Which statement best describes metadata for a digital image?

Which statement best describes metadata for a digital image?

• A. The actual color values of each pixel in the image
• B. The compression ratio of the image file
• C. The primary content or subject of an image
• D. Data about the data that is required to encode or decode the bits e.g. resolution, colour depth, file type, date

Answer: (D)

Metadata is data about data. For a digital image, metadata includes details like resolution, colour depth, file type, and date. This information helps programs interpret and handle the image without needing to inspect every pixel. The actual color values of each pixel are the image data, not metadata, so describing the pixel values doesn’t capture metadata. The compression ratio is a property of how the image is encoded rather than a description of the image’s properties. The primary content or subject of the image is the image data, not metadata. The statement listing resolution, colour depth, file type, and date describes the data about the image rather than the image itself, which is exactly what metadata is.

Metadata is data about data. For a digital image, metadata includes details like resolution, colour depth, file type, and date. This information helps programs interpret and handle the image without needing to inspect every pixel. The actual color values of each pixel are the image data, not metadata, so describing the pixel values doesn’t capture metadata. The compression ratio is a property of how the image is encoded rather than a description of the image’s properties. The primary content or subject of the image is the image data, not metadata. The statement listing resolution, colour depth, file type, and date describes the data about the image rather than the image itself, which is exactly what metadata is.