Which of the following is an example of metadata for a digital image?

• A. The visible subject of the image
• B. The actual pixel color values
• C. The file's pixel data stream
• D. The date the photo was taken

Answer: (D)

Metadata is information about an image that describes its properties rather than the picture itself. The date the photo was taken is a detail about when the image was captured, not part of the visible content or the pixel data. This kind of information is stored with the image (often in EXIF data) so programs can organize, sort, or display details like when the shot happened, the camera settings, or where it was taken. The actual pixel color values and the pixel data stream are the image itself, not metadata, and the visible subject is what’s shown in the image, not ancillary information about it. So, the date the photo was taken is metadata. If you’re sharing images, you can sometimes remove metadata to protect privacy, since it can reveal when and where a photo was taken.