Editing and rights data

What is XMP metadata?

XMP metadata is a flexible way to store descriptive information inside an image file. XMP stands for Extensible Metadata Platform. In plain English, it is a standard format that lets apps write notes about who made a file, how it was edited, and how it should be managed.

Photo editors, design tools, asset managers, and some AI tools can use XMP because it is easier to extend than older metadata formats. It can live inside JPG, PNG, WebP, and other files, or sometimes next to a raw file as a sidecar file.

What can XMP contain?

• Creator name, copyright, license, and contact fields.
• Caption, title, description, keywords, and rating.
• Editing app names, history, presets, and workflow details.
• Document identifiers used by asset management systems.
• AI-related labels or generation details added by some software.

Why does it matter?

XMP is useful for teams. It helps a designer search a library, helps a publisher keep rights information with an image, and helps a photographer pass useful notes between apps. The same flexibility can also expose details that were meant for a private workflow.

For example, an exported image may include a client name, internal keywords, software history, or a field that identifies the tool used to create or edit the file. None of that changes the pixels, but it can change what someone learns from the file.

What does cleaning do?

Cleaning XMP means creating a publishing copy without copying supported XMP packets into the new file. This is helpful when the visible image is ready to share, but the behind-the-scenes editing and management notes are not.

XMP can also contain rights information you may want to preserve. Keep originals and working files untouched, then share a cleaned derivative when privacy matters more than attached workflow data.