Where is EXIF data stored in an image file?

[chrstrbrts]

Hello,

There is often metadata stored with image files that are produced by digital cameras, things like camera model, GPS information, aperture size, whether the flash was on, etc.

Where is this info stored?

Is it in a header at the front of the file or a footer at the end?

If so, is it possible to open an image file that has EXIF metadata stored in it in a hex editor, copy the EXIF data, and paste it into the appropriate area of another image file thereby faking an image's metadata with that of another?

What do you guys think?

 

[Ken g6]

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPEG_File_Interchange_Format#Compatibility

both standards specify that their particular application segment (APP0 for JFIF, APP1 for Exif) must immediately follow the SOI marker.

 

[Cogman]

If you really want to dive into this sort of stuff, I suggest just going directly into the spec itself.

http://www.cipa.jp/std/documents/e/DC-008-2012_E.pdf (Found as a reference in Ken's article).

Fast forward to section 4.5

It looks like all this information is stored as part of the image header.

 

[Chaotic42]

Sounds like you're up to quite the project.

 

[sdifox]

https://sourceforge.net/projects/analogexif/

 

[shortylickens]

You dont need to do all that. Just download or buy a program that lets you manually edit metadata in photos. I think one of my old photo apps did it, from back in the Win98 days. But I lost it some time ago.

 

[Elizine]

You can acess your photos' EXIF data as below, depending on how much information you need to view:

Within Your Operating System
You can view EXIF info directly from your operating system's file manager:

Windows - Right-click on an image, select "Properties", and switch to the "Details" tab.

Mac OS X - Right-click on the picture, click "Get Info", and expand the "More Info" section.

Linux - Right-click the file and choose "Properties". Depending on which file manager you're using you may need to switch to a different information tab.

This is the easy and quick way to read your photo's metadata. You won't see the full list of properties but you will get the most important ones, and this is often all you'll need.

 

[DaveSimmons]

You can acess your photos' EXIF data as below, depending on how much information you need to view:

Within Your Operating System
You can view EXIF info directly from your operating system's file manager:

Windows - Right-click on an image, select "Properties", and switch to the "Details" tab.

Mac OS X - Right-click on the picture, click "Get Info", and expand the "More Info" section.

Linux - Right-click the file and choose "Properties". Depending on which file manager you're using you may need to switch to a different information tab.

This is the easy and quick way to read your photo's metadata. You won't see the full list of properties but you will get the most important ones, and this is often all you'll need.

Thanks for trying to help, but this is the Programming subforum not the Windows Software forum. If you read the original post carefully you'll see it was asking about the internals of an image file not for the easiest way to view the information.