Because all things that should be dead simple usually aren’t, the IPTC metadata – important information like the caption, your byline, and copyright notice – is stored in multiple places in your file.įirst, there’s the old-school IPTC/IIM version of the basic info. Let’s step back for a moment for some background. Which instance of the IPTC metadata does your favorite application prefer? Inquiring minds want to know. Your important metadata lives in two, maybe three, places in your file which one are you seeing? We took a deep dive to find out which ones are preferred by various applications. exiftool.exe -all= -overwrite_original *.Your metadata may be stored in multiple places in your media file. I use the command line to manipulate whole directories of files using a combination of command options and wildcards.

The software is intuitive and easy to use. Exiftool is a cross-platform tool that can remove, modify, and add Exif and other metadata in various file formats. My favorite software to remove Exif data is ExifTool by Phil Harvey. It is therefore best to remove Exif data before publishing or posting pictures online and avoid privacy and security concerns.

The distinctive ID number of the camera device can be used to identify the owner of the camera. When pictures from these devices are posted online, the Exif metadata can be used to sense the time the photo was taken and the location where it was taken, if the camera or cell phone has the GPS location data feature. Since the Exif data contain information about the photo, the Exif data pose privacy and security concerns.

Many owners of digital cameras and cell phones are oblivious that their photos are tagged with sensitive information. Other devices insert more extensive data such as camera settings, GPS location data, and other information that might be specific to that camera or cell phone. Some devices just embed the make and model of the camera.

This is done using the Exchangeable image file format (Exif) data structure or standard. Nearly all cell phones, digital cameras, and scanners insert metadata in the digital photos they capture.

Exiftool gui various disabled