Adobe 12040118 - After Effects Standard, Tutorial

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XMP metadata
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About XMP metadata
XMP metadata in After Effects
About file, clip, and project XMP metadata
Show or hide XMP metadata
Edit XMP metadata
About XMP metadata
Metadata is—in the simplest sense—data about data. In practical terms, metadata is a set of standardized information about a file, such as author
name, resolution, color space, copyright, and keywords applied to the file. For example, most cameras attach some basic information to video files,
such as date, duration, and file type. Other metadata can be entered as shot-list information in OnLocation or at the capture stage in Adobe
Premiere Pro. You can add additional metadata with properties such as location, author name, and copyright. Because you can share, view, and
use this metadata across Adobe Creative Suite applications, you can use this information to streamline your workflow and organize your files.
The Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) is the metadata standard used by Adobe applications. Metadata that is stored in other formats—such as
Exif, IPTC (IIM), GPS, and TIFF—is synchronized and described with XMP so that it can be more easily viewed and managed. For example,
adjustments made to images with Adobe Camera Raw are stored as XMP metadata. The XMP standard is based on XML.
A metadata schema is a collection of properties specific to a given workflow. The Dynamic Media schema, for example, includes properties such
as Scene and Shot Location that are tailored for digital video projects. Exif schemas, by contrast, include properties tailored to digital photography,
such as Exposure Time and Aperture Value. More general properties, such as Date and Title, appear in the Dublin Core schema. To see a tool tip
with information about a specific schema or property, place the pointer over it in the Metadata panel. You can create your own schemas using
commands in the Metadata panel, and you can import schemas and share them with others as XML files.
Metadata is divided into two general categories: static metadata and temporal metadata. Static metadata is metadata that applies to an entire
asset. For example, the copyright and author information for a video clip apply to the entire clip. Temporal metadata is metadata that is associated
with a specific time within a dynamic media asset. Beat markers from Soundbooth and the metadata generated by the Speech Search feature in
Soundbooth and Premiere Pro are examples of temporal metadata.
Adobe Story also converts information from a screenplay (script) into XMP metadata that can automate the creation of shooting scripts, shot lists,
and more.
Note: To start the Adobe Story service from within After Effects, choose File > Go To Adobe Story.
You can view static XMP metadata for a file in Adobe Bridge.
After Effects scripts and expressions can read and use data stored in markers. Because XMP metadata for source footage items can be converted
to layer markers, expressions and scripts can work with XMP metadata. Scripts can also operate on the XMP metadata for a file outside of the
After Effects context, both for the automation of common tasks and for creative uses.
XMP metadata included in an F4V or FLV file can be read and used by ActionScript, so you can use XMP metadata to add interactivity to a video
playing in Flash Player. One application of this feature is searching within an FLV file for temporal metadata, which can allow the user to begin
playback at a specific word of dialog or at some other time associated with a specific temporal metadata element.
To selectively add and remove (thin) XMP metadata for a file, use export templates and the Metadata Export dialog box in Adobe Media
Encoder.
Speech Search and XMP metadata
The Speech Search feature in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Soundbooth provides the ability to convert speech in a video or audio asset to text
metadata. Each word is stored as a metadata element at the corresponding time in the timeline.
When a file with Speech Search metadata is imported into After Effects and used as the source for a layer, each word appears in a layer marker at
the corresponding time. (This assumes that the Create Layer Markers From Footage XMP Metadata is selected. See Working with XMP metadata
in After Effects.)
Embedding XMP metadata versus including XMP metadata in sidecar files
In most cases, XMP metadata for a file is stored in the file itself. If it isn’t possible to write the information directly into the file, XMP metadata is
stored in a separate file called a sidecar file, with the filename extension .xmp. For information on which file formats After Effects can write XMP
metadata directly into, see XMP metadata in After Effects.
In most cases, XMP metadata remains with the file even when the file is converted to a different format—for example, from PSD to JPG. XMP
metadata is also retained when files are placed in a document or project in an Adobe Creative Suite application.