ExifTool
ExifTool is a powerful, open-source software tool for reading, writing, and manipulating metadata in a wide variety of files. It supports many types of metadata including EXIF, GPS, IPTC, XMP, JFIF, and more, and works with many file formats like JPEG, TIFF, MP3, and PDF, among others.
Basic Usage of ExifTool
Viewing Metadata: To view metadata of a file, simply run ExifTool against a file:
This command will display all the metadata stored in example.jpg, such as camera settings, GPS location, or the time the photo was taken.
Editing Metadata: ExifTool can also be used to edit or add metadata. For example, to change the artist name on an image file:
This command sets the Artist field in the metadata to "John Doe".
Removing Metadata: To remove metadata from a file, you can use the -all= option:
This command deletes all metadata from example.jpg while keeping the file intact.
Advanced Usage Examples
Recursive Operation: You can operate ExifTool recursively to process directories of files. For example, to extract metadata from all JPEG files in a directory and its subdirectories:
Copying Metadata Between Files: ExifTool allows copying metadata from one file to another. This is particularly useful in media workflows:
This copies all tags from source.jpg to target.jpg.
Exporting Metadata to a File: You can export metadata into a readable format such as CSV or JSON, which is helpful for data analysis:
This command extracts GPS data and the original date/time from example.jpg and saves it into output.json.
ExifTool is highly versatile for managing metadata across a multitude of media types, providing detailed control over privacy settings, data management, and digital asset management processes.
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