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A person sits at a desk, focused on a computer screen displaying a photo editing software interface with various images. The workspace includes colorful folders and a plant in the background. The individual is using a stylus on a graphic tablet to ed
Photo editors have a dual role. They need to find the right images to tell stories and capture the reader’s attention. They also have the role of ensuring they have the legal right to use images. The legal aspect of images is where many PR professionals fail.
Who sets the terms?
Even though a photographer may have been paid to shoot an image, that doesn’t mean they forfeit the right of ownership or credit for the image. Around the globe, copyright rules vary, which is why it is essential that when you provide images for media pitches, there need to be clear instructions around publishing rights.
Lookatmedia™ Introduction
Lookatmedia™ Introduction
The media landscape has changed — has your strategy?Reaching journalists, influencers, and audiences today takes more than a press release. Every platform speaks a different language — and you need the right tools to speak fluently. Lookatmedia™ is more than a PR platform. It’s your end-to-end media command center — built to simplify your workflow, amplify your message, and connect you directly with the people who shape the narrative. Ready to become the source everyone’s talking about?
Who took the shot?
Whether it's photos or videos, photo editors and journalists need the attribution details. To protect your organisation from legal action and ensure your images are published, you must provide this information with your images and video content.
Who’s in the shot?
If you have people in your images, do you have model releases? What are the terms around those releases? Have those present agreed to editorial release? Do you have the right names in the image description? Has this description been provided to the photo editor or journalist? Accuracy, documentation, and detail are more important to the media than they may be to you. This information provides them with legal coverage and demonstrates a right to use the image.
Jordi Mora (Jordi Tudela)
A client sits in a barber chair in a salon with green walls, surrounded by multiple barbers engaged in grooming. One barber applies shaving cream using a brush, while another trims the beard with scissors. Tools such as combs and clippers are visible
Jordi Mora (Jordi Tudela)
A client sits in a barber chair in a salon with green walls, surrounded by multiple barbers engaged in grooming. One barber applies shaving cream using a brush, while another trims the beard with scissors. Tools such as combs and clippers are visible
Describing the shot
Do your images contain accurate descriptions? Dates, places, subject matter, and other information create context around your image, helping it become an integral part of the story and providing additional legal cover for the media.
iStock
A sky filled with glowing paper lanterns rises against a dark backdrop, illuminating the night. The lanterns vary in size and brightness, creating a sea of light over an undefined landscape. No specific location or identifiable landmarks are visible.
iStock
A sky filled with glowing paper lanterns rises against a dark backdrop, illuminating the night. The lanterns vary in size and brightness, creating a sea of light over an undefined landscape. No specific location or identifiable landmarks are visible.
Is it the right format?
Depending on the publication format, photo editors and journalists will have very specific (and often) individual needs for images and videos. They may want horizontal, vertical images and video. These print publications need different resolutions to their online and social channels. They may want other images based on something as arbitrary as colour or some other aesthetic concern.
Managing the details
Lookatmedia™ is uniquely suited to handle the media's minutiae of photo and video management. To start with, it's built around one of the worlds best Digital Asset Management (DAM) solutions and contains workflows that are designed to bulk manage metadata for digital assets. It uses AI technology to tag content to make it easier for you and journalists to discover. It automatically adds titles, descriptions, and attributions (and even hashtags) that have been added to images when they were uploaded to the DAM. It delivers this information back to journalists when they download this content. It provides everything you need to ensure photo editors and journalists can discover and legally use your images and videos to illustrate your stories in the media.
