Process

Photographer Attribution

Add, replace, or clear photographer and date metadata

Overview

Photographer Attribution writes photographer and date metadata into your files. Enter any combination of first name, last name, and year — at least one is required. The name goes into the standard creator fields (EXIF Artist, IPTC By-line, and XMP Creator) for images, and into the QuickTime Author atom plus an XMP Creator sidecar for videos; the year sets the capture-date fields.

Choose one of three modes. Add writes only into files whose photographer fields are empty, leaving existing attribution untouched. Replace overwrites whatever is there. Clear mode erases the photographer fields, the year date fields, or both, depending on the scope checkboxes (at least one must stay checked).

Images write through ExifTool, with Core Graphics as a fallback; videos and RAW files write through ExifTool. Cloud files get a longer timeout than local files (defaults 120s vs 30s, adjustable in Settings > General).

When to Use

Reach for Photographer Attribution when files need photographer or date metadata written into them — establishing copyright before client delivery, documenting an archival collection, or preparing a batch for publication. It fits attributing a fresh shoot, standardizing inconsistent credits across a mixed collection, dating historical photos whose photographer is unknown, or stripping attribution you no longer want. The mode you pick follows your intent: add credits only where they are missing when you are filling gaps, overwrite existing values when you are correcting or standardizing a collection, and erase the fields when you are removing attribution. Because the written fields travel with each file, the credit stays attached through later moves, renames, and sharing — which is why it pays to attribute before File Transfer or delivery.

Requirements

  • At least one of First Name, Last Name, or Year must be provided
  • First Name and Last Name are each optional as long as another field is filled in
  • Year is optional, entered as four digits between 1900 and 2100 (for example, '2024')
  • Supported formats: images (including JPEG, TIFF, PNG, HEIC, and other standard formats), videos (MP4, MOV, M4V), and RAW files (CR3, CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG, and others)
  • Images are written through ExifTool, with Core Graphics as a fallback; videos and RAW files are written through the bundled ExifTool
  • Cloud files (Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox) are detected automatically and given a longer timeout than local files (defaults 120s vs 30s), adjustable in Settings > General
  • Enough free space for the temporary files created while writing metadata

How to Use

  1. Select your images, videos, or RAW files in the left Folder Navigator panel
  2. Select 'Photographer Attribution' from the process bar
  3. Enter any combination of First Name, Last Name, and Year — at least one is required (leading and trailing spaces are trimmed)
  4. Enter the Year as four digits between 1900 and 2100 if you want to set the capture-date fields
  5. Choose a mode: 'Add' writes only into files whose photographer fields are empty; 'Replace' overwrites existing values; 'Clear' erases the fields
  6. For 'Clear', use the scope checkboxes to clear the photographer name fields, the year date fields, or both (at least one must stay checked)
  7. Click 'Start' to run the process
  8. Watch the log for per-file results — success, skip, or failure, with the previous and new values; cloud files may take longer (default 120s, vs 30s local; adjustable in Settings > General)
  9. Confirm the written fields: images get the EXIF Artist, IPTC By-line, and XMP Creator fields (plus capture-date fields when a year is set); videos get the QuickTime Author atom and an XMP Creator sidecar; RAW files get the same creator fields through ExifTool
  10. Use Metadata Review afterward to verify the updated fields

Tips & Important Notes

  • Back up your files before running any metadata-writing process. The automatic backup setting ('Create backup before metadata modifications') copies each file before it is changed
  • Turn on Simulation Mode in General Settings first to preview the changes before they are written
  • Entering only a year (with both name fields empty) updates the date fields and keeps the existing photographer name — and in this case 'Add' and 'Replace' behave the same, changing only the date for your photos and videos alike
  • Supported RAW formats include CR3, CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG, ORF, RAF, RW2, and more
  • Written metadata stays with the file when it is moved, renamed, or shared
  • Cloud files (Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox) get a longer timeout than local files (defaults 120s vs 30s, adjustable in Settings > General)
  • Use Metadata Review afterward to confirm the updated fields
  • Consider running this process before File Transfer or sharing
  • The process handles mixed selections of images and videos, writing the right fields for each