Metadata is information stored in your image file that provides more information about the photo.
Table of Contents
Some website owners decide to have metadata removed from images on their website to decrease the file size of their images — but you might not want to strip the metadata of your image if you want to share things like the camera model, copyright info for the image, etc.
Not all possible metadata is included in every image file. Some information is added by your camera. Some may be added in processing.
For instance, my camera does not have a GPS chip and does not include GPS data unless I have it connected via Bluetooth with my phone. I often will just add in the GPS data, if I want it, in Lightroom along with other information I want to include such as any copyright information for the image, captions, etc — things that aren’t included with my camera.
Types of Photography Metadata
EXIF
Exif metadata includes information from your camera such as the camera make and model, lens used, aperature, shutter speed, focal distance, and GPS coordinates, if any.
IPTC
IPTC data includes things like the title, keywords, photographer name and copyright restrictions — things that are usually included in post-processing (at least in my “workflow”).
XMP
XMP is an Adobe standard. I am less familiar with this, but it is a format for embedding information such as description, keywords, etc into an image file.
Description generated by Gemini
This is an AI-generated description of this term, so please take that into consideration when you are assessing the content
Metadata is "data about data". It describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, or manage an information resource. Metadata is structured information that makes data more understandable and usable. Think of it as a summary or a set of tags that describe characteristics of a data asset.
Here's a breakdown with some examples, categorized by type of data:
For Images (as hinted by the image icon in your prompt):
- File Name: e.g.,
my_vacation_photo.jpg
- File Type: e.g.,
.jpg
,.png
,.gif
- File Size: e.g.,
2.5 MB
- Dimensions: e.g.,
1920 x 1080 pixels
- Date Created/Modified: e.g.,
2024-07-27 10:00:00
- Geolocation (GPS coordinates): e.g.,
40.7128° N, 74.0060° W
- Camera Model/Maker: e.g.,
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
- Exposure Settings: e.g.,
f/2.8, 1/200s, ISO 100
- Keywords/Tags: e.g.,
vacation, beach, summer, family
- Copyright Information: e.g.,
Copyright 2024 John Doe
- Image Description/Caption: e.g., "Family photo on the beach in Cancun."
For Documents:
- Author: e.g.,
Jane Doe
- Title: e.g.,
"The Importance of Metadata"
- Subject: e.g.,
Information Management
- Keywords: e.g.,
metadata, data management, information retrieval
- Date Created/Modified: e.g.,
2024-07-27
- Software Used: e.g.,
Microsoft Word
- Version Number: e.g.,
1.0
- File Format: e.g.,
.docx
,.pdf
For Videos:
- Video Length/Duration: