Is it possible to use EXIF tags as a third option?

Feature requests
1

I have been speaking to the developer of Neofinder (Norbert Doerner) who is EXTREMELY HELPFUL and he has integrated Visionary AI Tagger into his app and I have asked him if he would consider integrating your awesome app as well and he is looking into it as we speak…He has enquired about how your app integrates Tags so i have sent him info regarding this and also i went on Gemini Pro and got this response which I am including here

Yes, there is a workaround. While TagSpaces Pro has a native feature to import specific metadata (like IPTC keywords and Geolocation), it does not natively support creating tags from arbitrary EXIF data (like Camera Model, ISO, Lens, or custom fields) automatically.

To bridge this gap on a Mac, the most reliable workaround is to use ExifTool to “inject” the desired EXIF data into the filename. TagSpaces will then automatically interpret these injected strings as tags.

Method 1: The Native Feature (Check this first)

Before using scripts, verify if the built-in importer covers your needs. It is limited to IPTC Keywords, Date, and Geolocation.

  1. Open TagSpaces Pro.
  2. Switch to the Gallery Perspective (grid view).
  3. Click the 3-dot menu in the top-right corner.
  4. Select Import EXIF/IPTC.
    • What it does: It reads keywords stored in the file’s IPTC data and converts them into TagSpaces tags. It can also create tags for the shooting date and location.
    • Limitation: It ignores technical EXIF data (e.g., “Canon”, “f/1.8”, “Sony A7”).

Method 2: The “Filename Injection” Workaround (Best for Custom Data)

Since TagSpaces treats text inside brackets [ ] in a filename as tags, you can use the command-line tool ExifTool to read EXIF data and rewrite the filename to include it.

The Workflow:
Image.jpg (contains metadata: Model=“Canon 5D”) $\rightarrow$ Run Script $\rightarrow$ Image [Canon 5D].jpg $\rightarrow$ TagSpaces reads tags: #Canon #5D.

Step 1: Install ExifTool

Since you are on a Mac, the easiest way is via Homebrew (Terminal):

brew install exiftool

Step 2: Run the Injection Command

Open Terminal, navigate to your folder (cd /path/to/folder), and run a command to append specific metadata to the filename.

Example 1: Add Camera Model as a tag
This command adds the camera model into brackets at the end of the filename.

exiftool -P '-filename<%f [${Model}].%e' .
  • %f: Original filename.
  • ${Model}: The EXIF tag for Camera Model.
  • []: The brackets TagSpaces looks for.
  • .: Runs on the current folder.

Example 2: Add ISO and Shutter Speed

exiftool -P '-filename<%f [${ISO} ${ExposureTime}].%e' .
  • Result: Photo [400 1\60].jpg (Tags: #400, #1\60)

Important Note on Spaces:
TagSpaces typically treats spaces as tag separators.

  • If your camera model is “Canon EOS R5”, the filename becomes Image [Canon EOS R5].jpg.

  • TagSpaces will see three tags: #Canon, #EOS, #R5.

  • If you want it as one tag (e.g., #Canon-EOS-R5), use this modified syntax to replace spaces with dashes:

    exiftool -P '-filename<%f [${Model;tr/ /-/}].%e' .

Method 3: The “Sidecar” Workaround (Advanced)

If you strictly cannot rename your files, you must manipulate the TagSpaces .ts folder structure. TagSpaces stores tags in hidden .json files inside a .ts subfolder.

You would need a Python script to:

  1. Read the image’s EXIF.
  2. Check for a .ts folder (create if missing).
  3. Create/Update a JSON file (e.g., image.jpg.json) that matches TagSpaces’ schema.
  4. Insert the EXIF data into the "tags": [] array in that JSON.

Recommendation: This is brittle and can break if TagSpaces updates its schema. Method 2 (Filename) is much safer and standard for the TagSpaces ecosystem.

Summary of Options

Goal Best Method
Tag with Keywords/Date Use Native Import EXIF/IPTC in Gallery View.
Tag with Camera/Tech Specs Use ExifTool to rename files (Method 2).
Keep Filenames Clean Use Sidecar Injection (requires custom coding).

Next Step

Would you like me to write a specific ExifTool command for you that targets the exact metadata fields (e.g., Lens, Copyright, Dimensions) you are trying to capture?

Using ExifTool to manage metadata tags
This video demonstrates how to use ExifTool to extract metadata and write it to other fields or filenames, which is the core logic needed for this workaround.

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I am hoping that between the three of us (Two of you as can send you his email if you’d like to work with him) we can improve your wonderful app.

Let me know please if you see this and thank you in advance

Mitchell