Photo information.

[greypanther]

Just a simple question to settle an argument if you please.

I am aware that when you take a photo on your smart phone or tablet, you also include within the photo, information regarding when and where it was taken. What then happens if you share that photo with such as this forum or another, does that information regarding location and time taken etc, become easily accessible to other forum users, or not?

[Chips]

Exif data - and if it's kept with the image, it's metadata, and yes, it'll be available to all and sundry who have the image. Or download it. Try it.

You can easily remove the metadata, in bulk on your computer, or by altering your camera/phone to not include it where applicable.

You can check on your pictures on windows with a right click, properties, and then at the bottom is a "remove personal data".

[red assassin]

Note that most online image hosting services will strip metadata out of the image before publishing it. Check before relying on this, obviously, but imgur and major social networks definitely do.

[fiksal]

^ seconded

If you post something sensitive, it's better to clear manually.

[greypanther]

Thank you.

No I am not posting anything of any sensitive nature, anywhere, why would I? It was just an argument I had with someone who said he was removing all personal data, before posting the photos on a forum. I assumed that the data would not be so easy to get at, and even removing the data, would still leave it there for the professionals. I was wrong and there was some sense to what he was saying and is not a paranoid fool after all.

Every day is a school day.

[Chips]

There's nothing intrinsically baked into the pictures that you can't remove/get access to - so no specialist hidden information.

That'd be more steganography - not something digital cameras/mobiles do. At least, afaik

[philip_hughes]

If you are worried, I think the snipping tool in windows will remove camera data (and seriously degrade the image)

[fiksal]

If you are worried, I think the snipping tool in windows will remove camera data (and seriously degrade the image)

The clearing method above should work 100%. Last time I looked it clears nearly everything except for a camera setting.

If you are super paranoid, what you do is open any graphical program, like even a Paint, create new image of the same size as your target then copy-paste the selection of your image (from another program, also like Paint). I dont think the copy-paste option gotten any smarter yet, so it transfers zero info, only the selected pixels.

[Morkonan]

...does that information regarding location and time taken etc, become easily accessible to other forum users, or not?

Yes, if it's not stripped. (EXIF information, as others have said.) Not all image hosting sites strip that information.

The most potentially revealing information are GPS coordinates embedded in the image file. But, that would only be present if the device has a GPS locator. Some devices allow you to customize the embedded information. EXIF information can include a surprising amount of information. Most of it is related to camera settings, make/model, flash modes, etc.

A long time ago, a forum member posted a picture that they had taken. It was, IIRC, uncompressed and direct linked from a basic file host. A tiny bit concerned, I opened it up with a special reader and, yup, everything was there, still embedded in the image, and showing the GPS coordinates of where they lived. So, I PM'd them to let them know not to do that anymore. I think that weirded them out and I don't recall them replying or thanking me for warning them about unsafe social media practices.

Most image manipulation programs can read basic metadata. Some can alter it. There are also some free metadata readers out there if you don't currently have a decent photo tool. Some software can use online services to graphically map GPS location data from a submitted/queried photo.

I haven't used the latest hi-end photoshop software and such, but most of those do not show the full metadata information for a photo nor will they strip it without other apps. Camera manufacturer's have their own metadata standards that don't fit a "generic" profile and will simply read as garbage data without the appropriate template.

PS - Metadata is important, in case anyone was wondering why all the fuss and why have it in the first place. It's like having everything one needs to identify the file, the author, the data needed for image manipulation, publisher's instructions and licensing, etc. It's really fascinating stuff, considering we only see the "image" and don't think about what a professional has to be able to do with hundreds of thousands of them, each one of them potentially earning them a living.

[esd]

Windows will show you the data, just right-click the file in explorer and check the "details" tab.

Quickest and easiest way to remove it from a single image with no extra software is to use Paint - just open it in paint, select all, copy, new image, paste, save. For batch processing, something like Irfanview will do the job.

[fiksal]

Is it time we take it off topic yet?

PS - Metadata is important, in case anyone was wondering why all the fuss and why have it in the first place. It's like having everything one needs to identify the file, the author, the data needed for image manipulation, publisher's instructions and licensing, etc. It's really fascinating stuff, considering we only see the "image" and don't think about what a professional has to be able to do with hundreds of thousands of them, each one of them potentially earning them a living.

Besides all that it's good for personal use too. The metadata keeps original "photo taken" date intact, no matter how many times you move it. And with more apps being able to go to maps, I find geo-location super useful.

I can quickly point a photo that was taken in middle of nowhere of where I camped, to a map, of a middle of nowhere! Super cool.

[Morkonan]

...I find geo-location super useful.

I can quickly point a photo that was taken in middle of nowhere of where I camped, to a map, of a middle of nowhere! Super cool.

"Geocaching" is a "Thing" these days. I had some friends that used to do it pretty often and some acquaintances that still do. Some groups use the location data from the image, some use more roundabout apps that make it a bit more interesting.

I started using metadata to try to organize texture files. I "could" manage it, but then I'd have to make some sort of bridge interpreter or something to make it really useful. And, it's not arguably better than just coming up with a directory-structure scheme and manually doing everything. (I'm sure there are some pro programs out there that can easily organize/manipulate files entirely using metadata. I just haven't tried any.)

[Chips]

I can quickly point a photo that was taken in middle of nowhere of where I camped, to a map, of a middle of nowhere! Super cool.

You can also share pictures that then co-locate and allow easy browsing for surrounding area based on geo location before travelling there. Including when ti was taken.

It can certainly enrich online experience of locations with "real life" type stuff.

BTW bulk removing the info in windows is generally as simple as select all files, right click, properties, details, remove personal properties, check the "remove following properties" and then just (de)select anything you want gone. Boom.

[fiksal]

"Geocaching" is a "Thing" these days. I had some friends that used to do it pretty often and some acquaintances that still do. Some groups use the location data from the image, some use more roundabout apps that make it a bit more interesting.

Oh yeah, that sounds all pretty fun. Though I never tried. Have you?

I started using metadata to try to organize texture files. I "could" manage it, but then I'd have to make some sort of bridge interpreter or something to make it really useful. And, it's not arguably better than just coming up with a directory-structure scheme and manually doing everything. (I'm sure there are some pro programs out there that can easily organize/manipulate files entirely using metadata. I just haven't tried any.)

Did you find good tools to mass edit your files metadata?

I dont do it, because generally it's hard to edit and query that data. So I do it the old school sort of way, my "tags" are in the file name itself, and then you just do word search on file names.

Total Commander can do multi file renames.

I can quickly point a photo that was taken in middle of nowhere of where I camped, to a map, of a middle of nowhere! Super cool.

You can also share pictures that then co-locate and allow easy browsing for surrounding area based on geo location before travelling there. Including when ti was taken.

It can certainly enrich online experience of locations with "real life" type stuff.

For awhile I was looking for a slick program to put my photos on a map in somewhat organized fashion. Picasa sort of worked, but it's clunky. Google doesnt show multiple photos on the map (to my knowledge).

What have you tried?


EDIT: okay, as soon as I posted it, I immediately found the Google MyMaps' way
linky
Interesting. Doesnt look too bad.