Suggested IPTC Fields

To protect images’ licensing and copyright information online, photo metadata, preferably following International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) criteria, is crucial. In addition, it is essential for managing digital assets. Descriptions of images should be detailed and accurate so that they can be easily and efficiently retrieved via search, by users, or by machine-readable code. Consequently, workflow within companies is smoother, images are tracked more precisely, and licensing opportunities are enhanced.

Suggested IPTC fields for stock images:

IPTC Field	Description	Example	Max Length (# characters)*	IIM Field
Description/Caption	Long form description of Subject and related subject data in a Natural Language caption	As the Amazon rainforest continues to burn, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is talking about allegations that he blamed NGO’s for setting the wildfires.	2000	2:120
Keywords	List of subject data by discrete words or phrases	politician, president, fire, forest	64†	2:25
Credit Line/Credit	photographer’s name, agency name, etc	John Doe/News Agency	32	2:110
Copyright	photographer’s name, agency name, rights	© John Doe/News Agency, all rights reserved	128	2:116
Title/Object Name**	similar to filename; may include unique identifier	DSC101908a	64	2:05

IPTC fields useful for news /editorial photos:

IPTC Field	Description	Example	Max Length (# characters)*	IIM Field #
Date Created/em>	date image created	05/28/2019	16	2:55
Location / Sub-location	location of image	Heinz Field	32	2:92
City	location of image	Pittsburgh	32	2:90
State/Province	location of image	Pennsylvania	32	2:95
Country	location of image	USA	64	2:101
Instructions / Special Instructions	list any restrictions, embargo, rights info	MAGS OUT, INTERNET OUT, NO THIRD PARTY SALES	256	2:40
Creator/Byline	Precise text of Byline	© John Doe/News Agency	32	2:80
Creators Job Title / Byline Title (Author position)	The job title of the photographer	Staff Photographer	32	2:85
Category***	Category Code (see ANPA Wire Categories)	I = International	3	2:15
Headline	Subject data, in short form	Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro talking about allegations	256	2:105
Source	provider of image	News Agency	32	2:115
Description Writer / Writer/Editor	name of person writing or editing the caption	John Doe	32	2:122
Job Identifier / Transmission Ref	used to improve workflow handling and image tracking	International Crisis:2019	32	2:103

IPTC fields that should be avoided:

IPTC Field	Description	Example	Max Length (# characters)*	IIM Field #
Urgency	Deprecated in 2005, Use with caution. Specifies editorial order	Urgent	1	2:10
Supplemental Categories	Deprecated in 2005, Use with caution. Category Refinement	Crisis	32	2:20