Ci's Support for Camera Originated Metadata

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Jules Truong
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Sony’s Alpha cameras let you tag your shots in-camera with star ratings, “Keep” / “OK” / “No Good” flags, and shot marks. These metadata tags travel with your footage and display directly inside Sony Ci Media Cloud, making it easier for you and your collaborators to find, filter, and prioritize clips.

 

How this can Enhance your Workflows

  • Save Time in Post: Quickly find the best takes without scrubbing through every clip.
  • Collaborate Smarter: Your on-set decisions are visible instantly to editors, producers, and remote team members in Ci.
  • Stay Organized: Flags and ratings become part of the clip’s metadata—no need to re-label or make notes separately.
  • Reduce Guesswork: Your first impressions and creative choices stay connected to the footage from capture through delivery.

 

Part 1 – Setting Star Ratings, Flags, and Shot Marks on the Sony A7S III

 For more information regarding your specific camera model, please check your camera's manual which you can also find below:

https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/cameras-camcorders/manuals

 

For this example, we will be using the A7S III to show how it supports several in-camera evaluation tools.

Tag Type Purpose
Star Rating (1–5) Rank the quality of the shot.
Keep / OK / No Good Mark whether a clip should be used, considered, or discarded.
Shot Mark Create an in/out marker for important moments within a clip.

Steps to Set Them:

  1. Enter Playback Mode
    • Press the Playback button to review recorded clips.
  2. Select the Clip
    • Use the control wheel or joystick to choose the clip you want to tag.
  3. Apply a Star Rating
    • Press the Fn (Function) button.
    • Choose Rating from the on-screen menu.
    • Select a star level (1–5) using the control wheel, then press Center Button to confirm.
  4. Apply Keep/OK/No Good Flags
    • While still in the Playback Menu, choose Protect/Flag or Still/Movie Select and Rating depending on your menu setup.
    • Select Keep, OK, or No Good.
  5. Add a Shot Mark
    • While playing back a clip, press the Shot Mark button (if assigned) or select Add Shot Mark from the playback menu.
    • The camera will insert a time-based marker.
  6. Repeat for Other Clips
    • Continue tagging clips as needed. Your tags are stored in the clip’s metadata (XMP/MP4 sidecar).

 

Part 2 – Viewing Tags in Ci Media Cloud

When you upload your footage to Ci—whether directly from the camera using Creators’ App, via the Ci mobile app, web upload, or through an automated ingest workflow—your in-camera tags will appear in the Ci player and metadata panel.

Here’s how to view them:

  1. Open the File in Ci
    • Navigate to your workspace and click on the file thumbnail.
  2. Check the Player Timeline
    • Shot Marks appear as markers along the timeline—clicking them jumps to that moment in the clip. They can also be found in the Mark Points section of the file details panel.
  3. Review Metadata Panel
    • Star Ratings and Flags appear in the file details panel.
  4. Collaborate Around the Tags
    • You can add additional comments or annotations in Ci to complement your on-set tags.

 

For any additional questions, please reach out to the Ci Customer Success Team by submitting a request here in the Help Center. 

Have more questions? Submit a request