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Guide to Photo Metadata Fields - IPTC Core and IIM only

Our "Field Guide" provides a valuable resource for photo metadata users. It lists and defines the most commonly used fields in key metadata schema and in popular software.

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 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

Date Created [IPTC Core]
Use this field to record the calendar date (and optionally, the time) when the photograph was made - not the date when you scanned or edited the image. If using a digital camera set to the correct time, you can find this information in the image's EXIF data. If no time is given, the value should default to 00:00:00.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Date Created” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue. You can use the Origin panel’s “Today" button to set the IPTC Date Created field.

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.

Province/State [IPTC Core]
Alternative label, used for "State/Province."

Rights Usage Terms [IPTC Core]
The Rights Usage Terms field should include free-text instructions on how the photograph can be legally used. If submitting the image(s) for consideration only, you can indicate that, and stipulate no reproduction is allowed without first negotiating permission. Use the PLUS [link to PLUS website, or PLUS page within the PhotoMetadata Website] fields of the IPTC Extension in parallel to express the license in more controlled terms. It is strongly encouraged that you use a standardized set of terms or controlled vocabulary when populating this field.

Source [IPTC Core]
The Source field should identify the original owner or copyright holder of the photograph. The value of this field should never be changed after the information is first entered. While not yet enforced by the custom panels, you should consider this to be a “write-once” field. The source could be an individual, an agency or a member of an agency. To aid in later searches, separate any slashes “/” with a blank space. Use the form “photographer / agency” rather than “photographer/agency.” Source may also be different from Creator and from the names listed in the Copyright Notice.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “Source” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info dialogue.

Special Instructions [IPTC Core]
Alternative label from older IPTC IIM schema, used for "Instructions."

State/Province (legacy) [IPTC Core]
Enter the name of the subregion of a country - usually referred to as either a State or Province - pictured in the image. Since the abbreviation for a State or Province may be unknown to those viewing your metadata internationally, consider using the full spelling of the name. Province/State is at the second level of a top-down geographical hierarchy.
Note: This field is “shared” with the “State/Province” field in the Origin panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info field.

Sublocation [IPTC Core]
Enter the name of the sublocation shown in the image. This might be the name of a specific area within a city (Manhattan), or the name of a well-known place (Pyramids of Giza), monument or natural feature outside a city (Grand Canyon). Location is the most specific term, at the fourth level of a top-down geographical hierarchy.

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."

Read more about Guide to Photo Metadata Fields - IPTC Core and IIM only

Guide to Photo Metadata Fields

Our "Field Guide" provides a valuable resource for photo metadata users. It lists and defines the most commonly used fields in key metadata schema and in popular software.

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.

Use the form of notice appropriate to your country.

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.

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 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.

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 (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.

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.

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.

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. .

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.

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

Photo of Man Planting Onions, by David Riecks

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 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."

Province/State [IPTC Core]
Alternative label, used for "State/Province."

Province/State (of Location Shown) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the name of a subregion of a country –such as a province or state - of the location which is shown in the image. Since the abbreviation for a State or Province may be unknown to those viewing your metadata internationally, consider using the full spelling of the name. This element is at the third level of a top-down geographical hierarchy.

Province/State (of Location Created) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to record the name of a subregion of a country – such as a province or state - of the location where the image was created. Since the abbreviation for a State or Province may be unknown to those viewing your metadata internationally, consider using the full spelling of the name. This element is at the third level of a top-down geographical hierarchy.

Registry Item Identifier (of Image Registry Entry) [IPTC Extension]
A unique identifier created by a registry and applied by the current manager of the digital image. This value should not be changed after being applied. This identifier is linked to a corresponding Registry Organization Identifier, see above. This identifier may be globally unique itself, but it must be unique for the issuing registry.

Registry Organisation Identifier (of Image Registry Entry) [IPTC Extension]
Use this field to enter an identifier for the registry which issued the corresponding Registry Image ID used in the field above. As one example, if the identifier for the image was issued by the PLUS Registry this field takes an identifier for this registry as whole, such as http://www.plus-id.org.

Rights Usage Terms [IPTC Core]
The Rights Usage Terms field should include free-text instructions on how the photograph can be legally used. If submitting the image(s) for consideration only, you can indicate that, and stipulate no reproduction is allowed without first negotiating permission. Use the PLUS fields of the IPTC Extension in parallel to express the license in more controlled terms. It is strongly encouraged that you use a standardized set of terms or controlled vocabulary when populating this field.

Source (of Artwork/Object) [IPTC Extension]
If you know the name of the organisation or body that holds or has registered the artwork or object in the image for inventory purposes, you can indicate that in this field.

Source Inventory Number (of Artwork/Object) [IPTC Extension]
If there is an inventory number that was issued by the organisation or body holding and registering the artwork or object shown in the image, you can indicate that inventory number in this field.

Special Instructions [IPTC Core]
Alternative label from older IPTC IIM schema, used for "Instructions."

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.

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."

Read more about Guide to Photo Metadata Fields

Metadata History: Timeline

A more technical and detailed history of metadata

The International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) was established in 1965 to safeguard the telecommunications interests of the world press. Since the 1970s, the organization has focused on developing and publishing industry standards for the interchange of news data. Since 1979, photographer know IPTC for creating the set of metadata attributes applied to images. The organization has remained a key player in the development of metadata.

For many years, newspapers and other news outlets received photos via an early facsimile machine. The photo, including caption and other information, were placed on a revolving drum and transmitted over telephone lines.

In 1988 Leaf, Inc. released the Leaf Desk, designed by Bob Caspe. The Leaf Desk was one of the earliest units designed for transmission of images from the field. It consisted of a scanning stage that accommodated a three image strip of 35 mm film, a keyboard for writing captions, a modem and a small computer screen. Since the Leaf Desk had no digital memory device, the whole scanning, captioning and transmission process was repeated each time the same image was sent to another destination.

Some of the earliest discussions about metadata as we know it today occurred just prior to the introduction of the Leaf Desk. During a National Press Photographers Association digital show in San Francisco, photo editor Stephen Hart of the Associated Press, Senior AP Photo Editor Grant Lamos and AP Photo Editor Pete Leabo discussed the problems of sending images and cutline information in a Chinatown bar. They realized that whatever protocol they adopted would have to dovetail with current procedures. A year or two later at Hurley's bar in Manhattan Hart met with AP Photo Library Director Chuck Zoeller and David Rocha, also of AP, to discuss the coming of the Leaf Desk. Though there were some guidelines from the American Newspaper Publishers Association (now known as the Newspaper Association of America), these may have been two of the earliest discussions of photo metadata fields.

Not long after introduction of the Leaf Desk came the Spooler, an external hard drive that let photographers scan and save images before transmission. As such, photographers could scan several images, then send them as a group.

Manually writing metadata into each and every image file can be a tedious job, which was why Mike Evans, formerly President Ronald Reagan's photographer, started Iron Mike Software to facilitate embedding metadate into Adobe's Photoshop 95. Though the Iron Mike approach was useful, there were incompatibilities because Adobe and Iron Mike wrote the data differently. Leaf Desk would pick up metadata from either Adobe or Iron Mike software. But, if one wrote the data using Iron Mike and then did something in Photoshop, the Adobe program would not recognize the Iron Mike annotations and, in turn, Leaf Desk would find no information in the metadata file. Still, AP shooters liked Iron Mike software because it could write simultaneously to a batch of images, which Photoshop could not. Apple Computer also got involved in the early days of metadata when it introduced a low-end digital camera bundled with imaging software that accepted Photoshop plug-ins, including Iron Mike. About this time, AP created Photo Lynx, a photo browser for Apple's Macintosh computers with a docking station that offered Leaf transmission functions.

IPTC developed the Information Interchange Model (IIM) in 1990. IMM provides specifications for metadata fields. Though it was never intended specifically for use with photos, Adobe adopted the standard in 1995 when it chose 20 photo metadata fields from the IIM to be included in Photoshop. The IMM schema was updated in 1999. In 1997 Adobe Systems, Inc., standardized on the use of the Image Resource Block (IRB) method of storing metadata, which adds different kinds of image data –– including, but not limited to metadata –– to a digital picture.

Photo metadata took a conceptual leap forward in 1994 when Adobe outlined the specifications for embedding the information into a digital Image Resource Block (IRB), often called IPTC headers. Adobe chose 20 fields for use in Photoshop 95. Though this was a bit limited by today's standards, the ability to embed information into JPEG and TIFF images was the basis of the image management system that exists today.

In 2001 Adobe introduced the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP), a successor to the Image Resource Blocks. XMP represents the same types of metadata as IPTC, but uses Extensible Markup Language (XML), which is coded instructions about displaying text, and Resource Description Framework (RDF), a simplified general-purpose digital language for representing information. Says Adobe: "With an XMP-enabled application, information about a project can be captured during the content-creation process and embedded within the file and into a content-management system. Meaningful descriptions and titles, searchable keywords, and up-to-date author and copyright information can be captured in a format that is easily understood by you as well as by software applications, hardware devices, and even file formats."

In 2005 Adobe released its Creative Suite 2, which included the new IPTC Core. IPTC core was the result of an IPTC/Adobe collaboration. It includes and defines most IIM fields previously adopted by Adobe. New fields were added including new subject, scene and intellectual genre codes. Two additions to the geographic information let photographers record places smaller than a city and areas outside municipalities as well as codes for countries. The IPTC Core panels were backwards compatible and could be used in the CS version of Photoshop as well, however, this did require that the user manually install the panels.

A revision to the IPTC Core was released in 2008 along with a new IPTC Extension schema. The IPTC Extension 1.0 Schema complements and extends the set of IPTC Core metadata properties, to include additional fields that are shared with the PLUS schema, such as model and property release info, as well as more detailed location information and much more.

Currently, all digital cameras embed Exchangeable Image File Format (Exif) technical metadata about the creation of an image. Exif data includes information such as the camera's make, model and serial number; the date and time the image was made; shutter speed; ISO; and the lens used. Established in 1985 by the Japanese Camera Industry Association, the predecessor to the Camera & Imaging Products Association, Exif is also used by some image scanners. RAW camera processing software can use Exif information to accurately render images. New technologies such as Exif Print incorporate photographic information into printing processes for improved results. Today, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association manages the Exif standard.

Timeline of IPTC and related Metadata Standards:

1979: IPTC defines a set of metadata attributes.
1991: IPTC revises attributes, releases new version dubbed the “Information Interchange Model” or IIM.
1994-95: Adobe Photoshop adopts Image Resource Block (IRB) / IPTC Headers.
2001: Adobe launches the Extensible Metadata Platform or XMP.
2005: IPTC/Adobe collaboration releases IPTC Core in Creative Suite 2.
2007: IPTC and IFRA hold first International Photo Metadata Conference and release white paper.
2008: IPTC releases revised IPTC Core and new IPTC Extension schemas.

History of the Exif (Exchangeable Image File Format) Standard

October 1995: Version 1 established as a JEIDA standard. Defined the structure, consisting of an image data format and attribute information (tags), and basic tags.
November 1997: Version 1.1 kept the essential provisions of Version 1.0 and added provisions for optional attribute information and format operation.
June 1998: Version 2 added sRGB color space, compressed thumbnails and audio files.
December 1998: Version 2.1 Upgraded and expanded the storage format and attribute information. Added recommended compatibility details as a supplement to Version 2.0
February 2002: Version 2.2 added information to Version 2.1 to improve print finishing
September 2003: Version 2.21 added optional color space (Adobe RGB)
Source: Hiroshi Maeno, Canon Inc. June, 7, 2007, First International Photo Metadata Conference, Florence, Italy.

Read more about Metadata History: Timeline

Metadata History

Before the computer revolution — and even during the early stages of digitization — metadata were the bits of information we wrote, stamped, typed or printed on slide mounts, glassine envelopes, mats or the backs and borders of photographic prints. When your great-great-great grandmother scratched names on the frame of a daguerreotype in the mid-1800s, she created early photo metadata.

As with much digital age jargon, the term "metadata" seems to prompt more than a few blank stares and rolled eyes.

At first glance, the idea of metadata, and more particularly photo metadata, appears to be among concepts better left to the technically savvy. Those creating and working with images may prefer to spend time on the images themselves — not on what might seem an obscure task that embodies who knows what.

But wait a second. Although metadata may seem to have little to do with images, they've actually been around almost as long photography. We just didn't call them metadata then. We referred to them as "captions," "cutlines," "bylines" or "copyrights." Sometimes, we called them nothing at all. But we could easily see them on a print or slide mount.

Photo metadata: a simple concept

There is nothing very difficult about the idea of photo metadata. It is information about a picture that must be communicated in text because it's not obvious in the picture itself.

How many of us have tried in vain to learn the identity of an ancestor pictured in an old photo? Unfortunately, you can't write on the back of a digital photograph, though even this did not present a serious problem in the early days of digitization when photos were digitized only for transmission purposes. In those days, the photos, particularly those used by editorial outlets, were created using traditional silver halide technology –– film and conventional printing paper -- then scanned and transmitted to a machine that printed the images back onto paper. The digital version was of little consequence because it disappeared after transmission. At the receiving end, the new print typically was sent to editorial and production departments much as if it were an original print created in a nearby darkroom.

In this environment, photographers transmitting the images typed the photo metadata (cutlines, bylines, dates, locations, etc.) on a strip of paper, attach the strip to the margin of the print and transmitted the verbal information as part of the photo. Everything stayed nicely together.

But, as digital technology developed, keeping digital and written data married became increasingly difficult.

In today's world, a photograph may be made on a digital camera, transmitted in digital format to a location on the other side of the world, cropped and color corrected on the receiving computer and then published in a digital medium like the Internet. It then might be stored for future possible use on a digital hard drive, optical disk or flash storage device. In such cases, a physical image never exists.

This presents problems not considered when a photograph was always a physical thing stored in a physical location and usually presented in a physical medium like a book, a magazine, a newspaper or family album.

Metadata today

In today's digital world, metadata is like the blank back of a printed photo. This digital file that accompanies an image is a "place" to "write" information about the image –– who made it, who owns the copyrights, what the image depicts, who is in the image, where it was made, when it was made and even camera settings used to create it.

The metadata file can be accessed using a number of digital imaging programs. Importantly, it usually remains with an image even after the image has been reproduced countless times or changed using the editing software.

And this is very important.

As pictures age and the people who made and edited them move on to other things, get old or die. The metadata file may be all that remains to tell those who follow about the instant depicted in the photograph.

However, metadata is still not perfect.

Some computer programs still do not recognize metadata, and may ignore. In other cases they may actually do harm, by inadvertently removing or "stripping" it from the digital file.

People also can intentionally remove or re-write metadata. Some unsavory types have been known to erase copyright information, allowing them to plead ignorance when the copyright owner surfaces and tries to exert control over the the image or collect a usage fee.

Additionally, it is entirely possible that some people may want to alter the perception others have of history. Changing the metadata with certain photos could help the over-zealous achieve political ends if you have the only existing copy of an image.

And there always is the question of which metadata fields should be commonly included in metadata files. Most current metadata files favor the needs of editorial institutions. This has sometimes been an annoyance for non-editorial image users. For example, the stock photography industry, which usually wants reproduction rights transmitted with an image, has worked with the International Press Telecommunication Council (IPTC) and PLUS to get their needs heard. Recently Adobe has added DICOM metadata for communicating medical information that is included with x-rays, and other types of medical imagery. Unfortunately, scientists, architects, engineers and others may have additional needs which aren't currently met and may require that they find ways to work within the system to meet their unique purposes.

Future generations

Yet, digital photographic metadata is an increasingly useful tool for all who value what images bring to our lives. Without metadata, historians studying our times could be deprived of important information about who we were, what we thought and how we lived. Without metadata, families could lose the ability to reach back across time and know whose ancestral eyes peer back.

And, without metadata, image creators could lose control of the photos they create and, if the U.S. Congress or other country eventually passes an orphan works bill, the ability to make a living from their most valuable images.

In the end, Metadata connects the image creator and viewer, with a time, a place, a subject (or subjects), an event and a moment in history. In the absence of these connections, the value of an image diminishes or disappears entirely.

For a more technical and detailed history of metadata, read on.

Read more about Metadata History

Glossary of Terms

This meta-dictionary will help you understand the many metadata terms and acronyms you may encounter – from ANSI to XMP.

If you have other metadata-related terms to add, contact us.

INDEX
A-C
D-G
H-J
K-M
N-Q
R-T
U-Z

ANSI - Abbreviation for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private non-profit organization founded in 1916 that oversees the development and accreditation of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. These standards ensure that the characteristics and performance of products are consistent, that people use the same definitions and terms, and that products are tested the same way.

Administrative Metadata - Information such as licensing, usage rights or restrictions, model releases, provenance, and contact information for the rights holder or licensor, rather than descriptive information about the photo.

Archive Master - See Master.

ASCII - Abbreviation for the American Standard Code for Information Interchange. ASCII, was one of the early (1960) character encoding methods based on the English alphabet. It was used in representing text in computers, communications equipment and other devices that work with text. Other modern character encodings, such as UTF-8, support many more characters, but have a historical basis in ASCII.

Bit - A contraction of binary digit, the smallest unit of information storage or digital information that can take on one of two values, such as false and true or 0 and 1.

Byte - A component in the machine data hierarchy usually larger than a bit and smaller than a word; now most often eight bits and the smallest addressable unit of storage. A Byte typically holds one character.

Capture - The process by which a digital image is acquired as a digital file, either by a digital camera or by digitally scanning with analog material (film / prints).

Cataloging - The process of adding images and both administrative and descriptive information about them, either automatically or manually, to an image database, or digital asset management system.

Checksum - A checksum is a fixed-size datum computed from an arbitrary block of digital data for the purpose of detecting accidental errors that may have been introduced during its transmissions or storage. The checksum is transmitted or stored along with the data; the receiving system recomputes the checksum based upon the received data and compares this value with the one sent with the data. If the two values are the same, the receiver has some confidence that the data was received correctly.

Comp - A shorthand reference to a "comprehensive" or visual rendering of a proposed advertisement or other printed piece. These would usually indicate the intended placement of each photograph, illustration and/or text. Images made available for these purpose are often referred by this term.

Compression - Process of coding digital data using fewer bits, in order to save storage space or transmission time. There are many Compression algorithms and utilities. The most common file format for photos transmission is JPEG (q.v.) which provides several degrees of compression, each of which loses some bits of data.

Container - In the digital imaging world, these are semantic objects used to group together or store related information to be easily referenced. For example, all of the Exif metadata is stored in one container within the header of an image file.

Container format - Container or wrapper formats, such as DNG, may group RAW image data and metadata together into a single object, making it a meta-format, because both the real data as well as the information about the data format are stored within the file itself.

Controlled Vocabulary - Controlled vocabularies ensure that the same terms are used for the same concepts and objects in a database, with similar and related terms clearly defined. Used in the construction of thesauri and taxonomies, they effectively limit choice by offering pre-selected terms from which users must choose.

Corruption - See Data Corruption.

CSV - An abbreviation for "Comma Separated Value", a type of delimited text file format (q.v.) in which a comma separates the columns in which tabular data is stored. It dates back to early business computing methods, and is common to all computer platforms.

Crosswalk - See "metadata crosswalk."

Cutline - An older term used in the newspaper industry to indicate the caption to be used with a published photograph or illustration.

Data Corruption - The errors that occur to a data file or digital image as it is transferred or retrieved, which introduce unintended changes to the original data. With some errors it is possible to recover or partially recover the file. In some cases the pixel data may be preserved, but the information in the file header such as Exif or IPTC metadata may be lost.

Data File - See File.

Data Integrity - The assurance that data is accurate, correct and valid. With computer systems it is possible to verify data integrity by checking hash values, checksums, or other means.

Decompression - To reverse the effects of data compression.

Decryption - Any procedure used in cryptography to convert ciphertext (encrypted data) into plaintext. (From FOLDOC:http://foldoc.org/?query=Decryption).

Delimited file format - A plain text file format in which the various elements of a sequential file have their columns separated from one another using a specific recurring character, such as the comma or tab. Each row represents one record, and the delimited value keeps the data in ordered columns. Delimited files are useful in getting data from one program into another program. Tab delimited text files, and Comma Separated Value (CSV) files are both examples of delimited file formats.

Derivative File - Used for image files that are created from an original or archive master file by subsampling or oversampling. Thumbnail or preview images that allow users to see what an asset looks like before they open the larger file are all examples of derivative files. They may also refer to images that will be used for production purposes but where some aspect has been altered such as the resolution, format type, or color space. The term derivative files can almost be used interchangeably with surrogate files, though derivatives imply a wider range of uses.

Descriptive Metadata - Information which tells the viewer what or who is in the image, and where and when the image was taken. These include captions, headlines, titles, keywords, location, date created and more.

Diacritic - Precomposed letters containing special marks used in digital typography to indicate a special pronunciation, such as the accent, cedilla, grave, tilde, and umlaut (áçèîñõü). These letters many not be represented in the most basic character sets and thus may not be transcribed correctly when exchanging photo metadata between operating systems.

Diacritical mark - See diacritic.

Digital Asset Management - Digital Asset Management (DAM) refers to the methods of employing some form of database management of both images and their corresponding metadata to support accurate storage and retrieval of digital graphics and image files.

Digital Migration - See Migration.

Digital Object - A discrete unit of information in digital form such as a digital image file, or other document format such as PDF, Powerpoint, etc.

Digital Rights Management - The use of encryption or other technological means to regulate access to a licensable digital work, such as images, songs, movies, other software or sensitive documents.

Digital Negative (DNG) - Abbreviation for the Adobe Digital Negative Format. A wrapper technology or Container Format for holding RAW files along with other associated information such as metadata in XMP format. They can also be used to hold previews of images and a wide range of other data which can be stored with an image rather than in Sidecar Files (q.v.).

Digitization - Digitization is the process of converting analog film or physical prints (or other items) into digital equivalents. There are many methods that can be used. Film can be scanned with a dedicated film scanner or flatbed, prints or book pages can be scanned on a flatbed or photographed with a digital camera. The need to digitize will likely diminish with the move to direct digital capture.

Disc - Typically round optical storage device such as a CD or DVD.

Disk - A physical hard drive on which data is stored. Also referred to as a drive.

Downsampling - Resampling a digital image downwards by discarding pixel information, thus reducing the pixel density (resolution) and/or image dimensions.

Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) - The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) is the name of the organization that first established this metadata standard. Because Dublin Core fields can, in theory, be applied to almost any type of asset, not simply photos it has become more popular within the public sector as well as other archives and digital repositories. The original version was a standardised core set of 15 fields or criteria for broadly describing content. DCMI data can be placed in-line in the meta tags of web pages (or as a reference to an associated XML file) as well as for other content such as photos, documents, videos etc.

Encryption - Any procedure used in cryptography to convert plaintext into ciphertext (encrypted message) in order to prevent any but the intended recipient from reading that data. Schematically, there are two classes of encryption primitives: public-key cryptography and private-key cryptography; they are generally used complementarily. Public-key encryption algorithms include RSA; private-key algorithms include the obsolescent Data Encryption Standard, the Advanced Encryption Standard, as well as RC4.

Excel - A Microsoft spreadsheet format used to hold a variety of data in tables which can be sorted, calculated, or graphically displayed.

Exif - A metadata schema used to store technical metadata typically coming from a digital camera.This provides a host of information, such as the camera make and model, its serial number, the date and time of image capture, the shutter speed, lens used, the ISO speed setting, and often other technical details, such as white balance and distance to the subject. RAW file processing software can use Exif information to more accurately render images.

FPO - Abbreviation used to indicate low resolution images that are to be used "For Position Only" in comps.

File - A named and ordered sequence of Bytes that is known and understood by an operating system. A File can be zero or more Bytes, has permissions assigned (read/write/remove), and has file system statistics such as size and last modification date. A File also has a Format.

File Header - The non-image portion of a digital image file, preceding or following the actual pixel data, which contains information about the file such as those contained in various types of technical, descriptive and administrative metadata typically written using the EXIF, IPTC or XMP standards.

Format - A preexisting structure specifying the organization of a File, such as TIFF, JPEG, etc.

Header - See File Header.

Homonym - Words that are pronounced or spelled the same way but have different meanings.

ICC Color Profile - These are embedded metadata labels, developed by the International Color Consortium to indicate the color space used to create and edit the file. It is best to always embed an ICC profile in a digital image so that the colors as intended by the file creator are correctly transmitted, received, and viewed by the file recipient.

IIM - The abbreviation for the Information Interchange Module, the schema outlining the first IPTC metadata standard that was used in formulating the original File Info for Photoshop.

Ingest - The process by which one or many captured digital image files are taken into a computer system for some form of digital asset management.

Interoperability - The ability to exchange and use information between various systems or schemas.

IPTC Core - A metadata schema developed by the International Press Telecommunications Council that updated the previous IPTC schema to work with the newer Adobe XMP metadata standard. This IPTC4XMP format stores information separate from the IIM form of IPTC metadata but shares many fields that are backwards compatible to a degree. Also referred to as the IPTC4XMP, or IPTC Core Schema for XMP, it comprised the fields included in the IPTC Contact, Image, Content and Status panels that appear under the File> File Info menu in Photoshop.

IPTC - A metadata schema based on the Information Interchange Module (IIM) and named for the group that developed it in 1991, the International Press Telecommunications Council. A portion of the IIM was incorporated into Photoshop in 1995 and is stored in an Image Resource Block (IRB). While considered a legacy format, it remains widely used and readable by most software that accesses metadata.

IRB - Abbreviation for the Image Resource Block, a method of encoding non-pixel text-based information into the header of a digital image file.

JFIF - The technical name for the file format better known as JPEG. Typically only used when it is crucial to communicate the difference between the JPEG file format and the JPEG image compression algorithm.

JPEG - Is an acronym for the original name of the committee, (Joint Photographic Experts Group), that designed the standard image compression algorithm. As an 8-bit per channel format used for compressing either full-colour or grey-scale digital images of "natural", real-world scenes, JPEG does not work as well on non-realistic images (cartoons, line drawings, maps).

JPEG 2000 - JPEG 2000 is a wavelet-based image compression standard developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group and with the intention of superseding their original discrete cosine transform-based JPEG standard (created in 1992). The standardized filename extension is .jp2 or .jpx.As of 2008, there is little support for JPEG 2000 in web browsers, and hence it is not used much for image display on the Internet, though it has been adopted for use by a number of cultural heritage institutions.

KML - KML is an abbreviation for Keyhole Markup Language (KML) an XML-based language used to describe three-dimensional geospatial data for display in application programs. KML was originally developed by Keyhole, Inc, (acquired by Google in 2004) for use with what became Google Earth. The term "Keyhole" is a reference to the KH reconnaissance satellites, the eye-in-the-sky military reconnaissance system launched in 1976.

KMZ - These are simply zipped KML files which use a .kmz file extension. When a KMZ file is unzipped, a single "doc.kml" is found along with any overlay and icon images referenced in the KML.

kb - See Kilobyte.

Kilobyte - A measure of file size and storage capacity which refers to 1,000 or 1,024, 8-bit data units or characters, depending on context.

LAMP - Acronym for applications, such as a number of open source image databases, that use Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP)to operate on the Internet.

LOC - An abbreviation for the Library of Congress.

LZW - Abbreviation for Lempel-Ziv Welch compression, the algorithm designed by Terry Welch in 1984 for use in high-performance disk controller hardware and used by the Unix compress command to reduce the size of files for archiving or transmission. The LZW algorithm relies on the recurrence of byte sequences (strings) in its input, and is a popular compression type for use with TIFF files.

MB - See Megabyte.

Master - The finished, fully-developed version of a digital or analog image, used as the source for making various derivative files.

Megabyte - A measure of file size and storage capacity which refers to 1,048,576, 8-bit data units or characters; or 1024 kilobytes. 1024 megabytes equals one gigabyte.

Metadata - Data about Data, in terms of Digital Photo Management, text data that informs you about the subject matter in a way that is more useful than noting that it is a collection of colored pixels.

Metadata Crosswalk - Metadata crosswalks show people how to match up the data from one scheme into a different scheme. They are often used by libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions to translate data to or from specific metadata schemes. This type of "translating" from one format to another is often called "metadata mapping" or "field mapping," and is related to "data mapping," and "semantic mapping." Metadata crosswalks also help databases using different metadata schemes to share information. They help metadata harvesters create union catalogs. They enable search engines to search multiple databases simultaneously with a single query.

Metadata mapping - See "Metadata Crosswalk."

Metalogging - The process of adding descriptive information (metadata) about an image and storing it in such a way that it can be used as an aid in retrieving that image from a database or collection after it is “cataloged.”

Migration - The process of moving digital information from one form of storage to another, which may or may not involve transforming the file format as well.

NAA - Abbreviation for the Newspaper Association of American, one of the groups responsible, along with the IPTC, for establishing early photo metadata standards.

Namespace - A namespace is an abstract container, also called context, created to hold a logical grouping of unique identifiers or symbols (i.e., names), in order to differentiate them from items in different namespaces that have the same name, and prevent any ambiguity between them. Storage devices use directories (or folders) as namespaces, for example. This allows two files with the same name to be stored on the device so long as they are stored in different directories. Computer languages that support namespaces specify the rules that determine to which namespace an identifier (i.e., not its definition) belongs. The Adobe XMP labeling technology that allows you to embed metadata into an image file, uses namespaces associated with a Uniform Resource Identifer (URI) (q.v.) that identifies the namespace, so that each of the field names within that namespace are unique. Namespaces such as those used by Adobe or PLUS can be found at ns.adobe.com, or ns.useplus.org.

Ontology - In the context of Digital Asset Management, an ontology shows the relationships, properties and functions between terms or concepts which can express a wider range of relationships between attributes or terms than can a simple hierarchy. This can be very useful when attempting to represent complex or multi-faceted relationships.

Original - First or master version of a digital or analog image. See also, Master.

PDF - Abbreviation for the Adobe Portable Document Format, the native file format for Adobe Systems' Acrobat. This file format represents documents in a way where they are independent of the original application software, hardware, and operating system used to create them.

Photo-CD - A format popularized by Kodak, for scanning analog film and storing it in an "image pac" format.

Plaintext - The normal representation of textual data before any action has been taken to conceal or format it. Within image metadata circles, this usually refers to text file formats in which there are no formatting codes such as bold, italic, underline, point size, or font designations.

PLUS - The Picture Licensing Universal System is an integrated set of standards for communicating rights metadata associated with commissioned and stock images. The PLUS standards are developed, approved and maintained by the PLUS Coalition, an international, non-profit umbrella association representing publishers, designers, advertising agencies, photographers, illustrators, stock image distributors, artist representatives, museums, libraries, and standards bodies, such as UPDIG, IPTC, IDEAlliance and others. More information at http://www.useplus.org.

PNG - Abbreviation for Portable Network Graphics, a format for storing bitmapped images, employing lossless data compression and supporting transparency. PNG was created to replace the GIF format as its use does not require a patent license.

Preview image - Refers to the larger on-screen version of an image, the next size up from a thumbnail, and may be smaller than a comp or FPO. A preview image is typically accessed by clicking on the thumbnail in an image database.

Proxy Files - Proxy files are those derived from an original digital master and are typically used (in combination with metadata) to assist users in locating images in a database. Proxy files include previews and thumbnails files and may also be referred to as Derivative Files.

PSB - The .PSB (Photoshop Big) format is an updated version of .PSD specifically designed for dealing with files over 2 gigabytes in size.

PSD - The .psd (Photoshop Document) format is a popular proprietary file format from Adobe Systems, Inc. It has support for most all of the imaging options available in Photoshop, such as layer masks, transparency, text, and alpha channels. In addition, spot colors, clipping paths and even duotone settings can be saved if you are preparing images for printing.

RAW - A RAW image file is a variety of image file that contains unprocessed (or minimally processed) data from the image sensor of a digital camera or image scanner, without processing them into a more common image format such as JPEG or TIFF. Raw files require additional processing by a raw converter in a wide-gamut colorspace before conversion to format where they are ready to be used with a bitmap image editor or printed. Because the characteristics of each RAW format change depending on which vendor or manufacturer, this makes dealing with them using Digital Image Management tools quite complex. Because original RAW files are quite fragile and may be corrupted with the use of third party software, many applications, such as Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Bridge, use sidecar files to store the changes made to them. As a result, Adobe developed the DNG (Digital Negative) format to the RAW file and attendant metadata in a single Container Format.

Record - A set of data (typically field of information) relating to am individual item in an image database.

Render - To present a Digital Object to a user by converting the high-level object-based description into a graphical representation in order to display the image.

Resample - Resampling an image changes its resolution through interpolation, making calculations using already known values.

RGB - An abbreviation for the colors Red, Green, and Blue used to display color on many projected light devices such as computer monitors, televisions and video projectors. ICC color standards are used to define the display accurately.

Rights - Assertions of one or more rights or permissions pertaining to a Digital Image and/or what a specific Agent or Distributor can do with an Image.

Rights Management - The processes associated with active control and management of the licensing history of a work.

Rights Metadata - A subset of Administrative Metadata which identifies the creator, copyright holder, or licensor, and defines which rights are being granted or reserved.

Schema - A formal structural description or model of the various fields that are contained in a database or database-like structures, such as XML files. Both the Exif and IPTC Core are examples of schemas.

Sidecar files - Sidecar files are a method of storing data (often metadata) related to a file in an external file, rather than embedding it into the source file. Each source file can have one or more sidecar files, whereas a "metadata database" the one database contains metadata for several source files. In most cases sidecar files have the same base name as the source file, but with a different extension. The problem with this system is that most operating systems and file managers have no knowledge of these relationships, and might allow the user to rename or move one of the files thereby breaking the relationship. For file formats that have no internal support for XMP data, the data is stored in separate .xmp files with the same base file name. Many photo cataloging applications have support for this file format.

slug; slug-line - Newspaper editing lingo for a short name given to an article that is in production. When metalogging you can put the name of the event into the Headline field within the IPTC metadata of an image.

SQL - An abbreviation for Structured Query Language, a standard interactive and programming language used for defining and manipulating tables of data in a relational database management system.

Steganography - A term of Greek origin, meaning "covered" or "hidden writing." which refers to methods of concealing a message or word within a digital image so that a viewer does not realize it is there. Signum Systems and Digimarc have created techniques for embedding a hidden watermark or copyright data in digital images as a method of protecting creators' or owners' rights to its intellectual property.

Storage - The act or process of storing information in some form of non-volatile computer memory such as magnetic tape or disk, or optical disk (CD-R, DVD-R).

Store - The act of writing a data or image file to some non-volatile storage device such as a hard drive, tape, CD-R or DVD-R.

Suffix - One or more letters added at the end of a filename prior to the extension, which gives clues as to the specific type of image file. For example, a file with the suffix 'r' indicates that it is the RGB version of the image.

Surrogate File - see Proxy files.

Synonym - A word, phrase, or term that has a meaning the same as, or very near to, that of another word, phrase or term.

Tab Delimited - A type of delimited text file which uses the tab character to separate each of the columns used for storing tabular data. This form of storing data is popular with many databases making it a popular way to exchange data between programs.

Tag - The act of attaching a label, such as a keyword, to a digital photo or other image resource.

Taxonomy(ies) - A type of classification which implies a hierarchical system (i.e. it has parent/child relationships between terms).

Technical Metadata - For most modern image-capture devices this is information which describes an image’s characteristics, such as its size, color profile, ISO speed and other camera settings.

TGM-I - Abbreviation for the Thesaurus of Graphic Materials- I (cross reference for indexing visual materials).

TGM-II - Abbreviation for the Thesaurus of Graphic Materials- II (Genre and Physical Characteristic Terms).

Thesaurus - A classified list of terms, such as key-words, and including synonyms (and sometimes antonyms) for the words of a given language.or used in a particular field, typically used for indexing and information retrieval.

Thumbnail image - A miniature version of an image that is smaller than a preview, and typically used in an image database, or on a web page to represent or provide a link to other content, such as a larger version of the image.

TIFF (or tif) - Tagged Image File Format images are stored using a proprietary method currently owned by Adobe.

UCS - An abbreviation for Universal Character Set, also a component of the abbreviation UTF, which stands for USC Transformation Format.

Unicode - A series of character encoding standards intended to support the characters used by a large number of the world’s languages designed for use internationally in computers. Unlike the 8-bit ASCII encoding scheme which can only represent 256 characters, Unicode characters are 16-bit, which allows for 65,536 combinations, enabling it to encode the letters of all written languages as well as thousands of characters in languages such as Japanese and Chinese.

Upsampling - Another way to refer to resampling a digital image upwards which requires creating pixel information based on the adjacent values.

URI, URL, URN - Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) consists of a string of characters used to identify or name a resource on the Internet, which enables interaction with representations of the resource over a network, typically the World Wide Web. Computer scientists may classify a URI as a locator (URL), or a name (URN), or both. A Uniform Resource Name (URN) functions like a person's name, while a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) resembles that person's street address. The ISBN system for uniquely identifying books provides a typical example of the use of typical URNs.

USM - Abbreviation for UnSharp Masking, a means of creating additional definition in the edge transition areas of an image in order to retain detail.

UTF - An abbreviation for USC Transformation Format; which describe one of a set of standard character encodings such as UTF-8 and UTF-16 which are created in accordance with ISO 10646, although the Unicode standard includes additional material.

UTF-16 - An abbreviation for the UCS transformation format 16 text encoding. This is a Unicode character set, encoded with a 16-bit transformation method as defined in RFC 2279.

UTF-8 - An abbreviation for UCS transformation format 8 text encoding; a Unicode character set, encoded with an 8-bit transformation method. This format avoids the problems of fixed-length Unicode encodings because an ASCII file encoded in UTF is exactly same as the original ASCII file; and any non-ASCII characters have the most significant bit set, so that normal tools for text searching etc. work as expected.

Validation - The process of checking or evaluating a Digital Image to ensure that it complies with the requirements of a standard or benchmark. For example, the structure of a Digital File can be validated against a file format specification to test for data corruption.

Verification - See Validation.

Volume - A logical or virtual entity that consists of portions of one or more hard drive disks. A volume may be formatted and may have a file system, a drive letter, or both. A volume is expressed by a type and a layout (simple, spanned, striped, RAID 1, etc.).

Watermark - A term adapted from the printing industry, which involves superimposing a recognizable image, pattern, or words so that the parts of the image it covers appear lighter or darker that the rest of the image. Watermarks are often used to assert ownership or copyright management information.

Workflow - A logical sequence of steps taken or tasks performed that define the paths taken to complete a task with a specified outcome, subject to certain approvals or tests. It may be illustrated with a flowchart to define specific actions, results, decisions, or desired outcomes. In photography, refers to the sequence of actions from capture to output that produce a final image.

XMP - An abbreviation for Extensible Metadata Platform a specific type of extensible markup language used to store metadata in digital photos. XMP was introduced by Adobe in 2001. Adobe, IPTC and IDEAlliance collaborated to introduce in 2004 the IPTC Core Schema for XMP, which transfers metadata values from IPTC headers to the more modern and flexible XMP.

Read more about Glossary of Terms

Links & Resources Guide

This is the place to find everything published about metadata on the web.

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.

Standards: Dublin Core

Dublin Core is a simple, general, widely adapted metadata schema.

Named for Dublin, Ohio, where a gathering of librarians first discussed its need, the schema is now maintained by the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). DC comprises 15 basic elements. The NISO (National Information Standards Organization) and ISO (International Standards Organization) have accepted it as a standard. The current IPTC Core schema has five fields interoperable with Dublin Core (Title, Subject/Keywords, Creator, Rights/Copyright Notice, Description).

Official Dublin Core Website: http://dublincore.org/

Read more about Standards: Dublin Core

Standards: Exif

Exchangeable Image File Format stores technical metadata about capture, image characteristics and more.

Digital cameras embed technical metadata, called Exif data, into image files (primarily JPEG and TIFF formats) they create.

Exif’s primary feature is its ability to record camera information in an image file at the point of capture. Some common data fields include the camera make and model, its serial number, the date and time of image capture, the shutter speed, the aperture, the lens used and the ISO speed setting. Exif metadata often includes other technical details, such as white balance and distance to the subject.

Conceptual model of Exif metadata

Exif metadata can also include thumbnails along with technical and primary image data in a single image file.

The Exif standard was established in 1985 by the JCIA (Japan Camera Industry Association), the predecessor of CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association). Today, JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association) manages the standard, while CIPA discusses new technology and promotes the standard.

Although Exif data come primarily from digital cameras, some scanner drivers also write such information in the files they generate. Raw file processing software can use the Exif information to more accurately render the images, and new technologies, such as Exif 2.2 (also called “Exif Print”), incorporate this photographic information to help render a photographers' intentions in finished prints.

A fairly comprehensive list of the various attributes which can be stored in Exif (Exif Tags) can be found on Phil Harvey's ExifTool site.

History of the Exif standard

Date	Version	Description
October 1995	1	Established as a JEIDA standard. Defined the structure, consisting of an image data format and attribute information (tags), and basic tags.
November 1997	1.1	Kept the essential provisions of Version 1.0 and added provisions for optional attribute information and format operation
June 1998	2	Added sRGB color space, compressed thumbnails and audio files
December 1998	2.1	Upgraded and expanded the storage format and attribute information. Added recommended compatibility details as a supplement to Version 2.0
February 2002	2.2	Added information to Version 2.1 to improve print finishing
September 2003	2.21	Added optional color space (Adobe RGB)

Source: Hiroshi Maeno, Canon Inc. June, 7, 2007, First International Photo Metadata Conference, Florence, Italy.

Official JEITA Website: http://www.jeita.or.jp/

Exif Print PDF on CIPA site: http://www.cipa.jp/std/documents/e/DC-008-2012_E.pdf

Unofficial Exif Website: http://www.exif.org/

Read more about Standards: Exif

Standards: XMP

XMP offers a a reliable, flexible, cross-platform method for storing image metadata.

The Extensible Metadata Platform or XMP is a specific type of extensible markup language used to store metadata in digital photos. Adobe introduced the format in 2001 when it released Photoshop 7.

Adobe, IPTC and IDEAlliance then collaborated in 2004 to introduce the IPTC Core Schema for XMP. It transfers metadata values from IPTC headers to the more modern and flexible XMP format.

A unique advantage of XMP is that it allows creation of custom metadata panels. These not only store additional forms of data, but also organize it differently from Photoshop’s "File Info" defaults. These XMP-based panels can be installed in Photoshop (see http://www.adobe.com/products/xmp/custompanel.html for details), and allow anyone to insert custom metadata in image files.

Understand, however, that while you can add custom information this way, only Adobe Photoshop and Bridge, along with a few other image databases can import or see these metadata. And custom panels require additional set up work before others can use them.

Deeper Reading:

XMP is a combination of XML and RDF. XML is like HTML. But while HTML focuses on the presentation of data, XML is concerned with “representation.” Additionally, XML is non-proprietary, operating system independent, fairly simple to interpret, text-based and cheap. RDF is the WC3's solution to integrate a variety of different applications using XML as an interchange syntax. Some uses include library catalogs, worldwide directories, news feeds and software, as well as as collections of music, images and events.

Together, the specifications provide a method that uses a lightweight ontology based on the Dublin Core. It also supports the “Semantic Web” (allowing for easy exchange of knowledge on the Web).

A good comparison for how the Dublin Core metadata fields compare to the IPTC fields was on a Dartmouth University site: http://www.dartmouth.edu/comp/about/projects/digitalmedia/images/resources/metadata-schemas.html (now linking to the page on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine).

Read more about Standards: XMP

Standards: PLUS

PLUS provides a universal metadata standard to describe licensing and rights granted for photographs.

A recently introduced form of photo metadata, the Picture Licensing Universal System, provides an integrated set of standards for communicating rights and ownership information associated with commissioned and existing images.

The international, non-profit PLUS Coalition develops, approves and maintains a set of standards for licensing language and formats. It serves as an umbrella association representing publishers, designers, advertising agencies, photographers, illustrators, stock image distributors, artist representatives, museums, libraries and standards bodies, such as UPDIG, IPTC, IDEAlliance and others.

The PLUS website offers free tools to embed and read PLUS licenses using an XMP metadata format. A license string can reside in IPTC or XMP metadata, with potential for direct embedding in an image file.

PLUS metadata help with Orphan Works impacts.
The ability to easily identify and contact an image’s rights owner will become vitally important when proposed “Orphan Works” legislation or copyright reform acts become law. Regardless of where first enacted, such changes would affect photographers worldwide. If the bills proposed recently in the United States passed, they would allow anyone in possession of an image to use it for virtually any purpose (including commercial use), after conducting a reasonably diligent search and failing to locate the copyright owner. Under this broad definition, any and all images previously circulated without rights metadata could be defined as “orphaned” images. Embedding complete and accurate rights metadata using IPTC, IPTC Core and/or PLUS metadata helps protect images from these and other unlicensed uses. Several countries are considering similar legislation, and Canada already has a copyright board that makes decisions on works produced by “unlocatable” copyright owners.

Official PLUS Website: http://www.useplus.org

SAA's Calculator brings PLUS Packs™ to life.
To help spur adoption of the standard, SAA developed the SAA PLUS Packs™Calculator. Based on the licensor's own pricing data, this free, open-source software tool automates the first step of the licensing process - selection and pricing of a Pack. On one screen, and with just a few clicks, RM (Rights Managed) licensing will be easier than ever. Learn more about SAA's Calculator

Read more about Standards: PLUS

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