Version 3.0
The Universal Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines
These 12 guidelines — provided as a Quick Guide plus an in-depth Complete Guide — aim to clarify the issues affecting accurate reproduction and management of digital image files. Although they largely reflect a photographer's perspective, anyone working with digital images should find them useful. The guidelines have three primary goals:
- Digital images should look the same as they transfer between devices, platforms and vendors.
- Digital images should be prepared in the correct resolution, at the correct size, for the device(s) on which they will be viewed or printed.
- Digital images should have metadata embedded that conforms to the IPTC and PLUS standards, making the images searchable, stating their creators and copyright owners — along with contact information — and including relevant rights/usage information, with a description of allowed uses.
This document, prepared by the UPDIG working group, represents the industry consensus as of September 2007. Because digital production standards and best practices continue to evolve, we recommend checking www.UPDIG.org for updates and supplements.
Principal author: Richard Anderson
Technical editor: Michael Stewart
Additional editing: Greg Smith
Contributors: Andre Cornellier, Bob Croxford, Dennis Dunbar, Robert Edwards, Ken Fleisher, George Fulton, Judy Herrmann, Reed Hoffmann, Peter Krogh, Bob Marchant, Sam Merrell, Alan Newman, Michelle Alvarado Novak, Betsy Reid, David Riecks, Stanley Rowin, Jeff Sedlik, Greg Smith, Ulrik Södergren, Tamra Stallings, Eddie Tapp, Mike Upstone.
Thanks to ASMP for providing staff time to create the HTML and PDF versions.
Thanks to Barnes & Noble for financial support of prior UPDIG publications.
What's different in version 3?
The chapter on metadata has been updated to reflect the widespread agreement on IPTC Core and PLUS standards. The chapter on archiving now has a discussion of JPEG as an archival format. In addition, there are many edits throughout the text that have made it shorter, more specific and more readable.
The UPDIG Guidelines reflect the current best practices for image creators. For image users — advertisers, publishers, graphic designers, etc. — there is now a companion document that shows how to apply the same concepts when requesting images from creators. Its purpose is to help image users create effective Digital Image Submission Guidelines of their own, based on standard terminology and covering all of the important variables.
Table of Contents
A. Quick Guide
The executive summary
1. Color Management
Using and embedding ICC color profiles
2. Monitor Calibration
Hardware calibration and profiling; monitor soft-proofing
3. Color Spaces
Camera settings; image editing; offset printing; CMYK conversions; photo lab prints
4. File Formats
Camera RAW; DNG; formats for the web; formats for print
5. Naming Files
Cross platform compatibility; avoiding duplicate file names
6. Resolution
How to describe; optimizing for the screen; for inkjet prints; for continuous-tone printing; for offset printing
7. Sharpening
Capture sharpening; process sharpening; sharpening tools; dealing with noise; output sharpening
8. Metadata
IPTC Creator and Copyright; keywords; the importance of metadata
9. File Delivery
Media; methods; file info; ReadMe files
10. Guide Prints and Proofs
Print and proof viewing
11. Archiving
Who; what; where
12. Workflow
Matching to needs; what it should do; choosing the right tools
Who Wrote These Guidelines?
The guidelines were prepared by the UPDIG Working Group, an ad-hoc industry consortium whose logos are shown below, along with allied trade groups and manufacturers.
The UPDIG guidelines aim to clarify issues affecting accurate reproduction and management of digital image files. Although they largely reflect a photographer’s perspective, anyone working with digital images should find them useful.
If you are interested in joining this initiative please contact UPDIG and indicate the trade organization or group that you are representing.
 Associação Brasileira dos Fotógrafos de Publicidade |  Australian Commercial + Media Photographers |  Advertising & Illustrative Photographers Association (NZ) |  Australian Institute of Professional Photography |
 Association of Photographers (UK) |  Advertising Photographers of America |  American Society of Media Photographers |  American Society of Picture Professionals |
 British Association of Picture Libraries and Associations |  Professional Photo Companies and Photo Agencies Association (Sweden) |  Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in Communication |
 Editorial Photographers |  Hong Kong Institute of Professional Photographers |  International Digital Enterprise Alliance |
 Museum Computer Network |  National Association of Professional Photographers of Italy (TAU Visual) |  National Press Photographers Association |  Picture Archive Council of America |
 Picture Licensing Universal System |  Professional Photographers of America |  Stock Artists Alliance |
Copyright © 2007 UPDIG. The UPDIG Working Group hopes that these Guidelines will be distributed widely, so there is no fee for permission to reproduce this copyrighted material. However, because new versions are released from time to time, we ask that you register to receive the update notices and that you agree to replace or remove any outdated versions. To register, send email to UPDIG.
Every reproduction must include the logos of the UPDIG member associations and the list of contributors; it must identify the version of the document (this is version 3.0, released in September 2007); and it must provide a link to the UPDIG web site, www.updig.org.