There’s room for more than meets the eye inside a digital photo image file. Regardless of the format, these files can store not only image data but also information about the images. Metadata is, literally, data about data. When included in image files, we call this information “photo metadata.”  Metadata is actually part of the image file, effectively a bundle of image data and information about that image.

Digital photo files can include descriptive, technical (sometimes called structural) and administrative classes of metadata of several types. These can list an image’s creator, copyright holder, source and description. They can explain rights released and available to an image. They can list how and when an image was created, its size, color characteristics and more. Read our Metadata FAQs

Embedding and preserving photo metadata can prevent and solve many issues confronting photographers and others who work with digital images. Our goal is to help everyone involved with digital photos – from image creators to distributors, users, archivists and developers – better understand photo metadata and best practices for harnessing this amazing tool to organize and communicate. Read our Metadata Manifesto

Are you ready to get meta-smart?

Start by reading our Metadata Manifesto.It explains the challenges we face in protecting
identifying, and managing or digital photos.

Ready to dig a little deeper? Tackle our list of Recommended Reading.

View our View META Tutorials which include screencast tutorials and step-by-step instructions showing you how to embed metadata using a range of popular software tools.

You may also find the "IPTC Core Mapped Fields" PDF, available from the ControlledVocabulary.com website to be of use if you are trying to figure out how various field names vary from one application to the next.

Index

Author
By-line (or Author)
By-line Title (sometimes listed as Author position)
Caption
Caption Writer(s)
Category
City (legacy)
Contact Info
Copyright Notice
Copyright Status
Copyright URL
Country (legacy)
Country Code (legacy)
Creator
Creator’s Job Title
Credit Line
Date Created
Description
Description writer
Document title
Headline
Instructions
Intellectual Genre
IPTC Subject Code
IPTC Scene
Job Identifier
Keywords
Location
Object Name
Original Transmission Reference
Photographer
Provider
Province/State
Rights Usage Terms
Source
Special Instructions
State/Province (legacy)
Sublocation
Supplemental Categories
Title
Title (if used in Photo Mechanic)
Transmission Reference
Urgency
Writer/Editor

Author [IPTC Core]
Alternative label, used for "Creator."

By-line (or Author) [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label advocated by the older IPTC IIM schema, used for "Creator."

By-line Title (sometimes listed as Author position) [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label advocated by the older IPTC IIM schema, used for "Creator's Job Title."

Caption [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label advocated by the older IPTC IIM schema, used for "Description."

Caption Writer(s) [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label for "Description Writer."

Category [IPTC IIM]
This field was deprecated (removed from use) when IPTC Core 1.0 was released in 2005, although it may appear in some applications supporting IPTC IIM. Use at your own risk.

City (legacy) [IPTC Core]
Enter the name of the city where the image was captured. If there is no city, you can use the Sublocation field alone to specify where the photograph was made. City is at the third level of a top-down geographical hierarchy.
Note: This field is "shared" with the "City" field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Contact Info [IPTC Core]
The Contact Info fields provide a generic structure for storing basic information that should make it easy to reach the person or organization that created this image. Note: "City," "State" and "Country" used in Contact Info should not be confused with fields bearing the same names that refer to the picture's origin.

Address (Contact info)
Address is a multi-line field. Enter the copyright holder's company name and all required information to locate the building or post office box where copyright holder receives mail.

Examples:
PO Box 666

11000 Avenue of the Americas
The Big Photography Building
Suite 1200

City (Contact info)
Enter the name of the city where your business is located.

Country (Contact info)
Enter the name of the country where your business is located.

Email(s) (Contact info)

Enter your business or work email address, such as name@domain.com. Separate multiple email addresses with commas.

Phone(s)  (Contact info)
Enter your business or work telephone number here. Separate multiple numbers with commas. Be sure to include the complete international format of a phone number including: +{countrycode} ({regional code}) {phone number} - {extension, if required}

e.g.: +1 (212) 1234578 - 222

Postal Code (Contact info)
Enter the local postal code (such as ZIP code) where your business is located.

State/Province (Contact info)
Enter the name of the State or Province where your business is located. Since the abbreviation for a state or province may be unknown to those viewing your metadata internationally, consider spelling out the name.

Website(s) (Contact info)
Enter the URL or web address for your business. Separate multiple addresses with commas.

Copyright Notice [IPTC Core]
The Copyright Notice should include any legal language required to claim intellectual property. It should identify the photograph's current holder(s). If the photographer differs from the copyright holder, enter the photographer's name in the Creator field. Usually, the value for this copyright notice would be the photographer, but if an employee made the image under work-for-hire rules, then list the employing agency or company.

Use the form of notice appropriate to your country.

For the United States, you would typically follow the form of ©<date of first publication> name of copyright owner, as in “©2012 John Doe.”  Note the word “copyright” or the abbreviation “copr” may be used in place of the © symbol. In some foreign countries only the copyright symbol is recognized and the abbreviation is not accepted. Note the copyright symbol must be a full circle with a “c” inside; using something such as (c), where the parentheses form a partial circle, is not sufficient. For additional protection worldwide, it's best to use of the phrase, “all rights reserved” following the notice, as in: ©2012 Jane Doe, all rights reserved."

In Europe you use: Copyright {Year} {Copyright owner}, all rights reserved.

In Japan, for maximum protection, the following three items should appear in the copyright field of the IPTC Core: (a) the word, Copyright; (b) year of the first publication; and (c) name of the author. You may also wish to include the phrase “all rights reserved.”

Notes on usage rights should be provided in the “Rights Usage Terms” field.

Note: This field is “shared” with the “Copyright Notice” field in the Description panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info field.

U.S. Examples:
Independent Photographer - ©2012 John Doe, all rights reserved
Agency Photographer - ©2012 John Doe / XYZ Agency, all rights reserved
Staff Photographer - ©2008 Big Newspaper, all rights reserved

Copyright Status [Photoshop]
This field is not part of the IPTC Core; it exists only as part of the Photoshop XMP Namespace. Use with caution, as some software programs will not recognize this field.

Copyright URL [Photoshop]
This field is not part of the IPTC Core; it exists only as part of the Photoshop XMP Namespace. Use with caution, as some software programs will not recognize this field.

Country (legacy) [IPTC Core]
Enter the full name of the country pictured in the photograph. This field is at the first level of a top-down geographical hierarchy. Use a verbal name and not a code; the ISO country code should be placed in the field titled Country Code.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Country” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info field.

Country Code (legacy) [IPTC Core]
Enter the Country Code of the country pictured in the photograph. This field is at the top level of a top-down geographical hierarchy. Display country codes as upper-case letters (US not us). They may be either two- or three-letter codes, as defined by the ISO 3166 standard. The two-letter code list (3166-2) is freely available from the International Standards Organization site. The full name of a country should go to the “Country” field.

Creator [IPTC Core]
This field should contain your name or the name of the person who created the photograph. If it is not appropriate to add the name of the photographer (for example, the photographer's identity needs to be protected) use a company or organization name. Once saved, this field should not be changed by anyone. This field does not support the use of a comma or semi-colon as separator.
Note: This field is "shared" with the “Author” field in the Description Panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Creator’s Job Title [IPTC Core]
This field should list the job title of the photographer. Examples might include: Staff Photographer, Freelance Photographer or Independent Commercial Photographer. Since this is a qualifier for the Creator field, you must also complete the Creator field.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Author Title” field in the Description Panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue (only appears in versions of Adobe products later than CS).

Credit Line [IPTC Core]
The Credit Line is a free-text field that specifies how to acknowledge the supplying person(s) and/or organization(s) when publishing the image. Indicate more formal identifications of the image's creator or the copyright holder in other rights-specific fields - such as Creator and Copyright Notice. The older IIM metadata schema called this property "Credit." It was renamed to "Provider" in IPTC Core 1.0. It has been renamed to “Credit Line” in the latest version of the IPTC Core 1.1 to acknowledge how it is most widely used.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Credit” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Examples:
Independent Photographer - John Doe Photography
Agency Photographer - XYZ Agency
Staff Photographer - Big Newspaper

Description [IPTC Core]
The Description field, often referred to as “Caption,” should report the who, what and why of what the photograph depicts. If there is a person or people in the image, this caption might include their names, and/or their roles in any action taking place. If the image depicts a location, then it should describe the location. Don’t forget to also include this same “geographical” information in the appropriate fields (location, city, state/province, country) of the IPTC Core. The amount of detail to include depends on the image and whether it is documentary or conceptual. Typically, editorial images come with complete caption text, while advertising images may not.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Description” field in the Description panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Editorial Example:
The Shore Temple of the Seven Pagodas was built underNarsimha II of the Pallava dynasty between 7th and 8th century AD and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It resembles the structure of the Dharmaraja rath, but its tower rises much higher (approx. five stories or ~ 60 ft. high) and its stupa spire is small and slender.

Advertising Example:
Paper tissue roll core, photographed upright.

Description writer [IPTC Core]
Enter the name of the person writing, editing or correcting the description of the photograph in this field. If you're an independent photographer, this is typically your own name, since you are entering the image metadata.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Description Writer” field in the Description panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Document Title [IPTC Core]
Alternative label for "Title."

Headline [IPTC Core]
A headline is a brief, publishable synopsis or summary of the contents of the photograph. Like a news story's lead, the Headline should grab attention and summarize the image's content. Headlines must be succinct. Leave any supporting narrative for the Description field. Do not, however, confuse the Headline term with Title.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Headline” field in the Origin Panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Examples:
Young boy yelling
Shore Temple, Malibalipuram, India
Farmer planting onions

Instructions [IPTC Core]
This is a simple text field that can include any of a number of instructions from the provider or creator to the receiver of the photograph. Any of the following might be included: embargoes (eg: News Magazines OUT) and other restrictions not covered by the Rights Usage Terms field (or new PLUS rights related fields); information regarding the original means of capture (scanning notes, color profile, etc.) or other specific text information the user may need for accurate reproduction; additional permissions or credits required when publishing.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Instructions” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Examples:
Image to be used one time only, non-exclusive in English-language-edition magazine as inside image, no larger than a full page in color. Additional third-party rights to be negotiated with Julie Doe / XYZ Agency in advance. All rights not specifically granted are reserved. See delivery memo for specific license.

For consideration only; no reproduction in any form without prior, written permission.

Intellectual Genre [IPTC Core]
Use this field to describe the type of use a photograph fulfills, in terms of its intellectual or journalistic characteristics. For example, at a newspaper, Intellectual Genre labels might include terms like daybook, obituary, press release, or transcript. A magazine might use terms such as actuality, interview, background, feature, summary, or wrap-up. For best results, organizations should use a set of terms from a controlled vocabulary. A sample taxonomy of “Intellectual genre” terms developed by the IPTC is available from http://www.newscodes.org/. The PRISM working group of the IDEAlliance has also developed a set of terms.

IPTC Subject Code [IPTC Core]
This field can specify and categorize the content of a photograph by one or more subjects listed in the IPTC “Subject NewsCode” taxonomy available from http://www.newscodes.org/. Each subject term is represented as an eight-digit numerical string in an unordered list. Only subjects from a controlled vocabulary should populate this field; enter free-choice text in the Keyword field.

IPTC Scene [IPTC Core]
Describes what a photograph depicts, using one or more terms from the IPTC "Scene-NewsCodes." You should only enter values from the IPTC Scene controlled vocabulary (available from http://www.newscodes.org/). Each IPTC Scene term is represented as a six-digit numerical string in an unordered list.

Job Identifier [IPTC Core]
You can enter a number or identifier created or issued to improve workflow handling and image tracking. Typically, the creator or image provider creates this code for transmission and routing purposes, relating it to the job for which the item is supplied.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Transmission Reference” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Keywords [IPTC Core]
Enter keyword terms or phrases to describe the subject of content in the photograph. Keywords may be free text (i.e., they need not from a controlled vocabulary). You may enter (or paste) any number of keywords, terms or phrases into this field. Each keyword term should be separated by a delimiter, such as a comma, though some software may allow semicolons or line returns (note also that some applications may change the appearance of this delimiter as well, such as Photoshop changing your commas to semicolons). To maintain backward compatibility, no single value should exceed 64 characters. Values from the controlled vocabulary IPTC Subject Codes must be placed into the “Subject Code” field.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Keyword” field in the Description panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Photo of Man Planting Onions, by David Riecks

Example of keyword set for image of man planting onions:
agriculture, farm laborer, farmer, field hand, field worker, humans, occupation, people, agricultural, agronomy, crops, onions, vegetable crops, plants, vegetables, outdoors, outside, agricultural equipment, tractor, gender, male, men.

Location [IPTC Core]
Label introduced in IPTC Core 1.0 schema and replaced with "Sublocation" in IPTC Core 1.1. While replaced by "Sublocation" in IPTC Core 1.1, it may still appear as Location in many applications.

Object Name [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label from older IPTC IIM schema; used for "Title."

Original Transmission Reference [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label from older IPTC IIM schema; used for "Job Identifier."

Photographer
Alternative label used by Photo Mechanic for "Creator."

Provider [IPTC Core]
Label introduced in IPTC Core 1.0 schema and replaced with "Credit Line" in IPTC Core 1.1. This field is “shared” with the “Credit” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue. While replaced by "Credit Line" in IPTC Core 1.1, it may still appear as Provider in many applications.

Supplemental Categories [IPTC IIM]
This field was deprecated (removed from use) when IPTC Core 1.0 was released in 2005, although it may appear in some applications supporting IPTC IIM. Use with caution.

Title [IPTC Core]
This field can include a shorthand reference for the image or “photograph” - primarily for identification. The title of an image should be a short, human-readable name - text and/or numeric reference - and may take several forms. For photographers, this might be the filename of their original scan or digital camera file. For news organizations it might be the name of a story it accompanies. The Title term should not be confused with the Headline term, which is a short synopsis of the photograph's content.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Document Title” field in the Description panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info document.

Examples:
0706_1024
IMG_9873
Sunrise Over Temple
Fun At the Beach

Title (if used in Photo Mechanic versions prior to v5)
Alternative label in Photo Mechanic for "Creator's Job Title."

Transmission Reference [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label for "Job Identifier."

Urgency [IPTC IIM]
This field was deprecated (removed from use) when IPTC Core 1.0 was released in 2005, although it may appear in some applications supporting IPTC IIM. Use with caution.

Writer/Editor [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label from older IPTC IIM schema, used for "Description Writer."

If you are trying to compare what fields labels are matches between various applications (like Photoshop, Lightroom, Bridge or iView), you may find the charts in the "IPTC Core Mapped Fields" PDF, (available from the ControlledVocabulary.com website) to be helpful.

Index

Additional Model Information
Artwork or Object in the Image
Author
By-line (or Author)
By-line Title (sometimes listed as Author position)
Caption
Caption Writer(s)
Category
City (legacy)
City (of Location Created)
City (of Location Shown)
Contact Info
Copyright Notice
Copyright Notice (of Artwork/Object)
Copyright Status
Copyright Owner (PLUS)
Copyright URL
Country (legacy)
Country Code (legacy)
Country Code (of Location Created)
Country Code (of Location Shown)
Country Name (of Location Created)
Country Name (of Location Shown)
Creator
Creator (of Artwork/Object)
Creator’s Job Title
Credit Line
Date Created
Date Created (of Artwork/Object)
Description
Description wr
Description Writer
Document title
Digital Source Type
Event
Featured Organisation Code
Featured Organisation Name
Headline
Image Creator (PLUS)
Image Registry Entry
Image Supplier ID (PLUS)
Image Supplier Name (PLUS)
Instructions
Intellectual Genre
IPTC Subject Code
IPTC Scene
Job Identifier
Keywords
Location
Licensor (PLUS)
Location in which the image was created
Location Shown in the Image
Max Avail Width/Height
Minor Model Age Disclosure (PLUS)
Model Age
Model Release Identifier(s) (PLUS)
Model Release Status (PLUS)
Object Name
Original Transmission Reference
Person Shown in the Image
Photographer
Provider
Property Release Identifier(s) (PLUS)
Property Release Status (PLUS)
Province/State
Province/State (of Location Shown)
Province/State (of Location Created)
Registry Item Identifier (of Image Registry Entry)
Registry Organisation Identifier (of Image Registry Entry)
Rights Usage Terms
Source
Source (of Artwork/Object)
Source Inventory Number (of Artwork/Object)
Special Instructions
State/Province (legacy)
Sublocation
Sublocation (of Location Created)
Sublocation (of Location Shown)
Supplemental Categories
Supplier’s Image ID (PLUS)
Title
Title (if used in Photo Mechanic)
Title (of Artwork/Object)
Transmission Reference
Urgency
World Region (of Location Created)
World Region (of Location Shown)
Writer/Editor

Additional Model Information [IPTC Extension]
The Additional Model Information field can be used to record information about the ethnicity and other facets of the model(s) in a model-released image. Use the Model Age field to note the age of model(s).

Artwork or Object in the Image [IPTC Extension]
You can use this structured set of metadata fields to record information about artwork or other objects in the image that may have intellectual property rights of their own such as paintings, sculptures, and other forms of artwork.

Author [IPTC Core]
Alternative label, used for "Creator."

By-line (or Author) [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label advocated by the older IPTC IIM schema, used for "Creator."

By-line Title (sometimes listed as Author position) [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label advocated by the older IPTC IIM schema, used for "Creator's Job Title."

Caption [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label advocated by the older IPTC IIM schema, used for "Description."

Caption Writer(s) [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label for "Description Writer."

Category [IPTC IIM]
This field was deprecated (removed from use) when IPTC Core 1.0 was released in 2005, although it may appear in some applications supporting IPTC IIM. Use at your own risk.

City (legacy) [IPTC Core]

Enter the name of the city where the image was captured. If there is no city, you can use the Sublocation field alone to specify where the photograph was made. City is at the third level of a top-down geographical hierarchy.

City (of Location Created) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the name of the city of the location where the image was created. This element is at the fourth level of a top-down geographical hierarchy.

City (of Location Shown) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the name of the city of the location which is shown in the image. This element is at the fourth level of a top-down geographical hierarchy.

Contact Info [IPTC Core]
The Contact Info fields provide a generic structure for storing basic information that should make it easy to reach the person or organization that created this image. Note: "City," "State" and "Country" used in Contact Info should not be confused with fields bearing the same names that refer to the picture's origin.

Address (Contact info)
Address is a multi-line field. Enter the copyright holder's company name and all required information to locate the building or post office box where copyright holder receives mail.

Examples:
PO Box 666

11000 Avenue of the Americas
The Big Photography Building
Suite 1200

City (Contact info)
Enter the name of the city where your business is located.

Country (Contact info)
Enter the name of the country where your business is located.

Email(s) (Contact info)

Enter your business or work email address, such as name@domain.com. Separate multiple email addresses with commas.

Phone(s) (Contact info)
Enter your business or work telephone number here. Separate multiple numbers with commas. Be sure to include the complete international format of a phone number including: +{countrycode} ({regional code}) {phone number} - {extension, if required}

e.g.: +1 (212) 1234578 - 222

Postal Code (Contact info)
Enter the local postal code (such as ZIP code) where your business is located.

State/Province (Contact info)
Enter the name of the State or Province where your business is located. Since the abbreviation for a state or province may be unknown to those viewing your metadata internationally, consider spelling out the name.

Website(s) (Contact info)
Enter the URL or web address for your business. Separate multiple addresses with commas.

Copyright Notice [IPTC Core]
The Copyright Notice should include any legal language required to claim intellectual property. It should identify the photograph's current holder(s). If the photographer differs from the copyright holder, enter the photographer's name in the Creator field. Usually, the value for this copyright notice would be the photographer, but if an employee made the image under work-for-hire rules, then list the employing agency or company.

Use the form of notice appropriate to your country.

For the United States, you would typically follow the form of ©<date of first publication> name of copyright owner, as in “©2012 John Doe.” Note the word “copyright” or the abbreviation “copr” may be used in place of the © symbol. In some foreign countries only the copyright symbol is recognized and the abbreviation is not accepted. Note the copyright symbol must be a full circle with a “c” inside; using something such as (c), where the parentheses form a partial circle, is not sufficient. For additional protection worldwide, it's best to use of the phrase, “all rights reserved” following the notice, as in: ©2012 Jane Doe, all rights reserved."

In Europe you use: Copyright {Year} {Copyright owner}, all rights reserved.

In Japan, for maximum protection, the following three items should appear in the copyright field of the IPTC Core: (a) the word, Copyright; (b) year of the first publication; and (c) name of the author. You may also wish to include the phrase “all rights reserved.”

Notes on usage rights should be provided in the “Rights Usage Terms” field.

Note: This field is “shared” with the “Copyright Notice” field in the Description panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info field.

U.S. Examples:
Independent Photographer - ©2012 John Doe, all rights reserved
Agency Photographer - ©2012 John Doe / XYZ Agency, all rights reserved
Staff Photographer - ©2008 Big Newspaper, all rights reserved

Copyright Notice (of Artwork/Object) [IPTC Extension]
Contains any necessary copyright notice for claiming the intellectual property for artwork or an object in the image and should identify the current owner of the copyright of this work with associated intellectual property rights.

Copyright Status [Photoshop]
This field is not part of the IPTC Core; it exists only as part of the Photoshop XMP Namespace. Use with caution, as some software programs will not recognize this field.

Copyright Owner (PLUS) [IPTC Extension]
This field can be used to indicate the owner or owners of the copyright in the licensed image by name and identifier. This serves to identify the rights holder/s for the image. The Copyright Owner, Image Creator, Image Source and Licensor may be the same or different entities. This is a PLUS version 1.2 property included in the IPTC Extension schema.

Copyright URL [Photoshop]
This field is not part of the IPTC Core; it exists only as part of the Photoshop XMP Namespace. Use with caution, as some software programs will not recognize this field.

Country (legacy) [IPTC Core]
Enter the full name of the country pictured in the photograph. This field is at the first level of a top-down geographical hierarchy. Use a verbal name and not a code; the ISO country code should be placed in the field titled Country Code.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Country” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info field.

Country Code (legacy) [IPTC Core]
Enter the Country Code of the country pictured in the photograph. This field is at the top level of a top-down geographical hierarchy. Display country codes as upper-case letters (US not us). They may be either two- or three-letter codes, as defined by the ISO 3166 standard. The two-letter code list (3166-2) is freely available from the International Standards Organization site. The full name of a country should go to the “Country” field.

Country Code (of Location Created) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the ISO country code of the location where the image was created. This element is at the second level of a top-down geographical hierarchy. Country codes should be displayed as upper-case letters (US not us), and may be either two- or three-letter codes as defined by the ISO 3166 standard. The two-letter code (3166-2) is freely available from the International Standards Organization site. The full name of a country should go to the “Country Name” field.

Country Code (of Location Shown) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the ISO country code of the location which is shown in the image. This element is at the second level of a top-down geographical hierarchy. Country codes should be displayed as upper-case letters (US not us), and may be either two- or three-letter codes as defined by the ISO 3166 standard. The two-letter code (3166-2) is freely available from the International Standards Organization site. The full name of a country should go to the “Country Name” field.

Country Name (of Location Created) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the full name of the country of the location where the image was created. The full name should be expressed as a verbal name and not as a code, the ISO country code should be placed in the field titled Country Code. This element is at the second level of a top-down geographical hierarchy.

Country Name (of Location Shown) [IPTC Extension]
Enter the full name of the country which is shown in the photograph. The full name should be expressed as a verbal name and not as a code, the ISO country code should be placed in the field titled Country Code. This element is at the second level of a top-down geographical hierarchy.

Creator [IPTC Core]
This field should contain your name or the name of the person who created the photograph. If it is not appropriate to add the name of the photographer (for example, the photographer's identity needs to be protected) use a company or organization name. Once saved, this field should not be changed by anyone. 
Note: This field is "shared" with the “Author” field in the Description Panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Creator’s Job Title [IPTC Core]
This field should list the job title of the photographer. Examples might include: Staff Photographer, Freelance Photographer or Independent Commercial Photographer. Since this is a qualifier for the Creator field, you must also complete the Creator field.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Author Title” field in the Description Panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue (only appears in versions of Adobe products later than CS).

Creator (of Artwork/Object) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the name of the artist who has created artwork or others objects that are in the image and may have associated intellectual property rights. In cases where the artist cannot or should not be identified, the name of a company or organisation may be used if appropriate.

Credit Line [IPTC Core]
The Credit Line is a free-text field that specifies how to acknowledge the supplying person(s) and/or organization(s) when publishing the image. Indicate more formal identifications of the image's creator or the copyright holder in other rights-specific fields - such as Creator and Copyright Notice. The older IIM metadata schema called this property "Credit." It was renamed to "Provider" in IPTC Core 1.0. It has been renamed to “Credit Line” in the latest version of the IPTC Core 1.1 to acknowledge how it is most widely used.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Credit” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Examples:
Independent Photographer - John Doe Photography
Agency Photographer - XYZ Agency
Staff Photographer - Big Newspaper

Date Created (of Artwork/Object) [IPTC Extension]
Use this date field to designate the date (and optionally the time) that artwork or objects in the image were created. This option should only be used when you need to identify paintings, sculptures or other artwork or objects that have associated intellectual property rights of their own. Please note that historical dates can be handled differently by different operating systems. For historical dates it may be advisable to enter the date also in the description field. Also note that partial dates, e.g. just the year, may also read differently. Do not confuse this field value with the Date Created field that is part of the IPTC Core and IIM metadata. Be aware that how this field can be used highly depends on the user interface control used by the software maker. By the XMP specifications these alternative inputs should be supported by the control: - a year only (may be used for historic photos); - a year and a month only (may be used for photos with an unclear day of the date); - a full date (year and month and day); - a full date with a time, including a time zone. If only a date is given, no time or time zone information needs to be added. If you are entering a time, you should include the time zone as well. If no time is available the value should default to an empty time part and not to the time 00:00:00.

Description [IPTC Core]
The Description field, often referred to as “Caption,” should report the who, what and why of what the photograph depicts. If there is a person or people in the image, this caption might include their names, and/or their roles in any action taking place. If the image depicts a location, then it should describe the location. Don’t forget to also include this same “geographical” information in the appropriate fields (location, city, state/province, country) of the IPTC Core. The amount of detail to include depends on the image and whether it is documentary or conceptual. Typically, editorial images come with complete caption text, while advertising images may not.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Description” field in the Description panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Editorial Example:
TheShore Temple of the Seven Pagodas was built underNarsimha II of the Pallava dynasty between 7th and 8th century AD and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It resembles the structure of the Dharmaraja rath, but its tower rises much higher (approx. five stories or ~ 60 ft. high) and its stupa spire is small and slender.

Advertising Example:
Paper tissue roll core, photographed upright.

Description writer [IPTC Core]
Enter the name of the person writing, editing or correcting the description of the photograph in this field. If you're an independent photographer, this is typically your own name, since you are entering the image metadata.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Description Writer” field in the Description panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Digital Source Type [IPTC Extension]
This field is a controlled value list that can be used to indicate from what type of source the digital image was created. The corresponding vocabulary, provided by the IPTC, includes these values:

• Original digital capture of a real life scene – should be used for all shots of real-life, including at photo studios
• Digitised from a negative on film – should be used with b&w or colour negatives from film scanners
• Digitised from a positive on film – should be used with slides or transparencies from film scanners
• Digitised from a print on non-transparent medium – should be used with flat-bed scanners or any special document capturing cameras.
• Created by software –should be used for all kinds of computer generated images (CGI), such as images composited from several different photos and/or graphic elements, or images created entirely in the computer.

The reference for this CV can be found in the Newscodes section of the IPTC website.

Document Title [IPTC Core]
Alternative label for "Title."

Event [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to name or describe the specific event at which the photo was taken. Rather than use generic terms such as: press conference, race or festival; be specific and write, Archimedes press conference, The Great Steamboat Race, or Maui Classical Music Festival. This could make it easier to locate the image later. If this is a sub-event of a larger event both can be provided in the field: e.g. XXXIX Olympic Summer Games (Beijing): opening ceremony.

Featured Organisation Code [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to note a Code from a known controlled vocabulary for identifying the organisation or company which is featured in the image. As one example, you could list the stock ticker symbol such as MSFT (Microsoft) or ADBE (Adobe). PTC Extension provides two fields for this purpose. They can be used to identify an organisation by its name and/or by a code (or identifier) used by e.g. a stocks exchange. But these two fields are not strictly linked, that means one cannot indicate “this company has the name ACME and its stock exchange ID NACME” in a single input row, these values can only be input independently. However, searching for photos of a company will work in any case, one need only decide whether to search by name or by code.

Featured Organisation Name [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to indicate the full name of the organisation or company which is featured in the image. You may wish to supplement this information using values from a controlled vocabulary which are stored in the Organisation Code field (see below). PTC Extension provides two fields for this purpose. They can be used to identify an organisation by its name and/or by a code (or identifier) used by e.g. a stocks exchange. But these two fields are not strictly linked, that means one cannot indicate “this company has the name ACME and its stock exchange ID NACME” in a single input row, these values can only be input independently. However, searching for photos of a company will work in any case, one need only decide whether to search by name or by code. .

Headline [IPTC Core]
A headline is a brief, publishable synopsis or summary of the contents of the photograph. Like a news story's lead, the Headline should grab attention and summarize the image's content. Headlines must be succinct. Leave any supporting narrative for the Description field. Do not, however, confuse the Headline term with Title.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Headline” field in the Origin Panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Examples:
Young boy yelling
Shore Temple, Malibalipuram, India
Farmer planting onions

Image Creator (PLUS) [IPTC Extension]
This field can be used to indicate the creator or creators of the image by both name and identifier. The creator can be expressed in free-text using the IPTC Core Creator field additionally. In many countries, the Image Creator must be attributed in association with any use of the image. The Image Creator, Copyright Owner, Image Supplier and Licensor may be the same or different entities. This is a PLUS version 1.2 property included in the IPTC Extension schema.

Image Registry Entry [IPTC Extension]
This entry area contains both a Registry Organisation Identifier and a Registry Item Identifier to record any registration of this digital image with a registry. Typically an ID from a registry is negotiated and applied after the creation of the digital image. Any user interface implementation must show both sub-properties - Item ID and Organisation ID - as corresponding values. Further an input to both fields should be made mandatory.

Image Supplier ID (PLUS) [IPTC Extension]
Use this optional field to identify the most recent supplier of the image by a recognized ID such as a PLUS ID or Company URL (this may not necessarily be its owner or creator. It could be a stock agency, library, or other distributor). If the PLUS-ID being stored in this field is registered with the PLUS Coalition, it should be expressed as a URL. For example: http://plus-id.org/PLUS-ID. This property succeeds the Provider property of IPTC Core 1.0 by its semantics as that Provider was renamed to Credit Line.

Image Supplier Name (PLUS) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to identify the most recent supplier of the image by name (this may not necessarily be its owner or creator. It could be a stock agency, library, or other distributor). For identifying the supplier please use a well known and/or registered company name. This property inherits the semantics of the previous “Provider” field (IPTC Core 1.0), which was renamed “Credit line.

Instructions [IPTC Core]
This is a simple text field that can include any of a number of instructions from the provider or creator to the receiver of the photograph. Any of the following might be included: embargoes (eg: News Magazines OUT) and other restrictions not covered by the Rights Usage Terms field (or new PLUS rights related fields); information regarding the original means of capture (scanning notes, color profile, etc.) or other specific text information the user may need for accurate reproduction; additional permissions or credits required when publishing.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Instructions” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Examples:
Image to be used one time only, non-exclusive in English-language-edition magazine as inside image, no larger than a full page in color. Additional third-party rights to be negotiated with Julie Doe / XYZ Agency in advance. All rights not specifically granted are reserved. See delivery memo for specific license.

For consideration only; no reproduction in any form without prior, written permission.

Intellectual Genre [IPTC Core]
Use this field to describe the type of use a photograph fulfills, in terms of its intellectual or journalistic characteristics. For example, at a newspaper, Intellectual Genre labels might include terms like daybook, obituary, press release, or transcript. A magazine might use terms such as actuality, interview, background, feature, summary, or wrap-up. For best results, organizations should use a set of terms from a controlled vocabulary. A sample taxonomy of “Intellectual genre” terms developed by the IPTC is available from http://www.newscodes.org/. The PRISM working group of the IDEAlliance has also developed a set of terms.

IPTC Subject Code [IPTC Core]
This field can specify and categorize the content of a photograph by one or more subjects listed in the IPTC “Subject NewsCode” taxonomy available from http://www.newscodes.org/. Each subject term is represented as an eight-digit numerical string in an unordered list. Only subjects from a controlled vocabulary should populate this field; enter free-choice text in the Keyword field.

IPTC Scene [IPTC Core]
Describes what a photograph depicts, using one or more terms from the IPTC "Scene-NewsCodes." You should only enter values from the IPTC Scene controlled vocabulary (available from http://www.newscodes.org/). Each IPTC Scene term is represented as a six-digit numerical string in an unordered list.

Job Identifier [IPTC Core]
You can enter a number or identifier created or issued to improve workflow handling and image tracking. Typically, the creator or image provider creates this code for transmission and routing purposes, relating it to the job for which the item is supplied.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Transmission Reference” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Keywords [IPTC Core]
Enter keyword terms or phrases to describe the subject of content in the photograph. Keywords may be free text (i.e., they need not from a controlled vocabulary). You may enter (or paste) any number of keywords, terms or phrases into this field. Each keyword term should be separated by a delimiter, such as a comma, though some software may allow semicolons or line returns (note also that some applications may change the appearance of this delimiter as well, such as Photoshop changing your commas to semicolons). To maintain backward compatibility, no single value should exceed 64 characters. Values from the controlled vocabulary IPTC Subject Codes must be placed into the “Subject Code” field.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Keyword” field in the Description panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Photo of Man Planting Onions, by David Riecks

Example of keyword set for image of man planting onions:
agriculture, farm laborer, farmer, field hand, field worker, humans, occupation, people, agricultural, agronomy, crops, onions, vegetable crops, plants, vegetables, outdoors, outside, agricultural equipment, tractor, gender, male, men.

Licensor (PLUS) [IPTC Extension]
This set of fields should include information used to identify the persons or companies authorised to grant a license to use the image, or who has granted such a license for usage of the image. You can include: name, identifier, phone number, fax number, email address, and web address, for up to three licensors. For more details, see the Parties section in the PLUS schema discussed later in this guide. Note: clicking on any of the delete buttons (the "minus" button to the right of each row of the field) will remove all of the six columns in that particular row. This is a PLUS version 1.2 property included in the IPTC Extension schema.

Location [IPTC Core]
Label introduced in IPTC Core 1.0 schema and replaced with "Sublocation" in IPTC Core 1.1. While replaced by "Sublocation" in IPTC Core 1.1, it may still appear as Location in many applications.

Location in which the image was created [IPTC Extension]
Use this set of fields to record the location where the photo was taken. If the location depicted in the image is different from the location where the photo was taken then the IPTC Extension field “Location Shown in the Image” should be used to note the difference. For example, if you are photographing a mountain with a telephoto lens from a distance, it is possible that you may be standing on the other side of a state or even country border.

Location Shown in the Image [IPTC Extension]
This field provides a means to record structured data regarding the location shown in the image. This field should contain a set of values different from those in the “Location in which the image was created” section in situations where the subject shown in the image is different from the location depicted in the image.

Max Avail Width/Height [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the maximum available width and height in pixels of the original photo from which this photo has been derived by downsizing (enter the highest available resolution for the original).

Minor Model Age Disclosure (PLUS) [IPTC Extension]
Age of the youngest model pictured in the image, at the time that the image was made. This age should not be displayed to the public on open web portals and the like. But it may be used by image repositories in a B2B (Business to Business) environment, to facilitate compliance with applicable laws governing the use of the likeness of minors. This is a PLUS version 1.2 property included in the IPTC Extension schema.

Model Age [IPTC Extension]
Age of the human model(s) at the time this image was taken in a model released image. As the information in this field is primarily to aid in searches, there is no requirement regarding the order of the ages if there is more than one model in the image. Adding age information is optional, and we recommend that you do not guess at the age(s) of the models, but only enter that information if the age of the model is known. The user should be aware of any legal implications of providing ages for young models. Ages below 18 years should not be included.

Model Release Identifier(s) (PLUS) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to indicate the ID for each Model Release. Be sure to give a unique number or name to all releases (both model and property), and record that information in this field. If you don’t already include an ID name/number on your releases, consider adding one as this will make it easier to cross reference. This is a PLUS version 1.2 property included in the IPTC Extension schema.

Model Release Status (PLUS) [IPTC Extension]

This field summarises the availability and scope of model releases authorizing usage of the likenesses of persons appearing in the photograph. There are four possible values:

• None (no release is available)
• Not Applicable (there are no recognizable people in the image),
• Unlimited Model Releases (releases are available for all people in the image), and
• Limited or Incomplete Model Releases (there are releases for some of the people in the image).

We recommend that the PLUS controlled value Unlimited Model Releases (MR-UMR) be used sparingly, and encourage you to check the wording of the model release thoroughly before choosing this value. This is a PLUS version 1.2 property that is included in the IPTC Extension schema.

Person Shown in the Image [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to note the name of a person or persons shown in the image. Typically these would be recorded as they would be typed in a query, first name / last name (given name / surname). If indicating more than one name, you can use commas, or semicolons to separate the names.

Object Name [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label from older IPTC IIM schema; used for "Title."

Original Transmission Reference [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label from older IPTC IIM schema; used for "Job Identifier."

Property Release Identifier(s) (PLUS) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to indicate the ID for each Property Release. Be sure to give a unique number or name to all releases (both model and property), and record that information in this field. This is a PLUS version 1.2 property included in the IPTC Extension schema.

Property Release Status (PLUS) [IPTC Extension]

This field summarises the availability and scope of property releases authorising usage of the properties appearing in the photograph. There are four possible values:

• None (no release is available),
• Not Applicable (there are no items requiring a property release in the image),
• Unlimited Property Releases (releases are available for all property shown in the image), and
• Limited or Incomplete Model Releases (there are releases for some property shown in the image).

We recommend that the PLUS controlled value Unlimited Property Releases (PR-UPR) be used sparingly, and encourage you to check the wording of the property release thoroughly before choosing this value. This is a PLUS version 1.2 property included in the IPTC Extension schema.

Photographer
Alternative label used by Photo Mechanic for "Creator."

Provider [IPTC Core]
Label introduced in IPTC Core 1.0 schema and replaced with "Credit Line" in IPTC Core 1.1. This field is “shared” with the “Credit” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue. While replaced by "Credit Line" in IPTC Core 1.1, it may still appear as Provider in many applications.

Sublocation (of Location Created) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the name of the sublocation of the location where the image was created. This sublocation name could be the name of a specific area within a city (Manhattan) or the name of a well-known location (Pyramids of Giza) or (natural) monument outside a city (Grand Canyon). This might be, for example, the street address of a building, the name of a stadium, or other structure within a city. Since sublocations are something more specific than a city this narrowest element is at the fifth level of a top-down geographical hierarchy if it is inside a city or at the fourth level if outside a city.

Sublocation (of Location Shown) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the name of the sublocation which is shown in the image. This could either be the name of a borough or territorial division of a city or the name of a well known location or (natural) monument outside a city. This might be, for example, the street address of a building, the name of a stadium, or other structure within a city. Since sublocations are something more specific than a city this narrowest element is at the fifth level of a top-down geographical hierarchy if it is inside a city or at the fourth level if outside a city.

Supplemental Categories [IPTC IIM]
This field was deprecated (removed from use) when IPTC Core 1.0 was released in 2005, although it may appear in some applications supporting IPTC IIM. Use with caution.

Supplier’s Image ID (PLUS) [IPTC Extension]
This optional identifier may be assigned by the Image Supplier to an image in order to facilitate management of the image in Image Supplier systems.

Title [IPTC Core]
This field can include a shorthand reference for the image or “photograph” - primarily for identification. The title of an image should be a short, human-readable name - text and/or numeric reference - and may take several forms. For photographers, this might be the filename of their original scan or digital camera file. For news organizations it might be the name of a story it accompanies. The Title term should not be confused with the Headline term, which is a short synopsis of the photograph's content.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Document Title” field in the Description panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info document.

Examples:
0706_1024
IMG_9873
Sunrise Over Temple
Fun At the Beach

Title (if used in Photo Mechanic versions prior to v5)
Alternative label in Photo Mechanic for "Creator's Job Title."

Title (of Artwork/Object) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field if the artwork or object in the image has been given a reference name or title (such as an accession number/name). Do not confuse this with the Title field that is part of the IPTC Core and IPTC-IIM metadata.

Transmission Reference [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label for "Job Identifier."

Urgency [IPTC IIM]
This field was deprecated (removed from use) when IPTC Core 1.0 was released in 2005, although it may appear in some applications supporting IPTC IIM. Use with caution.

World Region (of Location Created) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the name of the world region of the location where the image was created. Note, the relationships established by the built-in list are only offered as "suggestions" and the user is free to enter another World Region if they choose. This element is at the first (top) level of a top-down geographical hierarchy.

World Region (of Location Shown) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the name of the world region of the location that is shown in the image. Note, the relationships established by the built-in list are only offered as "suggestions" and the user is free to enter another World Region if they choose. This element is at the first (top) level of a top-down geographical hierarchy.

Writer/Editor [IPTC IIM]
Alternative label from older IPTC IIM schema, used for "Description Writer."

The U.S Copyright Office is obviously the best source of nuts-and-bolt information about U.S. Copyright Law. On this website, one can download forms, filing information, historical documents and the copyright law itself.  Also on the home page is a link to the Electronic Copyright Office, where photos and other works can be registered online. http://www.copyright.gov

The American Society of Media Photographers has published an extensive online resource concerning copyrights. ASMP's "Copyright Tutorial" includes a history of copyrights and much information about copyrighting photographs.  This very thorough tutorial is publicly available at http://www.asmp.org/commerce/legal/copyright

The Copyright Alliance offers another valuable internet resource. The website of this non-profit educational organization is a good source of up-to-date copyright information.  It also provides research and educational materials. http://www.copyrightalliance.org

The Picture Archive Council of America has created extensive online training materials through "The Jane Kinne Copyright Education Program." The Kinne collection includes a "Copyright Education PowerPoint," an education presentation by respected intellectual property attorney Nancy Wolff and PACA's "Copyright Commandments." http://pacaoffice.org/library.shtml

Professional Photographers of America offers an in-depth web section about copyrights.  This section includes recent news about copyrights and information about PPA's copyright advocacy efforts. http://www.ppa.com/copyright-advocacy

Stock Artists Alliance has uploaded extensive information about the Orphan Works issue.  Though the U.S. Congress has yet to pass legislation that would make it easier to use photos and other copyrighted materials when the author is unknown or cannot be found, many observers believe some form of Orphan Works bill will eventually become law.  http://www.stockartistsalliance.org/orphan.html

"To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." — The Copyright and Patent Clause of the U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 8)

Here's the good news: The United States government will help you protect your photographs and other "original works of authorship," such as written articles, books, movies, plays and music. As a photographer, you can theoretically decide who publishes your images and demand payment for the usage. This protection is outlined extensively in Title 17 of the U.S. Code,  better known as the United States Copyright Law.

Here's the bad news: The blossoming digital age makes protecting photographic copyrights increasingly difficult. Digital technology makes reproducing images with or without permission easy. A further challenge is our governments must balance the rights of image creators with other essential needs, including one of the most important requirements of an open, vital culture – the free flow of information and ideas.

The U.S. Congress recently has grappled with balancing the issue of protecting copyrights with the need for a healthy exchange of ideas in two rounds of proposed "Orphan Works" legislation. An Orphan Works law would solve a legitimate and serious problem by making it possible for cultural heritage institutions to use valuable images and other copyrighted materials when the copyright owner is unknown or cannot be found.

Though Orphan Works would not change basic copyright protections, it could potentially place additional burdens on photographers who want to control use of their images. Proper use of photographic metadata will be key for those who would protect their copyrights.

Metadata offer a first line of defense.

Since metadata can't be "locked" into a digital file, it can be intentionally removed by intentional copyright infringers. However, it still serves as a valuable resource, since most image users seek permission, when possible, before using copyrighted works. By simply filling in the appropriate metadata fields, photographers can ensure these users know who owns copyrights and how to contact the owners.

Learn more about Copyright fundamentals.
View Additional copyright resources.

We've arranged this reference library according to the following Index, leading with a short list
of "recommended reading." If you have other metadata-related resources to recommend, contact us
and we'd be glad to add them to this resource.

INDEX
Recommended Reading
Introductory Basics
Metadata Viewing and Manipulation Utilities
Standards, Specifications and Schemas
Guidelines and Best Practices in Metadata Applications for Images and Image Collections
Image Metadata Discussion Forums
Metadata Conference Presentations & Reports
Periodical Articles
Blogs
Reference and Lookup Tools
Additional Copyright Resources

Recommended Reading

Start with this selected group of articles that provide a good introduction, then dig deeper below for more insight.

User Guide to the IPTC Core
Descriptions of how to correctly put the current IPTC fields to use to embed metadata in digital files.

A Short History of the IPTC (International Press Telecommunication Council) Standards
by David Riecks
An excellent beginners' outline that also answers most frequently asked questions.

Basic Metadata: A Photographer's Best Friend
by Ethan G. Salwen, ASMP Bulletin, Fall 2007

Basic Metadata: Don't Process Without It
Adding Contact and Copyright Metadata to Your RAW Processing Workflow
by Ethan G. Salwen, AfterCapture magazine, Oct/Nov 2007
Addressing practicing photographers, Salwen advocates adding metadata to RAW images as a first step in    processing, using templates for key metadata.

UPDIG: Universal Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines, version 4.0
September 2008
The UPDIG guidelines aim to establish photographic standards and practices for photographers, designers, printers, and image distributors. They cover Digital Asset Management, Color Profiling, Metadata, and Photography Workflow.  Separate Guidelines for Photographers and Image Receivers are available on this site.

Introductory Basics

These sources provide an introduction to the problem of image data and metadata interchange, and early steps toward the solution.

A Short History of the IPTC (International Press Telecommunication Council) Standards
David Riecks, [n.d.]
An excellent beginners' outline that also answers most frequently asked questions.

SAA's Metadata Manifesto, issued July 2006
This site provides both a web version and a downloadable PDF outlining a proposal from the Stock Artists Alliance for the adoption of guiding principles, standards and technology to promote image metadata use among image-using industries around the world.

IPTC Photo Metadata White Paper 2007, Document Revision 11
Outlines metadata properties vital to image interchange, and workflows in current use by various types of image creators and users.

Basic Metadata: A Photographer's Best Friend
by Ethan G. Salwen
ASMP Bulletin, fall 2007

Software supporting IPTC photo metadata standards IIM and "IPTC Core"
A vendor submitted list maintained by the International Press Telecommunication Council (IPTC) of various software applications with information on which of the IPTC metadata standards are supported.

IPTC Tests Software Tools to Embed and Read Rights Data
Free and Inexpensive Software tested by the IPTC Photo Metadata Working Group for the ability to write specific embedded photo metadata.

How to Extract Image Metadata Using Python
A tutorial on how to extract various forms of metadata embedded in a PNG file using the programming language, Python. 

Metadata Viewing and Manipulation Utilities

Utilities for Viewing

Jeffrey Friedl's Online Metadata Viewer
A web based utility for reading Exif, XMP, IPTC, ICC, etc., data in most file types (including JPEG, TIFF, PSD, RAW, NEF, CR2, MP3, WMV, etc.) whether remote or local.  Includes a button that can be dragged and dropped into one's local browser button bar (Compatible with recent versions of the Firefox and Safari browsers).  The most flexible image metadata web-based viewer now available.

FxIF (Firefox exIF) is a browser Add-on for Firefox which allows you to read Exif, IPTC-IIM (the older IPTC binary format), and XMP metadata. After installing, you simply right click on an image and choose this option, and the metadata will be shown in a separate window.

Metapicz is an online metadata and exif viewer for digital photos. You can drag and drop an image that is on a desktop computer, or point to an image on the web by URL to see the embedded XMP and Exif metadata. It does not seem to properly recognize any field containing an array (of which the IPTC Core and IPTC Extension contain a few). It also does not seem to recognize the older IPTC-IIM form of photo metadata.

ExifTool GUI for Windows v4
[released April 4, 2010]
View Exif, IPTC, XMP, Maker Notes and more. This utility takes Phil Harvey's command line ExifTool utility and gives it a Graphical User Interface. Instructions for use can be downloaded as a ZIP file at http://u88.n24.queensu.ca/~bogdan/etgui_manual.zip

Exif Viewer 1.45
A Firefox addon, by Alan Raskin.  Displays the Exif and IPTC data in local and remote JPEG (only) images.

XMP metadata extractor (Jpeg only)

A web based utility for extracting the XMP from a JPEG file whether remote or local.

The FotoForensics site has tutorials and links to software and other resources, explaining how to find and extract metadata in photos.

Utilities for Manipulating Metadata

ExifTool
ExifTool is a platform-independent Perl library plus a command-line application for reading, writing and editing meta information in image, audio and video files. ExifTool supports many different types of metadata including EXIF, IPTC, XMP, and many others. ExifTool is also available as a stand-alone Windows executable and a Macintosh OS X package.

The IPTC Cultural Heritage Panel for Adobe Bridge
This link to a ZIP file includes two plugin panels for Adobe Bridge CC (up to 2016 versions) and CS5/CS6 with a focus on fields in the IPTC Photo Metadata Standard 2016 relevant for images of artwork and other cultural heritage objects like buildings. These panels support:

• Reading and writing the complete set of Artwork or Object fields of the IPTC standard
• Key image administration fields
• Automatically generating image caption and keywords from existing Artwork or Object data
• The second panel allows for import and export of data into IPTC fields embedded into an image

Meta Shot Put
Meta Shot Put is a free image importer app for powerpoint that automates the placing of a batch of images (versions for Mac and Windows exist). If you have more than about 5 or 10 images it will save you a lot of time and hassle.

Standards, Specifications and Schemas

Photo Image File Format Specifications

JPEG
JPEG File Interchange Format, version 1.02
Issued September 1, 1992

TIFF
TIFF Revision 6.0
Final, June 1992
Adobe developers' file standards for TIFF file type.

PSD
File Standards for Photoshop PSD file type.
Updated May 2008
Parts copyrighted by Thomas Knoll

Photo Metadata Standards & Specification Schemas

Dublin Core
Dublin Core Metadata Element Set, Version 1.1
A ready reference to all Dublin Core elements;  includes references to controlled vocabularies available for individual elements.

DCMI Metadata Terms
Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
Recommendation of the DCMI Usage Board, issued January 2008.

IPTC Core
"IPTC Core" Schema for XMP, version 1.0
Specification Document, revision 8
IPTC 2005.
XMP value types and schema properties are given here, as well as a list of deprecated legacy IIM metadata elements mapped to current XMP values.

XMP
XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform)

XMP: Adding Intelligence to Media
XMP Specification
Adobe, 2005
Data and storage models, schemas, and embedding in image files.

IPTC Photo Metadata Standards
General Overview
IPTC Photo Metadata Standard 2016 (PDF)
IPTC Photo Metadata Standard 2014 (PDF)
IPTC Photo Metadata Standard 2010 (PDF)
IPTC Photo Metadata Standard 2008 (PDF)
IPTC Core, Specification Version 1.1
IPTC Extension, Specification 1.0
IPTC-NAA Information Interchange Model (IIM), version 4, Rev 1, July 1999
Standard for representing and exchanging news information (both text and image).

Exif
JEITA  Exchangeable image file format for digital still cameras: Exif Version 2.2
JEITA CP-3451, established April 2002.
Published by Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA)
English translation of the standard, though the Japanese original is authoritative.

JEITA 49-1998
JEITA 49-1998 is the earlier version of the Exif standard.

PLUS Coalition License Data
PLUS (Picture Licensing Universal System)
Free registration required to access the standards information, which includes:

BETA version of the PLUS License Generator, a web based tool that generates a PLUS Universal License Summary file in XMP, suitable for embedding in digital image files. The License Generator is available in the "UsePLUS" menu of the PLUS website for free.

BETA version of a License Embedder and Reader (different versions for Mac and PC), that allows users to embed or read a Universal License Statement one file at a time. Future versions will support batch processing, saved license templates, saved user contact info.

For Digital Image Collections

XML
NISO Metadata for Images in XML Schema
Technical metadata for digital still images standard
The Library of Congress' Network Development and MARC Standards Office, in partnership with the NISO Technical Metadata for Digital Still Images Standards Committee and other interested experts, is developing an XML schema for a set of technical data elements required to manage digital image collections.

ANSI/NISO Z39.87 - Data Dictionary - Technical Metadata for Digital Still Images
Defines a set of metadata elements for raster digital images to enable users to develop, exchange, and interpret digital image files. The dictionary has been designed to facilitate interoperability between systems, services, and software as well as to support the long-term management of and continuing access to digital image collections.

VRA Core 4.0
Visual Resource Association, Data Standards Committee, March 2007.
This is a data standard for the cultural heritage community, providing a categorical organization for the description of works of visual culture as well as the images that document them. It consists of a metadata element set as well as an initial blueprint for how those elements can be hierarchically structured.

World Wide Web Standards and Specifications

W3C Resource Description Framework (RDF)
RDF Vocabulary Description Language 1.0: RDF Schema
W3C Recommendation 10 February 2004
The Resource Description Framework (RDF) is a general-purpose language for representing information in the Web. This specification describes how to use RDF to describe RDF vocabularies. This specification defines a vocabulary for this purpose and defines other built-in RDF vocabulary initially specified in the RDF Model and Syntax Specification.

Encoding Dublin Core metadata in HTML
Informational Memorandum, not a standard.  Offers several examples of encoding.
IETF, December 1999.  © The Internet Society.

Image Annotation on the Semantic Web
W3C Incubator Group Report 14 August 2007
Offers use cases and solutions that illustrate vocabularies used in Dublin Core and VRA Core data elements.

Date and Time (W3C)
This document defines a profile of ISO 8601, the International Standard for the representation of dates and times. ISO 8601 describes a large number of date/time formats. To reduce the scope for error and the complexity of software, it is useful to restrict the supported formats to a small number. This profile defines a few date/time formats, likely to satisfy most requirements.

Guidelines and Best Practices in Metadata Applications
for Images and Image Collections

User's Guide to the IPTC Core and IPTC Extension (for Photoshop CS5)
(descriptions of how to correctly put the current IPTC Core and IPTC Extension fields to use in Photoshop CS5)

User's Guide to the IPTC-PLUS Toolkit
(descriptions of how to correctly put the current IPTC Core, IPTC Extension & PLUS fields to use in the Javascript plug-in for Adobe Bridge for CS3 or later. Guide is included in full download)

User's Guide to the IPTC Core
(descriptions of how to correctly put the current IPTC Core fields to use in Photoshop CS3/CS4))

Caption and Keywording Guidelines
(Guidelines on how to write captions and keywords that will help you and others find your images)

Preserving Technical Photo Metadata
(a 10 page PDF written by INFRA staff on behalf of the IPTC Photo Metadata Working Group which
details digital photography workflows and pain points on where metadata may be inadvertently lost)

Guidelines for Handling Image Metadata, version 1.0.1
February 2009
Metadata Working Group (site offline after September 2018 - view MWG cache on Internet Archive)
The Metadata Working Group (MWG) — a consortium of Adobe, Apple, Canon, Microsoft, Sony, and Nokia — was formed in 2006 to publish technical specifications focused on the preservation and seamless interoperability of digital image metadata. Version 1.01 (issued February 2009) is available as a downloadable pdf at this site which establishes guidelines for handling metadata in images for all branches of the image-making and image-using industries.  A set of tools and test files are also available which can be used by developers who provide applications or services which handle photo metadata.

In 2006, SAA conducted an investigative study using PicScout visual-search technology which tracked online use of 20,000 images from the leading stock distributors, Getty Images and Corbis. Over a four month period, PicScout uncovered a high rate of misuse.

In 2007, we issued a white paper report which detailed the Study's findings, estimated the size of the problem, and provided insight into its causes. We recommended specific action steps that photographers and stock distributors need to be taking to address a widespread and growing issue of copyright infringements on (and off) the web.

SAA's initiatives have contributed to both increased awareess and commitment across the licensing community to tracking and pursuing infringers. The problem, however, persists.

Read SAA's white paper report:
Infringements of Stock Images and Lost Revenues

SAA's Manifesto put forth three guiding principles:

Metadata is essential to identify and track digital images.

Ownership metadata must never be removed.

Metadata must be written in formats that are understood by all.

Now, we need to take these guiding principles and put them into practice.

This starts with industry wide commitment to use metadata. We then need to embrace metadata standards and best practices that have a consistent world-view approach. Finally, we need technology that makes it easy to embed metadata, preserve it, and facilitate tracking and rights management.

SAA’s “Manifesto” concludes with a list of specific action steps for photographers, distributors and end users, and offers guidance for developers.

Read the Manifesto

MetaSurvey of Stock Distributors
The first phase centered on a comprehensive survey of metadata practices among major stock image distributors. The study looked at a representative group which included Getty Images, Corbis, Jupiterimages, Masterfile and Alamy.  SAA conducted extensive random sampling of digital image files available on their websites to document the presence of metadata in both "thumbnails" and larger "preview" images. The team then tracked sample images to see what happens to embedded metadata as files are forwarded on from distributors to multiple sub-distributors.

Preliminary findings confirmed what SAA has long suspected: Too many images in the licensing market lack key identifying and content information.

After presenting our preliminary findings at major industry conferences including the 2008 Microsoft Pro Photo Summit and 2008 International Photo Metadata Conference, and sharing them with stock distributors and fellow association leadership, the SAA Photo Metadata Project team gained a better understanding of the challenges that need to be met to implement best practices across the licensing industry.

A white paper report of MetaSurvey findings is currently in development.

MetaSurvey of Photographers
With the launch of the Project web site, the second phase of our MetaSurvey begins with an online questionnaire directed to pro photographers of all types. We hope to gain broad participation in the survey which will give us a better idea of the level of metadata use in the pro photo comunity, including types of metadata embedded, software tools used, and insights into digital imaging workflows.

Photographers, Take the MetaSurvey!

Later in 2009, a report of our findings will be posted to this site.

Some classes of metadata can be - and are - embedded in digital image files. Some schemas, or data formats, actually identify their elements by these classes, although this may not be readily apparent. Each of the followig three “classes” of metadata become part of the image file when embedded in JPEG, TIFF, PSD, Raw or several other popular formats. They can also be stored in a sidecar file.

Technical Metadata
Most modern image-capture devices generate information about themselves and the pictures they record, such as that stored in Exif. These data describe an image’s technical characteristics, such as its size, color profile, ISO speed and other camera settings. Some professional cameras can be configured to add detailed ownership and descriptive information in a note or comment field stored within the Exif container.

Descriptive Metadata
A photographer or image collection manager can enter and embed various information about an image’s contents. This can include captions, headlines, titles, keywords, location of capture, etc. These metadata fields were included in the original IPTC-IIM schema. They have been expanded in the IPTC Core and IPTC Extension metadata schemas. Good descriptive metadata are key to unlocking an image collection to find stored images.

Administrative Metadata
Image files can also include licensing or rights usage terms, specific restrictions on using an image, model releases, provenance information, such as the identity of the creator, and contact information for the rights holder or licensor. These types of metadata have been comprehensively addressed and standardized within the PLUS sytem. The IPTC Core and IPTC Extension schemas also expand on the types and quantity of such information metadata can store.