Vendors can use metadata such as brightness and exposure bias to refine device algorithms for rendering images to produce higher-quality images automatically, with less need for user intervention. Metadata helps vendors manage image files in workflows. Currently, it is difficult to obtain simple information such as when and where a picture was taken with a digital camera or what camera model was used so that the printer vendor can compensate appropriately. Vendors can use metadata to enhance image reproduction. For example, suppose a vendor produces both digital cameras and printers.
Metadata enables users to better use their images.
Users can also take advantage of metadata such as organizing pictures by the date they were taken or the digital camera used, or annotating pictures for sharing or storage. Vendors who generate image files are encouraged to store valid and presentable information in all possible metadata items. For example, an application might recognize that the date and time of an image is missing and communicate with the device through WIA to set this value so that subsequent images will contain date and time metadata. Microsoft recommends that vendors of cameras and other devices that generate still images and image metadata take advantage of WIA to communicate with the PC, rather than simply representing their devices as disk drives. This download article presents guidelines for standard support of metadata by the industry.