Photo Metadata

IPTC Photo Metadata sets the industry standard for administrative, descriptive, and copyright information about images.

Diagram

Critical to Photo and Related Businesses

Photo metadata is key to protecting images' copyright and licensing information online. It is also essential for managing digital assets. Detailed and accurate descriptions about images ensure they can be easily and efficiently retrieved via search, by users or machine-readable code. This results in smoother workflow within organizations, more precise tracking of images, and increased licensing opportunities.

The IPTC Standard

The IPTC Photo Metadata standard is the most widely used standard because of its universal acceptance among photographers, distributors, news organizations, archivists, and developers. The schema defines metadata structure, properties, and fields, so that images are optimally described and easily accessed later.

Guidelines & Support

See our user guides and support documents for guidance in implementing an efficient metadata workflow. The IPTC Core and Extension Guidelines give instructions and descriptions for all IPTC Standard fields, which helps maximize information stored with images. Also available: Toolkit for Adobe software; users forum; and sample image files.

Research

IPTC not only defines the standard for photo metadata, but also conducts research about how it is used in the real world. We examine metadata in commonly used software, social media platforms, and more. The removal of rights information as images are transferred is of particular concern. Here are our most recent studies, tests, and findings.

 

Upcoming Events

  • IPTC Autumn Meeting 2023 - for IPTC members

    Location
    Online
    Date(s)
    2 - 4 October, 2023

  • Photo Metadata Conference 2024 - open to the public

    Location
    Online
    Date(s)
    Early 2024 to be confirmed

  • IPTC Spring Meeting 2024 - for IPTC members

    Location
    New York City, USA and online
    Date(s)
    15 - 17 April 2024
Latest News

Aug 31 IPTC releases technical guidance for creating and editing metadata, including DigitalSourceType

We at IPTC receive many requests for help and advice regarding editing embedded photo and video metadata, and this has only increased with the recent news about the IPTC Digital Source Type property being used to identify content created by a generative AI engine. In response, we have created some guidance: Developers’ and power users’ […]