Every individual wants to get the perfect thing from
wherever he gets. But getting a perfect thing in this world is difficult. The
only place where you get the exact thing that you want is the Internet.
But again you can’t give the entire explanation as to what
you are searching for. You use certain words to explain the search engine as to
what you want. Those words are called KEYWORDS.
Keywording is a tool to assign or tag meaningful words to
your photos so people searching may find them.
Keywords are words, nouns and or adjectives used to describe
or express the given image. Keywording is basically describing the different
aspects of a given photo using the most precise and compact
words/phrases. In
short it is creating a pen sketch of an image so that even if the image is not
present the keywords alone suffice to create a mental image.
Photo Keywording is a process which involves assigning
keywords to an image to help the customer narrow down his search to a
particular theme. These may include different types of descriptions, subject,
concepts, ethnicity, occupations, objects, etc.
A good Keywording system takes time and thought and cannot
be constructed in haphazard fashion with expectations of great results. If you
create and apply keywords well, the result is faster, more fruitful file
searches.
For companies selling images, Keywording is the critical
link between images and sales. If the customer gets the right word then your
sales boosts up. But if he gets a wrong word, you may loose on your sales. So
it is very important to have Keywording done on every image. Most online photo
sharing sites, search engines, and web galleries use keyword recognition to
help people find images.
Keywording photos is time consuming but is also necessary to
have your sales listed up.
Imagine, you have thousands of photos and you need to
keyword them. One image to get Keywording takes approx. 2 - 5 minutes,
depending on the image. If the image is brief enough, you may take 2 – 3
minutes, but if the image is conceptual, you may take maximum 5 – 6 minutes. Keywording
thousands of photos, which takes so much time, when will you complete Keywording
them?
Search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Babylon, etc. help you
contract your search through the description you provide. These search engines
will show you only those results which have the tags as per the description
provided by you. This is done with the help of KEYWORDING.
A photographer might have clicked various images. Uploaded
on various sites as well. But what’s the whole point unless you don’t keyword
them? Your work is half done.
It is obvious that you uploaded your work on internet so
that people see your work. But if you haven’t done proper Keywording no one
will be aware of your works as your images won’t be displayed.
Keywording systems
fall into either one of two styles.
1. OPEN VOCABULARY: - Open Vocabulary is
one of the most commonly used styles of Keywording. But most of the companies don’t
go for Open Vocabulary. If you look at an image and use whatever words it
inspires for the keywords, you're using an open vocabulary.
2. CONTROLLED VOCABULARY: - In a
controlled vocabulary your keywords are limited to a specific set of words.
Ideally this list of words is printed in an index or available on a computer
for your reference as you apply keywords to images. For a controlled
vocabulary, you also have an option where you can add keywords of your own.
Limiting the number of choices increases the accuracy of new
entries and accelerate searches but don’t be so extreme in avoiding new terms
that you diminish coverage. A happy medium exists, but it's up to you to decide
where it is.
When Keywording a photo, look at the photo and think about
what it really shows. What is significant in the photo? Look for both the
literal and the conceptual significance. A single image is likely to fit into
multiple categories and sub-categories, so don't think you need to apply one
set of terms and that's it.
For efficiency, use the most basic, generic terms. Don't use
your keywords to show off your vocabulary skills. Your keywords should be kept
to a level that is appropriate for your audience. In simple words, while Keywording,
don’t use tough or unfamiliar words. Only those words should be used for Keywording
which is easy for every individual to use.
Also try reducing synonyms to the single most suitable word
for a category or sub-category. This narrows your search vocabulary list rather
than expanding it.
And finally, be sure of your spelling. Typos and spelling
errors cause images to be missed in searches. Get it right in your master list
and make sure to stay with it.
Good captions and keywords enhance the value of your images.
An excellent image that never turns up in appropriate situations is a lost
cause. Keywording is an important part of successfully bringing your images to
market.
As a photographer you have shot great photos/videos, as a
stock photo agency you have the rights to license/sell photos/videos. Great!!
But the job is still undone; your great images need to be available to the
buyer easily.
The goal for KeyIndia Graphics Keywording experts is to make
sure your images shows up every time the buyer request for that
category/concept.
·
Keywording experts
·
Past photo buyers who worked with mid to large
Ad Agencies
·
Research team
KeyIndia Graphics’s Keywording team visualizes an image from
a perspective of different customers, which ensures photographers that their
image is highly searchable.
They can keyword your images as per Getty Images, Corbis, and
Alamy, ShutterStock, IstockPhoto or any other stock agencies standards.
They can also provide complete services for your stock
images (retouching and Keywording, and video editing).
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