The result is that whatever text you entered gets stored within the photo file itself. The steps are usually a variation on this: starting the software, opening the photo, selecting the menu options File > Get Info and typing text into fields.
As the saying goes, “The obvious is already known.” However, the process is challenging for a newcomer. To them, the process is simple, mainly because they do it routinely. Photography professionals routinely use photo-editing software to add photometadata to their digital photos for copyright and business reasons. In fact, it’s much more difficult than it should be. And there is a simple question people ask us to which we don’t have a simple answer: “How?”. But honestly, writing on the back of a paper photo is a breeze by comparison. And that part is tricky.Īdding a description to a digital photo (also known as photometadata) is analogous to writing on the back of a paper photo. So, aside from encouraging people to back up their digital photos, we also encourage them to add descriptions to the digital photos. We’ve made an informational video about photometadata, written about our project with the Stock Artists Alliance, and, as part of that project, interviewed photometadata evangelist David Riecks. We explain photometadata and show EXIF examples. We talk about file formats, such as JPEGs and TIFFs, and the effects of compression.
But, as information professionals, we’re also eager to explain the complexities of digital photos. Our main concern is for everyone to back up and care for their digital photos.
By far, most of the questions we get asked are about digital photos and we are able to answer almost every question. We also try to pay attention to questions from the general public, with whom we interact at events such as the National Book Festival, Personal Archiving Day at the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian’s Saving Our African American Treasures. My Signal colleagues and I give out digital-preservation advice based on our research, our experiences and our understanding of best practices.
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