What photo information should be backed up besides image files?

List the information you actually use

Open your main photo library and note the features you depend on when finding pictures. Common examples are titles, captions, keywords, favorites, star ratings, face or place labels, albums, and dates. Also note whether your app stores edits separately from the image. This list is your personal backup checklist. It is better to protect a few useful kinds of information consistently than to make a vague plan that overlooks how you locate photos.

Find where each item lives

Some details may be embedded in image files, while others may be kept in a catalog, sidecar file, cloud service, or application database. Check the help information for your photo app and examine a small export from your own library. Identify what is included with an image file and what requires a separate export or copy. Write the locations down in plain language so you can repeat the process later.

Save an organizing guide

Create a short text note within your regular photo materials that explains your folder pattern, file-name pattern, rating meanings, album conventions, and any special version labels. Include the date it was updated. This guide does not need to describe every photo; it should explain how to navigate the collection. Keep a copy with each major backup location so the structure remains understandable if you open the files elsewhere.

Test the information in a backup

Choose several photos with captions, keywords, ratings, edits, and album membership. Open them from a separate backup location and compare what you can see with the working library. If information is missing, add the needed catalog, sidecar files, exports, or guide to the backup plan. Repeat the test after changing photo apps or importing a large new group, because those changes can alter where information is stored.

Sources

These official sources can help you check the next step for your equipment.

1. Adobe Help: Metadata basics in Lightroom Classic — Adobe Help: Metadata basics in Lightroom Classic
2. Library of Congress: Personal Digital Archiving — Library of Congress: Personal Digital Archiving

Before making disruptive changes

• A backup of image files alone may not preserve the labels, edits, albums, or search work that makes your collection usable.
• Before overwriting a catalog or export, confirm that the replacement contains the current photo information you intend to keep.