Today’s Question: There are a lot of metadata fields in Lightroom Classic. I apply a metadata preset for the basics (copyright, name, etc.). When I process images, I fill in Title and Caption, and I use Copy Name to identify specific uses. Should I also fill in all the other fields, such as Alt Text and Scene. And should I change the file name if I want the images when posted to a site like SmugMug to be better searchable? All of this can be very time-consuming.
Tim’s Quick Answer: My view is that you should only update metadata that will prove useful to you, such as the Keywords field and perhaps Title and Caption. Renaming generally isn’t critical provided you’re otherwise using metadata or other updates to make the images easier to find.
More Detail: To be sure, renaming all photos to names that represent the images better than the filenames assigned by the camera can be helpful. And updating every metadata field that relates to your images in any way could potentially be helpful at some point. But my view is that you should consider the cost versus benefit of performing that work and only apply updates that will truly be helpful in your workflow.
The only metadata field that I sort of view as being mandatory is the Keywords field. That’s because I consider this field to be particularly helpful both when it comes to locating specific images and when you need to be reminded of some of the key details of a photo. I therefore consider it worthwhile to keyword at least your favorite photos, and at least with the keywords you believe will be most helpful for locating photos and getting a reminder about their contents.
Beyond keywords, I only recommend updating various metadata fields if doing so is necessary (such as when submitting images to a stock photography agency) or helpful (such as to use as a title when sharing to social media or simply helping you better organize your images).
For example, I do find updating the Title and Caption fields can be very helpful, at least for your favorite photos. Updating the Copy Name field for virtual copies in Lightroom Classic can also be helpful for keeping those virtual copies organized.
There are so many metadata fields available in the various defined standards, which by extension means there are many fields visible in Lightroom Classic (and other software). However, I don’t recommend updating a large number of metadata fields just because they are there. Think carefully about which fields might be the most useful in your workflow, and update accordingly, even if that only means assigning meaningful keywords to your photos.
Note, by the way, that if you want a more streamlined view of the metadata fields that are most helpful to you, it is possible to customize the Default view in the Metadata section of Lightroom Classic so it only includes the specific metadata fields you want to have access to.
