Building a Metadata Preset for your copyright and contact information in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Building a Metadata Preset for your copyright and contact information
Metadata is the key to organization in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Although there are dozens of individual metadata fields, I like to divide this type of information into two basic categories: generic information about the photographer and information that is image specific. Image-specific information includes fields like the camera’s shutter speed, the keywords that describe a particular photograph, or the location where the photo was taken. Since this information changes on a frame by frame basis we cannot completely automate the data entry process. Fortunately, we can teach Adobe Photoshop Lightroom how to automatically fill in the generic information like your copyright and contact information for every image that you add into your Lightroom Catalog.
We can teach Lightroom how to do all of this repetitive typing for us by building, and then using, a Metadata Preset. The Metadata Preset acts like a “rubber stamp” that Lightroom can use on each image to fill in the appropriate copyright / contact info fields. Building a Metadata Preset is a little tricky but trust me it is well worth your time. Before you watch the video tutorial please let me add that a single Metadata Preset is probably sufficient for most photographers. A single Metadata Preset that adds my copyright and contact info is all that I need but you can create as many metadata presets as you’d like. If you are a professional wedding photographer, for example, then it might make sense to build a new Metadata Preset for each wedding. A Metadata Preset that fills in all of the generic copyright information plus some specific details about each particular wedding might be a huge time-saver for someone who does this kind of work for a living.
Remember that just building the Metadata Preset does not accomplish anything. We need tell Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to use our new template on Import every time we add new images into our Catalog. The best way guarantee that your Metadata Preset gets used with every import, and thus every image, is to build an Import Preset right now.
Filed Under: (03) Importing • (04) Organizing Your Photography • Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Tutorials
About the Author: Scott Rouse is an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE), photographer, teacher, and graphic- and web-designer in Missoula, MT. His photography focuses on wildlife and adventure sports and can be viewed at 
Hi David,
I have recently installed Lightroom 4 and have been reading/watching your tutorials. Thanks so much for your straightforward and detailed instructions. You have been such a great help.
I am slightly confused with the application and storage of metadata and was wondering if you could clear some things up for me.
I have followed your video tutorial on creating a metadata preset which includes copyright info, country, city, and e-mail address. I have set the metadata to be added to my imports in the “Apply During Import” metadata option. I have used the import (copy) command to copy a jpeg image into my library. When I select the image in the library and look at the metadata info on the side panel I see the copyright info and the creator but none of my other metadata. When I navigate to the imported file in finder the only metadata present when I bring up “get info” is camera related (brand, model, shutter speed, etc) I also tried exporting the file from Lightroom to see if the metadata would would be written into the file then, but the file contained only the same info as the one in my library.
I have several questions:
Why is the rest of my metadata not displayed on the metadata panel in the library when I select an image? I only see the copyright info and creator. My rights usage terms, creator e-mail address, creator country, creator city and creator job title are not there.
Can I get the metadata info to save into the library file itself?
Can I get the metadata to save into exported files? You mentioned in your video about people being able to contact you be looking at the metadata in the image.
Cheers
Tim
Dear Tim,
Hard for me to know exactly what you are seeing and why your metadata template isn’t working properly. I am wondering if you really did save all the fields that you wanted in your metadata preset. That part is easy to double check. In the Library module go Metadata from the menu bar > Edit Metadata Preset. Make sure that all the fields you want were indeed saved properly.
Next make sure that you are seeing all of the IPTC fields in your metadata panel then try importing another photo. Did it work properly this time? If so when exporting are you telling Lightroom to include all of the metadata or are you telling it to strip our some of your fields. Finally have you turned on the a href=”http://thelightroomlab.com/2010/06/getting-started-right-adobe-photoshop-lightroom-3-critical-preference-menus/” target=”_blank”>”Automatically Write to XMP” Catalog setting switch.
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David Marx
Hi David,
Thanks for your speedy response, it’s much appreciated.
So the first problem I was having with not being able to see all of the metadata was a stupid blunder on my part. There is a drop-down box in the metadata panel where you can select which of the metadata you wish to view. I hadn’t changed it from default, so I was not seeing all of the metadata. Once I selected IPTC on the drop-down menu it revealed my contact details which were there all along.
Is there a way of customising this view to show only the fields which have data in them instead of 12 different pages?
Regarding the metadata not being embedded into exported files I still have a problem.
In answer to your question, I do have the “Automatically write changes into XMP” option selected in the catalogue settings. I thought I better run you through my export process to see if you can help.
In the library I have a file with copyright info in the meta data. I click export and then select Hard Drive under “Export to”. I specify the location under “Export Location”. Under File Settings>Image Format I have selected JPEG as this is the format of the original file. Under the Metadata drop-down box “All” is selected. I have not selected “Remove location info” or “Write keywords as Lightroom Hierarchy”. I click export and then go to the newly export file in finder. I right-click the file and click “Get Info” In the “More Info” section I have the camera data, shutter speed etc but none of the meta data I added in Lightroom. Should the metadata be visible in this location if it has been added correctly? I have also tried exporting with “All Except Camera & Camera Raw Info” selected under the metadata section. When I do this the camera info is not present under “Get Info” on the exported file but neither is my own metadata. Any suggestions?
While we’re on the subject of exporting I’ve noticed that if I take a library jpeg which is 10.1MB and export it as a jpeg set to 100% quality under the file settings section the resulting file is only 7.6 MB. They are both the same resolution but the exported file 2 MB smaller. Any ideas on this one?
Cheers
Tim
Dear Tim,
Sorry about the delay. I am teaching at photography workshop in Yellowstone this week so not much Internet time. There is a way to customize the Metadata Panel via Jeffery Freidl’s Metadata Viewer Plugin.
You are not able to see IPTC metadata in the Mac OS Get Info panel. The metadata is there but the OS does not show it. Software like the Adobe Bridge is a better way to check that it is all there.
I believe that the exported copy file size vs. the original jpeg capture size changes because the exported file has been compressed again. Even at 100% quality, the exported file is still undergoing jpeg compression a second time. I might be wrong on this one so if someone has a better answer please call me out on it!
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David Marx
Awot,
As far as I know, there’s not really a way to add completely custom metadata fields to Lightroom. You can rename some existing fields using http://regex.info/Lightroom/Config/ and geocoding support can be added with http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies/gps.
-Scott
Hello Scott
Thanks for all the tutorials, it realy helped me.
Currently I am working on database of historical landscape photographs and I want to attach more information like vegetation type, geographical coordinates etc in addition to the original caption given by the photographer. Is it possible to add more fields to the metadata section in LR in order to accomodate these kind of information?
Regards
Awot
Ben,
Yes, you can change/update the metadata of an image (or group of images) at any time.
-Scott
Just for clarification, if I move locations can I go back and change the metadata for all of my images to reflect the new licensor contact info etc.?
Thanks,
Ben
David:
Thanks for making this setup easy. Its the second time I had to do it because LR3 crashed. LR3 gurus suggested I strip out the preferences file and sure enough LR3 restarted.
I believe I was adding to the preferences menu to improve printing consistency when I did something that made it crash. It worked fine, with your setup for 30 days before the crash. I point this out FYI so that as the “LR3 will not start” phenomenon spreads, no combination you have supplied is faulted.
Regards,
David, thank you for the valuable information.
Questions:
My wife and I use the same camera, we’re setting up LR3 prior to first use as you advised, and we set up the metadata fields using both of our names. However, it appears that we can actually have two presets, one for each of us, correct?
Also, when we’re importing from the camera, I’m assuming we’ll be bringing in all files on the card at once (as we currently do with iPhoto). In LR3, is there a way to distinguish between who took which picture when transferring to our external drive ? (currently we take a picture of the other one to ID the start of mine or her pictures when both have content on the card)
Thank you !
Dear Peter,
Sorry about the delay. Your question got buried. You can create as many metadata presets as you want. For most photographer’s one is fine but in your case two might make sense. You could create one for you and a separate one for your wife. There is no way for the computer to tell who took what photo but you could easily stamp the appropriate template on your images and her images from within the Metadata panel while working in Grid View in the Library Module. Once the templates are built you just need to select your files and then click on the appropriate Metadata Preset button from the drop down menu at the top of the Metadata panel.
I hope this helps and please write us back if you need more assistance. Sorry again about the delay.
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David Marx
David
Thanks so much for the heads up on a new potential user of lightroom 3.
this is all new for me and thankfully I found your videos to set up before I set up the program.
In buying 3, can I install the program on all of the computers in my household? I use three frequently.
In addition, what happens when one computer is replaced with a newer unit? Can the program be re-installed on the new one?
thanks
allan
Dear Allan,
Welcome to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. This article on installing Adobe Photoshop Lightroom on multiple computers should answer most of your questions!
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David Marx
david@thelightroomlab.com
Hi David, this is extraordinarily good information thank you, One question if I may. What is the story with metadata if images are submitted to stock agencies (I am just starting down that long and winding and potentially heart braking road)? I am sure I remember reading on one of them I haven’t submitted to yet that they don’t want copyright stuff embedded. What’s your take on this? thanks for great work and help
Dear Writerman242,
I think you are confusing the metadata copyright field, which is inside the file, with a visible watermark that gets stamped over the visible pixels. Every stock agency should reject files with the photographers’s visible watermark stamped into the pixels.
Right now, I have images with a dozen different microstock agencies. All of them require that my submissions include important metadata like keywords, captions, and titles. So far as I know none of them are worried about my copyright information since a: they can strip this right out if need, and b: even though the images are licensed to them I still retain the legal copyright to my work.
This article on how metadata adds value to your photographs, and the other articles that it references, might also help.
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David Marx
More on the © symbol: Since I’m working on a laptop, I highlighted the symbol as it appears on this page. I then went to Lightroom Edit Presets, I place the cursor where I wanted the symbol to appear, and then pressed ctrl-v. BINGO! It’s done!
Nice article except you write (c) can indicate copyright. Everything I’ve read says no, that (c) has no legal meaning.
Following is a quote from the US copyright office circular (www.copyright.gov/circs/circ03.pdf) on the 3 accepted forms (the symbol, the word, the abbreviation):
“Visually Perceptible Copies
The notice for visually perceptible copies should contain all three elements described below. They should appear together or in close proximity on the copies.
1 The symbol © (letter C in a circle); the word “Copyright”;
or the abbreviation “Copr.”
2 The year of first publication. If the work is a derivative
work or a compilation incorporating previously published
material, the year date of first publication of the derivative work or compilation is sufficient. Examples of derivative works are translations or dramatizations; an example of a compilation is an anthology. The year may be omitted when a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work, with
accompanying textual matter, if any, is reproduced in or
on greeting cards, postcards, stationery, jewelry, dolls, toys, or useful articles.
3 The name of the copyright owner, an abbreviation by
which the name can be recognized, or a generally known
alternative designation of owner.
Example © 2007 Jane Doe”
Dear Mark L Brian,
I think that your advice is excellent. Thank you for correcting my mistake. In the US the © symbol has legal meaning but the legal definition of the (c) is not as clear. To create the Copyright Symbol on a Mac hold the ALT key and press the letter G. On a PC try Ctrl+Alt+C or Alt+0169 on the ten key number pad. You can also create the symbol in a word processing program or find it on the Windows Character map and then cut and paste it into the appropriate Metadata field.
I’ll go one further too and suggest that simply marking your copyright is not sufficient protection in the United States. As I understand it, for true legal protection an image must be both marked and registered with the United States Copyright Office before any infringement occurs. For more on how to register you copyright check out this excellent tutorial from the American Society of Media Photographers and this article from attorney Carolyn Wright. It is my understanding too that the copyright mark has far less legal weight in other countries, particularly the EU, then the legal terms spelled out in the Rights-Usage Metadata Fields.
Thanks again for the great comment.
David
[...] you have all your switches set, I suggest checking out this tutorial on how to build a Metadata Preset so that Lightroom can automatically add your copyright information into each and every photo that [...]