Want to remember what filter you used when you shot a photo? Want it to stay with the photo in the metadata?
I’ve been looking for a way to do this for a long time. I use filters when I shoot my photos, and I like to remember what filters or combination of filters that I used when I took each one. This helps me know what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to using filters.
Until now, I haven’t found a way to get that information into a photo’s metadata (the technical data that is attached to each photo in the file itself). There just wasn’t a field for it.
But with Lightroom 4, I see a field in the metadata that works perfectly for that kind of information! It is the “User Comment” field and you can find it in the EXIF section just below the “cropped dimensions” field.
It is not just good for filter information either. Here’s the kind of stuff I write into this field now:
- The names (brands) and types (“polarizer”, etc.) of filters used.
- The names and types of lenses that are simulated elsewhere in software (“Canon 100, 2 at 5.6” simulated in OnOne Focal Point software for example).
- Techniques used (“shaded lens with cap”, for example).
- Bracketing information (“part of a bracketed set”, for example).
- Any relevant item that “made the shot” but was not included in the metadata automatically written in the camera.
The User Comment field is a useful addition to any photo. I’ll be using it more and more to keep track of how I’m making my photos!