What is EXIF information and what are it doing in my photos?

EXIF is short for "Exchangeable image file format" and is a file format developed by JEIDA (Japan Electronic Industries Development Association). The format allows information to be inserted into music files, images and other files. these tags contain information in different formats.

History of EXIF

The EXIF file format is based on the previous TIFF file format and therefore their is some overlap between EXIF and TIFF file information. As with TIFF files, the information is stored in the image file in a non human readable format, but with the correct computer program it can be read and understood by humans.

Why is EXIF information a good thing?

When it comes to copyright and watermarking, EXIF is another layer of protection, since you can open an photo in Adobe Photoshop, change it (eg. remove the watermark) and then save the image without loosing the EXIF information. This way a thief could steal your photo but leave a information trail you can use to prove original ownership.

Written by Anders Thue Pedersen, Google+
Published: Friday, June 6, 2014

Back to article list