User Guide

Chapter 6: Organizing
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You can also choose to exclude folders from the database, and keep the contents of those
folders separate from your other images and media files.
When you add database information to a file in ACDSee, the file is linked to the
database. If you then copy, move, or rename your files using programs other than
ACDSee, such as Windows Explorer, the link to the database is broken and this can
cause the loss of database information.
Embedding database information in files
If you edit, or add to the database information, ACDSee automatically adds the new data to its
database. When you next close ACDSee, it offers to also embed the new data in the files
themselves. Embedding database information in the files is a safe way to back-up this data and
make it easier to retrieve if you should need to.
For example, once you have created database information about a file, the file is linked to the
database. If the file is moved using Windows explorer, or any application other than ACDSee,
the link will be broken. If the link is broken but you embedded the data in the file itself, you
can rebuild the ACDSee database using the embedded information within the files.
When the database information is embedded in the file, you can also rename, move, or copy
the file using ACDSee, even to another computer, and the database information transfers with
the file.
To embed database information in a file:
As soon as you add any information to a file in ACDSee, it keeps track of the change. When you
close ACDSee, the Embed Database Information in Files dialog opens and asks if you want to
embed the data in the files.
To embed the data in the files, click Yes.
If you do not want to embed the database information at this point, you can click
Database | Embed Database Information in Files at any time.
ACDSee uses XMP to embed database information in each file. Only some file
formats and file extensions support XMP. These include GIF, JPG, DNG, PNG, and
TIF. In the case of these file formats, the database information is inside the file and
so they can be moved outside of ACDSee and you will be able to retrieve the
database information.
For formats that currently do not support XMP, including RAW, PSD, ABR, the
database information is written to a sidecar file in the same folder as its file.
Because a sidecar file is separate from the file itself, if you do not rename or move
them together, you could lose the database information permanently.