XMP metadata & AVI files

[ejm554]

I've been using ExifTool's custom tags feature with JPEG images to store a permanent copy of the base filename, which will allow me to reference it after renaming the file itself. I did this by creating a new XMP namespace ("XMP-maybela") and a custom tag ("OriginalBaseName"). It works great.

But I'm wondering how I can extend this sort of functionality to AVI video files, which (as I understand it) are not able to accept XMP tags.

I presume that my solution lies in creating a sidecar for each AVI file to store this sort of metadata. Is that correct?

If so, this leads me to other questions.

1. Does it matter what kind of sidecar I create, e.g., XMP vs. MIE?

2. Should I copy or move existing metadata in there, or just reserve it for things that cannot be embedded into the video file?

3. What if I ever want to use a sidecar for a THM file that has the same filename as the AVI file? Would they both share the same sidecar? (I'm not sure how that would work.)

Regards,
EJM

[Phil Harvey]

I presume that my solution lies in creating a sidecar for each AVI file to store this sort of metadata. Is that correct?

Yes, currently that is the only solution using ExifTool.

1. Does it matter what kind of sidecar I create, e.g., XMP vs. MIE?

XMP would be more universal.

2. Should I copy or move existing metadata in there, or just reserve it for things that cannot be embedded into the video file?

ExifTool can't write AVI files, so anything you want to write with ExifTool must go in the sidecar.  But duplicating tags from the AVI doesn't make sense.

3. What if I ever want to use a sidecar for a THM file that has the same filename as the AVI file? Would they both share the same sidecar? (I'm not sure how that would work.)

A THM is a sidecar file in itself, but it contains an image.  You may use THM format for a sidecar if you want, but you must get the image from somewhere to be able to do this.  If an AVI has a THM and you are writing XMP sidecars, then they will share the same XMP file.

- Phil

[ejm554]

I didn't realize that my THM files were sidecars to the AVI files. But, yes, of course they are. Now that is cleared up, I know that the XMP metadata I add in there is actually for the AVI.

Cheers,
EJ