Whether you’re managing a complex archive of images from a wide variety of sources, or simply trying to stay on top of your best family photos, applying and using metadata—often described as “data about data”—will make a huge difference in your ability to find specific images quickly and easily. It will also enable people who come across your files to find vital information such as who created the image and when and where it was created.

Metadata is a powerful tool, and software developers are rapidly designing improved methods for entering, viewing and searching metadata. This two-part series will help you understand what metadata is, why it’s important, and how you can best approach it depending on your goals. It will also provide you with some resources for getting more detailed explanations for your specific needs.

What is Metadata?

In the context of digital photographs, metadata refers to text-based information about image files. Each and every digital photograph—whether produced by a digital camera or a scanner—can contain metadata. The metadata for images can generally be divided into two types of information: machine-generated and user-generated.

Both machine- and user-generated metadata fields can be viewed in Adobe Photoshop by using the File -> File Info command. They can also be viewed in Adobe Bridge, Adobe Lightroom, Apple Aperture, Extensis Portfolio, Canto Cumulus, Microsoft Expression Media and other image editing, browsing and management programs. How you view and embed the data varies from program to program but a quick search for “metadata” in the help menu should give you the access you need.

Machine-Generated Metadata

Generally, the devices that create images—digital cameras and scanners—write data into the file using Exchangeable Image File Format. This type of metadata is commonly referred to as “EXIF data” and it describes the technical specifications of the image file. It includes information about the physical characteristics of the image (pixel dimensions, resolution, bit depth, etc.), how and when the image was created (date, time, f-stop, shutter speed, etc.), and the device that created the image (make, model, serial number, etc.)


Fig. 1: The file properties metadata provides basic information about your image file. This example is from Adobe Bridge CS3. Many other applications can display the same information but the format will look a little different.


Fig. 2: The EXIF metadata, viewed here in Adobe Lightroom, describes the technical specifications of how your image was created. Note: each device records slightly different EXIF data and each application displays it a little differently so yours may not look exactly like this.

Machine-generated metadata occurs automatically and requires no effort on the part of the user. Most standards bodies such as the Universal Photographic Digital Image Guidelines and the International Press Telecommunications Council recommend that it be left intact.

Some photographers don’t want to share certain proprietary information such as when an image was captured or the specifics about the lens or flash used. Since this type of metadata generally can’t be edited in Photoshop or other digital asset management (DAM) software, photographers who wish to change this data must obtain a special standalone EXIF utility. There are several options for both Mac and PC platforms available for sale, through shareware and as freeware. You can also remove EXIF data entirely by creating a brand new file in Photoshop and pasting the image data into it.

User-Generated Metadata

User-generated metadata gets added after capture by a human being. The International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) developed the most commonly used schema, or collection of data fields, and photographers frequently refer to user-generated metadata as “IPTC data.” The IPTC Core schema has already been incorporated into several programs including Adobe Photoshop CS. It contains fields that identify the creator (author, job title, address, phone, etc.), fields that describe the image (headline, description, keywords, etc.) and its origins (date created, location, etc.) as well as any special instructions and allowed usage.


Fig. 3: The IPTC Contact Panel, shown here in Adobe Photoshop CS3, is just one of several panes that comprise the IPTC core schema.

Completing all of the IPTC Core fields can take a lot of time and effort, so you’ll want to evaluate your files to decide which fields are necessary and determine the fastest method for applying the appropriate metadata. Many applications like Adobe Bridge and Microsoft Expression Media provide tools for easily embedding the same information into multiple files at one time. When possible, organize your photos into groups that share the same location, date, etc. and batch-apply the fields they have in common. For shots with similar content, even fields like Headline or Keywords can sometimes be batched. You can even batch-apply shared keywords, then go back to apply unique ones to individual files as needed.

Minimum Metadata Requirements

The amount of user-generated metadata that’s truly necessary depends largely on how the file will be used. Remember, the goal of metadata is to help people either find the image in the first place or track important information about an image that’s already in their possession.

At an absolute minimum, standards bodies, trade associations and industry experts all agree that the creator’s name, contact information and copyright notice should be embedded into every image file that leaves the creator’s computer for any reason. After all, as long as the creator can be found, any other information that’s needed about the file can be traced. If you can’t find the creator, though, there’s no way to negotiate usage rights and payment, track releases for any people in the photo or determine the five W’s (who, what, where, when and why) behind the shot.

Luckily, since the creator’s name, contact information and copyright notice are generally the same for every image produced by that individual, this information can be embedded in multiple images at the same time with little effort. Many applications, such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Bridge and others, provide easy tools to create and save metadata templates. Unlike batching metadata where you apply metadata to multiple files on the fly, templates let you store collections of fields that you know you’ll want to apply to files in the future as well as the present. Each application handles this process a little differently. Again, the user manual or help menu will provide step-by-step instructions for creating and saving templates. Once saved, these templates can be applied to files individually or as part of a batch process.


Fig. 4: Adobe Bridge CS3 is just one of many applications that let you create and apply metadata templates to individual files or multiple images at once.

When you set up your “creator ID” template be sure to complete all identification fields in the “IPTC Contact” panel shown in image 3. In the “Description” panel, select “Copyrighted” in the Copyright Status pop-up menu and complete the Copyright Notice field using the traditional format “Copyright” or © followed by the year of first publication and the rights holder’s name. You can also include your Web site or other contact information in the Copyright Notice field. If you have any questions about copyright rules, such as what constitutes first publication, visit the American Society of Media Photographers’ copyright tutorial here.


Fig. 5 : Once you release a file from your computer, it can wind up anywhere. Ideally, you’d complete all of the fields in this panel. At a minimum, be sure to fill out the 3 copyright related fields (highlighted) plus all the fields in the IPTC Contact panel shown in Fig. 3.

What Next?

Now that you understand what metadata is and why it’s important, you should be ready to start embedding your creator ID metadata right away! In the next installment, we’ll review the other user-generated fields and discuss when, why and how to use them. We’ll also provide you with a list of resources for learning more about metadata standards and schema.

Judy Herrmann of Herrmann+Starke specializes in digital still life and lifestyle photography for advertising. Her work has appeared in Lurzer's Archive, Graphis, Communication Arts, the How International Design Annual and Pix Digital Annual. She lectures extensively about digital photography and offers consultations on running a successful photography business. She currently serves as President of the American Society of Media Photographers.