Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about privacy, providers, limits, Shutterstock categories, CSV export and the errors you might see. Everything here describes the real behavior of the tool.
Questions and answers
Is Metadata Studio free?
Yes. Metadata Studio is a free, browser-based tool with no account, no subscription and no pricing. You bring your own API key from a supported provider, so any usage limits come from that provider, not from us.
Do you store my API keys?
No. Your keys are saved only in your own browser's localStorage and are forwarded with each request through a stateless relay. The server never stores them on disk and never writes them to logs, and key material is redacted from error messages. Clearing your browser storage removes the keys.
Which AI providers and models can I use?
You can use Gemini (the default), OpenRouter and Groq. You can add one or more keys per provider; the batch queue rotates through them and cools a key down after quota, timeout or transient errors. A Refresh models button pulls the live model list for your key, and vision-capable models are labelled.
Which image formats and file sizes are supported?
JPG, JPEG, PNG, WEBP and GIF, up to 25 MB each. Uploads are validated by both MIME type and magic bytes. PDF, EPS, AI and SVG inputs are not supported, and the tool does not do text-to-image generation.
What are the title, description and keyword limits?
Titles have a hard maximum of 70 characters and descriptions a hard maximum of 150. Keywords run from 20 to 49 entries, with 20 to 40 recommended as the best-practice range. You choose the exact lengths and counts in the sidebar before a batch runs.
What does Shutterstock auto-classification do?
On the Shutterstock tab, each image is classified from its pixels by a dedicated vision call against the canonical 26-category taxonomy. Classification returns one or two category names that stay editable per item, and it runs separately from metadata generation so a classification failure never blocks or alters your title, description and keywords.
What are the 26 Shutterstock categories?
Abstract, Animals/Wildlife, Arts, Backgrounds/Textures, Beauty/Fashion, Buildings/Landmarks, Business/Finance, Celebrities, Education, Food and Drink, Healthcare/Medical, Holidays, Industrial, Interiors, Miscellaneous, Nature, Objects, Parks/Outdoor, People, Religion, Science, Signs/Symbols, Sports/Recreation, Technology, Transportation and Vintage.
What editorial rules apply to Shutterstock exports?
The Shutterstock CSV carries Editorial, Mature Content and Illustration flags as Yes or No. Setting the Illustration toggle, or using a filename ending in .eps, .ai or .svg, marks the row as an illustration. The client warns without blocking when a row has fewer than 20 keywords, and when Editorial is Yes, because editorial assets need a capture date and location in the description.
What CSV exports are available and what are the limits?
There are two exports, each capped at 2,000 rows. The Adobe Stock CSV uses the columns Filename, Title, Keywords, Category, Releases and downloads as Adobe_Stock_CSV_DD-MM-YYYY.csv. The Shutterstock CSV uses Filename, Description, Keywords, Categories, Editorial, Mature Content, Illustration and downloads as Shutterstock_CSV_DD-MM-YYYY.csv.
Why does a Shutterstock export return a 400 error?
Shutterstock requires at least one valid category per row. If an item has no valid category, for example because classification failed, the export stops and returns HTTP 400 with the list of offending rows instead of producing a CSV the marketplace would reject. Switch to the Shutterstock tab, regenerate the item, or pick a category manually and export again.
How does key rotation and cooldown work?
Items cycle through your providers and keys from top to bottom. A quota, timeout or transient error cools that key down for a short, jittered period and the next key is tried; only an invalid_key result marks a key as Invalid. Adding a second key for a provider keeps a batch moving when the first is rate-limited.
What do Retry, Stop and Cancel do?
Stop aborts the running batch, Cancel drops a single in-flight item, and Retry failed re-runs only the items that errored. You can also Regenerate one item for a fresh result and Clear the queue when you are done. Concurrency is configurable at two or three images at a time.
What do the common error kinds mean?
invalid_key means the key is wrong, revoked or lacks permission for that API, and it is marked Invalid. invalid_model means the provider retired or renamed the model. quota is a rate limit or exhausted credits. truncated means the model used its whole output budget. content_blocked is a provider safety filter. timeout and transient are temporary failures that trigger a cooldown and a retry.
What is the text-only badge?
If a chosen model rejects image input, the relay retries that item once in text-only mode using the filename. Those items are flagged text-only. You can spot the badge and switch to a model marked vision after refreshing the model list.
Does the app keep a history of my generations?
No. There is no server-side history or database. Keys, settings and any results you keep live in your browser's localStorage, and clearing browser storage removes them. Nothing is retained on the relay.
Do I need to create an account?
No. There is no sign-up and no login. You only add an API key from Gemini, OpenRouter or Groq. The optional auth token is a self-hosting setting for people who run the relay on a public server, not an end-user account.
Is Metadata Studio affiliated with Adobe or Shutterstock?
No. Metadata Studio is an independent tool, not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Adobe or Shutterstock. The marketplace names are used only to describe the CSV formats the tool exports.
What features are out of scope?
Text-to-image generation, PDF, EPS, AI and SVG inputs, marketplace CSVs other than Adobe Stock and Shutterstock, server-side history or a database, the sys_ server key pool, and additional providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic or Mistral are all intentionally out of scope.
Where to go next
New here? Start with the AI metadata generator overview or walk the six-step workflow. For a complete feature list see features, and for exact CSV columns, filename patterns and the full category list see templates and formats. If you only care about one marketplace, jump to the Adobe Stock generator or the Shutterstock generator page. The resources hub collects the longer guides.
Still have a question?
Add a provider key and see the answers for yourself. No account, no cost from us.