What is it?
A redesign of the File Info dialog box may not be high on most people’s list of favorite features in CS4, but it does open some interesting possibilities. Because the new dialog is Flash-based, it makes it easier to create new, and hopefully useful, ways of leveraging the metadata within a file to automate portions of the workflow or to make it easier to find a particular photo. For now, the only effective change is visual, with tabbed sections within the File Info dialog instead of the vertical arrangement found in previous versions.
Complimenting the new File Info dialog is per-layer metadata support designed to make it easier for designers and retouchers to keep track of image licensing and attribution from images composited together from several sources.
Why is it important?
Future generations of “intelligent workflows”, (I say future because current workflows are a long way from intelligent), will be able to process images based on image content and embedded metadata. While most of us won’t see direct benefits from the addition of per-layer metadata or the new File Info panel, these changes will pay dividends down the road. For a couple examples, read John Nack’s posts on the new changes and workflow possibilities.
Per-layer metadata comes to Photoshop
Bonus Tip: Remove Metadata Quickly: It is pretty rare that I advocate removing metadata, but there are times when you need to get rid of metadata quickly. Say, for example, you don’t want your client to see that you underexposed the photo by two stops and had to salvage it in PS. Not that you’d ever do that.
Anyway, clicking on the Import button at the bottom of the File Info dialog gives quick access to your metadata templates. If you’ve created a “clean template” with only your Copyright notice selecting Clear existing properties and replace with template properties will eliminate all metadata within the file except the information found within your template.
For more info, check out this post from Gunar, Adobe’s metadata guru.
Discussion
No comments for “Photoshop CS4: File Info”