FastPhotoTagger User Guide, v3.6
(Android)

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Get started
+ Quick Start Essential for new users.
+ Tutorial Videos
+ SD Card You must grant access to it.
+ Permissions, Known Problems.

Tool index
+ Metadata Panel
+ Fast Tagger
+ Metadata Viewer
+ Metadata Compare
+ Metadata Inspector
+ Slideshow
+ File Manager
+ Search
+ ExifTool Command Builder

Feature Index
+ Set metadata
o Set multiple images with the same tags.
o Set individual images with unique tags.
o Compare and edit metadata in several images.
o Execute custom ExifTool commands.

+ View metadata:
o View all metadata in an image.
o Compare metadata in several images.
o View images with metadata captions.

+ Search metadata:
o Search images for metadata values.

+ Manage files:
o Rename, Copy, Move, Delete, and more.

+ Work quickly:
o Define abbreviations for faster tagging.
o Use keyword list files.
o Use hierarchical keywords.
 
+ Work efficiently:
o Choose metadata fields to write.
o Sort files in various ways.
o Access FastPhotoTagger from other apps.
o Customize FastPhotoTagger appearance.
o Maximize FastPhotoTagger speed.

+ Use multiple devices:
o Transfer settings to other devices.
o Use FastPhotoTagger on your PC.


Quick Start

The FastPhotoTagger application looks slightly different on small and large displays:

Small-screen view:
A small-screen device like a phone looks like this:




o On the Action Bar are four menu buttons: Metadata, File, Navigate, and App. All FastPhotoTagger functions are accessible through these buttons. Some functions are only available when files are selected.

o Select files by long pressing a thumbnail and then dragging or short pressing other thumbnails. Use short press on a folder icon to navigate the file system.


Larger-screen view:
If you have a larger display you may choose to view one or two additional panels containing commands and data:

o The Menu panel contains command buttons. These are the same as some of the commands under the Metadata menu button.

o The File panel displays the files in the current folder. This is the same as in the small-screen view.

o The Metadata panel displays metadata values of currently selected images. When image files are selected, click in a field to begin entering or changing a metadata value. Press the CHANGE button when finished.

Menu panel

File panel

Metadata panel

The number of visible panels is set by App / Program Settings / All Settings / Side-by-side panels.

When this is set to "Auto", FastPhotoTagger uses display size to guess the ideal number of panels to display. The number of panels displayed may be different for portrait and landscape orientation of a device.

When two panels are visible you may swipe left and right to view the third panel. Also, you may change the width of the panels. See screenshots.


Want to write metadata fast?
There are three methods:
1. Use the Metadata Panel.
2. Use the Fast Tagger.
3. Use Compare Metadata.


Write Metadata With the Metadata Panel




Use the Metadata panel to write the same metadata to several files or to append or remove metadata in several files.

This is a fast way to tag fields like Copyright, City, Country, and others that are the same in a large set of files.

o Select one or more files.

o If the metadata panel is not visible, press Metadata / Edit Selections to enter selection mode.

o Click in a metadata field to begin entering or changing a metadata value.

o Press the CHANGE button when finished. The change is immediately written to the photos.

Also, you may
o Long press in a metadata field then select "Edit" to edit in a larger space or "Keywords" to use your keyword files.

o To exit Selection Mode, press the ".." folder icon or press the back key once to unselect and again to exit.


Replace, Append, or Remove



If several files are selected and their metadata differs, you will see ***multiple_values***. You have the option of replacing, appending to, or removing some of the metadata in all the files.

This is especially useful for adding new keywords or deleting old keywords.

(For keyword metadata, since many people care about the order of keywords, you will see ***multiple_values*** even if the keywords are all the same but not in the same order in every file. Use Inspect Metadata to look at just the keywords in a set of files.)

o Click in the field showing ***multiple_values***. The string "+++" and the APPEND button will appear.

o To set the metadata in all the files to the same value, delete the "+++", enter a new value, press the CHANGE button.

o To append to the metadata in all the files, preserving current values, type a new value after "+++", press the APPEND button.

o To remove some of the current metadata in all the files, delete the "+++", enter "---" followed by the metadata to remove, press the REMOVE button.

o Note: Duplicate keywords are always removed.


Use the Fast Tagger to Write Metadata




Use the Fast Tagger to write unique metadata to several files. Used in combination with abbreviations, you can write to many files very quickly.

This is a fast way to tag fields like Keywords, Description, and others that are different in each file.

o Select some image files. Press Metadata / Use Fast Tagger.

o Enter metadata into one or more fields.

o Swipe the screen left or right to move to the next or previous image. Metadata changes are written immediately.

o Press Back when complete.

Also, you may
o Press the Grow/Shrink button to switch between small and large images.
o Drag the Grow/Shrink button to move the input fields.
o Use the arrow buttons to advance through your images.
o If you have a rating field in your settings, apply a rating using the star buttons.
o Use double tap or gestures to enlarge/reduce the image.
o Long press in a metadata field then select "Edit" to edit in a larger space or "Keywords" to use your keyword files.


Choose Metadata




View and edit your favorite metadata fields (any recognized by ExifTool):

o Press App / Program Settings / All Settings. Then press "Metadata Tags / Metadata" or "Labels". (Metadata tags will appear in the Metadata Panel and Fast Tagger. Labels will appear under thumbnails.)

o Find a metadata tag of interest. Click its check box.

o If you wish you may enter a custom prompt in the first text column.

o To use metadata tags not in the list, scroll to the bottom of the list and enter them there.

o If you wish, you may enter more than one tag in the "Metadata Tags" column. Only the first tag will be displayed by FastPhotoTagger, but changes will also be written to the other tags.

o Reorder the tags by pressing a grabber icon on the right edge. Drag the row up or down.

FastPhotoTagger uses ExifTool to read and write metadata, so any tag recognized by ExifTool may be used. See ExifTool-TagNames for a complete list. Also, see View All Metadata For Selected Photos.

If you wish, you may prefix a tag with
o an ExifTool level 0 group name such as XMP:, IPTC:, or EXIF:, example:
XMP:Caption or
o an ExifTool level 1 group name such as XMP-acdsee, example:
XMP-acdsee:Caption or
o ExifTool level 0 and level 1 group names, example:
XMP:XMP-acdsee:Caption.

See  ExifTool-Groups. If you do not specify a prefix or the prefix is ambiguous then ExifTool decides which group will receive the tag.

Some metadata tags, such as Keywords and Subject, are defined by their standard as lists. On entry you may separate list items with commas or semi-colons. For example,
"Keyword1; Keyword2; Keyword3" or
"Keyword1, Keyword2, Keyword3".

On display semi-colons are always shown.

Do not enter the same tag name more than once in the metadata list unless all uses are qualified with unique group names.  For example, specifying Keywords and IPTC:Keywords may lead to confusing results. Instead just use IPTC:Keywords. If you use MWG tag names do not also use their derivative tag names. e.g., if you use MWG:Keywords, do not also use IPTC:Keywords. Similarly, if you use MWG tag names do not modify their derivative tags in "Compare Metadata" or "Inspect Metadata."


Define Abbreviations for Frequently Used Metadata Values




If you frequently enter the same metadata values, such as names or places or long keyword lists, you will benefit from FastPhotoTagger's abbreviation feature.

o Press App / Program Settings / All Settings. Then press "Abbreviations".
o Check the check box on an empty line.
o Enter an abbreviation.
o Enter its expansion.

Also, you may
o Long press in an expansion field then select "Edit" to edit in a larger space or "Keywords" to use your keyword files.

The Use Abbreviations checkbox is used to enable/disable the expansion of abbreviations. When enabled, enter an abbreviation into any metadata entry field. When written to the image file, the abbreviation will be changed into its expansion.

When entered as lower case in Program Settings, an abbreviation will match a mixed-case or upper case word when entered as metadata.

When entered as metadata, abbreviations must be surrounded by white space to be recognized. 

For example, if "a", "b", and "c" are three abbreviations then "a b c" may expand to "apple banana cherry", but "abc" will not be expanded.

The Use Suggestions checkbox is used to enable/disable suggested keywords from previously seen keywords.


View Images in a Folder



o When no items are selected, short press on a thumbnail to see a full-screen view.

o Swipe left and right for previous and next images in the folder.

o Short press on an image to display your chosen metadata as a overlay and a menu of image options. See below. (Be sure to wait for Working... to complete.)




To view multiple images in a single Tiff file or image animations, see next section.


View a Slideshow with Metadata Captions




FastPhotoTagger allows any of your metadata fields to be used as a caption on a slideshow.

o Press App / Program Settings / All Settings / Slideshow.

o Make a choice for each slideshow setting.

Back on the main application screen:
o Select some photos.

o Press Metadata / View Slideshow.

A short press on a slide reveals Play and Pause buttons. The Circle-Play button plays audio and video files automatically during the slideshow. (You need a media player that quits after playing.)

Also see "Creating a Custom Slideshow" in FastPhotoTagger Screenshots.

To view multiple images within one Tiff file: select just one Tiff file; press Metadata / View Slideshow.

To view an animated GIF, WEBP (Android 10+) or HEIC (Android 11+) file: select just one file; press Metadata / View Slideshow.


View All Metadata For Selected Photos




FastPhotoTagger allows you to view all the metadata that is stored in your photos.

o Select one or more photos, press Metadata / View All Metadata.

o Sort by clicking on a column name.

o Scroll up and down to see all values.

o Click on a long metadata value to display it.

o Move through the photos by swiping the screen left and right.


Using the "Compare Metadata" command in the program menu, you may compare (and change) metadata values in 2 to 8 files.

The Compare Metadata table is editable. You may change values cell-by-cell like a spreadsheet. You may copy selected values from one file to other files.





Compare the metadata values in several files. Differences are presented in red.

o Select 2 to 8 files. (The more files you select, the longer it takes to analyze them.)

o Press Metadata / Compare Metadata.

o Up to four files are presented on the screen. Swipe left and right to see the others.

o Sort by clicking on or above a column name.

o Click on a long metadata value to display it.

o Scroll up and down to see all values.

To edit:
o Press on a value to select and edit it. Abbreviations will be recognized if Use Abbreviations is checked.

o Long press on the selected value and select "Edit" to edit in a larger space or "Keywords" to use your keyword files.

o Changed cells are shown as bold/italic. When you finish editing, use "Menu / Save" to write your changes to the image files.

Use short and long presses on values to select and unselect cells. Non-contiguous cells may be selected.

o Short press selects or unselects the cell

o Long press unselects everything and selects the cell. Subsequent short presses and arrow button presses select additional cells.

o Back key unselects everything.

o Use the arrow buttons to navigate to adjacent cells The destination cell will be selected.

When all selected cells are in one column, use "Menu / Copy-->" to copy the values to other columns. Abbreviations are not expanded by this command.

To search and replace:
o Press on a value to select it and show the menu.

o Select "Menu / Search". You may search for tag names or tag values.

The search starts at the selected cell and wraps around the table. Search is case insensitive. Replace and Replace All are case sensitive.

To filter:
o Press on a value to select it and show the menu.

o Select "Menu / Filter". Use filter options to view all metadata tags or only tags related to your settings. View all metadata values or only values that differ in the selected files.


The "Inspect Metadata" command is another way to compare metadata in several files. Inspect Metadata works with only one tag at a time and can examine a large number of files.

This is a handy way to replace one keyword with another in a large number of files. Also, after a tagging session, you can check quickly that all files have been tagged.



Inspect the metadata values for a single tag in many files.

o Select some files.

o Press Metadata / Inspect Metadata.

o Swipe thumbnails left and right. Swipe values up and down.

o Sort by clicking on column name.

To edit:
o Press on a value to select and edit it. Abbreviations will be recognized if Use Abbreviations is checked.

o Long press on the selected value and select "Edit" to edit in a larger space or "Keywords" to use your keyword files.

o Changed cells are shown as bold/italic. When you finish editing, use "Menu / Save" to write your changes to the image files.

Use short and long presses on values to select and unselect cells. Non-contiguous cells may be selected.

o Short press selects or unselects the cell

o Long press unselects everything and selects the cell. Subsequent short presses and arrow button presses select additional cells.

o Back key unselects everything.

o Use long press and drag to select several contiguous cells.

o Use the arrow buttons to navigate to adjacent cells The destination cell will be selected.

Press on any value to show the menu. Use the menu to:

o Copy / paste cells.
o Change metadata tag.
o Search and replace.

The search starts at the selected cell and wraps around the table. Search is case insensitive. Replace and Replace All are case sensitive.

Another way to search:
o In the word frequency table at left: Click on a word or keyword to search for it.


Sort Files
You may order the files in a folder or the result of a search in a way that is most helpful to you. The default sorting is by filename but using App / Program Settings you may choose another sort method.



o Sort files / folders separately in ascending / descending order.

o Sort by extension, file size, file modification date, or any metadata value.

o Sort in two steps. For example, sort by Country then sort each country by City.

o Promote some files to the top of the sort by entering one or more words contained in their metadata. For example, sort by Country and move Spain files to the top.

o Promote files where metadata contains words close together. For example, "John Smith"~1 will promote files with <= 1 intervening words between John and Smith: "John Adam Smith", "Smith Charles John" etc.

o Use keyword file values in promotion fields. "[animal] [nature]"~2 promotes files with any keyword in animal and any keyword in nature with <= 2 intervening words.

o Promote some files before others by appending ^n to a word, e.g., "Spain France^2" promotes the France files before the Spain files.


Search Metadata
FastPhotoTagger allows you to search for photos that contain specific metadata.  All the details are here.


ExifTool Interface
Some useful metadata operations, such as copying from one tag to another, or copying several tags from a reference file can be performed using the ExifTool interface. Press Metadata / ExifTool. All the details are here.


Performance Tips
To maximize the speed of FastPhotoTagger: In Program Settings, select the metadata and label tags you require and then don't change them.

o Why:
Accessing image file metadata is a time-consuming operation. This is most noticeable when working with large images or folders containing a large number of images. Metadata reading uses ExifTool which runs in a separate "process" and starting that process and fetching its results takes a relatively long time.

To minimize file accesses, FastPhotoTagger keeps copies of metadata in its own fast-access storage area or "cache." The cache for a folder is built on your first visit to that folder. The cache is used for display and search operations.

When you change your metadata or labels in Program Settings, FastPhotoTagger may have to discard the cache.

o When the cache is discarded:
-- Your folders will be unsearchable until you re-visit them to rebuild the cache.
-- Alternatively, you can select some folders and use the Metadata / Update Cache command to rebuild the cache for those folders.

o Also, you should know:
-- On your first visit to a folder, the panel title shows "Working..." while FastPhotoTagger builds the cache. Some metadata-related operations can't be performed until the cache is ready.
-- The Update Cache command may be very time consuming and some Android versions may pause the operation if FastPhotoTagger is moved to the background.


File Management Operations




You may perform a number of file management operations using FastPhotoTagger.
o Optionally, select one or more file items.
o Press File on the action bar.


Import and Export Settings
If you run FastPhotoTagger on multiple devices you can transfer the settings from one device to another. If you use FastPhotoTagger for different purposes, you can easily switch between different settings. You may transfer settings files between PCs and Android devices. Import/Export is best for use with multiple devices. Backup/Restore is best on a single device.

Press App / Program Settings / All Settings, then press the menu (3-dots) button, then:

o Select "Export Settings". Choose a file with the extension ".xml" to receive the settings. The settings will be written to the file.

o Select "Import Settings". Choose a file with the extension ".xml" to which settings have previously been exported. Press the "Settings" button. Uncheck the boxes of the settings you do not wish to import. The selected settings from the imported file will replace your current settings.

o Select "Backup Settings". Backup writes a copy of all settings, including settings not part of Export such as current folder, colors, and favorites. Backup writes settings to .FastPhotoTagger/settings.zip.

o Select "Restore Settings". Restore recovers the settings previously written by Backup.
 

Customization Options




Many customization options are available to you through App / Program Settings.


 Accessing FastPhotoTagger from other Applications



From other applications, FastPhotoTagger can be used to open image files using the "Open with..." or similar menu.
If the image cannot be opened in its current location, e.g., in a text message, it will be copied to the "Download" folder.

Swiping left/right is possible only if the other application supplies folder data. Some (especially newer) versions of Android apply additional restrictions.

The choices are:

o FastPhotoTagger: Open the folder containing the image file using the FastPhotoTagger application.

o Fast Tagger: Open the image file using the Fast Tagger. Swipe left and right for previous and next images in the folder.

o Metadata Viewer: Open the image file using the metadata viewer. Swipe left and right for previous and next images in the folder.

o Photo Viewer: Open the image file using the photo viewer. Swipe left and right for previous and next images in the folder.

o Slideshow: Open the image file as a slideshow. Swipe left and right for previous and next images in the folder.


Program Updates
o Check the "FastPhotoTagger Revision History" for new features not yet described in this user guide. Read "About FastPhotoTagger" for known problems and workarounds.


Special and Hidden Files
The .FastPhotoTagger folder holds special files. This is a hidden folder which will not be visible to you unless Show hidden files is checked in App / Program Settings / All Settings. This folder is kept in your Download folder. (Prior to Android 11 this folder was kept in your primary storage folder.)

These are the files:
o fastphototagger_log.txt: the program log file. (Prior to Android 11 this file was kept in your primary storage folder.)
o autokeywords.txt: list of all keywords encountered, used for suggestions. You may edit this.
o exiftool.txt: your custom exiftool commands. You may edit this.
o search.txt: history of your searches. Do not edit.
o settings.zip: the output of App / Program Settings / All Settings / Backup Settings.


Some Notes
o Some metadata tags, such as Keywords and Subject, are defined by their standard as lists. On entry you may separate list items with commas or semi-colons. For example,
"Keyword1; Keyword2; Keyword3" or
"Keyword1, Keyword2, Keyword3".

On display semi-colons are always shown.

o Newline characters are removed from text before being written to file metadata.

o FastPhotoTagger can write metadata to any file type supported by ExifTool. See Types for a complete list. Not every tag can be written to every image file type. See Tag Names.

o Some file types cannot be displayed and are shown as generic images. Tiff files having uncommon configurations cannot be displayed.

o Keyword suggestions (from previously seen keywords) are made during typing. The suggestion list is kept in .FastPhotoTagger/autokeywords.txt, which may optionally (Android 6+) be added to App / Program Settings / All Settings / Keywords.

o Tagging large video and audio files may take considerably longer than image files. Also note that relatively few metadata tags are supported. See ExifTool documentation.

o In case of metadata or program error, FastPhotoTagger creates a file named "fastphototagger_log.txt" in Download/.FastPhotoTagger or in your primary storage folder. This may be useful when reporting problems to the author.

Comments, suggestions, and defect reports are always welcome. Send email to dennis508@yahoo.com.