Metadata field reference
What each photo metadata field means and how much it can reveal. These are the explanations the checker shows next to its findings.
How risk is rated. High: can identify a place, a person or a specific device on its own. Medium: narrows things down or links files together, such as exact dates, edit history or free-text fields. Low: general facts, such as the camera model. Info: needed to display the image. These ratings are our editorial judgment, not a standard.
[GPS] Location
| Field | Tag name | Risk | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPS position | GPSLatitude / GPSLongitude | High | Latitude and longitude where the device recorded the photo, calculated from the GPS tags. Anyone with the file can put this on a map; if it is accurate, it can point to a specific address. |
| GPS altitude | GPSAltitude | Medium | Height above sea level recorded with the position. Can hint at which floor of a building. |
| Camera direction | GPSImgDirection | Medium | Compass direction the camera was facing. |
| Speed | GPSSpeed | Medium | Speed of the device when the photo was taken. |
| GPS accuracy | GPSHPositioningError | Low | Estimated horizontal error of the recorded position, in meters. |
| City | City | High | City name written by camera or editing software (IPTC/XMP). |
| State or province | State | Medium | State or province name (IPTC/XMP). |
| Country | Country | Low | Country name (IPTC/XMP). |
| Location name | Location | High | Named place or sublocation, such as a street or venue (IPTC/XMP). |
| Sublocation | Sublocation | High | Street, venue or area within a city (IPTC/XMP). |
[ID] People and organizations
| Field | Tag name | Risk | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera owner | OwnerName | High | Name entered in the camera's settings as its owner. |
| Artist | Artist | High | Name of the photographer or creator, often set once in camera or app settings. |
| By-line (creator) | Byline | High | Creator name in IPTC metadata. |
| Creator | creator | High | Creator name in XMP (Dublin Core) metadata. |
| Author (Windows) | XPAuthor | High | Author field written by Windows Explorer's Details tab. |
| Copyright notice | Copyright | Medium | Copyright text. Often contains a person's or company's name. |
| Credit line | Credit | Medium | Credit line in IPTC metadata. |
[DEV] Device
| Field | Tag name | Risk | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera serial number | SerialNumber | High | Serial number of the camera body. Links every photo from the same camera together. |
| Lens serial number | LensSerialNumber | Medium | Serial number of the lens. |
| Unique image ID | ImageUniqueID | Medium | Identifier written by the camera or phone that can match copies of the same photo. |
| Host computer | HostComputer | Medium | Device or computer name written by Apple software, such as the iPhone model. |
| Camera maker | Make | Low | Manufacturer of the camera or phone. |
| Camera model | Model | Low | Camera or phone model. |
| Lens maker | LensMake | Low | Manufacturer of the lens. |
| Lens model | LensModel | Low | Lens model; on phones, which of the built-in cameras was used. |
[TIME] Dates and times
| Field | Tag name | Risk | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPS date | GPSDateStamp | Medium | Date from the GPS clock, in UTC. |
| GPS time | GPSTimeStamp | Medium | Time from the GPS clock, in UTC. |
| Date taken | DateTimeOriginal | Medium | Date and time the photo was taken, by the device clock. |
| Date digitized | CreateDate | Medium | Date and time the image was stored as a digital file. |
| Date modified | ModifyDate | Low | Date and time the file was last changed. |
| Time zone | OffsetTimeOriginal | Low | Time zone offset of the date taken, which narrows down the region. |
[HIST] Editing history and software
| Field | Tag name | Risk | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software | Software | Low | Software or firmware that last wrote the file, such as an OS version or photo editor. |
| Creator tool | CreatorTool | Low | Application that created or last saved the file (XMP). |
| Edit history | History | Medium | List of save and edit actions recorded by editing software (XMP), sometimes with dates and file names. |
| Document ID | DocumentID | Low | Identifier that can tie edited versions of a file back to the same original (XMP). |
| Original document ID | OriginalDocumentID | Low | Identifier of the original file this one was derived from (XMP). |
[TEXT] Text, comments and previews
| Field | Tag name | Risk | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | ImageDescription | Medium | Free-text description. Can contain anything the device or a person typed. |
| User comment | UserComment | Medium | Free-text comment. Some apps store settings or AI prompts here. |
| Comment (Windows) | XPComment | Medium | Comment written by Windows Explorer. |
| Title (Windows) | XPTitle | Low | Title written by Windows Explorer. |
| Subject (Windows) | XPSubject | Low | Subject written by Windows Explorer. |
| Tags (Windows) | XPKeywords | Low | Tags written by Windows Explorer. |
| Keywords | Keywords | Low | Keyword list (IPTC/XMP). |
| Caption | Caption | Medium | Caption text (IPTC). |
| Headline | Headline | Low | Headline text (IPTC). |
| Title | ObjectName | Low | Title (IPTC). |
| Title | title | Low | Title (XMP). |
| Description | description | Medium | Description (XMP). |
| Rating | Rating | Info | Star rating set in a photo app. |
| Embedded thumbnail | thumbnail | Medium | A small preview image stored inside the file. If the photo was cropped or edited, the preview can still show the original. |
[C2PA] AI and provenance labels
| Field | Tag name | Risk | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital source type | DigitalSourceType | Medium | IPTC label describing how the image was made, for example captured by a camera or created by a generative AI model. |
[TECH] Technical fields
| Field | Tag name | Risk | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation | Orientation | Info | How the image should be rotated for display. Kept when cleaning so photos stay upright. |