How to properly tag people in your photos

Why is it important to tag your photos?

AI has some incredible capabilities, but the ability to properly and respectfully identify people in photos still has a long way to go. Images must be properly tagged in order for search to pull up accurate and inclusive results. Here are some quick tips on how to do just that!

How do tags work

When you submit a photo to Unsplash, tags are automatically generated to ensure that the image is found in search. There’s things our automatic tagging does well, and things it doesn’t. And while we’re continuously making improvements, there are also things you can keep in mind when tagging your own photos, that will make a big impact.

Tip 1: Identify your Subject

If a person or group of people are the main subjects of your photo, ask them how they want to be identified. Consider including tags of their key identifiers whether that’s their generation, ability, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or occupation. These are elements that AI may not get right, so it’s important for search that they are accurate.

Tip 2: Context is Key  

Include context tags of the photo, ex. wedding, remote work, running, current event etc.

Tip 3:  Add details in the Description

Add a detailed description/caption/story with any additional information you want the user to know.

🔥 Hot tip: adding additional context will increase your chances of getting featured on Unsplash’s social accounts!

Tip 4: Don’t get too Creative

Think about the words people may use to search for a photo. Don’t use words that may be uncommon or unlikely to be searched.

Tip 5: Keep it Authentic

Don’t add inaccurate or flat-out false tags — these will impact the reliability of your tags, and the impact they can make on your photos.

How to tag your photos

Now that we’ve talked about what to tag, let’s run through how to actually tag your photos:

1. Upload your photos to Unsplash by clicking ‘Submit a photo’ through the app or desktop
2. Once your photos are uploaded, you can add tags right in the uploader
3. Add your tags & description!

How to tag your photos after they’ve been published

1. Once your photos have been submitted, you can got back and include tags to improve visibility
2. On your profile, under the image on the right side, click ‘Edit’
3. A new window will appear. Hit ‘Tags’ in the top menu.
4. Add your tags!

Read how Unsplash is tweaking their search algorithm to have more diverse results here.