Photos and Captions Editors Can Use

An editor choosing between two product items often chooses by the picture. A good image makes the item look worth reading. A poor or missing one makes the editor think about the extra work of finding one. A caption does a different job: it tells readers what they are looking at and why it matters, often before they read anything else.

Photographs and captions are small things that can decide whether a product gets covered. This guide describes what editors need, how to prepare images, how to write captions that work and how to handle credits and permissions properly.

What an editor wants

The editor's checklist is practical.

• A clear subject. What is this a picture of?
• Quality. Sharp, well lit, not blurry or cluttered.
• Size and format. Usable at the sizes the publication needs.
• Relevance. Does it show the product, the people or the result?
• Permission. Can we publish it, and how?
• A caption and credit. Ready to use.
• Variety. More than one, to choose from.

If any of these are missing, the editor must fill the gap or skip the item.

What to show

The product

For a physical product, a clean photograph on a plain background, plus one in use. For software, a clear screenshot of the main screen.

The result

What the product produces. A finished report, a tidy list, a repaired object.

The people

A photograph of the founders or team, if they are willing, at a decent resolution. Editors sometimes need a face for a profile.

Context

The product in a real setting: a clinic, a workshop, a classroom.

Send two to four images, not twenty. Choose the best.

Screenshots

Software is often shown in screenshots. Make them count.

• Use realistic content. Meaningful sample data, not "Test" or "Lorem ipsum".
• Remove clutter. Close extra windows, hide notifications and bookmarks, clean the desktop.
• Remove personal data. Names, emails, account details of real people.
• Crop to the relevant part.
• Use a clean, consistent window size.
• Show light and dark modes if both exist and are a feature.
• Capture at high resolution, so it stays sharp when enlarged.
• Avoid fake mock-ups that do not match the real product.

An editor will notice if a screenshot is not real. So will readers.

Photographing objects

If you make physical goods:

• Use daylight or soft, even light.
• Use a plain background.
• Show scale, with a hand or a familiar object.
• Show detail, a close-up of the best feature.
• Keep it steady and sharp.
• Avoid heavy filters that change the colours or hide flaws. Customers will see the real thing.

Technical preparation

Editors work with images in different ways, and publications have different needs.

Size. Print needs high resolution; websites need less. Offer a large original and be ready to supply smaller versions. Exact requirements vary by outlet, so ask or check their guidelines.

Format. Common formats such as JPEG and PNG are widely accepted.

File names. Descriptive: "notely-bookings-calendar-view.jpg", not "IMG_4032.jpg".

Delivery. Large attachments often get blocked. Send a link to a folder with the files, plus one small preview in the email, so the editor can see something at once.

Metadata. Embedded information such as the creator, caption and rights can travel with an image. The IPTC photo metadata standard is widely used by news organisations for this purpose. Filling in the creator and rights fields helps editors and protects your credit.

Search. Google's guidance on images advises descriptive file names, alt text and good quality, which help people and machines understand a picture.

Writing the caption

A caption is a short text that accompanies a picture and explains it. A good caption does three things.

1. Says what the picture shows.
2. Adds context the picture cannot. Who, where, why it matters.
3. Credits the source, when needed.

Most captions in trade publications are one or two sentences.

Rules of thumb

Describe, then add. The caption should not simply repeat what the eye sees ("A screen showing a calendar"). It should add: "The daily schedule in Notely Bookings, showing three appointments and a blocked holiday."

Be specific. Names, places, features.

Identify people left to right if there are several, with names and roles. Ask permission before naming or showing people.

Use the present tense for what the picture shows.

Keep it factual. No hype. "The tool's calendar view" not "the stunning interface".

Match the copy. Names and details in the caption should match the story.

Keep it short. If it needs more, the story should carry it.

Include the credit on a separate line: "Image: Acme" or the photographer's name.

An example

Weak: "Screenshot."

Better: "The daily schedule view in Notely Bookings, which lets patients book without an account. Image: Acme."

The second tells the reader what, why it matters and who supplied it.

Alt text

Alt text is a short written description of an image, used by screen readers and displayed when images fail to load. It is distinct from the caption. The caption is for everyone who sees the image; alt text is for those who cannot.

Good alt text:

• Describes the content and purpose of the image.
• Is short, usually a sentence.
• Avoids "image of" or "picture of".
• Does not repeat the caption word for word.
• Includes essential text that appears in the image.

For a screenshot: "Calendar view with three booked appointments and one blocked day." For a decorative image, the alt text should be empty.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines treat text alternatives as a basic requirement, and the W3C's image tutorials explain how to choose the right alternative for different kinds of image. Provide alt text with your images. Publications that care about accessibility will thank you.

Credits and permissions

Pictures belong to someone. Be clear who, and what you allow.

Own your images. If you commissioned or took them, say so. If a third party owns them, get written permission.

State the permitted use. "Free to use in coverage of this product." Do you allow edits? Cropping? Use after the story?

Credit correctly. State the credit line you want.

Get permission from people shown. For photographs of identifiable people, especially customers or staff, get consent. Children need parental consent. Data protection and privacy rules apply to images of identifiable people.

Avoid third-party content. Do not include logos, brands or screenshots of others' work without permission.

Do not use images you do not have the right to use. "Found it online" is not a licence.

Honesty in images

Editors and readers expect honesty.

• Do not alter photos to misrepresent.
• Label mock-ups and renderings as such.
• Do not stage customer testimonials.
• Do not use stock photos as if they were real customers.

UK advertising guidance on testimonials requires evidence that quoted people and endorsements are genuine, and the principle extends to pictures of people presented as customers. Use real photos or none.

A pack, ready to go

Assemble a small press image pack.

• Two to four images.
• Captions in a text file.
• Alt text.
• Credit line.
• Usage note.
• A contact.

Put it in a shared folder with a stable link, and refer to it in your announcement. Keep it current. When the product changes, replace the screenshots.

Common mistakes

• Blurry or cluttered images.
• Screenshots with personal data.
• No caption.
• Captions that repeat the obvious.
• No credit or permissions.
• Attachments too large for email.
• Generic file names.
• No alt text.
• Out-of-date screenshots.

On this site

Makers add screenshots with descriptions from their account on a paid listing, the launches page shows how images and short captions sit together and the categories page helps readers browse by subject. The contact page goes to the support desk, and the blog has more guides in this series.

A caption checklist

Before you send an image pack, read each caption against five points. Does it say what the picture shows? Does it add one fact the picture cannot? Are names, places and product names spelt exactly as in the story? Is the credit line present? Is the alt text separate and descriptive? Then read the captions without the pictures, as a screen reader user or an editor skimming a text file would. If they still make sense and none repeats another, they are ready.

Updating images over time

Products change, and so should their pictures. A screenshot from version one, circulating after version three, shows features that no longer exist and omits the ones people want to see. Set a calendar reminder to refresh your image pack after each major release. Archive the old pictures with their dates so you can match them to old coverage, and replace the links in your press page. A current, accurate image pack is a small courtesy that editors notice and reward.

The short version

Editors choose pictures that are sharp, uncluttered, relevant and cleared for use. Send two to four real images, clean screenshots with realistic data and no personal details, descriptive file names and links rather than huge attachments. Write captions that say what is shown and add context, credit the source, supply separate alt text and get permission from owners and people shown. Never alter or stage images to mislead.