Can you remember what the caption was of your last hangout images? Do you know which device took the photos or exactly when the photos were taken?
Well. This family of information is called Metadata. So, knowing how to access this will benefit you while sorting and organizing your images. But, do you seriously know where to find it, is there any way to edit them? If yes, how?
What is image metadata?
Don’t worry. You are in safe hands. As a tech enthusiast, I will help you find, view, and even edit your images’ data. Let’s enter upon the idea.
Please, keep reading this article till the last. Because skipping any portion may confuse you about things.
Why is Metadata So Important?
The concept of metadata is not new, but the gradual unleashing of its importance with the flow of continuous research is getting new dimensions. In addition, the diverse use of image metadata is raising the eyebrows of not only researchers, the masses as well.
So, why not draw some salient points regarding the significance of metadata. Though there are images, videos, and other reliable sources of scraping metadata, I will limit myself to images only. Let’s start off.
Before using a dataset, a researcher has to figure out the structure of the dataset, the data collection methods, how it should be read, and many more related things. Hence, it drives a thorough improvement of the entire research system.
People are quite forgetful, and they leave images in abrupt locations. They often preserve them misplaced as well. Only photo metadata can help you find the exact piece of information you need.
If you want similar other images of a particular image file, finding the whole group of images can be easy as pie with the aid of metadata.
These are just for a glimpse. Lots of other reasons are held accountable for making this such a crucial topic of modern technology.
How to View & Edit the Metadata of an Image
Metadata has become a cliche these days. So, the urgency of experimenting on this is at its peak. No matter you are a researcher or an ordinary individual, viewing the backend information of a clicked image always gives you information and remembrance.
One more thing. As you know, the information displayed in the metadata is absolutely static. Despite being so, a user can, fortunately, modify, add, and remove metadata fields.
In that case, you have to make sure that the platform where you are opening the image supports editing metadata.
Therefore, let’s see the procedure on how to fin, see, and edit (add or remove) the photo metadata on various platforms- Windows, Mac, Photoshop.
Here are the steps for different users to view the image metadata:
Windows
- Locate the image file, the metadata of which you want to discover.
- Right-click on the image. A pop-up will come.
- Go and click on Properties. A dialog box will open up.
- Tap on the Details tab from the menu next to Security and General.
- Go through the window carefully. You will get all the info regarding the image here.
- Click and type new data if you want to edit or add something. Under the Value column, there is a text field to let you write.
Mac
- Right-click on the image file. A dropdown menu will appear.
- Choose Get Info from the menu. A new dialog box named Info will show up.
- Click on the General tab on the window to get the general data.
- Tap on More Info for some exclusive info.
To edit or add info to the metadata, I recommend you use a third-party application to do your job. There are ways, but those are not simple at the same time, smooth.
Photoshop
- Open the image file in Photoshop.
- Navigate to the File menu at the top-left corner, and click on it. A dropdown will come.
- Choose File Info from the options. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+I to get there.
- View the data that you are looking for.
- Fill the text boxes with new information if you want them edited.
- Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
You will have all sorts of background information here. If you feel hassle opening Photoshop multiple times to check the metadata of an image, just copy the data when you open it for the first time and paste somewhere flexible.
The processes are pretty concise and simple, aren’t they?
FAQ
What is EXIF metadata?
EXIF metadata is the implicit device-related technical data. EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format, and it mainly includes focus, color, and exposure settings.
Can I edit the metadata of an image?
Yes, it is possible to edit the metadata of a particular image file. However, it mostly depends on the device where you want to edit. The simplest solution that applies to all is using a third-party tool.
Can I edit all information of an image?
No. You cannot change or modify all information of a photo’s metadata. For instance, you cannot edit the resolution of an image, and you are allowed to edit only the basic info like- file name, author, date, etc.
Conclusion
Wrapping up, viewing metadata of an image file is way easier than editing or adding information to it. If you follow the methods I demonstrated, there should be no issues with it.
Sometimes, people use a third-party tool to find and edit metadata. If you feel smooth to handle, go for it. Just take care of the security prospects of these tools or extensions. These often create breaches and compromise your system security.
Was this article helpful? If yes, please share it with your peers to let them know the ways. Write to me by commenting down in the box below if you have any queries or face any issues following the steps of this article.
