Short answer
A model release is a signed consent that permits use of a person's likeness in specified ways. DAMs link releases to every asset showing that person. A model release protects the brand only as far as its terms reach, so the DAM must hold its channels, regions and end date as fields on each linked asset.
How a model release works in a DAM
A model release works in a DAM as a document linked to a person record and to every asset that shows that person. The release terms become usage rights on each linked asset, and the DAM enforces them like any other licence.
A DAM handles model releases in four steps:
- Store the signed release as a restricted document, visible to rights owners only.
- Link the release to a person record, so one person can carry several releases.
- Link the person to every asset where they appear, in bulk after a shoot.
- Copy the release terms into the usage rights fields of each linked asset.
The IPTC Photo Metadata Standard defines Model Release Status and Model Release Id fields in its Extension schema. Those fields carry release information inside the file when it leaves the DAM.
A photo that identifies a person can count as personal data. Fact: Article 4(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2016/679, defines personal data as any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. Article 99(2) states that the Regulation applies from 25 May 2018.
Example of a model release
Worked example: a skincare brand shoots a campaign with one model. The release limits the model's images to print for two years from the shoot date.
The DAM links the release to all 180 selected images from the shoot. Each image receives Channel: Print and an end date two years ahead. A social media editor searching for the campaign sees none of the images, and the DAM blocks them everywhere after the end date.
Model release in a DAM selection
Model releases are defined at Checkpoint 2: Define, together with usage rights and access rules for personal data. Test the link between one release and many assets, because manual tagging per image fails at scale.
Ask each vendor to show these points at Checkpoint 5: Test:
- Link one release to 50 assets in one bulk action.
- Change the release end date and show all 50 assets update.
- Find every asset showing one person.
- Restrict the release document to the rights team.
- Embed Model Release Status in downloaded files.
The rights exposure estimator sizes how many assets lack release data. The rights management guide covers the process.
Common model release mistakes
The most common model release mistake is a single yes or no field that records a release exists without its terms. Other recurring errors:
- Release PDFs in a shared drive with no link to assets.
- Release documents open to every DAM user, exposing personal data.
- No person record, so a second release for the same model cannot be connected.
Related terms: Usage rights, Digital rights management.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a model release and usage rights?
A model release is consent from a person to use their likeness. Usage rights are the full set of licence terms on an asset, which can combine a model release, a photographer licence and a music licence. The strictest term decides what the asset may do.
Does GDPR apply to photos of people in a DAM?
A photo that identifies a person can be personal data under Article 4(1) of the GDPR. The DAM then needs access controls, retention rules and a lawful basis for processing. Ask your data protection officer to confirm the basis for each asset type.