Export Metadata
The Export Metadata block reads every media file in the source folder and writes metadata simultaneously to all enabled output formats. It can run independently or chained after Offload or Transcode, in which case the export source is set automatically to the relevant upstream destination.
Table of Contents
Configuration
Source — when running independently, the source is the folder set in the Workflow tab Source selector. When chained after Offload, the source is the primary offload destination. When chained after Transcode, the source is the transcode destination.
TC Mode — timecode behavior is controlled globally by the TC Mode setting in Preferences → General. See Preferences for details.
Output Formats
Export Metadata Folder — the folder where metadata files are saved. A subfolder named evrE_FolderName is created inside the source, containing all exported metadata files and the session log.
evrExpanse TSV
Native tab-separated format containing all extracted metadata fields. Usable as source for Apply Finder Tags and as a general-purpose metadata reference.
DaVinci Resolve CSV
CSV file with full camera metadata mapping. Includes Keywords and Flags derived from macOS Finder Tags. Import via File → Import Metadata To → Media Pool or Selected Clips.
Matching options in DaVinci Resolve:
- Uncheck Match using clip start and end Timecode
- Check Match using source file paths
Final Cut Pro FCPXML / FCPXMLD
Supported versions: FCPXML 1.9 (.fcpxml), FCPXMLD 1.10 through 1.14 (.fcpxmld).
Import by double-clicking the exported file — Final Cut Pro opens automatically and prompts for the target library. Metadata appears in the Inspector under a dedicated evrExpanse metadata view.
To activate the evrExpanse metadata view in FCP Inspector:
- Select a clip in the browser or timeline
- Open the Metadata View dropdown in the Info Inspector
- Choose Edit Metadata Views…
- Find and select evrExpanse, click OK
Metadata is fully searchable in the FCP browser and can be used to create Smart Collections.
Adobe Premiere Pro JSON
A document with your clips and their camera metadata, read in Premiere Pro by the evr Clips and Metadata plugin. The file name ends in _PremierePro.json.
The plugin adds a panel to Premiere Pro that:
- imports the clips that aren't in your project yet;
- writes the metadata into columns of the Project panel, all starting with
evr; - verifies every value by reading it back from the project.
Requirements: Premiere Pro 25.6 or later, and the Creative Cloud app, installed and signed in.
Install the plugin from Preferences → Metadata Export → Premiere Pro Plugin. The first time you turn on the Premiere Pro · JSON format, evrExpanse offers to install it. Creative Cloud installs the plugin and asks you to confirm. For a Mac without evrExpanse, Save Installer… saves a copy of the plugin installer; the plugin is also available on the Adobe Marketplace.
Use it in Premiere Pro:
- Open your project, then open the panel from Window → UXP Plugins → evr Clips and Metadata
- Choose the
_PremierePro.jsonfile exported by evrExpanse - Choose the destination bin, or leave the project root
- Confirm: the panel imports, writes and verifies, then shows a report
The evr columns start hidden in Premiere Pro. To show them: Project panel menu → Metadata Display… → check Premiere Project Metadata → OK. The Project panel search looks inside them even when hidden: type a lens, a camera model or a setting to find the matching clips.
Running the same file again is safe: if everything is already in the project, the panel says Already up to date and changes nothing.
For the complete guide, see the evr Clips and Metadata User Guide.
Avid Media Composer ALE
ALE format with configurable Format, FPS, and Bin Name. Configure these in the Export block before running.
Import in Media Composer:
- Import your clips as master clips if not already done, and open the bin that contains them
- Check the import setting once: choose File → Input → Import Media…, click Options…, and on the Shot Log tab select Merge events with known master clips. Click OK, then Cancel to close the file window: the setting stays for the next imports
- Select the master clips in the bin (⌘A selects them all), then drag the ALE file from the Finder into the bin
Media Composer merges the metadata into the selected master clips. If no clips are selected, it stops and asks you to select the master clips to merge into: select them and drag the file again. If the Shot Log setting is Maintain events as logged instead, the ALE creates new, offline clips: delete them, change the setting and drag the file again.
As an alternative, select the clips in the bin, choose File → Input → Import Media…, check the Shot Log setting in Options…, then select the ALE file and click Open.
Media Composer matches master clips by Timecode, Bin Name, and Clip Name. Start and End always carry the timecode embedded in the media, whatever TC Mode is set in Preferences, so Media Composer can link the clips to their media. The timecode from TC Mode is written in two custom columns, evr · TC Start and evr · TC End. Other metadata fields appear as custom columns in the bin.
Pomfort Silverstack CSV
Drylab CSV format. Import via the Import menu in Silverstack, selecting Drylab CSV. Match by Clip Name and Creation Date (Date only).
Available metadata sections in Silverstack: Camera Settings, Lens and Filter, Comment and Caption, Append Tags.
Assimilate SCRATCH XML
When enabled, evrExpanse sends an XML file to the SCRATCH Watch Folder automatically on completion. The file is imported by SCRATCH on the next project load.
A local copy is saved in evrE_FolderName for reference or use on other workstations.
The SCRATCH Watch Folder path and Project Name are configured in Preferences → Metadata Export. The Project Name must match exactly with the existing project name in SCRATCH.
Sony RTMD CSV
Real Time Metadata in CSV format. Compatible with Sony production workflows.
Extract LUT
Extracts embedded .cube LUT files from media. Supported for Kinefinity, ARRI, and McPRO24fps cameras. Extracted LUT files are saved in the evrE_FolderName subfolder alongside other exported metadata.
Timecode Across Formats
The timecode mode chosen in Preferences → General controls what evrExpanse writes as the clip timecode in every export. The three modes — embedded, time of day, and zero — are described in the Preferences section.
evrExpanse writes this timecode into the DaVinci Resolve CSV and the Final Cut Pro FCPXML as the native clip timecode: the one the application actually uses for display, for synchronisation, and for multicam. It is not a custom annotation — it replaces the timecode the application would otherwise read from the media file.
DaVinci Resolve uses it on both video and photos. This means stills shot during a take can be synchronised by time of day together with the footage on the same timeline.
Final Cut Pro uses it on video only. Apple does not support timecode on still images, so photos import without it. Their capture time remains available as an evrExpanse tag in the Inspector.
In both applications, TC Start and TC End also appear as evrExpanse metadata tags alongside the native timecode, so the values are always readable in the metadata panel regardless of how the application uses them.
Media Composer ALE keeps the media's embedded timecode in Start and End, so Avid can link clips to media, and writes the TC Mode timecode in the evr · TC Start and evr · TC End columns.
Premiere Pro JSON writes the TC Mode timecode in the evr columns: Premiere Pro keeps using the timecode of the media file.
Silverstack CSV, SCRATCH XML and Sony RTMD CSV include the timecode according to the conventions of each format.
Supported Media Formats
Default formats — always included:
MOV MP4 MXF JPG JPEG PNG TIF
Optional formats — enabled per session in the Export block:
MKV NEV R3D HEIC DNG AVIF ARW CR2 CR3 NEF RAF
Optional formats are toggled per session so you can choose exactly which file types to include in a given export. Default formats are always included; optional ones let you keep the output focused on the media that matters for your workflow. Support varies by target application — most NLEs simply ignore formats they don't recognise.
Camera-Aware Metadata Mapping
evrExpanse recognizes camera type from file metadata and maps tags accordingly for each NLE. Supported camera manufacturers:
Panasonic · Sony Alpha · Sony XDCAM · Canon · Nikon · Fujifilm · ARRI · Z Cam · Kinefinity · Atomos (Ninja & Inferno) · McPRO24fps · GoPro · Apple iPhone · Blackmagic Camera App
For the complete camera compatibility table, see the Camera Compatibility page.
Canon XF Utility Integration
Applicable to Canon EOS Cinema cameras prior to the C80 and C400 series — C300, C500, C200, C700, C70, R5 C and others. Canon C80 and C400 embed metadata directly in MXF files and are supported natively without this workflow.
Requirements:
- Canon XF Utility installed from the Canon website
- Source MXF clips in their original folder structure, including the
INDEX.MIFfile
Workflow:
- Open Canon XF Utility and load the card or folder containing MXF files
- In Preferences, set Frame Grab file type to JPEG
- Manually grab a single still frame for each clip using Grab a Single Still Frame
- Place the exported JPG files inside the source folder used in evrExpanse, or create a symlink from the XF Utility export path into the source folder
- Run Export Metadata or Transcode in evrExpanse
evrExpanse automatically matches JPG frame grabs with the corresponding MXF clips and extracts enhanced metadata from the matched pairs.
Zero-Byte File Detection
Before the export begins, evrExpanse scans for zero-byte files in the source folder. A warning is presented if any are found. Zero-byte files are included in the final report regardless of whether you proceed.
Output Folder Structure
After export, the metadata lands inside an evrE_FolderName subfolder. Where that subfolder is created depends on your setup:
- Export only — inside the source folder.
- Combined workflow (offload and/or transcode) — inside the destination folder.
- Custom Metadata Destination set (Preferences → Metadata Export) — inside the folder you chose, regardless of the workflow. Each exported source keeps its own
evrE_FolderNamesubfolder there, so multiple sources can share one destination without mixing.
SourceFolderName/ (source folder, or DestinationFolder/ for combined
workflow, or your Metadata Destination if set)
evrE_FolderName/
evrE_..._DaVinciResolve.csv
evrE_..._FinalCutPro.fcpxml
evrE_..._PremierePro.json
evrE_..._MediaComposer.ale
evrE_..._Silverstack.csv
evrE_..._evrExpanse.tsv
evrE_..._evrExpanse.json
evrE_..._SonyRTMD.csv
evrE_..._Scratch_insert.xml
Exported_LUT/
LUT files (.cube)
evrExpanse_yyyymmdd_hhmmss_export/transcode.log