Making captions from picture metadata in Layout by Zaweba

Captions are tedious to type and easy to get wrong. A photo book with two hundred pictures, a catalogue with a product name under every shot, a report full of figures: each caption is a chance to put the wrong words under the wrong picture. Layout by Zaweba can build captions from the information already stored with each picture, so the caption comes from the file rather than from someone's typing.

Where the caption text comes from

Three pieces of picture metadata can be used: the file name, the title and the EXIF description. Photographers often fill in a title or a description in their photo software, and cameras and phones store EXIF information with every shot. If the caption has already been written there, Layout can use it.

The file name is the simplest source. If pictures are named carefully, such as "Bamburgh Castle at dawn" or a product code, the caption can come straight from that. For a product catalogue where every picture is named by its code, that is often all you need.

Static and variable captions

A caption can be made once from the metadata, as ordinary text. After that it is just text, and you can edit it as you like.

A variable caption stays linked to its picture. Relink the frame to a different photo and the caption changes to match. That is useful while a layout is still settling: a picture editor can swap shots in and out of a spread and the captions keep up, with no risk of a caption describing the previous photo.

Use variable captions while pictures are still changing, and switch to static text once you want to polish the wording by hand.

Getting good captions from metadata

Good captions start before the pictures reach the layout. Agree with whoever supplies the photos where the caption text should go, title or description, and ask them to fill it in. A minute per picture in a photo organiser saves typing every caption twice.

Clean file names help. Names straight off a camera, like a string of letters and numbers, make poor captions. If file names are the source, rename the files sensibly before placing.

Style the captions with a paragraph style so they all match, whatever source they came from. Change the style later and every caption follows.

Read them. Metadata can be out of date, misspelt or written for a different purpose. Captions from metadata save time, but they still need proofing.

Mistakes to avoid with automatic captions

Mixing sources across a document gives uneven results. One caption from a file name and the next from a long EXIF description looks inconsistent. Pick one source per job.

Leaving variable captions linked after final edits can surprise you if a picture is relinked late. Make them static when the wording is final.

Forgetting credits is a common miss. If the photographer's credit must appear, check whether it is part of the metadata you're using, and add it if not.

Captions alongside the other picture tools

Captions work best with the rest of the picture workflow. Place several pictures at once with the place gun, fit them to their frames, then generate captions in one pass. Group each picture with its caption so they move together, or anchor the caption in a text frame so it stays with the right story. The Links panel keeps track of the files, so if a picture is relinked, you'll see it there and know which captions to check.