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Nov 13, 2026

Heratio Help Center article. Category: Import/Export.

Metadata Extraction

User Guide

Automatically extract embedded metadata from uploaded digital objects and populate archival description fields.

Overview

METADATAEXTRACTIONUPLOADEXTRACTMAPAPPLYvvvFileReadEXIFMatchtoUpdateAddedIPTC/XMPHeratioFieldsRecord

Supported File Types

Supported Formats

  • IMAGES - JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP, GIF, BMP
  • (EXIF, IPTC, XMP metadata)
  • DOCUMENTS - PDF (title, author, keywords)
    • DOCX, XLSX, PPTX (Open XML)
    • DOC, XLS, PPT (Legacy Office)
  • VIDEO - MP4, WebM, MKV, MOV, AVI, OGG
  • (duration, resolution, codec)
  • AUDIO - MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AAC, M4A
  • (ID3 tags, duration, bitrate)

How It Works

Automatic Extraction

When you upload a digital object, the plugin automatically:

  1. Detects the file type
  2. Extracts embedded metadata
  3. Maps metadata to Heratio fields
  4. Populates the archival description
UploadFilevDetectFileTypeImage?ExtractEXIF/IPTC/XMPPDF?ExtractDocumentInfoOffice?ExtractOpenXMLPropertiesVideo?ExtractMediaInfo(FFprobe)Audio?ExtractID3TagsvMaptoHeratioFieldsvUpdateRecord

What Gets Extracted

Images (EXIF/IPTC/XMP)

  • IMAGE METADATA
  • DESCRIPTIVE
    • Title / Object Name
    • Description / Caption
    • Keywords / Tags
    • Creator / Photographer
    • Copyright Notice
    • Date Taken
  • LOCATION
    • GPS Coordinates
    • City, State, Country
    • Altitude
  • TECHNICAL
    • Camera Make/Model
    • Exposure Settings
    • Image Dimensions
    • Color Space

PDF Documents

  • PDF METADATA
    • Title
    • Author
    • Subject
    • Keywords
    • Creator Application
    • Producer
    • Creation Date
    • Modification Date
    • Page Count

Office Documents (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX)

  • OFFICE METADATA
  • CORE PROPERTIES
    • Title
    • Creator / Author
    • Subject
    • Description
    • Keywords
    • Category
  • APPLICATION PROPERTIES
    • Application Name & Version
    • Company
    • Manager
    • Total Editing Time
    • Page/Word/Character Counts
    • Slide Count (PPTX)
  • CUSTOM PROPERTIES
    • Any custom metadata fields defined in the document

Video Files

  • VIDEO METADATA
  • GENERAL
    • Title
    • Artist/Creator
    • Date Created
    • Comment
  • TECHNICAL
    • Duration (HH:MM:SS)
    • Resolution (width x height)
    • Frame Rate (fps)
    • Video Codec
    • Audio Codec
    • Bitrate
    • Container Format

Audio Files

  • AUDIO METADATA
  • ID3 TAGS
    • Title
    • Artist
    • Album
    • Year
    • Genre
    • Track Number
    • Composer
    • Publisher
    • Copyright
  • TECHNICAL
    • Duration
    • Bitrate
    • Sample Rate
    • Channels
    • Audio Codec

Heratio Field Mapping

Extracted metadata is mapped to Heratio's archival description fields:

Extracted Field Heratio Field
Title Title (if empty)
Description/Caption Scope and Content
Creator/Artist Name Access Point (Creator)
Keywords Subject Access Points
Date Created Event Date (Creation)
Copyright Access Conditions
GPS Coordinates Scope and Content (appended)
Technical Summary Physical Characteristics

Configuration Settings

How to Access Settings

MainMenuvAdminAHGSettingsvMetadataExtractionEnable/DisableExtractionSelectMetadataTypes(EXIF,IPTC,XMP)FieldMappingOptionsTechnicalMetadataLocation

Available Settings

  • EXTRACTION SETTINGS
  • Enable metadata extraction
  • METADATA TYPES
  • Extract EXIF data
  • Extract IPTC data
  • Extract XMP data
  • FIELD BEHAVIOR
  • Overwrite existing title
  • Overwrite existing description
  • Auto-generate keywords from metadata
  • Extract GPS coordinates
  • TECHNICAL METADATA
  • Add technical metadata summary
  • Target field: [Physical Characteristics v]
  • [Save Settings]

Setting Descriptions

Setting Default Description
Enable extraction On Master switch for metadata extraction
Extract EXIF On Extract camera/technical data from images
Extract IPTC On Extract editorial metadata from images
Extract XMP On Extract Adobe XMP metadata
Overwrite title Off Replace existing title with extracted title
Overwrite description Off Replace existing description
Auto-generate keywords On Create subject access points from keywords
Extract GPS On Extract and store GPS coordinates
Add technical metadata On Add technical summary to record
Target field Physical Characteristics Where to store technical metadata

Viewing Extracted Metadata

After upload, extracted metadata appears in the record:

Title and Description

  • ARCHIVAL DESCRIPTION
  • Title: [Extracted from metadata if record was untitled]
  • Scope and Content:
  • [Original description]
  • [Extracted description/caption if available]

Physical Characteristics (Technical Metadata)

  • PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
  • === FILE INFO ===
  • Name: photograph_001.jpg
  • Size: 2.4 MB
  • Type: image/jpeg
  • === IMAGE ===
  • Dimensions: 4032 x 3024 pixels
  • Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
  • Date: 2025-06-15
  • === GPS ===
  • Coordinates: -33.918861, 18.423300
  • Altitude: 42m

Access Points

  • ACCESS POINTS
  • Name Access Points:
    • John Smith (Creator)
  • Subject Access Points:
    • Architecture
    • Historical Buildings
    • Cape Town

Metadata Extraction Dashboard

Accessing the Dashboard

Navigate to /metadataExtraction to access the metadata extraction management interface.

METADATAEXTRACTIONDASHBOARD[Status][BatchExtract]FILTERSMIMEType:[Alltypesv]HasMetadata:[Allv][Filter][Clear]IDFileNameMIMETypeSizeRecordActions1photo.jpgimage/jpeg2MBTitle[View]2doc.pdfapp/pdf1MBTitle[View]

Dashboard Features

Feature Description
MIME Type Filter Filter by file type (image, PDF, video, etc.)
Extraction Status Filter Show only extracted/not extracted objects
Batch Extract Process up to 50 unextracted objects at once
Status Page View ExifTool status and extraction statistics
View Metadata See all extracted fields for any object

Status Page

The status page (/metadataExtraction/status) shows:

SYSTEMSTATUSExifToolStatusInstalled:[✓Yes]Version:12.70ExtractionStatisticsTotalDigitalObjects:1,234ObjectswithMetadata:890(72%)TotalMetadataFields:45,678AverageFieldsperObject:51MIMETypeBreakdownimage/jpeg:800[Supported✓]application/pdf:300[Supported✓]video/mp4:134[Supported✓]

Manual Extraction

From the Dashboard

  1. Navigate to /metadataExtraction
  2. Find the digital object in the list
  3. Click the Extract button (download icon)
  4. Metadata is extracted and saved automatically

From the Detail View

  1. Navigate to /metadataExtraction/view/:id
  2. Click Extract Metadata button
  3. View extracted metadata grouped by category (EXIF, IPTC, XMP, etc.)

Batch Extraction

  1. Navigate to /metadataExtraction
  2. Click Batch Extract button
  3. Up to 50 unextracted objects are processed
  4. Repeat if more objects remain

Viewing Extracted Metadata

Metadata Detail View

Navigate to /metadataExtraction/view/:id to see all extracted metadata:

EXTRACTEDMETADATADigitalObjectDetailsID:123FileName:photograph_001.jpgMIMEType:image/jpegSize:2.4MBParentRecord:SmithFamilyPapers[ExtractMetadata][DeleteMetadata]EXIF(32fields)Make:CanonModel:EOS5DMarkIVExposureTime:1/250...IPTC(8fields)XMP(12fields)File(5fields)

Metadata is organized into collapsible sections by source (EXIF, IPTC, XMP, File, etc.).

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  • Issue
  • No metadata
  • extracted
  • Missing EXIF
  • Video metadata
  • not extracting
  • ExifTool errors
  • GPS not appearing
  • Keywords not
  • created

Checking System Requirements

# Check PHP EXIF extension
php -m | grep exif

# Check ExifTool
which exiftool
exiftool -ver

# Check FFprobe (for video/audio)
which ffprobe
ffprobe -version

Best Practices

Before Upload

DO DON'T
Embed metadata in files Strip metadata before upload
before uploading
Use standard metadata Use proprietary metadata
formats (EXIF, IPTC, XMP) formats
Include descriptive titles Leave metadata fields empty
and keywords
Add copyright information Assume copyright will be
added later

Setting Up

  • Configure extraction settings before bulk uploads
  • Test with sample files to verify field mapping
  • Decide whether to overwrite existing fields

Regular Use

  • Review extracted metadata after upload
  • Supplement with additional description as needed
  • Check GPS coordinates for sensitive locations

Privacy Considerations

GPS Data

  • GPS PRIVACY WARNING
  • Photos from mobile devices often contain GPS coordinates.
  • This can reveal:
    • Home addresses
    • Work locations
    • Travel patterns
  • RECOMMENDATION: Review GPS data before publishing records.
  • Disable GPS extraction if location data is sensitive.

Personal Information

  • Creator names may identify individuals
  • Keywords may contain sensitive terms
  • Document properties may reveal organization details

Use Cases

Photograph Collections

  • Automatically capture photographer name
  • Extract camera and exposure information
  • Map GPS coordinates to locate image subjects
  • Populate keywords from IPTC tags

Document Archives

  • Extract author and title information
  • Capture creation and modification dates
  • Identify creating application

Audio/Visual Archives

  • Record duration and technical specifications
  • Extract title and artist information
  • Document codec and quality settings

Need Help?

Contact your system administrator if you experience issues with metadata extraction.

Part of the Heratio AHG Framework