IPTC Passthrough

When used, the iptc parameter determines whether IPTC/XMP metadata is preserved in the output image. Metadata passthrough is supported for JPEG, PNG, WebP, and AVIF output formats, including cross-format conversions (e.g., a JPEG input converted to WebP output).

Valid values are iptc=allow and iptc=block.

Usage

Setting iptc=allow will let IPTC/XMP data pass through for supported output formats (JPEG, PNG, WebP, and AVIF), whereas setting iptc=block will prevent any metadata from being passed through. By default, iptc=block is enabled when no parameter is specified.

This parameter can be configured by the Imgix support team to use any of the following default behaviors:

• Always block IPTC data
• Always passthrough IPTC data
• Pass/block based on the URL parameter value (default option) For Always block or Always passthrough behavior, both can be overridden by including iptc=allow or iptc=block in the image URL.

Setting default IPTC/Exif data

The Imgix support team can set some default IPTC/Exif field values for all rendered images. This can be useful for forcing metadata to be served through the Rendering API.

• IPTC Special Instructions: Instructions may include additional information about licenses or technical information for the needed end use of the image. Accepts up to 256 characters
• Copyright: Information about the copyright holder of the image. Accepts up to 128 characters

If you would like this enabled on your account, contact your Account Manager or Support.

Known limitations

Third-party reader character limits

While Imgix enforces maximum field lengths — up to 256 characters for Special Instructions and 128 characters for Copyright — individual IPTC readers such as Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and DAM or CMS platforms may apply their own stricter limits. Imgix passes data through at the full allowed length, but it may appear truncated in downstream applications. If metadata appears truncated in a third-party tool, check that application’s IPTC field length constraints and keep field values within the most conservative limit expected by your target readers.

Keyword grouping

The IPTC Keywords field is a repeatable field, and some authoring tools encode hierarchical keyword groups using delimiter characters such as | or /. Imgix passes keyword data through unchanged — the grouping or hierarchy visible in a destination application depends on how the source image’s IPTC was originally structured and how the destination reader interprets those delimiters.