Examining metadata

As mentioned in Chapter 3, Bring It In: Importing Your Footage, metadata is “data about data,” and while it starts with the basics — the filename, creation date, frame size, and frame rate — there are hundreds of additional pieces of image data that can be explored. The default columns available in List view are extensive, but they don’t show all the information that can be stored inside a file. While it takes some digging, you can now view and potentially change this data in either the Inspector or the List view of the Browser. Let’s set it up.

Metadata in List view

Metadata, in terms of camera-originated data attached to media files, can be pretty boring and technical, the kind of thing that a program needs to worry about, rather than you. Maybe you don’t care much about the codec or color profile of every clip. Still, some of this info can help you to make intelligent choices by finding files with particular...