If you share pictures electronically with clients, consultants, friends or coworkers, and you want to maintain the proper ownership of the images you've taken, you can actually embed copyright and other file information into the photos. Many people aren't even aware this function exists, but it's actually quite easy to perform. You can include a photo title, description, copyright notice and more in the background data for your photos.

Step 1

Open your digital photograph in Photoshop CS2. (Select "File," then "Open"; or Click Ctrl + O. Then select the photograph you desire.)

Step 2

Name your photograph and identify yourself as its creator. (Select "File," then "File Info"; or hold down the Alt, Shift and Control keys while striking the capital "I" key. This will bring up a dialog box. In the first box, enter the "Document Title," or the name of your image. Use the Tab key to move between the various fields. Type your name in the Author field.)

Step 3

Enter your copyright notice and reserve your rights. Tab to move to the Description field. This is a great place to assert your legal rights to help prevent copyright infringement or outright theft of your photo. You can include the copyright symbol: Hold down the Alt key while entering 0169 on the numeric keypad at the right side of your keyboard. You can also incorporate your name, an "All Rights Reserved" statement, any limited license you may be granting for the use of your photograph, and contact information (so anyone who is interested in using the picture can quickly and easily locate you to request permission). If desired, enter your name as the Description Writer and give a brief description of your photograph in the Keywords section. Click the arrow to the right of the Copyright Status field to bring down a drop-down menu and select "Copyrighted" from the options. Tab to the "Copyright Notice" field and enter a one-line notice consisting of the the copyright symbol and your name or business name. Finally, tab to the last field, "Copyright Info URL," and type in your URL again, so anyone seeking permission to use your photograph can find you.

Step 4

Save the file information. Click on the "OK" button in the lower right-hand corner of the dialog box before you exit.

Step 5

Save your document to retain the embedded information. (Select "File," then "Save As"; or click on Control + Alt + S. Name the file and save it in the desired folder.)