ExifTool is a free program for reading, modifying, and manipulating your computer’s images and audio or video file formats. It has been developed by millions of users worldwide to make their lives easier by providing support across different platforms such as Windows, macOS, and Unix systems like Linux, etc.
The software also offers robust features that allow you to view and edit metadata, including date taken/original resolution info about videography footage; examine photo album shots quickly without having to scroll through each slide.
The following tutorial will teach you how to install ExifTool on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish. The tutorial will use the command line terminal with complete steps and the most commonly used commands with ExifTool using CLI.
Table of Contents
Update Ubuntu
Before proceeding with the tutorial, ensuring your system is up-to-date with all existing packages is good.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgradeInstall ExifTool
By default, ExifTool is available to install from Ubuntu 22.04 repository making the installation quick and straightforward without importing third-party repositories.
In your terminal, execute the following command.
sudo apt install exiftool -yHow to Use ExifTool
Now that you have the software installed, some basic commands are as follows.
Extract information from a file
exiftool a.jpgA basic command to extract all metadata from a file named. a.jpg.
Basic write example
exiftool -artist=me a.jpgWrites the Artist tag to a.jpg. Since no group is specified, EXIF:Artist will be registered, and all other existing Artist tags will be updated with the new value (“me“).
Write multiple files
exiftool -artist=me a.jpg b.jpg c.jpgWrites Artist tag to three image files.
Write to all files in a directory
exiftool -artist=me /imagesWrites Artist tag to all files in a directory /images.
Write multiple tags
exiftool -artist="Phil Harvey" -copyright="2011 Phil Harvey" a.jpgWrites two tags to a.jpg.
Extracting duplicate tags
exiftool -a -u -g1 a.jpgPrint all meta information in an image, including duplicate and unknown tags, sorted by group (for family 1).
Print common meta information
exiftool -common dirPrint standard meta-information for all images in dir.
List meta information
exiftool -T -createdate -aperture -shutterspeed -iso DIR > out.txtList meta information in tab-delimited column form for all images in the directory DIR to an output text file named “out.txt.”
Print ImageSize and ExposureTime
exiftool -s -ImageSize -ExposureTime b.jpgPrint ImageSize and ExposureTime tag names and values.
Print Canon information
exiftool -l -canon c.jpg d.jpgPrint standard Canon information from two image files.
Recursively extract standard meta-information
exiftool -r -w .txt -common picturesRecursively extract standard meta information from files in an example directory, writing text output into files with the same names but with aC<.txt> extension.
Move Thumbnail Image
exiftool -b -ThumbnailImage image.jpg > thumbnail.jpgSave the thumbnail image from one image file to another image file.
Recursively extract JPG image from CRW
exiftool -b -JpgFromRaw -w _JFR.JPG -ext CRW -r .Recursively extract JPG images from all Canon CRW files in the current directory, adding C<_JFR.JPG> for the name of the output JPG files.
Print formatted date/time for JPG files
exiftool -d "%r %a, %B %e, %Y" -DateTimeOriginal -S -s *.jpgPrint formatted date/time for all JPG files in the current directory.
Extract image resolution
exiftool -IFD1:XResolution -IFD1:YResolution image.jpgExtract image resolution from EXIF IFD1 information (thumbnail image IFD).
Extract all tags with names with “example word”
exiftool "-*resolution*" image.jpgExtract all tags containing the word “Resolution” from an image.
Extract all author-related XMP
exiftool -xmp:author:all -a image.jpgExtract all author-related XMP information from an image.
Extract complete XMP data
exiftool -xmp -b a.jpg > out.xmpExtract the entire XMP data record intact from a.jpg and write it to out.xmp use the unique XMP tag (see the Extra Tags)
Print output date time original
exiftool -p "$filename has date $dateTimeOriginal" -q -f dirPrint one line of output containing the file name and DateTimeOriginal for each image in the directory dir.
Extract all GPS positions from AVCHD
exiftool -ee -p "$gpslatitude, $gpslongitude, $gpstimestamp" a.m2tsExtract all GPS positions from an AVCHD video.
Save ICC_Profile
exiftool -icc_profile -b -w icc image.jpgSave the complete ICC_Profile from an image to an output file with the same name and an extension of filename<.icc>.
Generate HTML pages from HEX Dump
exiftool -htmldump -w tmp/%f_%e.html t/imagesGenerate HTML pages from a hex dump of EXIF information in all images from the C directory. The output HTML files are written to the C directory (created if it didn’t exist), with names of the form “FILENAME_EXT.html.”
How to Update ExifTool
Depending on the method of installation used, the following commands can be used to update the software and any system package. Ideally, the terminal update command should be used even with auto-updates in your desktop GUI to ensure everything is updating correctly.
sudo apt upgrade && sudo apt upgradeHow to Remove (Uninstall) ExifTool
Use the following command for users who no longer require ExifTool on their system and wish to remove it.
sudo apt autoremove exiftool --purge -yThe above command will automatically remove any unused dependencies installed from ExifTool and other leftovers from previous removals. This command should be run often to keep your system from getting too bloated.
Comments and Conclusion
If you’re looking for a powerful, open-source metadata tool that can work on Windows, macOS, and Unix systems, ExifTool is worth checking out. With its ability to read, modify, and manipulate the image, video, audio, and PDF metadata, ExifTool is an invaluable asset for any digital media workflow.
