Make or refine selects in VeryBusy using star ratings. Ratings made prior to uploading to VeryBusy carry over automatically via metadata.
Available in all plans.
How to set or change a rating
Ratings are set via image thumbnail or inside the view where images are marked up.
Click any star (1–5) on the thumbnail or in the markup view header. The rating updates immediately.
Set a rating: Click the desired star value
Clear a rating: Click the same star that's already selected. The asset goes back to unrated. (Example: an asset has 3 stars; click the 3rd star and it becomes unrated.)
Changes are reflected immediately in both the thumbnail and the markup view.
🚫 Rating changes made in VeryBusy do not write back to the original file's metadata and will not be available upon image download from VeryBusy.
Who can edit star ratings?
While star ratings are visible to everyone in a project, only users with edit permissions can override the value (i.e., Owner, Manager, or Editors).
Role | Can edit ratings | Sees ratings |
Owner | ✅ | ✅ |
Manager | ✅ | ✅ |
Editor | ✅ | ✅ |
Reviewer | ❌ (read-only) | ✅ |
Reviewers see stars but the cursor is not interactive. They'll see a tooltip: You don't have permissions to rate assets.
Carry over ratings from metadata
When you upload an asset to VeryBusy, the platform will read the rating from the file's embedded XMP metadata (xmp:Rating) and show the rating automatically.
Supported file types: JPEG and TIFF with embedded XMP
Mapping:
xmp:Ratingvalues 1–5 map directly to 1–5 starsMissing or 0: Treated as unrated (no stars shown)
Source compatibility: Works with files exported from Capture One, Lightroom, or any tool that writes a standard
xmp:Ratingvalue into the file
When a rating comes from file metadata, you'll see this tooltip on hover: Value carried over from metadata. Override changes won't affect file metadata.
Override vs. metadata
If you've set a rating manually inside VeryBusy → your override is shown, even if the file metadata says something different
If you haven't overridden it → the existing metadata value is shown
If neither exists → the asset is unrated
Filter by star rating
Filter by star ratings in the filter panel, under the Rating section. Expand it to see 5 options listed from 5 stars down to 0. The filter shows both metadata-derived and VeryBusy-overridden ratings; no distinction.
Sort by star rating
Rating option is in the sort dropdown, in the Asset section.
Descending (5 → 0): 5-star first
Ascending (0 → 5): unrated first
What happens when you upload a new round?
If the asset already has a rating in VeryBusy → the rating is preserved, regardless of the new round's metadata
If the asset has no rating yet → the new round's XMP rating is used
A user-set override is never affected by a new round
🔜 What's not supported
RAW files with separate XMP sidecar pairing files
Writing rating changes back to the file's metadata
Star Rating history by user