Exiftool
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Description
ExifTool is a tool that manipulates meta information on pictures (reads, writes and edits meta information). The tool is also capable of retrieving thumbnails embedded in jpeg images. It supports a wide variety of metadata formats (EXIF, GPS, IPTC, XMP, JFIF, ...).
Exiftool is certainly the most complete tool that manipulates meta data on pictures.
Installation
Under Linux
From sources
Description
This method installs the last available version of Exiftool (in the time of this writing, version 8.49). This is the recommended installation.
Prerequisites
$ sudo apt-get install perl
Installation of Exiftool
$ cd /data/src/ $ wget http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/Image-ExifTool-8.49.tar.gz $ tar xvzf Image-ExifTool-8.49.tar.gz $ cd Image-ExifTool-8.49/ $ sudo cp -R exiftool lib/ /usr/local/bin/
From packages
This method installs version 7.89.
$ sudo apt-get install libimage-exiftool-perl
Under Windows
Exiftool (CLI)
Download Exif from http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/exiftool-8.49.zip, unzip and install.
Then rename "exiftool(-k).exe" to "exiftool.exe".
ExifToolGUI
Download ExifToolGUI from http://freeweb.siol.net/hrastni3/foto/exif/exiftoolgui.zip.
Uncompress in the same directory where you have placed exiftool.
Usage
Syntax
$ exiftool [OPTIONS] [-TAG...] [--TAG...] FILE... $ exiftool [OPTIONS] -TAG[+-<]=[VALUE]... FILE... $ exiftool [OPTIONS] -tagsFromFile SRCFILE [-SRCTAG[>DSTTAG]...] FILE... $ exiftool [ -ver | -list[w|f|wf|g[NUM]|d|x] ]
Options
- -TAG, --TAG
- Extract or exclude specified tag
- -TAG[+-]=[VALUE]
- Write new value for tag
- -TAG[+-]<=DATFILE
- Write tag value from contents of file
- -TAG[+-]<SRCTAG
- Copy tag value (see -tagsFromFile)
- -@ ARGFILE
- Read command-line arguments from file
- -a, -duplicates
- Allow duplicate tag names in output
- -b, -binary
- Output data in binary format
- -c FMT, -coordFormat
- Set format for GPS coordinates
- -d FMT, -dateFormat
- Set format for date/time values
- -D, -decimal
- Show tag ID numbers in decimal
- -e, --composite
- Do not calculate composite tags
- -E, -escapeHTML
- Escape special characters for HTML
- -ee, -extractEmbedded
- Extract information from embedded files
- -ext EXT, -extension
- Process files with specified extension
- -f, -forcePrint
- Force printing of all specified tags
- -F[OFFSET], -fixBase
- Fix the base for maker notes offsets
- -fast
- Increase speed for slow devices
- -g[NUM...], -groupHeadings
- Organize output by tag group
- -G[NUM...], -groupNames
- Print group name for each tag
- -geotag TRKFILE
- Geotag images from specified GPS log
- -h, -htmlFormat
- Use HMTL formatting for output
- -H, -hex
- Show tag ID number in hexadecimal
- -htmlDump[OFFSET]
- Generate HTML-format binary dump
- -i DIR, -ignore
- Ignore specified directory name
- -if EXPR
- Conditionally process files
- -j, -json
- Use JSON output format
- -k, -pause
- Pause before terminating
- -l, -long
- Use long 2-line output format
- -L, -latin
- Use Windows Latin1 encoding
- -lang [LANG]
- Set current language
- -list[w|f|wf|g[NUM]|d|x]
- List various exiftool attributes
- -m, -ignoreMinorErrors
- Ignore minor errors and warnings
- -n, --printConv
- Disable print conversion
- -o OUTFILE, -out
- Set output file or directory name
- -overwrite_original
- Overwrite original by renaming tmp file
- -overwrite_original_in_place
- Overwrite original by copying tmp file
- -p FMTFILE, -printFormat
- Print output in specified format
- -P, -preserve
- Preserve date/time of original file
- -q, -quiet
- Quiet processing
- -r, -recurse
- Recursively process subdirectories
- -s, -short
- Short output format
- -S, -veryShort
- Very short output format
- -scanForXMP
- Brute force XMP scan
- -sep STR, -separator
- Set separator string for list items
- -struct
- Use structured XML or JSON output
- -t, -tab
- Output in tab-delimited list format
- -T, -table
- Output in tabular format
- -tagsFromFile SRCFILE
- Copy tag values from file
- -u, -unknown
- Extract unknown tags
- -U, -unknown2
- Extract unknown binary tags too
- -v[NUM], -verbose
- Print verbose messages
- -ver
- Print version number and exit
- -w EXT, -textOut
- Write console output to file
- -x TAG, -exclude
- Exclude specified tag
- -X, -xmlFormat
- Use RDF/XML output format
- -z, -zip'
- Read/write compressed information
- -common_args
- Define common arguments
- -execute
- Execute multiple commands on one line
- -srcfile FMT
- Set different source file name
Examples
Read Exif meta information
$ exiftool.exe CatsmokeingISgood.jpg ExifTool Version Number : 8.49 File Name : CatsmokeingISgood.jpg Directory : . File Size : 66 kB File Modification Date/Time : 2011:02:15 12:24:29+01:00 File Permissions : rw-rw-rw- File Type : JPEG MIME Type : image/jpeg JFIF Version : 1.01 Exif Byte Order : Big-endian (Motorola, MM) Image Description : Make : NIKON CORPORATION Camera Model Name : NIKON D100 Orientation : Horizontal (normal) X Resolution : 300 Y Resolution : 300 Resolution Unit : inches Software : Adobe Photoshop 7.0 Modify Date : 2003:07:07 21:20:30 Y Cb Cr Positioning : Co-sited Exposure Time : 1/125 F Number : 9.0 Exposure Program : Manual Exif Version : 0220 Date/Time Original : 2001:07:03 21:03:55 Create Date : 2001:07:03 21:03:55 Components Configuration : Y, Cb, Cr, - Compressed Bits Per Pixel : 4 Exposure Compensation : 0 Max Aperture Value : 4.1 Metering Mode : Center-weighted average Light Source : Unknown Flash : No Flash Focal Length : 60.0 mm User Comment : Sub Sec Time : 90 Sub Sec Time Original : 90 Sub Sec Time Digitized : 90 Flashpix Version : 0100 Color Space : Uncalibrated Exif Image Width : 3008 Exif Image Height : 2000 Related Sound File : Sensing Method : One-chip color area File Source : Digital Camera Scene Type : Directly photographed CFA Pattern : [Green,Red][Blue,Green] Custom Rendered : Normal Exposure Mode : Manual White Balance : Auto Digital Zoom Ratio : 1 Focal Length In 35mm Format : 90 mm Scene Capture Type : Standard Gain Control : None Contrast : Normal Saturation : Normal Sharpness : Normal Subject Distance Range : Unknown Compression : JPEG (old-style) Thumbnail Offset : 1016 Thumbnail Length : 5539 Current IPTC Digest : 540c4aedc4be816d04703ac16f5c865e Application Record Version : 2 Caption-Abstract : IPTC Digest : 540c4aedc4be816d04703ac16f5c865e Displayed Units X : inches Displayed Units Y : inches Global Angle : 30 Global Altitude : 30 Copyright Flag : False Photoshop Thumbnail : (Binary data 5539 bytes, use -b option to extr act) Photoshop Quality : 12 Photoshop Format : Standard Progressive Scans : 3 Scans Image Width : 896 Image Height : 684 Encoding Process : Baseline DCT, Huffman coding Bits Per Sample : 8 Color Components : 3 Y Cb Cr Sub Sampling : YCbCr4:2:0 (2 2) Aperture : 9.0 Image Size : 896x684 Scale Factor To 35 mm Equivalent: 1.5 Shutter Speed : 1/125 Create Date : 2001:07:03 21:03:55.90 Date/Time Original : 2001:07:03 21:03:55.90 Modify Date : 2003:07:07 21:20:30.90 Thumbnail Image : (Binary data 5539 bytes, use -b option to extract) Circle Of Confusion : 0.020 mm Field Of View : 22.6 deg Focal Length : 60.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm) Hyperfocal Distance : 19.97 m
Embedded thumbnail in jpeg
This example illustrates the dangers of leaving meta information on jpeg images. In this example, we use Exiftool to extract thumbnail embedded in a jpeg picture that has been cropped with Photoshop 7.
First download these pictures:
$ cd /data/tmp $ wget http://hektik.org/Various/TheBad/cat/img/Cateyes.jpg $ wget http://hektik.org/Various/TheBad/cat/img/CatsmokeingISgood.jpg
By using Exif, we will discover the *hidden* parts of these pictures (embedded thumbnails):
$ exiftool -b -ThumbnailImage Cateyes.jpg > Cateyes.thumb.jpg $ exiftool -b -ThumbnailImage CatsmokeingISgood.jpg > CatsmokeingISgood.thumb.jpg
The tools is capable of embed the thumbnails back to the original pictures:
$ exiftool "-ThumbnailImage<=Cateyes.thumb.jpg" Cateyes.jpg $ exiftool "-ThumbnailImage<=CatsmokeingISgood.thumb.jpg" CatsmokeingISgood.jpg