EXIF Data is a term we all hear, but what does it mean? Does it have any potential dangers, and how can it be used? The purpose of this article is to explain what EXIF data is, how to read it and manipulate it, what you should do when using it, and why some say it could be dangerous.
What is EXIF Data?
A camera’s EXIF data, also known as metadata, contains a variety of information related to the photo you are taking. It can tell you a lot about the camera’s settings and provide you with many useful details.
The most common data include things like dates, times, GPS locations, camera models, lens types, ISOs, focal lengths, shutter speeds, and so on.
“Exchangeable Image File Format” is the name of the standard.
These data are stored in the photo file, which can be accessed by software to locate, sort, and process the photos. In addition, EXIF data can be accessed by amateur photographers.
You can determine the location and date of when the photo was taken if you know what settings were used and when it was taken. Because your camera has captured all of this information, you will have more time to take pictures rather than to take notes.
The EXIF data of a photograph is embedded in the actual image file, so only software that can read it can access it. This information is stripped from photos if they are converted to a format other than JPEG, such as PNG or GIF.
Where can we read the EXIF data?
There are now a variety of ways to access EXIF data, an improvement over the past. The EXIF data in a photo file can be viewed, edited, and removed using EXIF applications.
Most recent versions of Windows and macOS shows EXIF data in file browsers, making it possible to sort and filter images solely based on the information. To have an advanced control over your EXIF data, you can use an EXIF viewer to read the metadata from your photos.
If you are a Windows user, you can add native viewing support to proprietary RAW images by installing the free Raw Image Extension from the Microsoft store.
Most photo editing programs display EXIF data, and most offer an excellent interface for adding, editing, and removing data as necessary. If you edit the data in this way, you will be able to remove information you do not want to share, such as camera settings and location information. Additional rights information can also be added to your photos.
How can we edit EXIF data?
In addition to the reasons and methods for altering EXIF data, there are several ways of doing so. Lightroom, for example, allows you to add new information and to edit the existing information as you see fit.
When editing an image with Lightroom, you can add a title and a description, which could be useful later on, as well as for your customers and clients. GPS coordinates can be added to a future reference to show where the photograph was taken.
The copyright status, the creator’s name, and the copyright holder can all be included in the copyright information. Lightroom allows you to add them to an individual image or a group of selected images. Additionally, “pre-sets” can be created to automatically add copyright information during import.
Furthermore, the EXIF information from the camera can also be edited. You can manually correct the time on a photo if it is incorrectly dated because of time zone differences, for example.
Is EXIF Data worth keeping or should it be removed?
Photographers are often unsure whether or not it is a good idea to remove EXIF data before publishing or posting photos. In most cases, it depends on who you are, what you intend to do with the image and the pros and cons of both.
Advantages of keeping EXIF data
Provides insight into the processing of the image.
Conveys copyright information even when no watermark is present
Indicates the photograph’s location
You have probably looked at other photographers’ work if you are a photographer. There are many different types of styles, compositions, and lighting that you can examine.
You could learn a lot about how the photographer took the picture by looking at its EXIF data. Afterward, you can experiment with different settings in order to create the same effect, which ultimately improves your photography skills.
While many photographers add watermarks to their photos to indicate the copyright of the image, some feel this is overbearing or detracts from the photographs. This should prevent unauthorized prints from being made if the EXIF data contains the copyright information.
Most people will want to know where a photo was taken when they look at it. EXIF information provides this information. As with any pro, this can also be a con depending on the subject and location of the image.
Disadvantages for keeping EXIF Data
Camera settings and equipment are revealed
Your home may be exposed if you take pictures at home
The larger the file, the slower the website will load (if uploaded on site)
The complete EXIF data would expose a trade secret if you use a certain style of photography or particular equipment. This is why most photographers remove all or most of the data but the copyright information.
You may also wish to keep the location private for privacy reasons. Taking the photo at your house, on private property, or in an area sensitive to increased traffic could be the reason.
It takes longer for a website to load a large photo file. When images are used on web pages, the EXIF data is often stripped away to make the files smaller. To do that, you can use an EXIF cleaner for deleting the metadata from the photo/video.
How to remove the EXIF data from images
EXIF Data can be edited in a variety of ways by most photo editing programs. Managing information in Lightroom can be done using a variety of options.
When you are ready to export a photo for publishing, you manage the EXIF Data in the Export Module.
The copyright information may be included only, together with the contacts, or all metadata can be preserved.
Moreover, you can decide whether to include or exclude the keywords you have assigned to the image.
Conclusion
As a result, EXIF data refers to information stored in a photo file, including information about the image itself, the camera used to capture it, the settings used to edit it, and even information about copyright.
This data is under our control and we can include it or not in our final files as we see fit. Taking photos this way can reveal information about us, the gear we use, the settings we use, and the location we took the picture.
What you do with the photo will determine whether or not you include it. You may want to remove the location information if it shows the birthday party of your child in your backyard. We suggest leaving the data on social media when posting a new art installation in town so that other like-minded readers and photographers can see the details.
We hope this article turned out to be beneficial for you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section.
