PhotoTag.ai
PhotoTag.ai generates AI keywords, titles and descriptions for stock photos and videos, writing them into IPTC, XMP, EXIF or QuickTime metadata or a marketplace CSV. Photographers, videographers and archive teams work by browser, Lightroom plug-in or API.
What is PhotoTag.ai?
PhotoTag.ai is a web platform that reads a photo or a video and writes back a title, a description and a keyword list, generated from the visual content itself. It is published by CodeConda LLC, an Arizona software studio founded in 2023 that runs eleven applications. The site claims more than 30,000 users worldwide and over 25 million files already tagged.
Images can be PNG, JPEG, WEBP, SVG or TIFF; videos can be MP4, MOV or AVI. A whole video costs a single credit regardless of its length or weight. Limits scale with the credits you own: below 10,000 credits you get 40 MB per image, 500 MB per video and 500 files per batch; from 10,000 credits, 70 MB, 1 GB and 1,000 files; from 100,000 credits, 100 MB, 2 GB and 1,500 files.
Two models are offered. Lightning is faster, better on specific detail and the only one that accepts explicit content; Precision is more consistent and follows instructions more closely. Results land in an album editor where you can rewrite, reorder, add, remove or regenerate, a regeneration costing one credit.
Export goes two ways: metadata embedded directly into the file as IPTC, XMP, EXIF or QuickTime, or a CSV shaped for one of 22 named stock marketplaces. A free Lightroom Classic plug-in for Windows and Mac keeps the work inside the catalogue and is the only route that accepts RAW. A POST API returns JSON or a metadata-bearing file, capped at 30 seconds per request and one request per second.
A daily Trends page tracks stock keywords by demand, growth and agency, with VIP Trends unlocked by any credit purchase. Heavy users can switch on Bring Your Own API Key, plugging in their own OpenAI or Gemini key for unlimited volume billed by the provider (roughly $0.0006 per file on OpenAI, $0.0001 on Gemini).
The interface runs in 20 languages and metadata can be generated in 15 or more. New accounts get three free credits with no card, and purchased credits never expire. Albums older than two years are deleted automatically. A sibling product, ShopTag.ai, covers e-commerce separately.
What it does
- Generate a title, a description and a keyword list for any photo or video
- Upload batches of up to 1,500 files, with pause and resume
- Tune 18+ upload settings: keyword counts, title and description lengths, output language, custom context, required or banned keywords
- Export files with IPTC, XMP, EXIF or QuickTime metadata embedded
- Export a CSV formatted for a specific stock marketplace
- Keyword straight from Lightroom Classic through the free plug-in
- Automate tagging through the API, at one credit per successful call
When to use PhotoTag.ai / When not to
A quick filter to help you decide if PhotoTag.ai is the right fit.
When to use PhotoTag.ai
- Stock photographers and videographers submitting high volumes to Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, iStock or Getty Images
- Lightroom Classic users who want AI keywording without ever leaving their existing catalogue workflow
- Digital asset managers and archive teams with large unindexed visual libraries to make searchable
- E-commerce and content teams working on image SEO for websites and online shops
- Developers and technical teams automating keywording through the API, or running unlimited volume on their own OpenAI or Gemini key
When not to use PhotoTag.ai
- Photographers looking for editing or retouching: PhotoTag.ai writes metadata, it never touches the pixels
- RAW-first workflows outside Lightroom Classic, since neither the web app nor the API accepts RAW files
- API-only teams needing video tagging or existing metadata used as context, both of which are web and plug-in features only
- Mobile-only users: there is no iOS or Android app, and export does not work from a mobile browser
- Anyone tagging explicit content, which the platform refuses, or expecting a flat monthly subscription rather than prepaid credits
How to use PhotoTag.ai
A typical end-to-end flow, from setup to results.
- Create an account and collect the three free upload credits, no credit card required
- Drag and drop your photos or videos, up to 1,500 files per batch depending on your credit tier
- Set the upload options: output language, keyword counts, title and description lengths, custom context, required or banned keywords, and the Lightning or Precision model
- Decide whether the filename or the existing metadata should be used as context, and how many key frames to read on videos
- Launch the generation and let it run; it can be paused and resumed at will, with an email notification when it finishes
- Review the results in the album editor: fix the title, edit the description, add, remove or reorder keywords, or regenerate a file for one credit
- Export the files with metadata embedded, or download a CSV in the format of your target stock marketplace
- Optionally rename files with their generated titles, downscale the resolution, or download in batches, from a desktop browser only
- Lightroom route: download the plug-in, add it via File > Plug-in Manager, paste an API token, then run Library > Plug-in Extras > PhotoTag.ai Plug-in > Generate Metadata for Selected Photos
- API route: create a token on the /api page, send it as an Authorization Bearer header, and POST the file as form data with the optional arguments
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Credits are bought once and never expire: no subscription is imposed and any unused balance carries over indefinitely
- Three routes to the same engine, web app, Lightroom Classic plug-in and API, covering the lone photographer and the automating team alike
- Unusually fine control over the output: 18+ settings, imposed or banned keywords, length limits and up to 2,000 characters of custom context
- Metadata is written into the file itself, not only exported as a CSV, and 22 stock marketplaces have dedicated CSV formats
- Three free credits with no credit card, and a single credit per video whatever its duration
- The Bring Your Own API Key option brings the marginal cost close to zero at high volume
- A public DPA with a named subprocessor list, rare for a studio this size, plus automatic credit restoration on failed jobs
Cons
- No postal address and no email address anywhere: support runs exclusively through a shared form, with an announced turnaround of a few business days
- RAW is supported only through the Lightroom Classic plug-in, never in the web app or the API
- The API accepts neither video files nor existing metadata as context, unlike the web app and the plug-in
- Unused credits are non-refundable, and deleting your account forfeits them with no reimbursement
- Albums older than two years are deleted automatically, and export does not work from a mobile browser, with no mobile app at all
- Prices are unreadable without JavaScript, because the pricing page is a client-side Stripe table
- Legal documentation is shared across twelve CodeConda applications, so little of it is specific to PhotoTag.ai, and the privacy policy declines any uniform commitment on retention or training at third-party AI providers
Pricing & Plans
A free tier exists: every new account receives 3 upload credits, with no credit card required. Beyond that, PhotoTag.ai is sold as a one-off purchase of upload credits rather than a subscription, one credit being consumed per generation, photo or video alike. The lowest paid entry point is 36.00 USD for 2,000 credits (34 EUR), followed by 118.00 USD for 10,000 credits and 380.00 USD for 50,000 credits, with the quantity adjustable at checkout. Purchased credits never expire and never reset. A default promotional code advertised in the navigation bar takes 50% off any purchase, and a scheduled auto-repurchase applies a 60% discount. A separate Bring Your Own API Key subscription, monthly or annual, is available on request from support at an unpublished price, usage then being billed by OpenAI or Gemini. Payment is accepted by PayPal, credit or debit card, and cryptocurrency. The Lightroom plug-in and the API token are free to obtain, but both consume credits in use.
- 3 upload credits granted on sign-up
- no credit card required (labelled 'Test basic features for free')
- 36 USD / 34 EUR
- one-off purchase
- 118 USD / 112 EUR
- one-off purchase
- 380 USD / 360 EUR
- one-off purchase
- recurring credit top-up at a 60% discount
- cancellable at any time
- monthly or annual subscription
- amount not published
- activated through support
- with usage billed directly by OpenAI or Gemini
- 'Free'
- 'Starter'
- 'Essentials'
- 'Enterprise' and 'Power'
- with the subtitles 'Just getting started'
- 'Just the essentials'
- 'For businesses' and 'For enterprises'
Data, GDPR & hosting
A consolidated view of how PhotoTag.ai handles your data.
GDPR overview
GDPR compliance here is documented, not merely claimed. The controller is CodeConda LLC, an Arizona company; the privacy policy carries a July 2026 effective date. A publicly available DPA covers the GDPR, UK GDPR and Swiss FADP, incorporates the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (modules 2 and 3) and the UK Addendum, and names every authorised subprocessor in Schedule 3, with 15 days' notice and a reasoned objection right before any addition. Access, rectification, erasure, portability, restriction, objection, consent withdrawal, opt-out of sale or targeted advertising and appeal are all set out, with a one-month response deadline in the UK and EEA. Global Privacy Control is honoured where law requires it; Do Not Track is not. Two gaps stand out: no Data Protection Officer is appointed, and no Article 27 EU representative is designated. Requests go only through the support form.
Who owns the data?
Under the CodeConda terms, you keep whatever rights you already hold in the files you upload: the publisher states it claims no ownership merely because content is processed by a service. You grant CodeConda and its providers a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence limited to operating, securing, maintaining and supporting the service, and you warrant that you hold the copyright, privacy and likeness rights in what you send. Generated titles, descriptions and keywords may be used personally, internally or commercially, but the terms are explicit that this permission is no representation that an output is protectable, exclusively owned by you, non-infringing or cleared for a particular use.
Reuse rights
Generated outputs are yours to reuse without asking permission: titles, descriptions and keywords may be used personally, internally or commercially, with no guarantee of protectability or exclusivity attached. On the input side, the product FAQ states that uploaded files are only used to generate the keywords, title and description, and that only a low-resolution copy is kept so the file can be shown in the album editor; deleting an album permanently and irrecoverably destroys the associated data. The CodeConda privacy policy adds that content is sent to third-party AI providers, named as OpenAI, Google Gemini, fal.ai and RunPod, in order to perform the requested function, and that retention, human review and training terms vary by provider, model, account tier and configuration. On the Bring Your Own API Key option, billing and processing run through the user's own OpenAI or Gemini key, which is stored encrypted and never shared. Beyond generation, data serves account administration, billing, security, support, fraud prevention and legal compliance.
Data retention & training
Hosting summary
CodeConda LLC operates from the United States, and its privacy policy states that information may be stored or processed there and in other countries where its providers or users operate. It expressly declines to guarantee any particular storage country absent a specific contractual commitment. Schedule 3 of the DPA names each subprocessor and its locations: Supabase in Singapore, the United States or the provider-selected region; Cloudflare across its global network including the United States; Amazon Web Services and Google LLC in the United States or a provider-selected region; Sentry (Functional Software, Inc.) in the United States; OpenAI, fal.ai and RunPod primarily in the United States or the configured region; DeepL SE in the EEA, the United States or the configured region; SMTP2GO in the United States, the EEA and New Zealand; Stripe and PayPal on their own United States infrastructure. Restricted international transfers rely on adequacy decisions, the EU Standard Contractual Clauses or the UK Addendum. The front end is served by Vercel, and DNS resolution points to an anycast node hosted by Amazon in the United States.
Things to keep in mind
Risks and trade-offs to weigh before adopting PhotoTag.ai.
- AI output can be wrong, generic or off-tone, and the terms guarantee no accuracy, protectability or exclusivity: human review stays entirely your responsibility, and mass-approving keywords without reading them can quietly pollute an entire portfolio
- The product FAQ says uploaded files are only used to generate the results, while the CodeConda privacy policy explicitly declines any uniform commitment on retention, human review or training at its third-party AI providers (OpenAI, Google Gemini, fal.ai, RunPod); the two statements do not cover the same ground, and no client-side training opt-out is documented
- Albums older than two years are deleted automatically: treat the platform as a workbench, not an archive, or you will lose work you assumed was safe
- Credits are non-refundable once bought, and deleting your account forfeits any remaining balance without reimbursement; the discretionary 14-day window applies to a first purchase only
- No email address and no postal address is published: the only channel is a form shared across the twelve CodeConda applications, with a reply announced within a few business days, which matters if a job is time-critical
- No Article 27 EU representative and no Data Protection Officer are designated, although the service is marketed to European users in twenty interface languages
- Prices are invisible without JavaScript and a permanent 50% promotional code is advertised, so the checkout amount may not match the list price; and the site's e-commerce pages in fact sell ShopTag.ai, a separate product bought separately
Setup & Integrations
Technical difficulty
Difficulty depends on the route. The web app requires none: create an account and drag files in. No installation, no server. The Lightroom Classic plug-in is a thirteen-step but code-free process: download the .lrplugin file, add it through the Plug-in Manager, paste an API token. The API is developer territory, since you create a token, then send a multipart POST with an Authorization Bearer header, cURL examples provided. The longest setup is Bring Your Own API Key: open an OpenAI or Google AI Studio account, generate a key, add a payment method, then ask support to enable the plan.
Deployment
Integrations
Supported languages
Behind PhotoTag.ai
Fundraising
Resources
All the official URLs gathered for verification and reference.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is an upload credit?
Is there a free trial, and do credits expire?
Which file formats are supported?
How many files can I process at once, and how large can they be?
Can the metadata be written into the files themselves?
Can I give the AI my own instructions?
Is there a Lightroom plug-in and an API?
Are my uploaded files reused?
Can I use my own AI API key?
How do support and refunds work?
Should you pick PhotoTag.ai?
PhotoTag.ai is a specialist, not a generalist. It solves one problem, keywording and metadata for visual files, and does not pretend to solve anything else. Judged on that ground it is convincing: three access routes cover very different working styles, from the lone photographer dragging files into a browser, to the Lightroom Classic user who never leaves the catalogue, to the team automating through an API.
The commercial logic is refreshingly readable. Credits are bought once, consumed one per generation, and never expire; a video costs the same single credit whether it runs five seconds or five minutes; and at high volume the Bring Your Own API Key option pushes the marginal cost down to fractions of a cent per file. Three free credits let you test the output quality before spending anything.
The reservations are real. Pricing is invisible without JavaScript, because the pricing page is a client-side Stripe table, and a permanent 50% promotional code means the checkout figure rarely matches the list price. Support runs entirely through a shared web form; no email address and no postal address is published anywhere. Albums are purged automatically after two years, which makes exporting a discipline rather than an option. The legal documentation is unusually complete for a studio this size, since a public DPA with a named subprocessor list is rare, but it is shared across twelve applications and declines any uniform commitment on retention or training at third-party AI providers.
For anyone shipping volume to stock marketplaces, indexing an archive, or wiring keywording into a pipeline, PhotoTag.ai earns its place. For anyone expecting image editing, RAW support outside Lightroom, or a phone-first workflow, it does not.
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
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