1.0 Exif metadata not preserved by image editing program
Problem: After an image is developed and edited by image editing software and saved in a format like JPEG, it does not have the Exif metadata.
2.0 Solution
Surprisingly, quite a few image editing programs do not preserve the Exif metadata of images and attempts to read Exif get outputs like this.
$ exiv2 DSC_6683.jpg File name : DSC_6683.jpg File size : 23652200 Bytes MIME type : image/jpeg Image size : 6024 x 4024 DSC_6683.jpg: No Exif data found in the file
But, no worries, you can simply copy the Exif data from the camera raw file to the developed JPEG using the exiftool command. For example,
$ exiftool -tagsFromFile DSC_6683.NEF DSC_6683.jpg
1 image files updated
$ exiftool -Orientation=1 -n DSC_6683.jpg
1 image files updated
$ exiv2 DSC_6683.jpg
File name : DSC_6683.jpg
File size : 23688740 Bytes
MIME type : image/jpeg
Image size : 6024 x 4024
Camera make : XXXXX CORPORATION
Camera model : XXXXX X999
Image timestamp : 2017:10:07 17:40:55
Image number :
Exposure time : 1/30 s
Aperture : F7.1
Exposure bias : 0 EV
Flash :
Flash bias :
Focal length : 24.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 24.0 mm)
Subject distance:
ISO speed : 125
Exposure mode : Manual
Metering mode : Multi-segment
Macro mode :
Image quality : RAW
Exif Resolution :
White balance : PRESET1
Thumbnail : None
Copyright : John Doe
Exif comment :
$
The second exiftool command sets the image orientation as 1, which is horizontal. As we are writing Exif data for the final processed image, there is no point in writing the orientation of the original image recorded by the camera.
You can delete some tags. For example, to delete the shutter speed and aperture, the command is,
$ exiftool -ExposureTime= -FNumber= DSC_6683.jpg
And, to get the tag names for using as parameters in the exiftool command, run
$ exiftool -s DSC_6683.jpg ExifToolVersion : 10.10 FileName : DSC_6683.jpg Directory : . FileSize : 19 MB FileModifyDate : 2017:11:28 17:21:48+05:30 FileAccessDate : 2017:11:28 17:21:54+05:30 FileInodeChangeDate : 2017:11:28 17:21:48+05:30 FilePermissions : rw-rw-r-- FileType : JPEG FileTypeExtension : jpg MIMEType : image/jpeg JFIFVersion : 1.01 ...
The left column gives the tag names which you can use as parameters in the exiftool command.
