IPTC explained
Our images contain metadata so that you can easily find important information about each image in the file itself. This is useful if you download images and archive them for future use.
The information we store includes:
- The Alamy image reference number
- Copyright notice
- Release information
- Restriction information
So, if you archive images downloaded from Alamy and want to use an image again, all the details are readily available for you to take out a new licence. It also means you can confirm credit lines, caption information, availability of releases and check restrictions at your convenience.
Viewing IPTC metadata
This depends on the software that you use to view, print or manage your images. For example, if you use Adobe Photoshop CS2 version 9.0, choose File Info from the File menu.
Images which do not have IPTC metadata
If you purchased and downloaded an image from Alamy before April 2006, it will not have image data embedded.
How is the information stored?
We store the information according to the IPTC Information Interchange Model (IIM) and IPTC Metadata for XMP (IPTC4XMP). More information on these specifications can be found at the International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) website.
| IIM Field | IPTC IIMv4 name | IPTC Core (XMP) Label | Information Alamy place in this field |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05 | Object Name (Title) | Title | Alamy image reference. |
| 25 | Keywords | Keywords | Keywords |
| 40 | Special Instructions | Instructions | Visit your order history at: www.alamy.com/orders for more information. This image is in virtual CD: nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn |
| 55 | Date created | Date created | Date photo taken. This field will be blank if the date is not known. If we have only partial date information (e.g. just the year) it will be in the caption field. |
| 80 | By-line/Author | Alamy copyright line for the image. | |
| 103 | Original Transmission Reference | Transmission Reference | Your ref nnnnnnnnn; Our Ref: nnnnnnn; Downloaded date (if known). |
| 110 | Credit | Provider | Alamy |
| 115 | Source | Source | www.alamy.com |
| 116 | Copyright Notice | Copyright Notice | Alamy copyright line for the image preceded by the copyright symbol (©). |
| 120 | Caption / Abstract | Caption / Description | Alamy image reference, caption (or description if the caption is blank) and partial date information. (e.g. if we have information about the month and year an image was shot but not the day). |
| N/A | N/A | Location | Location information if available. |
| N/A | N/A | Creator's Contact Info | Alamy contact information. |
| N/A | N/A | Rights Usage Terms | Terms and conditions, licence, rights usage terms as appropriate for the photo. |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | URL to image (appears in the Copyright Info URL field in Photoshop). |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Copyright status (appears in the Copyright Status field in Photoshop). |
More information
If you need further information or have any questions about IPTC, please email info@alamy.com.