how to extract and edit metadata with ExifTool and ExifTool GUI

Are you interested in learning how to use ExifTool and ExifTool GUI to extract or modify metadata? This data, which describes other data, is crucial in the digital world, especially in images.

They can reveal details about the camera, location, date, author, rights and more. Although metadata is useful for organizing and sharing images, it can also be a privacy risk if it contains sensitive information.

For this reason, it is essential to know how to handle metadata securely. In this Tecnoguía article, we will show you how to use ExifTool and ExifTool GUI , two free and powerful tools, to easily and quickly manipulate the metadata of your images.

Contents

• What is ExifTool?
• What advantages does ExifTool have?
  • Data Variety
  • Trust and Support
• The problem? Commands. The solution? ExifTool GUI.
• How to install ExifTool and ExifTool GUI?
  • Install ExifTool
  • Install ExifTool GUI
• How to Extract Metadata from an Image with ExifTool GUI
  • Open ExifTool GUI
  • Select the Image
  • Export Metadata
  • Save Metadata
• Edit and delete metadata with ExifTool
  • Edit Metadata with ExifTool GUI:
  • Clear Metadata with ExifTool GUI:

What is ExifTool?

ExifTool is a productivity tool that allows you to read, write and edit the meta information of a wide variety of files. Meta information is data that describes other data, such as the camera, location, date, author, and other details of a digital image.

ExifTool is a platform-independent Perl library , plus a command-line application that you can use from Windows, MacOS, or Unix. ExifTool supports many different metadata formats, including EXIF, GPS, IPTC, XMP, JFIF, GeoTIFF, ICC Profile, Photoshop IRB, FlashPix, AFCP and ID3, among others.

You can also read the manufacturer’s notes for many digital cameras from brands such as Canon, Nikon, Sony, FujiFilm, and more. ExifTool is a powerful, fast, flexible and customizable tool that will help you manipulate the metadata of your files easily and quickly.

What advantages does ExifTool have?

Among so many advantages of using ExifTool, we will tell you two of the most important ones so that you are encouraged to try this tool:

Data Variety

ExifTool offers you a large amount of metadata, more than other tools. It can read almost all the data in the file, even that specific to some digital cameras. It doesn’t matter if they are images, audio or videos, ExifTool can process them.

Trust and Support

This tool is as reliable as it is effective. With frequent updates and strong online support, you’ll always have help. The usage guides on the official website are your guide on this journey through the wide world of metadata.

The problem? Commands. The solution? ExifTool GUI.

The commands can be difficult. But don’t worry, we have a solution for you: ExifTool GUI. This simple Graphical User Interface turns difficulty into ease. Without writing codes, without complications. Windows or Mac? You are protected.

Get ready to explore the fascinating universe of metadata with ExifTool. Your entry to a world of unlimited information.

How to install ExifTool and ExifTool GUI?

Below, we present a step-by-step tutorial to install ExifTool and its graphical interface, ExifTool GUI:

Install ExifTool

To install ExifTool, you need to download the zip file corresponding to your operating system from its official website or from other sources. Next, you must extract the contents of the zip file to a folder of your choice.

Inside the folder, you will find the exiftool.exe file, which is the executable for the command-line application. You can create a shortcut to this file on your desktop or start menu for easy use.

Install ExifTool GUI

To download ExifTool GUI, follow these simple steps:

1. Visit the ExifTool Page:Go to the official ExifTool site and click on the “Resources” tab.
2. Select your Operating System: If you are using Windows, find the corresponding section and click on the link provided: Download ExifTool GUI for Windows .
3. Access the Creator Forum:Once on the ExifTool GUI page, you will find an additional link provided by the creator. Click this link: ExifTool GUI Forum . This will take you to a forum where the creator has shared the link to the updated program.
4. Download and Unzip:In the forum, you will find the option to download the updated file. Download it and then unzip it to get the program.
5. Move File to ExifTool Folder:Once downloaded and unzipped, move the ExifTool GUI file to the same folder where you placed ExifTool. This will ensure that both programs work together smoothly.

How to Extract Metadata from an Image with ExifTool GUI

Extracting metadata from an image using ExifTool GUI is a simple and straightforward process. Here I will guide you step by step to perform this task:

Open ExifTool GUI

First, make sure you have ExifTool GUI installed on your computer. After installation, open the app.

Select the Image

In the ExifTool GUI interface, click the “Open” button. Select the image from which you want to extract metadata. Once selected, you will see that the image details will appear in the main ExifTool GUI window.

Export Metadata

To extract the metadata, click the “Export/Import” tab. Then, select “Export metadata into…”. A pop-up window will appear allowing you to choose the file format in which you want to save the metadata. You can choose formats such as CSV, HTML, JSON, among others.

Save Metadata

Choose the desired format and click “Save” or “Save”. A window will appear for you to select the location on your computer where you want to save the metadata file. After choosing the location, click “Save” again.

Edit and delete metadata with ExifTool

Editing or deleting metadata with ExifTool GUI is a simple task . Follow these steps to perform these operations:

Edit Metadata with ExifTool GUI:

• Open ExifTool GUI on your computer if it is not already open.
• Select the image for which you want to edit the metadata by clicking the “Open” or “Open” button in the ExifTool GUI interface.
• In the main window, you will be able to see all the image metadata.
• To edit a specific metadata, simply double-click the metadata value you want to change. Then, modify the value according to your preferences.
• Once you have made the necessary edits, be sure to click “Save” to save the changes.

Clear Metadata with ExifTool GUI:

• Follow steps 1 and 2 as mentioned above to open the image in ExifTool GUI.
• To delete a particular metadata, simply select the metadata you want to delete from the metadata list in the main window.
• Then, click on the “Edit” or “Edit” tab. at the top of the ExifTool GUI window.
• From the drop-down menu, select “Delete Selected Metadata.”
• You will confirm the deletion and the selected metadata will be removed from the image.

Remember that when making changes to metadata, it is important to save the image after editing or deleting the data . Also, keep in mind that some metadata is crucial to the image’s functioning and deleting it could affect the integrity of the file. Therefore, modify or delete metadata with caution.