UKC

OK, so I want to tag some images with words to make them searchable because I don't want to move them from their existing locations (chronological folders). I assume I can write something into the metadata that will do this? If so, what's the best bit of free software to do this? Ideally I'd like something which integrates into windows explorer so I can highlight a group of images, right click and get an option to edit the metadata in much the same way that compression programmes like Winzip allow you to zip a file from explorer.
Thanks in advance

In reply to Toerag:

Windows 7 has Live Gallery that will allow you to add tags to the metadata. However it is a very slow process.

If you have a lot of images, possibly in the thousands or tens of thousands, then I most definitely recommend paying for a copy of Adobe Lightroom. Lightroom allows you to batch tag multiple images at a time.

I initially got a pirate copy but it was many generations old so I went and bought version 5 and never regretted the investment.

If you are still after a free option then you could consider using a Linux operating system and then use a photography software that can create tags.

If you are a windows user then Lightroom is the most efficient option.

In reply to Toerag:

In my opinion, Adobe Lightroom is best for photographic workflow - including metadata editing. It is quite heavyweight, though, and may well be overkill for light/casual use. It is also worth noting that LR keeps metadata in its own database and doesn't modify source images. Metadata is only added to images when you export them. Obviously it isn't free.

FastStone Image Viewer (google it, can't include a link for some reason) is pretty good. Does metadata editing, and other useful things like lossless jpeg rotation. Free for non-commercial use. I use it on the rare occasions that I want to modify master copies of images.

Wikipedia has a comparison of metadata editors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_metadata_editors) that might be useful. There seems to be a lot of choice, but free software can be of variable quality so you may need to try a few.

In reply to Toerag:

I find Exiftool to be excellent for this job.

And it's free

In reply to timjones:


Seconded.

In reply to Toerag:

Thanks chaps .