Open-source video tagging tool
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Best Metadata Editors
To keep files organized and appear at the top of video searches, it’s essential to edit video metadata. Use this list of the best metadata video editors to update your files in bulk or individually. Anyone searching for your files will thank you later!
- OpenShot – best for producing videos and animation on a desktop or laptop for free
- GroupDocs.Metadata – best for users who don’t want to download software
- MP4 Video and Audio Tag Editor – best for editors who work with MP4 files
- Avidemux – best for users editing video files in multiple formats
- VLC – playing and ripping media
- ExifTool – suitable for editors who like a video tagging tool with many options
- VSDC Free Video Editor – best for professional video editors
- tinyMediaManager – best for users editing tags for multiple media platforms
- abcAVI – best for editors who work with AVI files
- MyMeta – best for users working with various databases
- MetaDoctor – best for editors working with iTunes
- TigoTago – best for users who like working in spreadsheets
- MP4 Auto Tag – best for mac users working with MP4 files
- TagSpaces – best for creating sidecar files
- EXIF Date Changer – suitable for anyone who needs to change timestamp metadata
- Jaikoz – best for users working with audio files
- Canto digital asset management – best for companies working with large amounts of data
- Metadata++ – best for users who like hotkeys over using the mouse
- Media Center Master – best for editors who work with lots of external formats
- FFmpeg – suitable for users who need an all-around media organization tool
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Video metadata editors
Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux
G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5, 20 reviews
This software is a free and open-source video editor, so it will provide you with much more functionality than just the ability to edit metadata tags in your videos. The software features a clean and intuitive interface that is easy to find your way around, especially if you will be using it primarily to change video tags. Because it is open-source software, OpenShot supports all major desktop operating systems, including Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Pros
Multi-track timeline
Neat interface
Cons
For some users, the number of features might seem insufficient
Compatibility: Online tool
ITQlick rating: 4.6 out of 5
GroupDocs is a simple, easy-to-use online metadata editor for video, documents, audio, and images. On the homepage, the program has a simple drag-and-drop window so you can get started fast.
The software limits video files formats to AVI, MOV, and QT. So, users who need to change metadata on video files will have to use another program.
Pros
Online video metadata editor freeware
Batch metadata editor
Drop and drag feature
Cons
Doesn’t support MP4 files
Compatibility: Windows
This dedicated video tag editor is a commercial product with a free trial download available. Because it is a commercial offering and is dedicated solely to editing tags for video and audio, the software brings with it a number of powerful features for that purpose. You can allow the software to connect to the Movie DB and automatically pull in tag data for all of your videos. It will also rename your videos according to their tag data so you can be assured that the names are correct for all of your movie files. Once your files have their tags in place, you can browse through all of them or search for them by tags. This MP4 tag editor is Windows only.
Pros
Easy to use interface
A highly developed search tab
Cons
No support of audio files
No multiple tag editing
Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux
TechRadar rating: 4 out of 5
This simple video editor will allow you to perform basic video editing tasks, including the editing of video metadata. It is a free and open-source software product licensed under the GNU GPL. It is available for Linux, BSD, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows. Although the tasks it performs are basic, it has powerful automation functionality, which includes scripting capabilities.
Pros
Compatible with many video types
OS compatibility is also great
Cons
Bugs are reported frequently
Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux
TechRadar rating: 4.5 out of 5
Although billed as a media player, VLC is in many ways the Swiss Army knife of video software. VLC is free, open-source, and works with just about any operating system you can think of. It has a very powerful media playback engine that is able to play a wider range of video formats than many other video players can. It allows for very easy editing of the file's metadata by simply selecting to view the media information from the menu bar and then editing the fields that you wish to edit.
Pros
Completely free
Supports a lot of input formats
Cons
The interface may seem outdated
Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Unix
MacUpdate rating: 3.1 out of 5, 11 reviews
The ExifTool by Phil Harvey is one of the most well-known metadata editors for video and other image files. It has a powerful video EXIF editor that can manipulate video file metadata data in a few seconds. It also works for batch editing.
Pros
Free video metadata editor
Edit metadata for video on any OS
Can read and write creator notes for many raw files
Cons
Almost too many options when editing, so it can seem confusing for beginners
Compatibility: Windows
PCMag rating: 3 out of 5
The VSDC suite of free video tools will provide you with a wide range of video-related software. You'll be able to edit your metadata with the VSDC Free Video Editor program, but the suite also contains tools that you can use for screen recording, video capture, conversion of both audio and video files, as well as ripping audio CDs. The software is available for Windows only.
Pros
It is compatible with all recent 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Microsoft Windows OS
It allows you to burn video files to DVD
Cons
It does not support all media devices (e.g., iPhone and Android)
Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux
Though the tinyMediaManager is set up to change video metadata for online media centers, it works to change metadata for any purpose. The platform works on any OS and is easily one of the best metadata editors available.
Pros
Comes with an automatic updating system
Focused as a movie metadata editor and organizes data as such
Support for command-line arguments
Cons
The free version does a lot but has limitations on file types
Compatibility: Windows
A freeware application for Windows computers, abcAVI is designed to work only with AVI files. It supports RIFF INFO tags, MovieID tags, IDivX tags and allows you to edit over 40 different tag fields. You can query the Internet Movie Database right from within the software to help you find information for filling in your tags quickly.
Pros
A wide variety of supported tags
Allows changing playback speed and frame size
Cons
Works with AVI only
The last update was in 2005
Compatibility: Windows
This is another commercial video tag editor for Windows users. Unlike some of the other commercial products on the list, this one does not provide a free trial version. It does allow you to connect to various databases in an effort to automatically tag your files though. MyMeta can connect to TheMovieDB.org, TheTVDB.com, and tagChimp to find the tags for your video files. It can tag MP4, M4V, and MOV video files.
Pros
Has the AutoTag feature
Integrates seamlessly with internet metadata providers
Cons
Works only with MP4, M4V, and MOV
Compatibility: Mac
If you are a Mac user looking to add tags that match up with those that iTunes uses, then MetaDoctor might be the program you are looking for. This is another commercial offering. Although specifically designed as a video metadata editor, a unique feature of this application is the ability to load the video in and scrub through the file so you can quickly identify and copy timestamps. This makes it much easier to add chapter data to your tags than it is with other programs.
Pros
Can add chapters to videos
Can alter date stamps
Cons
You can only work with one file at a time
The layout can be tricky at first sight
Compatibility: Windows
Softpedia rating: 3.5 out of 5
If you’re looking for a spreadsheet-based video tag editor freeware, then TigoTago can be very helpful. This program will help you quickly edit keywords and tags in bulk, so it’s one of the most solid Windows metadata editors.
Pros
Very easy-to-use interface
A comprehensive meta tag reader
Perfect for bulk editing
Cons
Not a lot of advanced features
Compatibility: Mac
A Mac-only program, MP4 Auto Tag can open and tag almost any video file, making it a very versatile option for Mac users. It can also, as the name suggests, automatically search for and apply tags to your video files. The program is freeware and therefore not signed with a commercial Mac development certificate. This means you'll need to add an exception for it in your Mac's security settings so that it can run.
Pros
Provides tagging information for mobile devices
Completely free
Cons
Isn’t completely autonomous
Sometimes bugs are reported
Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux
G2 rating: 3.5 out of 5, 1 review
TagSpaces takes a slightly different approach to tagging videos. TagSpaces is a file browser that allows you to tag any file on your computer with tags or descriptions. It does this by creating a separate file, called a sidecar file, that is connected to the tagged file. This sidecar file allows you to store the tags that you want to be associated with its parent file.
Pros
Free and open source
Can work completely offline
Cons
Renames your files to tag them
Compatibility: Windows
CNET rating: 3.6 out of 5, 7 reviews
Many metadata editors can edit a limited scope of video file metadata. Many times, you won’t be able to edit the date and time on the file. With the EXIF Date Changer, you’ll be able to correct your dates and times quickly and with ease.
The program seems limited, but you’ll find that this is one of the most useful tools out there for changing metadata.
Pros
Changes the date and time metadata in case your time zone doesn’t match your actual time
Simple, fast, and easy-to-use
Cons
Only works on Windows
Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux
Although it supports tagging of several video file formats, Jaikoz is primarily an audio file tagger. Like MP4 Video and Audio Tag Editor, it is a commercial product that is available in a free trial version. The software can connect to several databases for automatic tagging purposes. These include MusicBrainz, Discogs, and Acoustid. Its simple spreadsheet view makes it easy to search for audio files by their metadata and to edit the tags in any of the files.
Pros
Does album artwork lookup
Supports a wide range of MP3 tags
Cons
Some may find the layout confusing
Compatibility: Windows, Mac
G2 rating: 4.3 out of 5, 432 reviews
If you work with large-scale digital asset management, then you know Canto’s DAM software is one of the few programs out there that can handle the job. This program is the premier software for auto-bulk editing large amounts of metadata in a short timeframe.
Pros
Automated, large-scale metadata editor for Mac or Windows
Tags files and sorts large amounts of data in a way that’s realistic and easy to find
Cons
Not the software for individual users. They designed this program for companies with large amounts of data to organize.
Compatibility: Windows
Softpedia rating: 4.5 out of 5
Do you need solid metadata software for Windows 10? Metadata++ can help you edit your metadata quickly and reliably. It’s a freeware program that will make your metadata editing process go smoothly, and it comes with some hotkeys to keep you from clicking around too much.
Pros
Has a good amount of hotkeys to keep you from making a mistake with the mouse
Helps to create sidecars for files that may not contain metadata
One of the fastest metadata editors available
Cons
The interface is a little cluttered
Compatibility: Windows
Down10 rating: 2.5 out of 5
The Media Center Master is quickly becoming one of the most popular programs to help you organize your media. It comes equipped with a solid interface and easy-to-use meta tag viewer and editor. With this program, you’ll be able to sift through your files and get your tags set up in a searchable format.
Pros
Has a lot of automated features
Supports the most popular external metadata formats
Cons
Only works with Windows
Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux
G2 rating: 4.6 out of 5, 19 reviews
FFmpeg can definitely help you edit your metadata, but it can do so much more! If you need to record, stream, convert, or do anything else to a video or audio file, FFmpeg can handle it. This program works on any OS and many other popular paid programs based their code on this freeware.
Pros
Has additional features that make it an all-around great media organizer
Comes with a lot of user support from the community
Cons
Definitely has a learning curve
How to manually edit video metadata
Sometimes it isn’t necessary to use a program to edit video metadata, especially if you just want to change one file. If you’re a user who rarely needs to alter metadata in video and images files, follow these instructions to learn how to edit video metadata manually in any file – Windows or Mac.
Windows
Find your file.
Right-click on the file and select Properties from the menu.
Select the Details tab at the top.
From here, accessibility to edit specific metadata is relative to the type of file.
Hover your mouse down the Value column and different options will appear for you to Add text. Some appear as dropdown menus and others appear as text boxes. Sometimes, you won’t be able to change any data, but you can always remove it using the link at the bottom that reads Remove Properties and Personal Information.
Click Apply and then OK to save the changes.
Not all file types work this way, so if you can’t change anything, then it’s best to use one of the metadata editors listed above.
Mac
Mac users default to metadata editors often, but the process isn’t that different from Windows.
Open Photos and find your image.
Right-click on the image file and select Get info from the menu.
In the next window, change the metadata where the system allows.
Summary
Editing video metadata shouldn’t be a big chore. With the programs listed above, you can edit easily in bulk.
You've now found a great tool for editing the metadata in your video file, but what if you need your video is in MP4 and you need it in MKV or AVI? You'll now need a tool that can convert between the different formats. Many can do it, but they require some technical understanding of the formats. Which bitrate do you need? Which audio compression to choose? If you are not technically inclined, you might not even know what the best resolution for your conversion is. That's why we created Movavi Video Converter.
Movavi Video Converter was designed from the start to make converting videos a breeze, even if you do not know very much about video file formats. You'll be able to quickly tell the program which devices you are targeting or which formats you need the video in and it will automatically create the best settings so you get a flawless conversion the first time without any of the guesswork or do-overs. The software works for both Windows 10 and Mac computers and a free trial is available so you can see if Movavi Video Converter fits your video conversion needs.
Pros
Convert files with ease at incredible speed
Compress videos without quality loss
Trim and merge your video creations
Cons
The free trial version has limitations
Frequently asked questions
What is video metadata?
In the world of digital video, metadata encompasses all the information – author, date, camera, location, upload date, etc. – related to a specific digital video file. It helps anyone working with the files to keep organized and easily find the file they want when searching.
Some programs or devices embed the metadata directly into a file, and others include it as a separate file.
How do I get metadata from a video?
Some programs or devices embed the metadata directly into a file, and others include it as a separate file.
To get the video file metadata for most files, follow these steps:
Find the file where you want to get the video metadata.
Right-click and then select Properties from the menu.
You’ll notice some basic metadata like date created and file size under the tab labeled General.
Click the tab labeled Details to get the rest of the metadata.
How do I edit metadata in VLC?
VLC player actually can edit metadata in a movie. To change metadata on video files, open your file in VLC. Click the Tools menu and select Media Information. The General and Additional Metadata tabs allow you to edit or add various tags to the container. Once you're ready, click Save Metadata.
What is the best meta tag viewer?
Any of the metadata editors above will act as a meta tag reader for video files. Which one is the best is relative to your needs. Review the table above under the column labeled "Best for" to see which one may work best for you!
Or try one of these:
MP4 Video and Audio Tag Editor for Windows
MetaDoctor for Mac
GroupDocs.Metadata online
What is the best metadata editor for a Mac?
Whether you need a full metadata editor or just an MP4 tag editor for Mac, these programs can all help you edit metadata on macOS:
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