Understand photo metadata

A documented photo can carry information in several places: visibly on the image, in the file name, and inside metadata such as EXIF or XMP. These are not the same thing.

Visible information

A watermark or overlay is part of the visible image. It remains easy to read when the photo is opened normally.

File name

A structured file name can make large batches easier to sort in folders or document-management systems.

Metadata

EXIF and XMP fields can store details such as capture time, device information and location. Some apps, websites and messaging services remove metadata when images are compressed or re-saved.

Choose based on the handoff

If another person needs to understand the photo without special software, visible information is often the simplest. Metadata is useful when your downstream tools preserve and read it.