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Why Metadata is Important and How to Use it

Business, Post-Production, Video Aug 27 , Episode 360

In today’s episode we’re talking about metadata, why it’s important, and exactly how to use it!
Metadata is crucial in protecting your images once they are uploaded on the web. If you have your metadata in your files updated correctly and properly then your images don’t run the risk of becoming “orphan” images on the web. What we mean by orphan images is images that are not protected and have no copyright.

Within your metadata (which we update using Lightroom) you can list just about everything. You can list the photographer, models, location, copyright status, the models — if you are shooting for a commercial shoot like Coca-Cola for example, we could put that in the Metadata as well! In this episode we’re going to show you how to update your metadata smoothly, quickly, and for a batch of photos so you don’t need to update every individual file.

Do you know a better way to update the information in your files? If you do we would love to hear it.
If you guys have any questions be sure to let us know in the comment box below and we will answer the best we can.

Gear Used in This Episode

Wacom Intuos 4 Small

Adobe Photoshop CS6

15" Macbook PRO

Sony NEX 5N

Audio Technica AT2020USB Microphone

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Jeremy Hammons Photography

This is good for people to know, and it is how I update my metadata. But people should also have their cameras setup with author/copyright info. Officially the second you press the shutter you are the owner of the image. But be aware when uploading to most sites, your exif is stripped regardless. Facebook is the biggest offender of this.To see upload a picture and then download it, you will see all your info gone. Also be aware officially you are not copyrighted until you pay the $35 dollar fee and process your photos through http://www.copyright.gov/. If for any reason you have to go to court it wont matter what you say, unless it has been officially copyrighted.
Dwain Thomas

Hey Aaron thank you for this I really appreciate it…DNG is a good as raw right?
Carl Constantine

The thing about meta data is it can be removed or modified in an image if you have an editor like Lightroom that allows you to do that. There is a tool in Photoshop (plug-in) called DigiMarc which adds copyright information that cannot be stripped from an image. Even if you load a file and copy/paste into a new file, the DigiMarc information stays with the file. So no one can steal your image and claim it as their own work.

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshop/cs/using/WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-7728a.html
http://www.digimarc.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K49o9T1LX-k
Jeremy Hammons Photography

A cheaper alternative for people that cannot afford Digi is
http://www.adptools.com/en/signmyimage-description.html
http://ingrained.co.uk Scott Mains

DNG is better than RAW. RAW formats can change over the forthcoming years. DNG is for one term ‘future-proof’ and better for archival. As software such as LR progresses, a CR2 file may not be read/registered/supported, say, 5 years from now. DNG will be as Adobe created it to standardise raw formats.
Hope this helps.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jon-Peckham-II/100002160465503 Jon Peckham II

is it $35.00 per image or can a website by copyrighted?
Jeremy Hammons Photography

You can copyright thousands of images at a time, for a single fee of 35$
dutchman

I don’t have Lightroom, so I do this in Bridge with a metadata template. It works well for me.
grtzzfrom the Netherlands.
http://www.artripoli.com/ Anthony Ryan Tripoli

Is it just me or is the sound/video off?
Dwain Thomas

yea its off
Dwain Thomas

thank you very much!
http://www.christophersmith.nl/ Christopher

Holy Sh*t I won! Awesome! Thanks Aaron and Team Phlearn! Much Love

- Christopher
maryanne gobble

Thanks for the DNG info. I had no idea you could convert it at the time of download!