Metadata

Metadata automation

Do you stamp the Media Number into the metadata of downloaded files?

A: Yes. The Media Number is automatically written into the IPTC/PMIPTCImageNumber field.
However, not all photo‑editing software can read this field.

If you want the Media Number to appear in a more commonly supported metadata field, you can update your Archive settings to dynamically modify the downloaded metadata.

To set dynamic metadata modification rules in Archive settings:

1. Right‑click the Archive folder > context menu > Settings.
2. In Database Field, choose the field you want to modify.
3. In Action, select what you want to do (add, replace, remove, etc.).
4. If needed, enter the Text or Value to apply.
   • To use the value from another field, click the […] button and select that field.
5. Adjust the Execution option to define whether the modification affects downloaded files, displayed files, or both.
6. Add a condition if you want the rule to run only when certain criteria are met.
7. Click Save.

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Can I add, remove, or replace metadata for all my media files in Archive at once?

A: Yes. Backstage supports dynamic metadata modification rules. This means you can add, replace, or remove metadata automatically. These rules can be changed or removed at any time.

To set dynamic metadata modification rules in the Archive settings:

1. Right‑click the Archive folder > context menu > Settings.
2. In Database Field, choose the field you want to modify.
3. In Action, select what you want to do (add, replace, remove, etc.).
4. If needed, enter the Text or Value to apply.
   • To use the value from another field, click the […] button and select that field.
5. Adjust the Execution option to define whether the modification affects downloaded files, displayed files, or both.
6. Add a condition if you want the rule to run only when certain criteria are met.
7. Click Save.

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Why is an action missing from my folder?

A: You need to enable actions for each folder before they appear.

To make an action available:

1. Right‑click the folder and select Settings.
2. Open the Actions tab.
3. Select the actions you want to enable for this folder.

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If I update a Field Mapping template, does it automatically update folders I used it on before?

A: Updating a Field Mapping template does not change existing folders.

A Field Mapping template is just a saved set of field values that you can apply when setting up a folder. When you apply the template, it fills in the folder’s field mapping only at that moment.

If you later change the template, those changes do not automatically apply to folders you already set up. To use the updated mapping, you need to manually update the field mapping for each folder where you want the new settings.

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Why are my credits being cut off?

A: Backstage follows the official IPTC standard. The standard supports only 32 characters for the Credit field, and that's the reason why the overhang values are cut off.

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Can I turn metadata entry fields into drop‑down menus instead of free‑text fields?

A: Yes. You can define a metadata field as a drop‑down menu as long as it’s a single‑value field.
Go to Administration > Database Fields > Media, select the field, then choose Edit > Set Menu Items and follow the on‑screen instructions. Only fields that have a “Predefined Menu” option can be configured as drop‑downs.

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Batch Processing

How do I edit multiple media files?

A: You can easily change the metadata on multiple images this way:

1. Select the images you want to change.
   • To select consecutive images, hold down the SHIFT key and click the first and last image.
   • To select non-consecutive images, hold down the CTRL key (PC) or Command key (Mac) and click each image.
2. Select Edit > Batch Process.
3. Make your changes in the relevant field.
   • By default, the system appends the new data to the existing content. If you want to overwrite the existing value instead, click the small menu next to the field and choose Replace.
4. Click Save.

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Why does the By-Line/Pseudonym field change automatically when I select an Author Code?

A: The Author Code and By-Line fields are linked in the metadata‑entry form.
When you select an Author Code, the system automatically fills the By-Line field with the byline stored for that author under Purchasing > Authors.

This behavior cannot be disabled.
If you're batch processing, you can prevent changes by selecting No Change next to the By-Line field.

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When I batch‑processed image metadata, the new data was appended instead of replaced.

A: By default, batch processing is configured to append new metadata to existing data.
You can change this per field in Administration > Form Editor > Media Processing by opening your metadata form, selecting a field like Caption in the Form Configuration panel, and setting Default for Batch Processing to Replace. Save the form and repeat for any other fields you want to overwrite.
Within a form's settings, it’s possible to change the Default for Batch Processing to Replace, Add to End, or Add to Beginning.
You can have different defaults for each field.

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Metadata export

I am attempting to export all my metadata and it leads to a blank white screen.

A: The Metadata Export feature allows you to export a maximum of 100,000 rows of data. If you need to export more than this, please break up your export into multiple exports. For example, search by a Media Number or Date Range.
Alternatively, you can pay a service fee and have picturemaxx do the export for you.

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My search result is limited. How can I export from files that aren't visible in results?

A: When you export metadata, the system exports all records that match your search, even if they don’t appear in the visible results. Unless you manually select specific items.
So as long as you haven’t selected individual files, the export will include the full dataset behind your search.

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The .txt file I exported from Backstage is unreadable in Excel.

A: Backstage exports your data as a .txt file so it can be opened in many programs, including Excel. If it looks unreadable when you open it, you just need to import it correctly.

When you open up the exported text file in Excel (File -> Open), the Text Import Wizard will ask you how to import the text.

1. Select Delimited as the file type.
2. Choose the correct delimiter used in your export, usually semicolon ( ; ), and click Finish. Excel will format the text into column and your data should appear clearly.

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Can I export thumbnails?

A: The Metadata Export tool cannot export thumbnail images directly. However, there are a few alternative ways to export thumbnails:

• Export “Media Number” data and then build direct links to preview images using this format:

http://www.DOMAIN.com/id/MEDIANUMBER

• Print your search results as a PDF along with metadata. Select the images and click Edit > Print, select a layout and click Print.
• Export download statistics to Excel along with a thumbnail image:
  1. Go to Sales > Statistics > Overview and select All Downloads.
  2. Above the results table, select an Export menu option.
  3. In the Field Mapping drop-down, add the Media Thumbnail field to the export template.

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Metadata import

Why didn’t my data import?

A: Metadata imports can fail for several common reasons. Here are the issues to check:

• The spreadsheet isn’t formatted into proper columns.
• The Media Number or filename that’s used as the reference isn’t valid.
  • Media Numbers shall include all eight digits, including any leading zeros.
• There’s a space in the spreadsheet after the Media Number or filename, so the system doesn’t recognize the file.
• The location to update the images wasn’t the correct one.
  • To update images in Media Processing, you shall open the folder first, then choose Metadata Import.
  • To update images in the Archive, you shall run a search in the Archive first, then choose Metadata Import.
• The spreadsheet includes missing rows of data.
  • If the image reference number fields in any row is blank, the import will stop, because the system thinks it has reached the end of the file.
• The selected "Character Set" doesn't match the file's encoding.
  • For example, if "Unicode (UTF-8) is selected in the "Configure Import Format" panel, but the file is not UTF-8, the import will fail.
  • To check the file's encoding, open it in Notepad and select Save As. The "Encoding" dropdown shows the current encoding.
• The file is too big.

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How should I format dates for import?

A: To import dates via the metadata import feature, the dates must be formatted in the spreadsheet as YYYYMMDD.

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How should “licensetype” (license type) values be formatted for import?

A: To import data into the licensetype field, enter the numeric value in the spreadsheet:

• 1 = Rights‑Managed
• 2 = Royalty‑Free

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How should Author Contracts be formatted for metadata import?

A: Only import contract metadata if you need to assign a file to a non‑Standard Contract. By default, each image is associated with the Author's Standard Contract.

To import contracts, the metadata spreadsheet needs to include the Author Contract ID numbers, You can look them up in the ID column in Purchasing > Authors > Contract tab > Contract Terms subtab.

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How do line breaks need to be formatted for import?

A: To import line breaks correctly, save your file as a readable CSV. Make sure your file follows these rules:

• Separate all columns using semicolons ( ; )

a;b;c;d

• If a field contains new lines or a semicolon, wrap that field in double quotes ( " ). Example with a semicolon inside the field:

a;"b;b";"c
c2";d

• If a field contains double quotes  ( " ), escape each double quote by doubling it ( "" ).

a;"b with "" and another character";c

Example:

Media Number;Caption;Field xyz
12345;"This is a caption
with multiple lines
which contains special characters like "" and ;
end";abc
23456;12345;def

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I’m trying to import metadata for unpublished images. Why can’t I map the Media Number?

A: The Media Number field is not available when importing metadata into the Media Processing area. You can only use the Media Number field for imports into the Archive.

This is because the system usually assigns Media Numbers only after images are published. For unpublished images, use the Filename as the mapping field when importing metadata.

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How can I clear existing metadata using Metadata Import?

A: To clear existing metadata with the Metadata Import tool, note that leaving a field blank in your spreadsheet does not change the current value.

By default, the Metadata Import tool does not overwrite existing metadata when a field is left blank in your spreadsheet.
To intentionally remove metadata, enable the Clear field contents option next to the relevant field. This overwrites the existing metadata with an empty value.

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