EXIF tags · Reference
EXIF tags: a practical reference library
EXIF tags describe how, when, and sometimes where a photograph was made. Reading them correctly requires the tag’s group, storage type, companion fields, and the history of the file. This library explains those details with examples and links to primary documentation.
By ExifGrabber · Sources reviewed · Editorial standards
Common EXIF tags at a glance
These are selected fields, not a complete tag registry. IDs below belong to the indicated EXIF directory; the same number in another metadata namespace may mean something else.
| Tag | ID / directory | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| GPSLatitude | 0x0002 / GPS | Degrees, minutes, seconds; pair with GPSLatitudeRef |
| GPSLongitude | 0x0004 / GPS | Degrees, minutes, seconds; pair with GPSLongitudeRef |
| DateTimeOriginal | 0x9003 / ExifIFD | Capture clock reading |
| OffsetTimeOriginal | 0x9011 / ExifIFD | UTC offset for the capture time |
| Orientation | 0x0112 / IFD0 | How stored pixels should be displayed |
Sources: ExifTool EXIF tag definitions · ExifTool GPS tag definitions
EXIF, XMP, IPTC, and MakerNotes
EXIF is one metadata system. XMP can carry overlapping information, while IPTC fields commonly describe authorship, captions, and rights. MakerNotes contain vendor-specific camera information. A viewer can support one of these without supporting all the others.
Use grouped output when two fields have the same name. Preserve both values and their groups when investigating a conflict instead of silently keeping whichever appeared last.
exiftool -G1 -a -s photo.jpgSources: ExifTool command-line documentation
What metadata can and cannot establish
A timestamp is a claim written by a clock or an editor. Coordinates are a claim about location. Neither authenticates the image by itself. Missing fields may reflect export settings, an unsupported parser, or a camera that never wrote them.
For a reproducible investigation, retain the original file, record a hash and the tool version, and save the complete grouped output. Work on copies. Compare metadata with independently established details before using it to support a conclusion.
Standards and scope
CIPA publishes the Exif specification and the related mapping of Exif metadata to XMP. This library is a task-oriented companion to those documents, not a replacement for their normative definitions. Follow the source links for the full tables and revision history.
Sources: CIPA Exif standards
Browse the reference library
EXIF tags
- GPSLatitude: EXIF coordinates and decimal conversion — GPSLatitude tag 0x0002, rational values, hemisphere references, decimal conversion, and common parsing errors.
- GPSLongitude: east, west, and coordinate order — Decode GPSLongitude, apply E/W references, and avoid latitude/longitude swaps in maps and APIs.
- DateTimeOriginal: capture time, time zones, and EXIF dates — Understand DateTimeOriginal 0x9003, its offset and subsecond companions, and why it differs from a file timestamp.
- OffsetTimeOriginal: the time zone missing from EXIF dates — Use OffsetTimeOriginal with DateTimeOriginal without inventing a time zone or applying an offset twice.
- EXIF Orientation: why a photo rotates or mirrors — All eight EXIF Orientation values and the export mistakes that cause sideways or mirrored images.
Camera counters
- Camera shutter count: what the number actually measures — Read camera counters, distinguish mechanical and electronic exposures, and understand missing or editable metadata.
- Canon shutter count: model support and CR3 limitations — Canon EOS R5, R6, and R6 Mark II counters, ExifTool lookup, and why total exposures are not mechanical wear.
- Nikon shutter count: reading NEF and JPEG MakerNotes — Read Nikon ShutterCount, diagnose missing MakerNotes, and separate camera counters from mechanical shutter wear.
Privacy and publishing
- Photo metadata privacy: what to inspect before sharing — A practical audit for GPS, timestamps, identities, thumbnails, and metadata left outside EXIF.
- Social media and EXIF: what survives sharing? — Separate public previews from originals, understand historical platform tests, and reproduce a metadata retention check.
- Does Instagram remove EXIF data? — What Instagram’s public images can tell you, what historical tests cannot prove, and how to verify your exact sharing path.
Related references and tools
To cite this reference, link to this page or a section heading and include the source-review date. Examples are illustrative; they are not measurements from a camera or a live platform test. Send a correction with the affected section and supporting evidence.