We have all seen watermarks on images, here on dA and around the internet. And even though they have become a necessary step in the aid of preventing art theft/misuse of art, they are not always ideal. It's really hard to signature or watermark an icon that is 50x50 pixels and still show it off, for example. And even in larger pieces of art, sometimes they just look ugly or, like the watermark option offered by dA, take up too much of the image.
So what is the alternative?
Metadata
Metadata is data that can be added to an image file. As you will see in my little walk through below, a variety of information can be added, from original artist's name, date of creation and location to terms of use, copyright information to contact information. This is a handy tool to add ownership of your image to the file without taking anything away from the image; no watermark that could be removed or cropped. The data added just becomes a part of the file.
How to add Metadata in Photoshop CS2
That's the program I have, so this is the basic walkthrough that you'll get based on my available tools
. I do believe that that most programs that allow the addition of metadata are similar, so clicking around in your file menu will likely help you find what you need 
Step 1
Have Photoshop and your newest creation open. I'm going to add data to my Bananach doll that I posted recently.
Step 2
Click file and then click on file info.
Step 3
Edit the information that you need to on this screen. The default description may be enough for some, but IPTC Contact allows for contact information to be added and IPTC Status has a specific section for terms of use that you may also find useful
Do not forget to click that tiny arrow in the top right hand corner to save your metadata template for easy use and re-use.
Step 4
Check all of your information and then click okay. Save your image. Now to view your metadata! I don't have a program that allows this but metapicz.com/#landing is a good free website to use to check that everything took.
Programs that allow you to add metadata
Don't have Photoshop? Here is a list of programs that allow the addition of metadata.
Adobe Photoshop, most versions! (No idea how many people use really old versions, but 7 and up for sure)Gimp - it's free!LightroomInkscapeAdobe IllustratorPaintshop ProMacromedia Flash www.photome.de/ Photo Me2 disclaimers:
1) Metadata and .png files do not get along, I have learned. Only certain fields can be used in a .png file, and you have to use the Save For Web option when saving as a .png to preserve the data. So this may not be ideal for those of us that prefer the .png format. .jpeg is your best bet for this endeavour. It seems to be pretty iffy on .gifs as well =/ So there is a sacrifice for transparency on images for safety.
2) Like the removal of watermarks, it is also possible to remove metadata
There is no fool proof way to protect your images but a combination of metadata and say a signature that blends in with your piece well enough that few people can see it to remove it, goes a long way.3) I am not an expert and am rather new to metadata myself. I did not mean for this article to come off as an "only way to do things"; as a matter of fact, use all the tools at your disposal that you feel comfortable using! So I do not have all the answers but I will do what I can to see what I can learn
So now you know a little bit about images and metadata
