What Is Metadata and How Does It Help You Sort Files?
Metadata is data about a file, not its actual content. For photos and videos that means capture time, resolution, duration, camera and location, plus descriptive information such as a title or keywords. With good metadata you find footage without opening every file.
What is metadata? Metadata is data about a file, not the content itself. For a photo, the content is the picture, and the metadata is the capture time, camera model, size, maybe the location and a title. For creators, editors and agencies, metadata is the reason some files turn up in seconds and others never do.
Four types of metadata
| Type | Examples | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Technical metadata | resolution, duration, frame rate, codec, file size | automatically from the device |
| Capture metadata | date, time, camera, GPS location | automatically, for photos as EXIF data |
| Descriptive metadata | title, description, keywords, category | added by people or an AI |
| Administrative metadata | owner, sharing, modified date | from the system, such as Google Drive |
The first two types appear on their own. Descriptive metadata is almost always missing, and that is exactly what you need to search by content. Nobody searches for "1920 by 1080, 25 frames per second". People search for "team laughing in the office" or "drone shot over vineyard".
Metadata in Google Drive
Google Drive stores administrative metadata for every file, such as owner, sharing and modified date. For images and videos it also reads technical information: for videos width, height and duration, for photos camera details and, if available, the location, among other things. For videos Drive also generates a thumbnail.
What Drive doesn't offer personal accounts is a free keyword system for individual files. Certain Google Workspace editions have labels that the administrator defines for the whole organization. For most creators, that leaves folders, file names, shortcuts and search. How to keep order with those anyway is explained in the guide on how to sort Google Drive.
Why metadata is often missing or wrong
- Recompressed files. Many messaging apps remove metadata such as the location when sending.
- Camera clock set wrong. Then the capture date is off, and sorting by shoot day gets inaccurate.
- File names without meaning.
C0034.MP4is a name, but not descriptive metadata. - Copies instead of originals. Files that are exported or passed along in roundabout ways sometimes lose fields.
That is why it pays to upload raw footage as original files to a cloud folder rather than sending it through a messenger.
Descriptive metadata for a content library
A usable content library needs three things per file:
- A short description of what is in it.
- Keywords for search, such as people, place, objects, mood.
- A category, so you can also browse without searching.
By hand that is doable for a few dozen files. For several shoot days with hundreds of clips it is unrealistic. This is where AI that recognizes image content helps. How that works with Gemini is in the guide on how to organize Google Drive with AI.
How Sorted creates descriptive metadata
Sorted connects to your Google Drive. Gemini from Google recognizes what is in every photo and video, for videos through the thumbnail Google Drive creates. It writes a short description, adds keywords and suggests a category with a confidence score. You can then search by description and keywords.
This information lives in a hidden app folder in your own Drive, not in a database at Sorted. The original files are not changed, and Sorted writes nothing into your photos and videos. Sorted Pro adds location from GPS data, shoot days by capture date and a shot list as CSV. Try Sorted
Conclusion
Metadata decides whether you find your footage. Technical metadata appears on its own, while descriptive metadata is almost always missing. Give your photos and videos a description, keywords and a category, and a pile of files becomes a searchable collection, for example for B-roll or for photos you sort automatically with AI.
Frequently asked questions
What is metadata in simple terms?
Metadata is information about a file, like a label on a box. It tells you when a photo was taken, how large a video is or who last changed a file. It doesn't contain the content itself, meaning the picture or the sound.
Does Google Drive have tags?
Google Drive doesn't offer a free keyword system for individual files like many photo apps do. Certain Google Workspace editions have labels that an administrator sets up for the organization. Personal accounts mostly rely on folders, file names, shortcuts and search.
What metadata do videos have?
Videos typically store capture time, duration, resolution, frame rate, codec and, depending on the device, the recording location. Google Drive reads width, height and duration, among other things. What can be seen in the video isn't part of the technical metadata.
How do I get descriptive metadata for many files?
By hand through file names, lists or spreadsheets, which takes a lot of time with hundreds of clips. An AI can recognize image content and suggest descriptions and keywords. Sorted does this with Gemini for photos and videos in your Google Drive.
Does Sorted change the metadata of my files?
No. Sorted doesn't write anything into your photos and videos. The descriptions, keywords and categories it creates are stored in a hidden app folder in your own Google Drive, and the original files stay unchanged.