How to batch copy Exif data

Q How can I batch-copy Exif data from one Exif field to another, or to IPTC fields?

I have been storing my photos using Canon’s Zoombrowser software (version 6x) which works well. In particular, you can add a text comment for each image, which, when the Image is viewed in Irfanview, usually appears as an Exif field called UserComment. Within Zoombrowser, this comment field can be searched to find certain images.

How do you put this Exif UserComment into the Caption field of the IPTC data, or any other field? I also want to do it in batch mode, ­ ie with a selection of images.

Can you recommend a good freeware, feature-rich Exif image manipulator? Although a comment added in Zoombrowser for photos taken from my Canon camera appears as UserComment, the same stored text in other images (such as from a scanner) does not appear in UserComment.

Michael Cooke

A You’re right to transfer your added text info from the Exif UserComment field to a more commonly used IPTC field such as caption. One method is to use an organiser application. Photoshop Elements 7, Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, or ACDSee Pro Photo Manager 2.9 will all allow you to add the same metadata information to an IPTC field in multiple images, but they can’t copy metadata between fields and they’re not free.

If you’re comfortable working with a command-line interface, Phil Harvey’s freeware E xiftool provides more powerful manipulation of Exif data and will do everything you’ve asked including copying metadata between files.