection before running large batch corrections
• Confirm session variable values before template apply
• For camera or date corrections, verify one reference item first before applying to hundreds

See Also

• IPTC Templates
• Template Variables
• Apple Photos vs Filesystem
• Settings