Metadata definitions

This list of IPTC metadata categories includes Associated Press and US Government definitions. Some may be relevant to our work in categorizing our images. Those in italic are less relevant.

Byline

Lists the name of the person who made the photo/graphic.

Byline Title

Lists the title of the person who made the photo/graphic.

• STF: By staff photographers.
• FRL: By freelance photographers.
• MBR: Picked up from members.
• MAG: Provided by magazines..
• SUB: Picked up from foreign subscribers.
• TEL: Framegrabs from television.
• POOL: Made by pool photographers.
• HO: Handout photographs.
• STR: Made by stringer photographers.

Caption

Text that accompanies the photo/graphic that contains the Who, What, When, Where, and Why information.

Caption Writer

Lists the initials of all the people who wrote or edited the caption, header fields, or image file. This includes toning and pixel editing.

Category

The Category field lists codes that aid in a more detailed search.

• A – News or features
• F – Financial
• I – International
• S – Sports
• V – Advisories

Creation Date Time

The Creation DateTime field is the date the object was originally made.

City

Where the object was originally made. Do not use the transmission points city.

Country

Lists the three-letter country code where the object was originally made.

Credit

The name of the service transmitting the object.

Headline

Lists keywords to aid in a more detailed search for an object.

Instructions

Lists special notations that apply uniquely to an object, such as Correction, Advance, or Outs.

Object Name

Lists the story slug associated with an object.

Source

Lists who is the original provider of a photo/graphic, such as AP, an AP member, pool photo provider, or handout photo provider.

State

Lists the state where the photo/graphic was originally made. Use U.S. postal code abbreviations. For file photos, do not use the transmission points state. See the state abbreviations list.

• AL – Alabama
• AK – Alaska
• AZ – Arizona
• AR – Arkansas
• CA – California
• CO – Colorado
• CT – Connecticut
• DE – Delaware
• DC – District of Columbia
• FL – Florida
• GA – Georgia
• HI – Hawaii
• ID – Idaho
• IL – Illinois
• IN – Indiana
• IA – Iowa
• KS – Kansas
• KY – Kentucky
• LA – Louisiana
• ME – Maine
• MD – Maryland
• MA – Massachusetts
• MI – Michigan
• MN – Minnesota
• MS – Mississippi
• MO – Missouri
• MT – Montana
• NE – Nebraska
• NV – Nevada
• NH – New Hampshire
• NJ – New Jersey
• NM – New Mexico
• NY – New York
• NC – North Carolina
• ND – North Dakota
• OH – Ohio
• OK – Oklahoma
• OR – Oregon
• PA – Pennsylvania
• RI – Rhode Island
• SC – South Carolina
• SD – South Dakota
• TN – Tennessee
• TX – Texas
• UT – Utah
• VT – Vermont
• VA – Virginia
• WA – Washington
• WV – West Virginia
• WI – Wisconsin
• WY – Wyoming

Supplemental Categories

The Supplemental Categories field lists codes that aid in a more detailed search for an object.

General

• ADV – Advance
• APN – APNewsFeatures
• ENT – Entertainment
• FEA – Non-news feature pictures
• MAP – Map or graphic
• WEA- Weather
• OBIT – Obituary
• FILE – File photo
• HFR – Hold for release (embargoed photos for same-day release)
• NAT – National Geographic weekly package
• SPF – Special Features weekly package
• SPCL – Specials
• PM – PM cycle

News Events

• CVN – National Political Conventions
• ELN – Election Campaigns
• XGR – State Legislatures

Sports

• BBA – Pro baseball (American league)
• BBN – Pro baseball (National league)
• BBO – Pro baseball (minor/no league)
• BBC – College baseball
• BKN – NBA basketball
• BKC – Men’s college basketball
• BKW – Women’s college basketball
• BKO – Other basketball – school/semi-pro
• BOX – Boxing RUN Track and Field
• CAR – Racing (car, boat, or bike)
• FBC – College football
• FBN – NFL Football
• FBO – Other football – school/semi-pro
• GLF – Golf
• GYM – Gymnastics
• HKC – College hockey
• HKN – NHL hockey
• HKO – Other hockey – school/minor league
• OLY – Olympics
• RAC – Racing (animals)
• SKI – Skiing
• SOC – Soccer
• TEN – Tennis

Trans Reference

The Trans Reference field lists a call letter/number combination associated with an object. It includes the originating sources call letters and number of offerings for a given day. Example: NY105.

Urgency

The Urgency field is not used by the Associated Press at this time.

4/3/02 – (JC); adapted from the Associated Press