Table of Contents
What Is EXIF Data?
Exif data is a type of metadata that records data about the date, time and camera settings used when taking a photo. This information can be useful for protecting against copyright violations or removing unwanted photos from your hard drive. In this article, we will discuss how to manage EXIF data on your computer using two different free tools.
The first step is knowing what EXIF data looks like so you know if you are looking at it correctly. There should be an “xmp” tag at the beginning of the file name before anything else such as “DSCN0001” . Here are some tags from exif data your file may have:
- -xmp “Digital Camera”
- DSCN0001
- Date Time Original
- Date Time Digitized
- Exposure Compensation Factor
- F-Number Value As Shot/Camera Setting Name
SaveFileName.jpg (name) – (folder location) – file size in bytes and the date taken. The timestamp is recorded as an integer number of seconds elapsed since January 01, 1970 00:00:00 UTC or Unix Epoch time. This will be followed by a decimal point to designate fractional second values which are rounded up to the nearest millisecond for storage purposes.”xx xxxxxxxx yy yyyy ddd dd mmmmmm ss tt”, where xx = fractional seconds; yy = decimal seconds; ddd = days of the week in Western order (for example, Sunday is 0); mmmmmm = months in English alphabetical order with leading zeros for single-digit values and a blank space where there should be two digits for 11 to 12 month names; dd = day number within the month with leading zeros as necessary to make an eight character field.
Example: “DSCN0001 138 0036 xxxx 2014 04 16 1355”
The second step is finding EXIF data on your computer. Many file formats store metadata about their content automatically when they are saved by programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Office Word. Common image types, like .jpg and .gif files, also contain information about the date and time an image was created.
If you are not sure where to find EXIF data on your computer, you can search for it in Microsoft Windows by going into “Windows Explorer” (the default file browser) and then clicking through folders until finding photos or video files that have a .jpg or .gif extension. You should see the camera settings information at the beginning of each file name before anything else such as DSCH0001 which means Digital Camera.
Understanding and Using EXIF Data
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is an international standard for storing interchange information in JPEG images. Remember that just because you don’t see EXIF data, it doesn’t mean it’s not there. EXIF data can be embedded in the file as a hidden or invisible feature or saved to a separate sidecar file.
Some of the things that your EXIF data might contain are:
– Name of camera and model
– Date and time image was taken
– File size and color mode
– Geographic location where image was taken – Lens type, focal length, lens make, and lens model
– Whether the flash fired or not.
– Any comments added by you.
– Your IP address.
– The time it took to create the image – GPS coordinates
In order to find your EXIF data, do a right click on an empty area of the photo and select “Properties.” This will show you all of the information that is stored in this particular file; for example, my Canon EOS Rebel T50 was used along with Av mode at ISO 100 to shoot this picture. You may also be able to view these properties from other programs such as Adobe Lightroom or Picasa (Google’s free program). If not, there are many websites out there which offer complimentary services where you can upload files online and receive back what metadata they have found within them. For example, ExifTool offers its services for free.
To use your EXIF data, you can find it in the image properties window and then copy paste this into a document to add extra information about that photo. You may also be able to pull up specific pieces of information by right clicking on an empty area at the top of the image will bring up “Properties” where you’ll see options such as camera model, date taken, etc. This is helpful if you want to compare different cameras or lenses without having to open each file individually.
– To remove your EXIF data: One way would be through using editing software which could delete metadata (e.g., Adobe Photoshop). However, there are other ways such as renaming the files with any name and saving it or simply using a general file reducing program like CCleaner.
There are many benefits to knowing EXIF data and how you can use, remove, and find it in your photos. You may want to know if there have been any changes made within the image such as cropping or red eye removal; this is especially helpful for stock photography agencies that require certain requirements for submissions. It can also be used by law enforcement agencies investigating crimes when they need specific metadata from photographs taken at crime scenes (e.g., location information). Finally, while IP addresses do not always provide accurate locations of their users, sometimes ISPs will cooperate with requests through subpoenas which lead to an exact geographical location being found out on its user without them even knowing it.
How To View EXIF Data
To view the EXIF data of a photo, first open the file from Picasa, iPhoto or one of your other photo managers. You’ll then see tons of meta data about the image. Next to all this information are two buttons: “View Tags” and “View More Info.” For most people, “View Tags” is sufficient. This will give you basic info like date time taken and camera settings.
If you want to see more information in Picasa, just click on “View More Info”. There’s a ton more data there including lens type, focal length and ISO speed but these are only available in Picasa.
If you want to remove EXIF data from photos, there are a variety of tools that can help. Picasa and iPhoto have the option to “Remove” all meta-data when exporting an image. If this doesn’t work for some reason, try running Image Doctor or Photo Cleaner in Windows XP (both free downloads). For Mac OSX users, use Meta Data Removal Tool instead – it’s also free.
After removing EXIF data with any one of these programs, open your photo again; now it will be completely blank other than basic file information like name and size.
Compare EXIF Information Between Photos To Help You Learn
It is possible to compare the EXIF information between two different images because they are stored in deep storage. One way to ensure you know what is in an image before you share it on social media is to use EXIFinfo.com’s metadata analysis tool. This site will analyze the metadata for you and tell you the file size, dimension, when it was taken and more. You can also upload your own pictures and compare them with photos that are already shared. This will help you learn how to find identical or similar photos online, as well as what type of information they may contain.
The metadata analysis tool will also tell you the file size, dimension and when it was taken. It is important to know this information because if a photo has been modified or edited with Photoshop, then these numbers may be different than what they originally were. If someone edits an image in order to deceive people into believing something that did not happen (e.g., photoshopping out a person’s head), then those dimensions can reveal whether or not the picture is fake. For example, if somebody digitally alters height of a building but does not change its width from left-to-right on screen, then by knowing the original pixel ratio of both images we can determine how much taller one building appears over another without having to manually measure it ourselves.
How Can You Remove EXIF Data From Your Photographs?
The EXIF (Exchangeable Image File) data that are included in the JPEG format of a photograph is not actually removed when you delete them on your computer. This metadata can be accessed by opening the file with a text editor. You can delete them, but it’s once again not permanent. There are a few programs out there that claim to permanently remove this metadata, but you should always be wary of downloading anything from an untrusted source. It is best to just avoid uploading any sensitive data onto your camera such as banking information or passwords.
A Few Good Products for Removing EXIF Data:
The program called PTPB Pro is able to remove all of the data for you and replace it with nothing more than the red X that says an image can’t be found.
Another product called JPEG Doctor is a simple, small and portable application which you launch to remove the data so it’s cleaner for sharing.
A third option would be using Exif Remover. It’s not a standalone program but rather an add-on for Firefox or Chrome browser in order to strip all EXIF data from your photos before uploading them online through FTP or emailing them with attachments. However, it only works on images stored locally on your computer and does not work if uploaded through Google+.
If you are looking to remove EXIF data from pictures you have already taken, the best way to do this is to use a photo editor. Just open up your image in Photoshop or other editing software and delete the metadata through there.
To summarize – If you don’t want anyone else viewing your personal information when they download an image of yours online then be sure to keep it off of any social media sites (such as Facebook). This will help prevent people from accessing that sensitive information and make sure images are only available for those with whom you share them with.
Although deleting JPEGs removes their EXIF files, they can still be accessed by using a text editor such as Notepad++ on Windows computers. And even if someone deletes these files, they can still be accessed.
FAQ
Is EXIF data dangerous?
No. It is not dangerous in any way.
What does EXIF data reveal?
EXIF data reveals the date and time of the photo, as well as what type of camera was used to take the photo. It also has information about focal length, exposure, flash usage, and ISO settings.
How accurate is EXIF data?
Date and time stamps are accurate, but significant changes in the metadata may result from image editors that alter the image after it was exported.
In this digital age, information is easily manipulated and can be changed with a simple keystroke. EXIF data which contains details about the photographer of an image such as what camera was used or where it was taken could also be altered to make someone appear more professional than they actually are without being caught by anyone else because there’s no way for people looking at your photo who don’t know you personally to tell that something fishy has happened.
What is an Exif header and what purpose does it have?
Exif headers are used to record data about the photo which was taken. This can include what type of camera was used to take the photo, what date and time it was taken, as well as exposure, flash, and other metadata.
Do video files have EXIF data?
A video file does not have EXIF data. However, a lot of metadata along with information about the date, time and location where a video was recorded are stored in the file.
When you download a photo do you get EXIF information with it?
Yes, when you download a photo off of the internet or someone sends it to you with an attachment, you will get EXIF information on what type of pictures were taken and the time they were taken.
What is the equivalent of EXIF for videos What are easy ways to view the data?
A video file does not have EXIF data. However, a lot of metadata along with information about the date, time and location where a video was recorded are stored in the file.
There are some different methods apps like iShowU Pro can give you to get access to the EXIF data. You can register for their Pro version and have access to multiple features that allow you to either edit or share your photos with friends and family.
How to get rid of EXIF data on iPhone photos?
1. On your iPhone, open the Photos App and go to Albums.
2. Select any photo album and then tap Select in the upper right corner.
3. Tap All at the top left corner of your screen and then select Edit at the top right corner of your screen.
4. Under Advanced, tap Exif Metadata under File Details and tap Remove All so that there is no checkmark in front of it, then press Done in the upper right corner of your screen.
Is a photo still traceable when EXIF data is removed?
It would still be traceable if you remove EXIF data from your photo. This is due to the fact that even when all metadata is removed by changing it or removing it, it will still be recognized as a photo and not an empty file that has been completely erased.
What is the best EXIF metadata remover/editor?
This is a hard question to answer as there are so many different editor apps out there for both Apple and Android devices. You can try downloading iShowU Pro and see if you like it. It’s been rated very favorably in the app store.
Why doesn’t Facebook photos use EXIF data?
This is because Facebook doesn’t want photos to be traceable, so they don’t store EXIF data like other photo sharing sites such as Instagram.
Conclusion
It’s time to go out and take some cool pictures, but before you do please read this article. If you’re not sure if a photo contains EXIF data or want to know how it can be used in your workflow then I recommend reading the first part of this post where I discussed what EXIF Data is as well as showed you how to find it on both PC and Mac computers. Next we will talk about using that information for our own purposes: either by making personal prints with more accurate date/time stamps or removing the metadata altogether from photos taken at events such as weddings. Finally, there are three ways (and their respective benefits) that photographers typically use when dealing with EXIF data: Ignore It, Edit It or Remove It.