EXIF, IPTC & XMP explained

Image metadata comes in three overlapping standards. MetaTool writes all three so your images are understood everywhere — search engines, stock platforms, DAM systems, and editorial tools each read different ones.

EXIF — the camera layer

Exchangeable Image File Format. Originally written by cameras (shutter speed, date, GPS). MetaTool fills the descriptive parts:

Create date — when the image was made
Artist — who created it
Copyright — the rights statement
Image description — a plain-language description
User comment — we use it for keywords

IPTC — the newsroom layer

International Press Telecommunications Council. The standard newsrooms and stock agencies have used for decades:

Object name (title) and Headline — short and one-line descriptions
Caption — the full description editors see
Keywords — the search terms stock sites index
By-line / Credit — attribution as it should be printed
Copyright notice and Contact

XMP — the modern layer

Extensible Metadata Platform (Adobe). XML-based, the richest and most widely read today — Lightroom, Photoshop, Google, and most modern platforms prefer it. Largely mirrors EXIF/IPTC (title, description, creator, rights, keywords) plus categories, label, source, and web/phone contact info.

Why write all three?

Because you don't control what reads your image. WordPress reads one set, Getty another, Google another. Writing consistent values into all three means your title, attribution, and rights survive wherever the file travels.

💡 Want to see what's inside any image? Use the free inspector on our homepage — drop a file in and it lists every embedded EXIF, IPTC, and XMP field. Nothing is saved.