Where is my data stored?
All information entered using iTag is written to the IPTC and XMP headers of each file.
Below is an indication of where iTag stores the captions for each file type and what applications can also see this information:
| File Type | IPTC | XMP |
|---|---|---|
| JPEG |  |
|
| RAW | |
|
| AVI | |
AVI Compatibility
AVI tagging is performed using Adobe's XMP Toolkit to add XMP data into the AVI.
I don't know of any other application currently capable of performing AVI tagging but if you want to verify the XMP is in the file, open up a (small!) avi in your favorite text editor and search for "xmp".
RAW Compatibility
RAW tagging is performed using Adobe's XMP Toolkit so any Adobe product will be compatible with iTag edited images and vice versa.
Depending on the particular format, some Microsoft products such as Pro Photo Tools and Windows Live Photo Gallery may be able to read the data too but their RAW support is lagging somewhat.
JPEG Compatibility
JPEG's are currently tagged using Microsoft's Windows Imaging Component. Be aware that their library does shift MakerNote data within the image (for reasons only known to Microsoft).
If you care about MakerNotes then you may want to verify that your toolsets can still see the MakerNotes after tagging. ExifTool is one application that supports the offset marker.
Below is a table that lists the known applications that all work with JPEG IPTC and XMP headers
| Application | Comments | XMP Storage Location | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Description | Tags | |||||
| Desktop Applications | |||||||
| iTag | 100% compatible with itself! | /xmp/dc:title | /xmp/exif:UserComment /xmp/dc:description |
/xmp/dc:subject | |||
| Adobe Photoshop CS3 | Fully compatible | /xmp/dc:title | /xmp/dc:description | /xmp/dc:subject | |||
| Adobe Lightroom | Fully compatible | /xmp/dc:title | /xmp/dc:description | /xmp/dc:subject | |||
| Windows Vista Photo Gallery | Fully compatible | /xmp/dc:title | /xmp/exif:UserComment | /xmp/dc:subject | |||
| Windows Live Photo Gallery | Fully compatible | /xmp/dc:title | /xmp/exif:UserComment | /xmp/dc:subject | |||
| Microsoft Pro Photo Tools (formerly Photo Info) |
Fully compatible | /xmp/dc:title | /xmp/exif:UserComment | /xmp/dc:subject | |||
| Vista Flickr Uploader | Fully compatible | /xmp/dc:title | /xmp/exif:UserComment | /xmp/dc:subject | |||
| Application | Comments | IPTC Storage Location | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Description | Tags | |||||
| Desktop Applications | |||||||
| iTag | 100% compatible with itself! | IPTC.Headline & IPTC.ObjectName |
IPTC.Caption JPEG.Comment (read only) |
IPTC.Keywords | |||
| Adobe Photoshop CS3 | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Adobe Lightroom | Fully compatible | ||||||
| BreezeBrowser Pro 1.7.2 | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Copernic Desktop Search 2 | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Exifer | Fully compatible | ||||||
| ExifTool | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Exiv2 | Fully compatible | ||||||
| IDimager | Fully compatible | ||||||
| IrfanView | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Mapivi | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Opanda IExif | Fully compatible (Editing requires PowerExif which isn't free) |
||||||
| Photo Mechanic | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Pixvue [Discontinued] | Fully compatible | IPTC.ObjectName | IPTC.Caption | IPTC.Keywords | |||
| XnView | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Photo Album Viewer/Generator | |||||||
| Adobe Photoshop Album 3.2 | Not compatible. Metadata appears to be stored in proprietary database |
||||||
| JAlbum | Fully compatible when using Chameleon skin | ||||||
| J.River Media Center | Title is ignored. Caption & Tags are automatically read in. |
- | IPTC.Caption | IPTC.Keywords | |||
| Picasa | Title is ignored. Caption & Tags are automatically read in. |
- | IPTC.Caption | IPTC.Keywords | |||
| Cooliris | Compatible when gallery is generated by iTag | - | |||||
| Porta | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Web based Applications | |||||||
| citizenimage | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Flickr | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Fotki | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Picasa Web Albums | Title is ignored. Caption & Tags are automatically read in. |
- | IPTC.Caption | IPTC.Keywords | |||
| SmugMug | Title is ignored. Caption & Tags are automatically read in. |
- | IPTC.Caption | IPTC.Keywords | |||
| Zooomr | Fully compatible | ||||||
| Photo Uploaders | |||||||
| Flickr Uploadr | Fully compatible | ||||||
| JUploadr | Title is ignored. Caption & Tags are automatically read in. |
- | IPTC.Caption | IPTC.Keywords | |||
| Vista Flickr Uploader | Fully compatible | IPTC.ObjectName | IPTC.Caption | IPTC.Keywords | |||
Besides Title, Description and Tags - iTag allows the editing of several other fields. Their respective storage locations are listed below
| Other iTag fields | |
|---|---|
| Author | /xmp/dc:creator IPTC.Byline |
| Copyright | /xmp/dc:rights IPTC.Copyright |
| Rating | /xmp/xmp:rating /xmp/MicrosoftPhoto:Rating |
Let me know of any errata or if you use a different application that works with IPTC or XMP.