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raf-winterpacht
raf-winterpacht
Level 3
February 3, 2026
Solved

XMP Writeback for NEF files

  • February 3, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 30 views

I am trying to have the Dam Metadata Writeback workflow set some attributes in a custom namespace back to a .NEF file (Nikon RAW camera file), but it’s not recognizing it. It does work for png and jpg files, interestingly enough. What might be the config that manages this in AEM? This is for AEM as a Cloud Service (SDK, running locally for now.)

Thanks!

Best answer by Vishal_Anand

​@raf-winterpacht  NEF (RAW) files often don’t accept embedded XMP the same way JPG/PNG do. AEM’s built‑in Metadata Writeback may skip embedding for RAW types—common options are creating a sidecar .xmp or using an external tool (ExifTool) via a custom workflow step.


Use sidecar XMP

  • Enable or implement sidecar creation in the workflow (if available) or add a custom workflow step to produce an .xmp next to the NEF. A sidecar is safe and supported for RAW files.

​​​​​​​If you need embedded XMP, implement custom writeback

  • Create a custom workflow process that calls ExifTool (or a native library) to inject XMP into NEF. Deploy this to your local ACS SDK and test.

Short term: implement sidecar .xmp writeback in the workflow (fast and safe).

Long term: if embedded metadata is required, add a custom workflow step that uses ExifTool (or an approved library) to embed XMP into NEF, and ensure this is allowed for Cloud Service (check Adobe CPS guidelines for native binaries).

 

​@kautuk_sahni 

2 replies

A
Abie
Level 4
February 4, 2026

Hi ​@raf-winterpacht ,

Your observation is right, AEM supports only limited file formats for XMP Metadata Write-back, those are listed here-

 

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/experience-manager-65/content/implementing/deploying/introduction/technical-requirements

 

Coming to your other question of which config manages this? Well, there isn't any config which lists or enables a particular file format. It is just a list of file formats that are natively supported. However, it is possible to enable/disable this functionality-

 

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/experience-manager-cloud-service/content/assets/admin/xmp-metadata#enable-xmp-writeback

 

I think you might need to do some custom implementation to write back metadata to a .nef file format.

 

I hope it helps.

 

Thanks!

    Vishal_Anand
    Vishal_AnandAccepted solution
    Level 5
    February 5, 2026

    ​@raf-winterpacht  NEF (RAW) files often don’t accept embedded XMP the same way JPG/PNG do. AEM’s built‑in Metadata Writeback may skip embedding for RAW types—common options are creating a sidecar .xmp or using an external tool (ExifTool) via a custom workflow step.


    Use sidecar XMP

    • Enable or implement sidecar creation in the workflow (if available) or add a custom workflow step to produce an .xmp next to the NEF. A sidecar is safe and supported for RAW files.

    ​​​​​​​If you need embedded XMP, implement custom writeback

    • Create a custom workflow process that calls ExifTool (or a native library) to inject XMP into NEF. Deploy this to your local ACS SDK and test.

    Short term: implement sidecar .xmp writeback in the workflow (fast and safe).

    Long term: if embedded metadata is required, add a custom workflow step that uses ExifTool (or an approved library) to embed XMP into NEF, and ensure this is allowed for Cloud Service (check Adobe CPS guidelines for native binaries).

     

    ​@kautuk_sahni 

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