UPDIG Digital Image Submission Guidelines

Metadata

Overview

Digital image metadata is textual information embedded in an image file. Metadata has become an increasingly important attribute of a digital file, valuable for both creators and users of digital images. It offers a tool for both the creators and users of digital images that can describe an image’s technical characteristics, color profile, content, context, licensing terms, and perhaps most importantly, the identity and contact information for the rights holder.

The ability to readily identify and contact the rights holder for an image will likely become critically important if (when) the proposed “Orphan Works” exemptions to copyright law are passed. This legislation, if passed, will affect all photographers by allowing anyone in possession of an image to copy, modify, distribute, publish and otherwise use it for any purpose, after a reasonably diligent search fails to identify the rights holder. All images previously distributed without rights metadata may soon be vulnerable to unlicensed use as “orphaned” images. Embedding complete, accurate rights metadata will help protect images from unlicensed use. Similar legislation is under consideration in many countries.

Metadata can be embedded in standard file formats, such as TIFF and JPEG. You can also embed metadata in RAW files, although this is only recommended for Adobe DNG file format, since proprietary RAW formats are not standardized or publicly documented. For now, with proprietary formats, it’s best to attach metadata in a sidecar file. You can also save metadata in an image database, making sure the image file and its metadata reside in the same volume, folder or program, in order for the metadata to connect to the image file.

A variety of programs can read and write metadata. Microsoft Expression Media (iView Media Pro), PhotoMechanic and ImageIngester can add metadata as files transfer from camera card to computer. Image editing programs (such as Adobe Photoshop), Image browsers, (such as Adobe Bridge), cataloging programs (such as Expression Media/iView, Extensis Portfolio and Canto Cumulus), and all-in-one programs (such as Adobe Lightroom and Apple’s Aperture) can read, write and edit metadata. Some camera makers’ processing software, such as Nikon’s Capture NX, can provide some basic (usually only legacy IPTC and not IPTC Core) metadata writing ability, as can some RAW processors such as Capture One.

Types of Metadata

EXIF. All digital cameras include technical metadata, called EXIF data. 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 this information to more accurately render the images.

ICC Color Profile Tags. Without a color profile tag, the person receiving an image can only guess the color space used to create and edit the file. Always embed an ICC profile in a digital image.

IPTC. This includes user-supplied information. The earliest schema was the IPTC IIM (Information Interchange Module) model created by the newspaper industry in 1991 and incorporated into Photoshop in 1995. While considered a legacy format, it remains widely used and readable by most software that accesses metadata. The IIM format stores information separately but shares many fields with the XMP format. Referred to as the IPTC Core, or IPTC Core Schema for XMP, it includes the Description, IPTC Contact, Image, Content and Status panels that appear under the File > File Info menu in Photoshop.

XMP. The Extensible Metadata Platform or XMP is a specific type of extensible markup language used in PDF, photography and photo editing applications. XMP was introduced by Adobe in 1991. Adobe, IPTC and IDEAlliance collaborated to introduce in 2005 the IPTC Core Schema for XMP, which transfers metadata values from IPTC headers to the more modern and flexible XMP. Stock image distributors and other organizations have since created custom metadata panels that enhance metadata usefulness.

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 with participation by publishers, designers, advertising agencies, photographers, illustrators, stock image distributors, artist representatives, museums, libraries, and standards bodies such as UPDIG, IPTC, IDEAlliance and others.

Metadata in Use

Stock image distributors can’t function without metadata. They depend particularly on keywords. But stock distributors need to communicate whether they want creators to do their own keywording, provide only a minimum amount of keywords or perform no keywording. If they prefer that creators keyword, distributors should provide guidance. They should explain that a caption, which is a title or explanation of an image, is the foundation for the keywords that follow. They should also note good keywords explain the who, what, where, when and how of a picture — important tools for finding specific image files.

You’ll find an excellent guide to keywording on the Controlled Vocabulary web site.

In addition to the standard IPTC templates, stock image distributors may elect to create their own custom metadata panels, not only to capture additional data, but also to organize it differently from the IPTC defaults. These XMP-based panels are easy to install in Photoshop (see http://www.adobe.com/products/xmp/custompanel.html), and they offer a good way for stock image distributors to insert custom metadata into image files. Although often handled separately, photo releases can be stored in metadata by using a custom template. However, be advised that this custom metadata is often not easily available or interoperable with most image database or cataloging software at this time.

Magazines and publishers also depend on metadata, particularly caption, headline, author, contact information and usage rights. Image files with complete information can save magazines valuable time on deadline. Picture metadata can even provide additional reporting information, especially details such as GPS data and capture time.

Many publishers have rights-tracking software to verify they have all necessary licenses, have made all necessary payments, and conversely, can track to whom they have licensed their own publications. Good metadata reduces the cost of operating such systems.

Publishers who don’t have such software still may need to contact rights holders, perhaps for many years to come. They may need to defend themselves from lawsuits (libel, invasion of privacy, plagiarism, etc.) or undertake a regulatory compliance audit. If a publisher is sold, part of the buyer’s “due diligence” includes ensuring its assets are untainted by legal clouds. Metadata reduces the need to rely on paper records.

For all of these reasons, magazines and publishers should clearly communicate their metadata needs to creators, and when appropriate, create custom metadata templates.

Publication designers can improve their workflow by organizing and categorizing pictures for metadata searches in browsers such as Bridge and digital asset management software such Microsoft Expression Media/iView, Extensis Portfolio or Canto Cumulus. For example, if a design firm commissions a series of portraits, it is often critical to include the portrait subject’s name in the Description and/or Headline fields. Other fields, such as Origin, can be equally important to a designer assembling a printed piece. Communicate these metadata needs to the photographer or creator of digital images for the project.

Designers using stock images will find it helpful to know how to search keywords, saving time and improving their chances of finding the best image for the occasion.

Web designers often have the same organizational and search needs as publications designers. But they have an additional responsibility to prevent metadata stripping. Unfortunately, prior to an update to Adobe Photoshop CS3, Save For Web (called Save For Web & Devices in CS3) strips most metadata. Although it saves the file description and the creator's copyright notice by default, the feature changes the copyright status to Unknown. Beginning with the CS3 update (CS3 10.0.1) it has become easier to discover how to include XMP metadata when using Save For Web. In the updated version, the Save for Web and Devices software puts the option to "Include XMP" in the main Save for Web dialog, where users are more likely to find it. (In the first CS3 release, the option was buried in a sub-sub-menu.) When this option is enabled, all XMP data — including the creator copyright and contact info — is included in the optimized file, and the copyright status is preserved.

Regrettably, the option is not enabled by default; users have to discover it, by clicking on a tiny triangle to open a flyout menu (see photo), and set it. Once set, however, it stays set.

The option to save XMP metadata has been made much easier to discover than before. To bring up this menu, click the tiny triangle that the red arrow is pointing to.

For most users, CS3 will automatically request the upgrade from the Adobe web site and install it. If not, you can download the updater at:
Mac: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=3774
Win: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=3775

Please note, however, that "include XMP" means just that. Legacy IPTC-format metadata will not be saved. Although many programs used for reading metadata recognize XMP, there are a few notable exceptions, the Apple Preview application being one. This means that web designers may still want to use "Save As" instead of "Save For Web & Devices," particularly if their clients are photographers, as some magazine editors review photos in the Apple Preview application.

Photographers maintaining their own collections of commercial and personal work are realizing the workflow advantages of annotating archived files with descriptive metadata. In addition, rating, labeling and adding private metadata to pictures can be valuable tools for categorizing, organizing and searching image file archives. Many photographers come to realize, after accumulating hard drives filled with image files, that relying on directory structure, dates and file names can lead to long, even fruitless, searches.