Making a Case for Photo Metadata

To promote, protect, The Lifecycle of Embedded manage and archive Image Metadata within Digital your images. Photographs: Challenges and Best Practices. - or - The Secret Life of Photo Metadata

MAKING A CASE FOR PHOTO METADATA getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 2

• What is the VALUE of an Image? ©Ken Reid getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 3

• What is the VALUE of an Image? ©Ken Reid getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 4

• Who is this woman? US Library of Congress getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 5

US Library of Congress getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 6

getMETAsmart US Library of Congress SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 7 images from the Library of Congress, American Memory Collection

getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 8

US Library of Congress getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 9

Where did this image come from? getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 10

Photo Metadata 101 getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 11

What might we want to know about this image? ©David Riecks getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 12

©David Riecks getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 13

An image file can hold more than pixels. It can also include metadata explaining: • Creator and ownership information • What the image depicts • Rights and licensing information • Technical information about the image file getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 14

An image file is like a bento box … ©David Riecks getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 15

… It includes containers for different things. ©David Riecks getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 16

An image file is like a bento box … View Animation at: http://www.photometadata.org/META-101-metadata-types getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 17

All flavors (actually “schemas”) include Fields of Information ©David Riecks getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 18

When adding info to those fields consider – What will be needed to “find” the image later? – Think like an art buyer or image researcher ©David Riecks getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 19

What goes in each field? • Download the IPTC Core Users Guide getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 20

What goes in each field? • Use our “Guide To Photo Metadata Fields” getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 21

My field names are not the same as yours! – Recognize that Developers have not standardized • Some use the older “legacy” IPTC-IIM named fields • Some use the IPTC Core fields • Some make up their own field names! getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 22

My field names are not the same as yours! – Developers have not standardized • Some use the older “legacy” IPTC-IIM named fields • Some use the IPTC Core fields • Some make up their own field names! – Use “Mapping Charts” ControlledVocabulary.com/imagedatabases/ ControlledVocabulary.com/imagedatabases/iptc_core_mapped.pdf getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 26

Caption and Keyword Guidelines – Who – What – When – Where – Why – How ©David Riecks getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 27

ControlledVocabulary.com/metalogging/ getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 28

View Animation at: http://www.photometadata.org/META-101-metadata-types Bento Box GIF goes here getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 29

The Language of Schemas IPTC-IIM IPTC Core IPTC Extension Dublin Core Exif ©Bettman/Corbis PLUS getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 30

Schemas IPTC-IIM • Short for Information Interchange Model • Sometimes called “legacy” metadata • Stored using the Image Resource Block method • Limited field sizes getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 31

Schemas IPTC Core • 2005 update to the IIM version • Incorporates all the fields • Adds Contact Info, Location, Rights Usage and special IPTC fields, Genre, Scene and Subject Codes • Stored as part of XMP • No limits on length of field • Unicode Compatible getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 32

Schemas IPTC Extension • New addition to the IPTC schemas (2008) • Not currently in many applications • Adds fields requested by “other” communities – Stock – Museum – Libraries • Includes a number of PLUS fields • Stored as XMP getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 33

Schemas Dublin Core • Used by the Cultural Heritage Community • IPTC-Core has 5 fields from the 15 original that overlap • Stored as XMP getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 34

Schemas Exif • Exchangeable Information File • Primarily “Machine Readable” • Stores technical data on capture • Both a Schema and a Storage Mechanism getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 35

Schemas PLUS • Picture Licensing Universal System • Focused on Licensing and Rights Information • Stored as XMP getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 36

How are these schemas stored inside image files? ©David Riecks getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 37

How are these schemas stored? Exif – Both a schema and a storage method – Maintained by camera manufacturers getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 38

How are these schemas stored? Exif Image Resource Block – Legacy format – Holds IPTC-IIM schema getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 39

How are these schemas stored? Exif Image Resource Block XMP – Newer method developed by Adobe (2001) – Holds many schemas (IPTC Core, IPTC Ext, PLUS, Dublin Core) – Photoshop namespace holds star ratings, color labels – Unicode compatible – No limits on field lengths – Can be stored as a “sidecar” file getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 40

How do these schemas relate to each other? IPTC-IIM IPTC Core IPTC Extension Dublin Core Exif PLUS getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 41

… OK, in most cases: • IPTC Core includes nearly all of IPTC-IIM • Dublin Core shares five fields with IPTC • PLUS will embed fields in IPTC Extension • Exif goes along for the ride • With a few caveats • Crosswalks • Synchronization getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 42

• Synchronization Issues – “Shared” fields – Where & when info is written DOES matter – Backwards compatibility Issues ©David Riecks getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 43

• Synchronization Issues – A Tale of Two Workflows getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 44

• Synchronization Issues – New to Old Workflow (and return) = Problems getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 45

• Synchronization Issues – Old to New Workflow = No problems getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 46

• Synchronization Issues – Old to New Workflow = No problems ©David Riecks getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 47

Looking Ahead The good news: • IPTC Core will soon be all you really need to know • IPTC Extension will offer even more • Information stored this way is easily repurposed • And … software tools handle most of this for you: Photoshop Lightroom Photo Mechanic Expression Media Others getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 49

Photometadata.org QuickTour getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 50

Do stock images have metadata? SAA MetaSurvey (2008) An investigative review of the metadata workflow of stock distributors ©David Riecks getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 54

SAA MetaSurvey Stock Distributor Workflow Questions • Is critical metadata embedded and preserved in all image files? Identifying: copyright, credit, contact & title Descriptive: caption & keywords Rights: terms, rights, release status, restrictions • Is metadata used in compliance with universal standards? • Is there industry coordination and adoption of best practices? getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 55

SAA MetaSurvey Metadata on Stock Websites Getty Corbis Jupiter Alamy Masterfile Veer Thumbnails 75% 70% 0 0 0 0 Previews <1% 100% 90% 99% 85% 0 (watermarked) getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 56

SAA MetaSurvey: Sub- Sub- Distributor Sub- What happens downstream? Distributor Sub- Distributor Sub- Distributor Distributors Stock Photographer Distributor End User End User End User End User Image Users Unregistered Comp Unregistered downloads Comp Unregistered Downloads Comp downloads Unregistered Downloads Comp downloads Unregistered Downloads Comp downloads Unregistered Downloads downloads Unregistered Downloads downloads downloads getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 57

SAA MetaSurvey: What happens downstream? no metadata no metadata © ©David Sanger no metadata no metadata getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 58

SAA MetaSurvey Report: MetaSurvey of Stock Distributors Available @ http://photometadata.org/META-Insights-MetaSurvey getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 59

Preservation of Photo Metadata Survey • Social Media • Photo Sharing Sites getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 60

http://www.controlledvocabulary.com/socialmedia/ getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 61

http://regex.info/exif.cgi getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 63

The SAA Photo Metadata Project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the U.S. Library of Congress and our project partners. www.photometadata.org/ getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 67

Additional Info? David Riecks http://www.controlledvocabulary.com Twitter: davidriecks getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project Page 68

Making a Case for Photo Metadata

by Visual Resources Association

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