Photo Metadata

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

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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

  • Photo Metadata Conference 2023 - open to the public

    Location
    To be confirmed
    Date(s)
    To be confirmed

  • IPTC Autumn Meeting 2023 - for IPTC members

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

  • IPTC Spring Meeting 2024 - for IPTC members

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

May 24 Microsoft announces signalling of generative AI content using IPTC and C2PA metadata

Following the recent announcements of Google’s signalling of generative AI content and Midjourney and Shutterstock the day after, Microsoft has now announced that it will also be signalling the provenance of content created by Microsoft’s generative AI tools such as Bing Image Creator. Microsoft’s efforts go one step beyond those of Google and Midjourney, because […]