Collecting global and slot metadata

Livegrade provides several handy possibilities to collect metadata while shooting. Slating, production, and camera-specific metadata will be stored with each created still and with each recorded clip in the shot library.

The collection of metadata allows the user to later

  • share metadata together with looks and stills with others,
  • have clarity at a later date about how a particular look or still was created, and
  • structure the library using “Smart Groups” based on metadata.

In this article, you will learn what the terms global and* slating metadata* mean and how you can collect metadata leveraging various tools within Livegrade.

Global and slot metadata#

Global metadata describes fields that will collect metadata that apply to every camera. Most commonly, these are all slating and production-related fields like scene/shot/take, location, and shooting date.

Slot metadata describes fields that will collect metadata for each individual camera. Those metadata fields are usually directly related to the used camera system, like lens, filter, and focus distance.

Tip: Shared metadata is a mechanism that allows the use of a slot metadata field on the global metadata level, in order to collect data for every camera at once. This can be useful if you want to use a custom metadata field for all slots or you want to log the current white balance setting for every camera at once.

Collecting global metadata#

Global metadata can also be summarised as metadata that corresponds to all cameras.

To collect global metadata, you can use the following tools, which allow you to enter metadata while shooting:

  • the global metadata panel
  • The global metadata quick view

Tip: If you notice that you have made a typo, multi-select all shots you want to edit in the shot library and use the library info tab to edit metadata directly. All changes will automatically be stored in all selected items.

Global metadata panel#

All slating metadata and other fields that apply to all slots can be overviewed and set via the global metadata panel, which can be found in the right sidebar.

Global metadata panel

Shared metadata#

Within the global metadata panel, it is possible to set a slot metadata field as “shared” for the entire stage. This allows you to enter a specific value for any field for all slots at the same time without having to record it for each camera individually. This can be helpful if you do not receive metadata via SDI, but it is still important to record it (e.g., ISO or white balance) or you want to use a custom metadata field (which is also available as a smart group) to leave a specific note for all cameras.

To configure a certain slot metadata field to be “shared”:

  • Click on + Add Shared Metadata Field
  • Select the field(s) you want to set to be shared

Global metadata quick view#

To access the most important global metadata fields quickly, add them to the “Global Metadata Quick view,” which can be found just above the slots.

  • Click on the wheel button menu on the right and select the fields you want to show in your quick view.

Global metadata quick view

Tip: Use the quick view for fields that you want to change on a shot-by-shot basis (e.g., Scene/Shot/Take) and the “Global Metadata Panel” for those that change not that often.

Rehearsal mode#

You can enable the “Rehearsal Mode” via the Slots > [Enable Rehearsal Mode] menu item, or the associated Stream Deck or Tangent controller action. Alternatively, you can toggle the rehearsal mode on/off with the dedicated “R” main toolbar button.

When rehearsal mode is active

  • a customizable rehearsal prefix will be applied to the take field of the upcoming recording(s). The default rehearsal prefix is “R”, however, you can change it to your preferred prefix in the slating settings.
  • recording input slots will be indicated by the amber-colored color bar
  • the recording button will turn into an amber-colored appearance
  • all recordings made during rehearsal mode get assigned the amber-colored clip label “Additional Shots” (the automatic behavior can be changed in the “Library” tab of Livegrade’s settings under “Automatic Label Assignment”).

Collecting slot metadata#

Slot metadata can also be seen as camera-specific metadata.

To collect slot metadata, you can use the following tools, which allow you to enter metadata while shooting:

  • the slot metadata panel
  • the slot’s view
  • the automatic readout from SDI metadata

Tip: If you notice that you have made a typo, double-click on your shot to reload your still or clip into your source slot and open the metadata tab in the slot panel (bottom-right) to edit the data again.

Slot metadata panel#

You will find all available slot metadata or the currently selected slot in the slot panel to the right of the slots.

Slot metadata panel

Slot’s view#

Besides the slot panel, you can use the customizable table view within each slot’s preview to collect metadata.

To show the metadata table below each slot

  • Press the Previews with Metadata button in the slot’s toolbar.
  • Use the splitter between the slots and the grade controls to flexibly adjust the height of your slot preview with your mouse. This way, you can decide how many slot metadata fields you want to see at once.

Slot’s view metadata table

To configure the table, use the ellipsis (…) menu of your slot to show or to hide certain metadata fields

  • [Show All]: shows all slot metadata fields
  • [Hide All]: hides all slot metadata fields
  • [Hide Empty Fields]: hides all fields that have no data
  • [Set All Shown Fields to Auto]: sets the source for all fields that are currently shown in the slot to Auto
  • [Set All Shown Fields to Auto]: sets the source for all fields that are currently shown in the slot to Manual

Automatic readout from SDI metadata#

If the current slot receives metadata via frame grab or SDI capture, the slot metadata fields can be auto-populated via SDI or set manually. Click on the letter next to each field to change a field to be fed automatically A or manually M.

To configure the slot’s metadata source, open the slot manager and check

  • the look device’s metadata settings, if you are using a frame grab as the image and metadata source
  • the image source’s metadata settings, if you are using a capture device as the image and metadata source

Advanced feature: Sharing field between specific slots#

You already learned how to configure a Slot Metadata field to be “shared”, so that you can access it via the Global Metadata for all slots at once.

There is also the possibility to configure a Slot Metadata field for specific slots instead of sharing them with all available input slots.

To configure a shared field for slots A and B, which should not be shared with C, please follow these steps:

  • Switch to slot A
  • Find the slot metadata field that you want to configure to be shared with slot B
  • Click on the ellipsis (…) button to open the configuration options
  • Select “Shared with other Slots” in the drop-down to move the field onto the global metadata level
  • Switch to slot B
  • Find the slot metadata field that you want to configure to be shared with slot A
  • Click on the ellipsis (…) button to open the configuration options
  • Select “Shared with other Slots” in the drop-down to share it with slot A
  • The metadata field is now available in the global metadata panel and will be shared with slots A and B

Last updated: October 7, 2025

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