A metadata editor is computer software which allows users to view and edit metadata tags interactively and save them in the graphics file. So, metadata is information that is part of the image file and contains information about the image itself and the creation of the image. It can set textual information such as title, description, exposure time, ISO value, focal length, and copyright. Some modern digital cameras and camera phones are GPS enabled and they can save the location co-ordinates (latitude and longitude) with the photographs. Metadata editors can also set geolocation information by browsing a map or setting coordinates directly, which is particularly useful for cameras without GPS. There are many reasons why users might wish to modify metadata of photographs.
This “metadata” is embedded into photographs using the standard Exif format that can easily be read by image editing programs as well as online photo sharing websites like Flickr.
To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of the finest metadata editors available for Linux. We have whittled the available range down to the top 12 superior tools for metadata management.
Let’s explore the 12 photo metadata editors at hand. For each title we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, a screenshot, together with links to relevant resources.
| Photo Metadata Editors | |
|---|---|
| Photini | Easy to use digital photograph metadata editor |
| ExifTool | CLI application and library for reading and writing meta information |
| Exiv2 | C++ library and a command line utility to manage image metadata |
| digiKam | Provides tools for viewing and editing metadata |
| jExifToolGUI | Graphical frontend to ExifTool |
| Jhead | Exif Jpeg header manipulation tool |
| Scramble | Privacy-focused image metadata removal tool |
| Phatch | Simple to use cross-platform GUI photo batch processor |
| mat2 | Remove metadata from files to improve privacy |
| Metadata Cleaner | Inspect and remove metadata from files |
| Kleaner | Clean metadata from images with a simple graphical interface |
| Metamorphosis | Inspect and change embedded metadata |
This article has been updated to reflect the changes outlined in our recent announcement.
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