Working with metadata on large sets of images can be time-consuming, even with the variety of streamlined metadata tools offered by DF Studio. In some cases, it can be more efficient to work with metadata content in an external tool like a text editor or spreadsheet application.
Import Metadata
DF Studio’s Import Metadata feature ingests information from a comma-separated file (.csv) and maps it to appropriate metadata fields within a Project. It is necessary to include a column in the .csv file with a unique identifier for each asset, so that the importer can match each row from the file to the intended asset in the project. (In most cases, the DFS ID is the best identifier; to start with a .csv file containing all of the DFS IDs in a Project, see the Export Metadata process outlined below.)
Once the appropriate metadata has been associated with each row in the external application, use its “Export as CSV” function to create a file for importing.
Within the DF Studio Project, click the “Import Metadata” button from the Project Inspector.
Drag the .csv file onto the window, or click the upload area to browse local files and folders to locate the appropriate file.
Once the file has uploaded, the Import Metadata from CSV File overlay will display options for Lookup (matching each asset from the Project to a row from the imported file) and Import (mapping each column from the file to the appropriate metadata field in DF Studio).
In the Lookup section, specify which type of match, and choose the column from the .csv file to use as a unique asset identifier. If a column name matches DFS ID or Asset Name, these will be automatically configured. However, the selections can be adjusted to use any column from the .csv file with values matching DFS IDs or asset filenames from the Project.
If desired, select a column from the .csv file to specify the name of a Setup into which the asset should be inserted.
In the import section, select a metadata field to which each column from the .csv should be mapped. (Columns from the comma-separated file that do not have titles will be ignored by the Import Metadata tool.) If there are columns that are not needed for the current import, choose the “Skip” option from the top of the menu.
Metadata written from the Import Metadata tool will overwrite any current information in the selected metadata fields. To protect the information currently stored in a metadata field, use “Skip” from the Import options, or begin the process with a .csv that incorporates the current metadata. (See Export Metadata below for more information.)
Click the “Import Metadata” button to perform the import, click “Start Over” to select a new .csv file and begin the process again, or click “Cancel” to close the overlay.
Metadata written to DF Studio assets using the Import Metadata tool is treated the same as metadata typed into the Metadata overlay or Asset Inspector tab. If a field is using a closed set of defined Metadata Terms, values from the imported file which are not in the defined Metadata Terms will be omitted. If a field is using an open set of defined Metadata Terms, any new terms included in the imported file will be added to the Metadata Terms in DF Studio at the appropriate level of file hierarchy. For more information, see Manage and Assign Metadata Terms.
The Import Metadata tool can also rename assets in DF Studio or move them into new Setups within their current Project or Collection. For more on these functionalities, see Rename Assets With Metadata Import
Export Metadata
Many applications can open a comma-separated file (.csv) for efficient bulk-editing operations on metadata from the assets in a DF Studio Project. It’s a useful starting point for creating a .csv file for importing metadata in bulk for all assets in a Project (see Import Metadata, above), and can also be used for visualizing information in a spreadsheet application or other program.
DF Studio allows the creation of such a file using the “Export as Text” button in the Asset inspector. To export a .csv file containing the metadata for all assets in a Project, begin by clicking selecting an asset or assets, then click the “Export as Text” button.
To export text for the selected assets, choose Selected in the Export as Text overlay; otherwise, choose All images for the current Project.
Next, select the fields that should be included in the exported file. Include at least one unique identifier so that each asset can later be matched to its row in the exported file. (If no custom identifiers have been established in the DF Studio account, the DFS ID is a good choice since it is designed to be unique across the entire account.) For ease in editing, it can be useful to export the Asset Names as well.
To select all fields, or deselect all fields and begin again, click “Check All” or “Uncheck All”.
Specify whether columns in the exported file should be delimited by commas (CSV) or tabs (TAB). CSV is required for DF Studio’s Import Metadata feature (see above), but some applications may require a tab-delimited file.
Click “Export” to prepare the file, and click “Close” in the resulting pop-up box to begin the file download.
The exported file may be opened in a text editor or spreadsheet application to view or modify the metadata fields for the Project’s assets.