How to edit tags

The ID3v2 Tag Editor Panel (FormView / IDD_FRM_EDITID3V2) is the heartbeat of Zortam Mp3 Media Studio. Designed for maximum speed and efficiency, this powerful workspace combines multi-tab metadata editing, instant real-time auto-saving, direct multi-track Edit / Clear / Replace operations right inside the form, double-click auto-tagging, ID3v2 picture classification, artwork context tools via right-click, dual synchronized/unsynchronized lyrics management, and instant “on-the-fly” file renaming.

ℹ️ Note on ID3v2 Standards Support: While Zortam Mp3 Media Studio supports the vast majority of commonly used ID3v2 tag frames (including core tags, extended metadata, embedded lyrics, and artwork classification), please note that Zortam does not currently support all possible ID3v2 frames defined in the full specification.

1. The Four Core Editor Tabs

To keep complex metadata organized without clutter, the ID3v2 Tag Editor features distinct functional views:

Editor Tab Included Fields & Options Primary Function
Basic Artist,
Title,
Album,
Track #,
Year,
Genre,
Album Artist,
BPM,
Comment		 Essential metadata used by car stereos, smartphones, and media players for basic sorting and playback.
Extended Disc Number,
Original Artist,
Composer,
Conductor,
Lyricist,
Publisher,
Copyright,
Encoded By		 Detailed production, classical, and discography credentials for thorough cataloging.
Lyrics Lyricist,
Multi-line Lyrics Box,
Expanded Lyrics Editor (...)		 Dedicated text editor for adding, pasting, and viewing both synchronized and unsynchronized song lyrics.
Front Cover / All Images Image Drop Zone,
Image Type Dropdown,
Image Gallery		 View, manage, and attach primary album artwork or browse supported image frames embedded in the file.

2. Integrated Batch Tag Operations (Edit, Clear & Replace Inside FormView)

Batch editing is fully correlated with the FormView panel, making bulk metadata cleanup faster and more intuitive than ever:

🔥 Major Workflow Upgrade — FormView Batch Tools: You can execute global batch actions—such as Editing, Clearing, or Replacing tags across multiple renames and selections—directly inside the ID3v2 FormView panel!

  • Seamless Batch Editing: Highlight multiple audio files (Ctrl + click or Shift + click) and make your adjustments right inside the FormView panel. Changes instantly cascade and save across all selected tracks.
  • Batch Tag Clearing: Need to strip out junk comments, invalid track numbers, or incorrect genres across an entire album? Clear target fields directly within FormView to wipe specified metadata across all selected files in one pass.
  • Batch Tag Replacement: Instantly replace specific text strings, genres, or artist names across multiple tracks simultaneously right from the editor panel.
  • On-the-Fly Renaming Synergy: Because renaming functions are tied directly to these tag edits, updating or replacing tags automatically aligns physical filenames on disk when the Rename option is checked.

3. Real-Time Instant Auto-Saving & Track Navigation

You never have to worry about manually clicking a save button after every field edit or track switch:

  • Single File Auto-Save: Any change you type into an edit box is automatically written to the file’s ID3 tags—even as you switch or navigate to the next track using the arrow keys.
  • Multi-Selection Real-Time Auto-Save: Select multiple files, update a field (like Genre, Artist, Year, or Cover Art), and Zortam instantly applies and saves those changes across every single highlighted file in real time!

4. Advanced Cover Art Operations & Double-Click Auto-Tagging

Zortam provides broad compatibility with official ID3v2 artwork classifications, letting you attach and categorize multiple images per file using the Image Type dropdown menu. Managing artwork is extremely fast with direct mouse shortcuts:

⚡ Instant Auto-Tag Shortcut: Simply double-click directly on the Image View / Cover Art box to start the Auto-Tag process immediately! Zortam will scan online databases to automatically fetch and embed matching track metadata and high-resolution cover art.

💡 Pro Tip — Right-Click Context Menu: Always right-click directly on the Cover Art subview/image box to open the complete Cover Operations Context Menu! From this subview menu, you can quickly add covers from files, search for artist albums, copy/paste artwork, or remove existing images.

  • Front Cover
  • Back Cover
  • Leaflet page
  • Label side of CD
  • Lead artist/Soloist
  • Artist/Performer
  • Conductor
  • Band/Orchestra
  • Composer
  • Lyricist/text writer
  • Recording Location
  • During recording
  • During performance
  • Video screen capture
  • A bright colored fish
  • Illustration
  • Publisher logotype

Cover Operations Context Menu (Right-Click on Cover Image Subview)

Right-clicking inside the cover artwork area reveals the full Cover Operations menu (IDR_COVER):

Command Action
Auto search for tags Queries Zortam’s online database to automatically retrieve missing album art and track metadata (same as double-clicking the image view).
Search for other artist albums Searches online databases for all known album art and releases across the artist’s discography.
Add cover from file Loads an image file (JPG, PNG) from your hard drive and embeds it into the tag.
Remove cover / Remove all covers Deletes the selected cover image or strips all attached artwork frames from the track header at once.
Save cover to file Exports the embedded cover image from the tag header onto your computer disk (e.g., as folder.jpg).
View cover Opens a full-resolution preview window of the album art.
Copy / Paste Clipboard Copy the embedded artwork to your Windows clipboard or paste an image directly into the tag header.

5. Dual Lyrics View (Synchronized & Unsynchronized)

Zortam handles both standard text lyrics and time-synced karaoke lyrics embedded directly within the ID3v2 tag:

  • Inline Lyrics Field: Quickly inspect or type standard text lyrics in the multi-line edit box on the panel.
  • Expanded Lyrics Window (... Button): Clicking the browse button (IDC_BTN_LYRICS) next to the lyrics section launches the dedicated expanded lyrics editor.
  • Dual View Mode: When opened, the expanded editor displays both Synchronized (time-coded karaoke lyrics) and Unsynchronized (plain text) lyrics simultaneously, allowing you to compare, edit, or adjust timestamp alignments side-by-side.

6. “Rename File on the Fly”

Located at the bottom of the editor view, the File Name edit box and Rename checkbox (IDC_CHK_RENAME) allow you to synchronize physical filenames on disk at the exact moment you edit your tags:

  • Single File: Edit the filename directly in the text box, check Rename, and save to update the file on disk.
  • Batch Mode: Select multiple files, check Rename, and perform your tag edits, clears, or replacements inside FormView. Zortam automatically writes the updated ID3v2 tags and renames all selected files on disk according to your default renaming mask (e.g., Artist - Title.mp3) in one seamless pass.

Summary Shortcut Cheat Sheet:

  • In-Form Batch Editing: Select multiple tracks and edit/clear/replace tags directly inside FormView.
  • Double-Click on Image View: Starts the Auto-Tag process immediately.
  • Right-Click on Image View: Opens full Cover Operations Context Menu (Add, Remove, Save, Copy/Paste).
  • Auto-Save: Any edit to fields, genres, or artwork automatically saves in real time across all highlighted files.