It’s a good idea to add copyright information to your images. This allows anyone viewing your image on the web or preparing the file for print at a printing lab to determine who owns the copyright of the image and what they can do with it. The copyright metadata can also supply information on how to contact you if they need permission to use your photo. As the end of the year draws near, it’s a good idea to review, update and create a new preset that adds your copyright information to your photos metadata automatically. Most cameras have this feature built in you may need to look through your camera’s manual to find where to add the information but Lightroom makes this task really easy by creating a preset.

Where to Add the Information

Open the Import dialog by clicking File then select Import Photos and Video. The import dialog box appears. On the right side is the Apply During Import panel. Click the drop down next to Metadata, and choose New or Edit if you have an existing preset.

Type a name for the preset at the top, scroll down to the IPTC Copyright section and fill it out. To create the symbol on a Mac, press Option+G. On a PC use the numeric keypad. Press and hold the Alt key then type 0169. You can always just copy and paste the symbol from this article. The Copyright Info URL field is used to provide a link to somewhere on your website where you have posted specific rights and usage terms for your photos. In the IPTC Creator section, add your name in the Creator field, and add as much contact information as you wish. Make sure that it is sufficient that someone can successfully contact you if they come across your photo.

When you are done, click Create. This preset will now show in the Apply During Import dialog as the default, and this information will be applied automatically as you import new photos. Click Cancel to exit out of the Import dialog. The next time you open the Import Dialog box, ensure your new copyright preset is selected. After you apply it for the first time, it is saved as your default.

Finding Where the Information is Stored

The copyright information will not show up on your photos; it will tag along with your photos as data known as metadata. To see this data, in the Library module, select one photo, and in the Metadata panel on the right, change the view to IPTC. Creator information will show towards the top, and Copyright information towards the bottom.

Are My Images Copyrighted?