Check Which Photo Metadata Transfers Into refern
refern can read supported metadata embedded in JPEG-family files and PNG/APNG files. Keywords can become tags; supported fields can populate the library's metadata. That is not a guarantee that a whole photo catalog, every file format, or a neighboring XMP sidecar will transfer.
Find out where the metadata lives
An image can have metadata embedded in its bytes, stored in a separate sidecar file, or recorded only in the application that organized it. Seeing a keyword in your current photo app does not establish which storage method it uses.
Keep the original catalog, media, and sidecars intact. Before changing export settings, consult the source app's documentation and test with copies of a few representative files. Do not convert or rewrite an entire archive just to test a migration.
Check the current import boundary
| Source | Current expectation |
|---|---|
| Embedded XMP/IPTC keywords in supported JPEG/PNG containers | Supported extraction; verify the resulting tags |
| Supported embedded hierarchical keyword fields | Can recreate hierarchy; inspect naming and nesting |
| Supported embedded rating, description, creator, source fields | Check metadata preferences and resulting values |
External .xmp beside the image | Not read by the embedded-image extractor |
| Metadata stored only in another app's catalog | Requires a compatible export or dedicated importer |
| Other image containers | Preview support does not establish metadata-extraction support |
The same holds for layered art files. refern shows PSD, Krita, and Procreate files as a flattened preview image, but it does not read the metadata stored inside them.
For an Eagle library, use the dedicated Eagle import guide, not the embedded-keyword path.
Enable the metadata options and inspect a sample
In Settings, open Metadata. Check Auto-import Tags from File Metadata and Auto-import Rating, Description, and Creator according to what you want imported. Add a small representative set through a workspace or import path you understand.
Compare an expected tag, a nested keyword, a rating, and a creator field against the source record. Check one untagged file too. Missing fields may reflect unsupported storage, missing embedded values, disabled preferences, or an extraction failure. refern never fills the creator from the editing-software field (such as Photoshop), so a file that names only its software stays uncredited.
The settings also offer a metadata rescan for an open workspace. Review its confirmation and current preferences before using it. It does not make unsupported containers or external sidecars readable.
Preserve the organization work
The extractor reads source metadata; it does not write your later refern tag edits back into the original image. Back up workspace data as well as pixels if you want to preserve the organization work done in refern.
Only expand the migration after the sample matches your needs. See reference backups and tagging for maintaining the result.