read-metadata

Read Image Metadata

Extract metadata from image files using exiftool and output as structured JSON. Supports single files, batch operations, and filtering by metadata group (EXIF, IPTC, XMP, GPS, etc.).

When to use

• Inspecting the metadata on a photo before sharing or publishing.
• Auditing a batch of images to verify copyright, GPS, or camera information.
• Programmatically querying metadata for file organization or validation.

Inputs to gather

• Input file or directory — single image or folder. Default: current directory.
• Recursive? If directory, ask whether to descend. Default: no (flat).
• Filter/group (optional) — ask if they want a specific metadata subset (e.g., EXIF only, GPS only, copyright-related tags). Default: all metadata.
• Output format — JSON (default) or a human-readable summary. Recommend JSON for programmatic use, summary for quick inspection.

Procedure

1. Check tooling

command -v exiftool || echo "exiftool not installed — install with: sudo apt install libimage-exiftool-perl"

Abort if missing.

2. Determine scope

• Single file: direct read.
• Directory (non-recursive): read all image files in the folder.
• Recursive: use find to walk the tree.

3. Read metadata

Single file, full metadata as JSON:

exiftool -j "<file.jpg>"

Single file, summary (human-readable):

exiftool -G1 -a -s "<file.jpg>" | head -50

Filtered by group (EXIF only):

exiftool -j -G1 -EXIF "<file.jpg>"

Common filters:

• -EXIF — EXIF metadata only.
• -IPTC — IPTC tags (description, keywords, copyright).
• -XMP — XMP metadata (structured, often used by Adobe).
• -GPS — GPS coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude).
• -MakerNote — camera-specific metadata.

Batch (directory or recursive):

find <target> -maxdepth <1|999> -type f \
  \( -iname '*.jpg' -o -iname '*.jpeg' -o -iname '*.png' \
     -o -iname '*.heic' -o -iname '*.webp' -o -iname '*.tif' \) \
  -exec exiftool -j {} \; > metadata.json