Exif-Pilot

Exif Pilot makes it easy to read, add, and update EXIF metadata in images with a simple and flexible API.

Features

• Read EXIF metadata from popular image formats (e.g., JPEG, PNG).
• Add new EXIF tags to images.
• Update existing EXIF metadata.
• Lightweight and easy-to-use API.

Installation

Install ExifPilot via NPM:

npm install exif-pilot

Usage

1. Reading EXIF Metadata

Use ExifPilot to extract EXIF metadata from an image file.

const exifPilot = require("exif-pilot");

// Load an image file
const exifData = await exifPilot.read("path/to/image.jpg");

console.log(exifData);

2. Adding EXIF Metadata

Add new EXIF metadata to an image file.

const exifPilot = require("exif-pilot");

await exifPilot.write("path/to/image.jpg", {
  Artist: "John Doe",
  Copyright: "2024 John Doe",
});

3. Updating EXIF Metadata

Modify existing EXIF metadata.

const exifPilot = require("exif-pilot");

await exifPilot.write("path/to/image.jpg", {
  Artist: "Jane Doe",
  DateTimeOriginal: "2024:09:01 12:34:56",
});

4. Strip EXIF Metadata

Remove existing EXIF metadata.

const exifPilot = require("exif-pilot");

const tagsToKeep = ["Artist"];
await exifPilot.strip("path/to/image.jpg", {
  retain: tagsToKeep,
});

5. Delete EXIF Tags

To delete a tag, use null as the value.

const exifPilot = require("exif-pilot");

await exifPilot.write("path/to/image.jpg", {
  UserComment: null,
});

API

read(filePath)

• Description: Reads the metadata from the specified image file.
• Parameters:
  • filePath (string): The path to the image file.
• Returns: A promise that resolves with the file metadata as a JavaScript object.
• Example:

  const exifData = await exifPilot.read("path/to/image.jpg");
  console.log(exifData);
  write(filePath, metadata);

write(filePath, metadata)

• Description: Writes metadata to the specified image file.

• Parameters:

  • filePath (string): The path to the image file.
  • metadata (object): The EXIF metadata to be written. You can pass specific tags, such as AllDates, which will write to the common EXIF date/time tags like DateTimeOriginal, CreateDate, and ModifyDate.

• Returns: A promise that resolves with the write operation result, which includes the number of files created, updated, and any warnings.

• Example:

  const result = await exifPilot.write("path/to/image.jpg", {
    Artist: "John Doe",
    AllDates: "2024:09:02 12:34:56",
  });
  console.log(result);

  strip(filePath, retain = [])

• Description: Writes metadata to the specified image file.

• Parameters:

  • filePath (string): The path to the image file.
  • retain (string[]): An optional array of tags to retain in the file.

• Returns: A promise that resolves with the write operation result, indicating the changes made to the file.

• Example:

  const result = await exifPilot.strip("path/to/image.jpg", ["Artist"]);
  console.log(result);

  end()

• Description: Shuts down the underlying EXIF tool process. After calling this, no further operations can be performed until the tool is restarted.

• Parameters: None

• Returns: A promise that resolves once the tool has been shut down.

• Example:

  await exifPilot.end();

  restart()

• Description: Restarts the EXIF tool with the previously passed options. This can be used to restart the tool after it has been shut down.

• Parameters: None

• Returns: A promise that resolves once the tool has been restarted.

• Example:

  await exifPilot.restart();

Supported Formats

Image Formats

• JPEG
• TIFF
• PNG
• GIF
• BMP
• RAW formats (CR2, NEF, ARW, etc.)

Video Formats

• MP4
• AVI
• MOV
• MKV

Audio Formats

• MP3
• WAV
• FLAC
• AAC

Document Formats

• PDF
• DOCX
• XLSX
• RTF

Other Formats

• HTML
• XML
• EPUB
• ZIP

Metadata Types

• EXIF: Exchangeable Image File Format
• IPTC: International Press Telecommunications Council
• XMP: Extensible Metadata Platform
• MakerNotes: Camera-specific metadata

For more detailed information on supported tags and formats, refer to the official ExifTool documentation.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please submit a pull request or open an issue to discuss your ideas or report bugs.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

Exif Pilot is built to make working with EXIF metadata as seamless as possible. If you find this library helpful, please consider contributing or starring the repository!