Identifying and tracking digital images with customized metadata

1. A method of generating a digital image file, the method comprising:

capturing a digital image of a subject with a digital camera;

storing the digital image in a digital image file in a memory device of the digital camera;

receiving subject data identifying the subject in the digital image;

receiving order-related data associated with an order to purchase products associated with at least the digital image;

converting the subject data and the order-related data from a first format in which the subject data and the order-related data are received to a second format, different from the first format;

storing the subject data and the order-related data in the second format in one or more metadata fields in the digital image file;

retrieving the subject data and the order-related data in the second format from the one or more metadata fields in the digital image file; and

restoring the subject data and the order-related data to the first format to enable processing of the order.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein converting the subject data and the order-related data to the second format comprises:

fragmenting the subject data and the order-related data; and

storing the fragmented subject data and the fragmented order-related data in the one or more metadata fields.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein restoring the subject data and the order-related data to the first format comprises:

reassembling the fragmented subject data and the fragmented order-related data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein converting the subject data and the order-related data to the second format comprises:

rearranging an original sequence of the subject data and the order-related data; and

storing the rearranged sequence of the subject data and the order-related data in the one or more metadata fields.

5. The method of claim 4 , restoring the subject data and the order-related data to the first format comprises:

reverting the rearranged sequence of the subject data and the order-related data back to the original sequence.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein storing the digital image file in the memory device of the digital camera comprises:

storing the digital image file as a single digital data file encoded in the memory device according to a standard digital image file format.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving organizational data that includes one or more of a job number, a reference number, or a control code; and

storing the organizational data in the one or more metadata fields in the digital image file.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second format is a format readable by the digital camera.

9. A digital image processing system, comprising:

a processing device; and

a memory device, the memory device storing a program which, when executed by the processing device, causes the processing device to:

receive a digital image of a subject captured with an image capture device;

store the digital image in a digital image file in a memory device of a digital camera;

receive subject data identifying the subject in the digital image;

receive order-related data associated with an order to purchase products associated with at least the digital image;

convert the subject data and the order-related data from a first format in which the subject data and the order-related data are received to a second format, different from the first format; and

store the subject data and the order-related data in one or more metadata fields in the digital image file, wherein the subject data and the order-related data stored in the second format are retrieved from the one or more metadata fields in the digital image file and restored to the first format to enable processing of the order.

10. The digital image processing system of claim 9 , wherein one or more of the subject data and the order-related data are received from an input device.

11. The digital image processing system of claim 10 , wherein the input device includes one or more of a scanner, a keypad, and a character sequencer, and the subject data and the order-related data are received as one or more of barcode data, a sequence of numbers, and a sequence of letters.

12. The digital image processing system of claim 9 , wherein the subject data includes identifying information associated with the subject, including one or more of: a name, a school, a grade, a class, a town, and contact information.

13. The digital image processing system of claim 9 , wherein the order-related data includes one or more of:

one or more product types, including prints of the digital image,

a quantity of each product,

a size of each product,

an identifier of a package comprising the products,

one or more requested finishing techniques for one or more of the products, including stray hair removal, red eye removal, coverage of skin blemishes, a color tint, a background, a border, and text,

a delivery date, and

a cost.

14. The digital image processing system of claim 9 , wherein the subject is one of a human, an animal, or an object.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to:

receive a digital image file storing a digital image of a subject;

receive subject data identifying the subject in the digital image;

receive order-related data associated with an order to purchase products associated with at least the digital image;

convert the subject data and the order-related data from a format in which the subject data and the order-related data were received to a different format readable by a digital camera;

store the subject data and the order-related data in the converted format in one or more metadata fields in the digital image file;

retrieve the subject data and the order-related data in the converted format from the one or more metadata fields in the digital image file; and

restore the subject data and the order-related data to the format in which the subject data and the order-related data were received to enable processing of the order.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein to convert the subject data and the order-related data to the different format readable by the digital camera, the one or more processing devices are further caused to one or more of:

fragment the subject data and the order-related data; and

rearrange an original sequence of the subject data and the order-related data.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein the one or more processing devices are further caused to process the order.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17 , wherein to restore the subject data and the order-related data to the format in which the subject data and the order-related data were received, the one or more processing devices are further caused to:

reassemble the subject data and the order-related data if the subject data and the order-related data were fragmented when converted to the different format readable by the digital camera; and

revert the subject data and the order-related data back to the original sequence if the original sequence of the subject data and the order-related data was rearranged when converted to the different format readable by the digital camera.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17 , wherein to process the order, the one or more processing devices are further caused to:

render the digital image based on the order-related data;

package the rendered digital image based on the order-related data; and

deliver the package to a consumer based on the subject data.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19 , wherein the order-related data includes at least a quantity, a size, and a background selection for prints of the digital image, and to render the digital image based on the order-related data, the one or more processing devices are further caused to:

modify the digital image based on the background selection; and

print the modified digital image in the quantity and the size specified in the order-related data.