Automating Metadata in Capture One

On a busy shoot, metadata is one of those things that’s easy to let slide. But setting it up properly in Capture One from the start saves a lot of time and keeps your files organized without extra effort.

Why Automate Metadata?

Many photographers and studios use structured naming conventions like Client_Project_001.CR3 or Brand_Season_Shot01_001.NEF. The first segment of these filenames often contains important information like client names, event names, or job numbers. Instead of typing these manually into metadata fields, this script does the work for you.

Use Cases for Digital Techs

• Save Camera Filename Before Renaming. Quickly apply the original file name to the metadata before renaming based on shot or other file naming convention.
• Editorial & E-Commerce Shoots. Auto-tag files with the project or client name so images remain easily searchable.
• Large Productions. With multiple sets and photographers, ensuring the right project name is embedded in the metadata helps prevent mix-ups.
• Stock & Asset Libraries. Quickly apply searchable metadata to thousands of images in just a few clicks.
• Avoid Confusion Over Renamed Files. Even if a file is renamed by a retoucher or client, the original file name will still be searchable as metadata.

How It Works

1. Ensure filenames follow a consistent format, such as Client_Project_001.CR3.
2. Run the script on selected images. It will extract the first part of the filename (before the first underscore) and assign it to the Headline metadata field.
3. The metadata becomes instantly searchable and easier to organize within Capture One and DAM systems.

The Script

tell application "Capture One"
    repeat with thisVariant in (get selected variants)
        set fileName to name of thisVariant
        set AppleScript's text item delimiters to "_"
        set headlineText to item 1 of (text items of fileName)
        set content headline of thisVariant to headlineText
    end repeat
end tell

If you wanted to adjust it to the last underscore, you could use something like this instead:

set headlineText to text 1 thru ((offset of "_" in fileName as integer) - 1) of fileName

How This Improves Your Workflow

Running this script at the end of a shoot or before renaming imported files ensures that every file is properly tagged without human error. Instead of manually entering metadata for hundreds of images, the script automates it in seconds. Whether working with high-volume commercial shoots, editorial projects, or stock photography libraries, this automation keeps everything consistent.

For even more advanced metadata tagging, check out Capturebot.