* Putting captions on media files

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michaeldigney
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Putting captions on media files

Post by michaeldigney »

Hi,
I know this is not specifically a FH question but I wondered if anybody else had managed to insert captions onto media files, as an addition not actually overlaying any of the file, eg photo.

I know that products like Photoshop will do this but they are hefty pieces of expensive software for what appears to be a simple task. Sledgehammer and nut comes to mind.

I have spent a lot of time searching the web as well as this forum but I cant find a suitable solution...........any ideas, hints and tips ??

Thank you.
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AdrianBruce
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Re: Putting captions on media files

Post by AdrianBruce »

I use "XnView Classic for Windows" which is free and will insert Meta Data (such as captions) into image files. It's not visible under normal circumstances, but any software that interrogates IPTC data will show it separately. Not sure if this is what you want...
Adrian
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michaeldigney
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Re: Putting captions on media files

Post by michaeldigney »

Thanks, I will download it and give it a go.
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tatewise
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Re: Putting captions on media files

Post by tatewise »

If you want to add visible captions to the border of an image use IrfanView.
It is a free utility that does just about anything you want to all kinds of files.

That is one of many Links to Services & Utilities suggested in the FHUG Knowledge Base.
Did you look there?
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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michaeldigney
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Re: Putting captions on media files

Post by michaeldigney »

Thanks for that I will try it, that's two to test out, busy, busy
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jimlad68
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Re: Putting captions on media files

Post by jimlad68 »

Sorry to be late on this.
Yes, Mike's irfanview option is one I've used in the past for bulk adding the filename to many pics (either over existing picture or extending the canvas/border). In my situation it was to add text to files before printing. For more precise and decorative detail, most image editors will do a good job, albeit often slow.

If you are going to change the original image, make sure you save it in a lossless format first (or during). That way if you edit and change/update in future you should not lose any quality.
(I use *.PNG but compressed TIFF files are supposedly best for Archive, as they can include extra technical info and narrative as mentioned by Adrian, but I do not find them as "portable" and the image is no better).

If I had time I would extend my canvas on all my images and add textual detail. Come to think of it that might be useful for the web as many sites (like Onedrive) just show a picture and you have to scrabble round to find the filename or detail.

Filing info as Meta Data within the file is fine, but can easily be lost if not edited correctly, or saved in a different format.
Jim Orrell - researching: see - but probably out of date https://gw.geneanet.org/jimlad68
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