the lifecycle of embedded image metadata within digital photographs: challenges and best practices....

The Lifecycle of Embedded Image Metadata within Digital Photographs: Challenges and Best Practices.

- or - The Secret Life of Photo Metadata

To promote, protect, manage and archive your images.

getMETAsmart SAA Photo Metadata Project

The SAA Photo Metadata Project is made possible thanks to the generous

support of the U.S. Library of Congress and our project partners.

May 7, 2009 SAA Photo Metadata Project / Archiving 2009

MAKING A CASE FOR METADATA


• What is the VALUE of an Image?


• Who are these children?



Einstein images courtesy of Bettmann Archive/CORBIS


Who? What? When? Where? Why?


Where did this image come from?

Metadata 101



What do we want to know about this image?

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 6


An image file is like a bento box …

… It includes containers for different things.


These containers hold several flavors of metadata and they describe the image’s:

• Ownership• Content• Rights & Licensing• Technical Details


All flavors (actually “schemas”) include

Fields of Information

Insert Picture of Fields


When adding info to those fields consider– What will be needed to “find” the image later?– Think like an art buyer or image researcher


Which Fields to Use?• Essential• Recommended• Location-related• Other


Which fields to use?

Essential• Creator (aka Author or even Photographer)

• Copyright (Copyright Notice)

• Contact Info

• Credit / Provider*



Recommended• Provider / Credit

• Source

• Date Created (can be automated)

• Title (aka Document Title or Object Name)

• Description / Caption

• Keywords



Location-related• Location (building, street, etc.)

• City

• State / Province

• Country

• Country Code



Other• Special Instructions

• Rights Usage Terms

• “New” stuff (IPTC Extension, PLUS, etc.)


How do I know how to use a field?• Download the IPTC Core Users Guide



How do I know how to use a field?• Use our “Guide To Photo Metadata Fields”

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!


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


MFM Fields*– Provider / Credit / Credit Line– Title / Document Title / Object Name– Title vs. Headline– Description / Caption

*Most Frequently Misunderstood


Caption and Keyword Guidelines– Who– What– When– Where– Why– How



Ray Goes Here


ControlledVocabulary.com/metalogging/


Bento Box GIF goes here

The Language of Schemas



The Language of Schemas

IPTC-IIM

IPTC Core

IPTC Extension

Dublin Core

Exif

PLUS

Schemas

IPTC-IIM• Short for Information Interchange Model

• Sometimes called “legacy” metadata

• Stored using the Image Resource Block method

• Limited field sizes


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


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


Schemas

Dublin Core• Used by the Cultural Heritage Community

• IPTC-Core has 5 fields from the 15 original that overlap

• Stored as XMP


Schemas

Exif• Exchangeable Information File

• Primarily “Machine Readable”

• Stores technical data on capture

• Both a Schema and a Storage Mechanism


Schemas

PLUS• Picture Licensing Universal System

• Focused on Licensing and Rights Information

• Stored as XMP


How are these schemas stored inside image files?


How are these schemas stored?Exif– Both a schema and a storage method– Maintained by camera manufacturers


How are these schemas stored?Exif

Image Resource Block– Legacy format

– Holds IPTC-IIM schema


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


How do these schemas

relate to each other?

IPTC-IIM

IPTC Core

IPTC Extension

Dublin Core

Exif

PLUS


… 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


… 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


• Synchronization Issues– “Shared” fields– Where & when info is written DOES matter– Backwards compatibility Issues


• Synchronization Issues


• Synchronization Issues– A Tale of Two Workflows


• Synchronization Issues– Old to New Workflow = No problems


• Synchronization Issues– New to Old Workflow (and return) = Problems


• Synchronization Issues– Old to New Workflow = No problems


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 …

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:

PhotoshopLightroomPhoto MechanicExpression MediaOthers


Photometadata.org QuickTour

• Thank You!

• No Handouts Necessary• Grab a post card, the URL is on the back

• www.StockArtistsAlliance.org/• www.photometadata.org/

May 7, 2009 SAA Photo Metadata Project / Archiving 2009

the lifecycle of embedded image metadata within digital photographs: challenges and best practices....

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