How to Customize the Rows in Viewer Metadata?

Question

I've been mucking around creating some new, custom views for my metadata, in particular how it displays under images in the Viewer. I notice that in some of Apple's pre-set views ("Viewer - Expanded" for example), there's a top row which displays selected bits of information in a larger font size than the standard rows immediately below. In the "Name & Caption" pre-set, the image's Name is shown in this larger top row, while the Caption is displayed below in the smaller font size. Also, turning the "Show Labels" option on or off only seems to affect the lower rows, not the upper one.
In any case, my question is: how can I specify which bits of metadata get displayed in that top row (and therefore in the larger font), and which get displayed in the lower rows?
For instance, one custom view I'd like to create is one in which the File Name and the Caption get displayed in the larger top row, while other information such as Date, Master Pixel Size, and some other fields get displayed below in the smaller font size.
I've figured out how to tell Aperture which specific bits of metadata I want it to display, but Aperture seems to have its own specific ideas about which bits get displayed in which row (and therefore at which size). Is there no way I can affect this? And does that top row have anything to do with the "Summary" button at the bottom of the Metadata inspector pane (a connection which so far I've been unsuccessful in trying to establish)?
Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks,
John Bertram
Toronto

Answer 1

Aperture looks for very specific EXIF, IPTC, and "Other" metadata fields in a particular set. If they are there then Aperture will make them large and put them in the top row. The fields are slightly different for the viewer and the browser last time I did an inventory (yes I am that ridiculously OCD on some things). If it is not one of those fields they are put in a smaller font on the second row in the same order they are defined in the metadata view.
If you would like to inventory them yourself just open up the metadata inspector go to the set that is being displayed and one by one check and uncheck each field and each category, they update real time.
RB
When I get around to it I will update this to reflect what fields do what but that will probably change if we ever see a real update again.
[Aperture Metadata Display|http://photo.rwboyer.com/2008/08/aperture-and-metadata-display>
Message was edited by: rwboyer