Keep your metadata to yourself (Photoshop CS/CS2/CS3/CS4)

While keyword metadata is a helpful tool for easy search and retrieval when archiving images, there are times you simply don’t want your metadata going everywhere your image goes. Whether it’s a privacy concern or you simply don’t want to share your camera specs with others, there is a way to get rid of all the metadata in Photoshop.

To remove metadata from your image quickly:

1. Choose Layer > Flatten Image if your image is in layers.
2. Press [command]A ([Ctrl]A in Windows) to select the entire image.
3. Copy the image.
4. Press [command]N ([Ctrl]N in Windows) to create a new document, at the default size of the image you just copied to the clipboard.
5. Press [command]V ([Ctrl]V in Windows)to paste the image into the new document.
6. Choose Layer > Flatten Image to flatten the image.
7. Save the file.

Now, when you next open the file, choose File > File Info, and check out the metadata that remains. Items such as creation date are embedded by the application, but information such as keywords, contact information, and camera data have been stripped from the file. However, keep in mind when working with stock photography that you should keep the metadata embedded in the file, especially the copyright information.