# HG changeset patch # User David Barts # Date 1586629465 25200 # Node ID 304492a6b72bebf2584937374db7866cc475fda4 # Parent 959fa9014deb35460ec0c87f2ef36ff9dbb229b8 Add a Readme file. diff -r 959fa9014deb -r 304492a6b72b Readme.html --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/Readme.html Sat Apr 11 11:24:25 2020 -0700 @@ -0,0 +1,93 @@ + + + + + Introducing ExifWasher + + + +

Indroducing ExifWasher

Executive Summary

This program makes it easy to remove metadata from the digital images you + create.

What is “Metadata” and Why Would I Want to Remove It?

You may not realize it, but image files can (and typically do!) contain + more than just image data. These data can include your camera make, model, + and serial number; the location where you took the photo; the software you + used to edit the photo (and what editing steps you did); etc.

One of the most powerful uses of photography is to graphically document + things that the wealthy and powerful might wish to remain concealed. The + evils of slavery, child labor, poverty, war, and imperialism have all been + documented photographically, and such photographs have often proved + instrumental in helping to motivate social change.

Because of the metadata they contain, digital photographs contain data + which has been used to determine who took them, and in some cases to exact + retribution against their photographers. ExifWasher makes it easy to see + and remove the privacy-compromising metadata in your images.

Even if your images are not of such a sensitive nature, that extra data + takes up space. It is not uncommon for a 100 KiB image to contain 20 KiB + of metadata in it; if that image is on a web page, that makes for 20 KiB + of wasted network usage each time the image is sent.

What Makes ExifWasher Different from Other Metadata Editors?

Simply put, it is designed to safely remove unimportant + metadata.

There are plenty of general-purpose image metadata editors out there, and + these tools can be employed to remove unimportant metadata. The trouble + is, they are not user-friendly: it is up to you, the user, to know which + metadata are unimportant, and to delete it.

There can be literally hundreds of bits of metadata in an + image, and not all are safe to remove. In particular, if you + accidentally remove color-management metadata, computers that don’t handle + images without color-management metadata properly (I’m talking about you, + Apple Computer, Inc.) will display colors that often look all “washed-out” + or otherwise incorrect.

Likewise, there are already plenty of simple-to-use, user-friendly tools + out there for cleaning the metadata out of image files, but they + inevitably delete all metadata, resulting in files that often + display improperly. Also of concern, many of these “tools” are actually + online services. If you’re concerned about your privacy, why would you + trust the images you’re processing to some unknown third party, who may be + linked somehow to those who might want to retaliate against you.

I wrote this program because I wanted there to be a quick, easy way to + scrub images before they even left a photographer’s computer and made + their way onto the Internet, and for that program to leave vital metadata + alone, so that the resulting images continue to display properly.

ExifWasher Washes More than Just Exif Metadata

Exif is the most common type of metadata, but image files commonly + contain compromising XMP or IPTC data, particularly if they have been + edited with a tool like Photoshop. ExifWasher will seamlessly deal with + these kinds of metadata, too. It tries to do as thorough a job as possible + of scrubbing possibly compromising metadata from your images.

Using ExifWasher

Just double-click on the ExifWasher icon and a main window should open + up. Either choose the File… Wash from the menu bar, or just drag image + files onto the main ExifWasher image.

When ExifWasher opens an image, it displays all the metadata it finds. + That metadata will be run through an internal whitelist, and any data + whose “key” is not found on the whitelist will be automatically selected + for deletion.

If you disagree with ExifWasher’s decisions, you can check or uncheck the + boxes next to the metadata in question. When you are satisfied with the + choice of metadata to be scrubbed, click “Wash” and all offending metadata + will be removed. A dialog will pop up showing the metadata remaining in + the new, washed file.

Output Files

ExifWasher never modifies an existing image file. Instead, it creates a + new file of the same type but with “_washed” appended to its name. For + example, processing foo.jpg will create foo_washed.jpg. + By default, the new file will be created in the same directory as the file + being washed.

ExifWasher is Configurable

Both the whitelist and the destination directory for the washed files are + user-configurable in the Preferences menu.

Configuring the Whitelist

There are two kinds of whitelist entries: those that match an entire + metadata key, and those that match a key prefix. The latter end in an + asterisk. The whitelist is case-sensitive; i.e. the entry exif.image.colormap + will not match the Exif.Image.ColorMap key.

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