MKV Tagging/Video Manager...GUI

nasair · 11th November 2012, 05:31

I've looked all over and tried a few different solutions. What I want is a GUI based video tagger...specifically the more formats the better but MKV, MP4, and AVI are very important. I'd like something that I could also search after I've added tags to my videos so I can find them again, and it would be preferred that the data is written to the files directly. I know windows has some of this functionality but it is a slow process when you want to add lots of different tags for lots of videos. I want to add people's names to home videos and some extra information...think Picasa, or Shotwell, or Adobe Bridge but for videos. Putting the tags and information in the file name would both be slow and not useful as some names would become too long to make transfers and such easy. I've determined that if the program won't save the data to the file, which is preferred, than it is very important that the program can recognize if a file has moved or renamed. If it doesn't I'll lose tag data, which would be a waste of time.

Some examples of programs I've tried that do let me edit tags in at least some formats but either won't let me save the data to the file or search tags are:
avidemux and mkvmerg. mkvtomp4

I don't mind if it is Linux or Windows based as I use both.
I'd like if someone could offer something they've actually used and not just a link, but I'll take what I can get.

jfcarbel · 21st September 2013, 08:25

These are top options I have found over years of research. Order ranked higher if support MP4 and MKV and if can pull metadata from sources like tmdb, etc.

1) MetaX (MP4, MKV and others) - Not free, 10 USD

2) Mp3tag (MP4, MKV - added in v2.85, but Matroska covers not yet supported)

3) MKV & MP4 Video Manager (MP4, MKV) - Not free, 25 EURO

4) chapterEditor (MKV only)

5) MKVBuddy (MKV only)

6) JMkvpropedit (MKV only. Also does not support searching any online sources to auto fill. You must manually enter all the data)

7) Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate (MKV, MP4)
Searches online sources for data. I have not looked at this program personally so I cannot vouch for its reliability but perhaps someone else can comment on that.

With MKVTagger there are plugins in Media Portal 2 that support the tags it writes to the video files and I assume this works with its search function (i.e. find all movies with Genre of Drama)
Kodi also looks to now support tags in video file metadata.

And this is a good article on the topic as well.

MetaX looks to be the best to support all formats, but its not free, but for a measly $10 its a deal for what it can do. But options 2-4 are also good and worth exploring to see what works best.
Mp3tag developer seems quite active and working on new MKV features, hopefully covers are supported soon as I believe its on the TODO list.

iTag - Is an interesting tagging app but looks to only support MP4 and only the keyword metadata but does allow searches on your machine for files with these keywords.

karenstevens · 7th October 2013, 10:23

Thanks jfcarbel! It was helpful!

low t

jfcarbel · 8th October 2013, 01:48

tabbles is also another interesting choice, but I don't think its been updated recently. And as I mention below, I would not be surprised to see a feature like this added to the OS possibly in the next release.

It should be noted that Apple's recent OS release has added tagging into the OS file system that works with its built in search tools. Why it is taking Microsoft so long to have done that as well is beyond me. Perhaps as always Microsoft will follow others lead and add it. I have not heard what might be coming in Windows 9 since 8.1 was just so recently released and with Ballmer leaving I not sure they know what they are doing next.

I think MkvToMp4 is a really nice tagging program for video and author seems dedicated to keep updating it. What is really needed is an OS level tool in Windows that indexes file metadata and keeps track when files are moved and provides search tools on that metadata.

nasair · 11th November 2013, 16:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfcarbel

tabbles is also another interesting choice, but I don't think its been updated recently. And as I mention below, I would not be surprised to see a feature like this added to the OS possibly in the next release.

It should be noted that Apple's recent OS release has added tagging into the OS file system that works with its built in search tools. Why it is taking Microsoft so long to have done that as well is beyond me. Perhaps as always Microsoft will follow others lead and add it. I have not heard what might be coming in Windows 9 since 8.1 was just so recently released and with Ballmer leaving I not sure they know what they are doing next.

I think MkvToMp4 is a really nice tagging program for video and author seems dedicated to keep updating it. What is really needed is an OS level tool in Windows that indexes file metadata and keeps track when files are moved and provides search tools on that metadata.

jfcarbel, thank you for the information. I personally don't use Mac, nor Windows 8. I'm sticking with Lubuntu and Linux Mint for now.

nasair · 17th July 2014, 17:35

I forgot I posted this, because I was actually searching for a better way to view MKV tags, such as MP3 tags are seen in itunes or most mp3 managers. I was hoping to find some program that lets you view MKV tags, and search them...any ideas?

And an update > MetaX (MP4, MKV and others) is great, and MKVTagger (MKV only) works well when dealing with MKV only files.

SeeMoreDigital · 17th July 2014, 18:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by nasair

And an update > MetaX (MP4, MKV and others) is great, and MKVTagger (MKV only) works well when dealing with MKV only files.

I don't think so...

Quote:

MetaX is only $9.95! Download it today and try it out. Unregistered versions can tag up to 5 files, after that you'll need to register. Use the Buy Now button to get your username and registration code.

nasair · 17th July 2014, 20:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeeMoreDigital

I don't think so...

Care to explain your opinion beyond it costs money? I want to know what I'm missing.
Also, do you know any media managers like rhythmbox, itunes, etc...that can read MKV tags and search them? I'm having a problem finding one. I would prefer it writes tags too but as I mentioned I've found two solutions for that.

jfcarbel · 18th July 2014, 07:29

This is an interesting approach TagSpaces in which your tags are just part of filename. Thus any file type can be tagged and moving files is not an issue and the tags are thus portable. Searching is nothing more then using windows search.

nasair · 18th July 2014, 18:17

Tagspaces is very interesting. Thank you for suggesting it. I like all of the cross platform support. I also like that it is open source.
The add-ons for Firefox and Chrome don't work well in Linux but I used their Ubuntu based Linux install in Mint without a problem.
Only note I would make to anyone that tries the program is make sure to set your Tag Delimiter and Prefix for the tag container before adding any tags (under Experimental Options). If you set it after sometimes it won't update files names if you had a perivious setting for those.
I like it a lot...I'm just thinking about how many tags I might actually use for some files because of character limits.
Although NTFS or FAT32 file systems can support filenames up to 255 characters (Linux can do more and I believe more recent Windows can as well, i.e. Windows Vista and up) but some programs or clients can have probelms with character length. I know 255 might seem like a lot but that includes the directory/path. I have run into a problem with some of my MP3's filename legnth (mostly audio books) being an issue when trying to copy them to a Windows drive. What happens is I have to put it on C and then later I can move it to the correct directory.
I think for now I'm going to give this a longer test to see if it will fit my needs. Thank you jfcarbel for the suggestion.

jfcarbel · 30th April 2015, 18:59

Added a #4 tool to my original post above. Anyone have any experience using Wondershare? I will try to look at it this weekend.

Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate (MKV, MP4)
Searches online sources for data. I have not looked at this program personally so I cannot vouch for its reliability but perhaps someone else can comment on that.

I also added an article link to Tweaking4All that indicates that VLC's media tab also supports add/edit metadata.

nasair · 30th April 2015, 19:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfcarbel

Added a #4 tool to my original post above. Anyone have any experience using Wondershare? I will try to look at it this weekend.

Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate (MKV, MP4)
Searches online sources for data. I have not looked at this program personally so I cannot vouch for its reliability but perhaps someone else can comment on that.

I also added an article link to Tweaking4All that indicates that VLC's media tab also supports add/edit metadata.

For your #2 you should put MKVBuddy as MKVTagger isn't supported anymore (http://htpc-tools.de/en/mkv-buddy-en/) But this still wouldn't really help me with my family/personal video collection, as I don't need anything for Movies or TV shows and I need to be able to search the tags, but I don't want one program I'm locked into, ie Adobe Bridge or the like, because I want it to be cross platform and at least potentially cross program.

I haven't tried Wondershare, but look forward to your feedback.

jfcarbel · 30th April 2015, 20:55

Thanks I will make the edits.

Are you still using tagSpaces? Seems to fit your need.

nasair · 30th April 2015, 21:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfcarbel

Thanks I will make the edits.

Are you still using tagSpaces? Seems to fit your need.

No, Tag space was little clunky [slow (might be fixed by now)], but I tried for a few weeks but found I didn't like the interface and it had the same drawback of adobe bridge...I'd be SOL if they stopped development or (in the case of bridge) I didn't want to keep paying for new versions. The last point wasn't as big of a deal since I believe in supporting developers.

jfcarbel · 25th June 2015, 23:20

I have been using MP4 quite a bit lately versus MKV. So thought as footnote here that Mp3tag supports MP4 video tagging and even has imdb script to pull in attribute values.

Perhaps we can continue to ask developer to support MKV. He added MP4 support so maybe there is hope.

Quote:

UPDATE 2017:
2017-10-25 Mp3tag v2.85 — This version adds support for Matroska (MKA/MKV) and improves handling of multi-track files.

SeeMoreDigital · 26th June 2015, 11:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfcarbel

Perhaps we can continue to ask developer to support MKV. He added MP4 support so maybe there is hope.

What a great idea

nasair · 26th June 2015, 16:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfcarbel

I have been using MP4 quite a bit lately versus MKV. So thought as footnote here that Mp3tag supports MP4 video tagging and even has imdb script to pull in attribute values.

Perhaps we can continue to ask developer to support MKV. He added MP4 support so maybe there is hope.

Wow, didn't know about the IMDB script. I use MP3Tag a lot for my music collection. Maybe I'll just convert everything to MP4! Thanks for the tip. I'd been using DigiKam which writes tags to a lot of stuff, and for what it doesn't you can have it export an xml file (I think there is also an option to export it another way too but can't remember) with your tags as a backup. I also like DigiKam because it is completely cross-platform and open source, and free!
https://www.digikam.org

I emailed the creator of MP3Tag to ask if he planned to add MKV support at any point as well. I'll let you know if he (assuming from the name) responds.

Chetwood · 27th June 2015, 06:22

My reason to stick with MKV is DTS-MA and PGS subs. No dice in MP4s.

hello_hello · 27th June 2015, 17:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by nasair

I emailed the creator of MP3Tag to ask if he planned to add MKV support at any point as well. I'll let you know if he (assuming from the name) responds.

Foobar2000 seems to tag MKV and MKA files successfully, although I've not used it much for that myself so I can't tell you what it will or won't do.

There's also a component for foobar2000 called TagBox I've been meaning to play with for a while. It's fairly configurable and looks promising.
TagBox might look something like this running in the foobar2000 GUI, or you can right click on files in a playlist and open TagBox in it's own window.

Or maybe one of the other tagging components (such as Masstagger) might be better. I haven't played with it either..... yet.
http://www.foobar2000.org/components/tag/tagging

SeeMoreDigital · 27th June 2015, 20:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by nasair

I emailed the creator of MP3Tag to ask if he planned to add MKV support at any point as well. I'll let you know if he (assuming from the name) responds.

Nice one

11th November 2012, 05:31	#1 \| Link
nasair Registered User Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 8	MKV Tagging/Video Manager...GUI I've looked all over and tried a few different solutions. What I want is a GUI based video tagger...specifically the more formats the better but MKV, MP4, and AVI are very important. I'd like something that I could also search after I've added tags to my videos so I can find them again, and it would be preferred that the data is written to the files directly. I know windows has some of this functionality but it is a slow process when you want to add lots of different tags for lots of videos. I want to add people's names to home videos and some extra information...think Picasa, or Shotwell, or Adobe Bridge but for videos. Putting the tags and information in the file name would both be slow and not useful as some names would become too long to make transfers and such easy. I've determined that if the program won't save the data to the file, which is preferred, than it is very important that the program can recognize if a file has moved or renamed. If it doesn't I'll lose tag data, which would be a waste of time. Some examples of programs I've tried that do let me edit tags in at least some formats but either won't let me save the data to the file or search tags are: avidemux and mkvmerg. mkvtomp4 I don't mind if it is Linux or Windows based as I use both. I'd like if someone could offer something they've actually used and not just a link, but I'll take what I can get. Last edited by nasair; 11th November 2012 at 18:37. Reason: Extra Information

21st September 2013, 08:25	#2 \| Link
jfcarbel Programmer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 501	These are top options I have found over years of research. Order ranked higher if support MP4 and MKV and if can pull metadata from sources like tmdb, etc. 1) MetaX (MP4, MKV and others) - Not free, 10 USD 2) Mp3tag (MP4, MKV - added in v2.85, but Matroska covers not yet supported) 3) MKV & MP4 Video Manager (MP4, MKV) - Not free, 25 EURO 4) chapterEditor (MKV only) 5) MKVBuddy (MKV only) 6) JMkvpropedit (MKV only. Also does not support searching any online sources to auto fill. You must manually enter all the data) 7) Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate (MKV, MP4) Searches online sources for data. I have not looked at this program personally so I cannot vouch for its reliability but perhaps someone else can comment on that. With MKVTagger there are plugins in Media Portal 2 that support the tags it writes to the video files and I assume this works with its search function (i.e. find all movies with Genre of Drama) Kodi also looks to now support tags in video file metadata. And this is a good article on the topic as well. MetaX looks to be the best to support all formats, but its not free, but for a measly $10 its a deal for what it can do. But options 2-4 are also good and worth exploring to see what works best. Mp3tag developer seems quite active and working on new MKV features, hopefully covers are supported soon as I believe its on the TODO list. iTag - Is an interesting tagging app but looks to only support MP4 and only the keyword metadata but does allow searches on your machine for files with these keywords. Last edited by jfcarbel; 7th January 2019 at 10:01.

7th October 2013, 10:23	#3 \| Link
karenstevens Registered User Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 1	Thanks jfcarbel! It was helpful! low t Last edited by karenstevens; 8th October 2013 at 11:19.

8th October 2013, 01:48	#4 \| Link
jfcarbel Programmer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 501	tabbles is also another interesting choice, but I don't think its been updated recently. And as I mention below, I would not be surprised to see a feature like this added to the OS possibly in the next release. It should be noted that Apple's recent OS release has added tagging into the OS file system that works with its built in search tools. Why it is taking Microsoft so long to have done that as well is beyond me. Perhaps as always Microsoft will follow others lead and add it. I have not heard what might be coming in Windows 9 since 8.1 was just so recently released and with Ballmer leaving I not sure they know what they are doing next. I think MkvToMp4 is a really nice tagging program for video and author seems dedicated to keep updating it. What is really needed is an OS level tool in Windows that indexes file metadata and keeps track when files are moved and provides search tools on that metadata. Last edited by jfcarbel; 8th October 2013 at 01:55.

17th July 2014, 17:35	#6 \| Link
nasair Registered User Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 8	Wow I forgot I posted this, because I was actually searching for a better way to view MKV tags, such as MP3 tags are seen in itunes or most mp3 managers. I was hoping to find some program that lets you view MKV tags, and search them...any ideas? And an update > MetaX (MP4, MKV and others) is great, and MKVTagger (MKV only) works well when dealing with MKV only files.

18th July 2014, 07:29	#9 \| Link
jfcarbel Programmer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 501	This is an interesting approach TagSpaces in which your tags are just part of filename. Thus any file type can be tagged and moving files is not an issue and the tags are thus portable. Searching is nothing more then using windows search.

18th July 2014, 18:17	#10 \| Link
nasair Registered User Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 8	Nice Tagspaces is very interesting. Thank you for suggesting it. I like all of the cross platform support. I also like that it is open source. The add-ons for Firefox and Chrome don't work well in Linux but I used their Ubuntu based Linux install in Mint without a problem. Only note I would make to anyone that tries the program is make sure to set your Tag Delimiter and Prefix for the tag container before adding any tags (under Experimental Options). If you set it after sometimes it won't update files names if you had a perivious setting for those. I like it a lot...I'm just thinking about how many tags I might actually use for some files because of character limits. Although NTFS or FAT32 file systems can support filenames up to 255 characters (Linux can do more and I believe more recent Windows can as well, i.e. Windows Vista and up) but some programs or clients can have probelms with character length. I know 255 might seem like a lot but that includes the directory/path. I have run into a problem with some of my MP3's filename legnth (mostly audio books) being an issue when trying to copy them to a Windows drive. What happens is I have to put it on C and then later I can move it to the correct directory. I think for now I'm going to give this a longer test to see if it will fit my needs. Thank you jfcarbel for the suggestion.

30th April 2015, 18:59	#11 \| Link
jfcarbel Programmer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 501	Added a #4 tool to my original post above. Anyone have any experience using Wondershare? I will try to look at it this weekend. Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate (MKV, MP4) Searches online sources for data. I have not looked at this program personally so I cannot vouch for its reliability but perhaps someone else can comment on that. I also added an article link to Tweaking4All that indicates that VLC's media tab also supports add/edit metadata.

30th April 2015, 20:55	#13 \| Link
jfcarbel Programmer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 501	Thanks I will make the edits. Are you still using tagSpaces? Seems to fit your need.

27th June 2015, 06:22	#18 \| Link
Chetwood Registered User Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 1,104	My reason to stick with MKV is DTS-MA and PGS subs. No dice in MP4s. __________________ MultiMakeMKV: MakeMKV batch processing (Win) MultiShrink: DVD Shrink batch processing Offizieller Übersetzer von DVD Shrink deutsch Last edited by Chetwood; 28th June 2015 at 06:48.

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