About the ACDSee Database

The ACDSee database stores image and media file information automatically when you browse your folders. This process is called cataloging. The database increases the speed with which you can browse your computer, and you can use the information stored in the database to sort, organize, search, and filter your images and media files. You can also backup, restore, and share database information.

You can store cached thumbnail previews, and add or edit the following information for each image or media file on your computer:

• Categories
• Notes
• Keywords
• Color Labels
• Authors
• Dates
• Ratings
• Captions

You can also choose to exclude folders from the database, and keep the contents of those folders separate from your other images and media files.

When you add ACDSee Metadata to a file in ACDSee, the file is linked to the database. If you then copy, move, or rename your files using programs other than ACDSee, such as Windows Explorer, the link to the database is broken and this can cause the loss of ACDSee Metadata.

Embedding ACDSee Metadata in Files

If you edit or add ACDSee Metadata to your files, ACDSee automatically adds the new data to its database. If you have the Display embed ACDSee metadata reminder checkbox selected in the Options dialog box, (click Tools | Options | Database), next time you close ACDSee, the Embed ACDSee Metadata in Files dialog box opens and offers to embed the new data into the changed files themselves. Embedding ACDSee Metadata in the files as well, is a safe way to back up this data and make it easier to retrieve if you should need to.

For example, once you have assigned ACDSee Metadata to a file, the file is linked to the database. If the file is moved using Windows Explorer, or any application other than ACDSee, the link will be broken. However if you have embedded this data in the file and the link is broken, you can still retrieve the ACDSee Metadata using the embedded data in the files.

You can use ACDSee to rename, move, or copy the file—even to another computer—and the embedded ACDSee Metadata will transfer with the file.

To Embed ACDSee Metadata in a File When You Are Prompted:

1. Do one of the following:
   • To embed data in files that are on a network, select the Include Network Drives checkbox.
   • To write the information to a sidecar file if the file format does not support embedding inside the file, select the Write sidecar files for formats that do not support embedded XMP.
   • To accept the current selection in the dialog and have these options happen automatically in future, select Do not ask me this again.
2. Click Yes to embed the data in the files. A progress bar appears, followed by the Embed Summary Report dialog that lists the following:
   • Items Selected: Indicates the number of files that you selected.
   • Items Processed: Indicates the number of files actually that were processed. (If you selected files that did not need to have date embedded, this number may be different from the Items Selected.)
   • Succeeded: Indicates the number of files that had data embedded.
   • Failed: Indicates the number of files that, for a variety of reasons, could not have data embedded. (To see the Error Log, click View Errors.)
3. Click Close.

To Embed ACDSee Metadata at Any Time:

You can embed data in files at any time.

Click Tools | Metadata | Embed ACDSee Metadata, and then select one of the following:

• Embed in All Files: Embeds data for all files.
• Embed in Selected Files: Embeds data for any files that you have selected.

ACDSee uses XMP to embed ACDSee Metadata into each file. Only some file formats and file extensions support XMP. These include GIF, JPEG, DNG, PNG, PSD, and TIF. In the case of these file formats, the ACDSee Metadata is embedded inside the file and so you can rename or move the file outside of ACDSee and still be able to retrieve the ACDSee Metadata. For formats that currently do not support XMP, including RAW and ABR, the ACDSee Metadata is written to a sidecar file that is stored in the same folder as its file. Because a sidecar file is separate from the file itself, you need to rename or move them together, or you could lose the ACDSee Metadata permanently.

The Embed Pending Flag

In Manage mode, in the File List pane, the following overlay icon appears on top of files that have ACDSee metadata stored in the ACDSee database that has not yet been written to the file:

Right-click and choose either:

• Embed ACDSee Metadata: Writes the metadata to the file.
• Clear Embed Pending Flag: Clears this overlay icon, but does not write the metadata to the file.

Viewing Files That Have Data to Embed

If you want to see the files that have data that needs to be embedded, there is a quick way to list them using the Embed Pending option.

To View Files That Have Data to Embed:

In the Catalog pane, under Special Items, click Embed Pending.

All the files that have data to embed are displayed in the File List.

Retrieving ACDSee Metadata That is Embedded in Files

If you simply browse to the folder where the files are located, some of the ACDSee Metadata is retrieved and written to the database.

The safest way to retrieve all the ACDSee Metadata, is to click Tools | Database | Catalog Files. Then the following applies:

• If the files are GIF, JPEG, DNG, PNG, and TIF formats, all the data will be retrieved and written to the database.
• If the files still have their sidecar files in the folder, and they still have the same file name, the database information is retrieved and written to the database.
• If the files have become separated from their sidecar files or renamed, their ACDSee Metadata cannot be retrieved and will be lost.

See Also:

• Using the Properties Pane
• Setting the Database Options
• Cataloging Files in the Database