@25: I see your point if view. The previous was just mine. Also, "Pirate" these days also refers to people who rip off other peoples' work. Like pirated movies, software...and yes, even images, etc. You obviously don't read the newspapers.

“I don’t see what’s so personal about the exif data?”

nowadays geotagging is quite popular with a lot of newer phones and that means the location where the photo was taken and facebook and most social networking sites do not automatically strip that data ..... so i think that could be considered personnel information and could be dangerous in the wrong hands ! ! !


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geocoded_photo

@LOB #19 - I quite a while researching exif data before I made my first post here which appears to be unpopular.....maybe because it was poorly written. (It was very very late) I stand by what I wrote. This is for people who are doing something wrong or are very paranoid.

Look here for what is in a typical Exif Data file:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exchangeable_image_file_format#Example
Full article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exchangeable_image_file_format

Regarding your scenario of the lady who posted pics of her kids and for some reason posted them online, how could exif data reveal her address? Why would someone care about their camera getting stolen but not care about the dangers of posting pictures of their children online? How does this info reveal her address? There are only a few (very nice) cameras that enter latitude and longitude exif data through built in GPS which can be disabled as explained in the wiki article linked above.

In my original unpopular post #4 I wrote, "I don’t see what’s so personal about the exif data?" 17 hours later the question remains unanswered and the claim of it's importance remains unsubstantiated. Even the publisher's article in #6 didn't answer the question.

In this age of social networking sites, youtube, people posting their pictures, thoughts, fears, birthdays, etc. (which I think is nuts) It seems that exif data is minuscule in the greater scheme of things. That's just my opinion.

This is a great program. Information such as a photo editing program used to alter the picture gets added to the EXIF data which you would prefer to be kept secret is removed. The program also allows you to retain certain information. I only wish the program had a way of adding information such as the photographers name and copyright info. I have selected copyright but no info seems to be be added to the photo.

C1oudsr,

Thank you so much - that did the trick.

Enjoyed the program - does exactly what it says. :)
Thanks a million for the portable version!

I love it. I especially like the renaming and duplicate file creation. Renaming helps me find the files and keep things better organized. Duplicate files are sometimes needed for many reasons. Like always having the original for future uses. Duplicates are not a problem for quality for 95% of us, especially when we're using the files on websites. Let me add one thing as I'm a long-time-GOTD-downloader / first-time-poster. (I also occasionally promote a GOTD file on Twitter): Constructive criticism is almost always good. Just seems like giving apps away (or anything for that matter) attracts complainers like nothing else IMHO. Keep on truckin' GOTD.

Brian,
When registering be sure to copy/paste the full Giveawayoftheday.com (Giveaway) in the name section. (Not just Giveawayoftheday or Giveawayoftheday.com or Giveaway.)

It has to be Giveawayoftheday.com (Giveaway) and then the registration in the readme file. The reason why I clarify is that I did that--typed in Giveawayoftheday at first (rather than copy/pasting the full Giveawayoftheday.com (Giveaway)).

If it is not your difficulty forgive me. But I thought it was worth mentioning/doublechecking if you are having problems registering.

#12


1. There’s no ‘drag and drop’ feature that would allow you to clean whole folders of photos at once. You can only add files to be cleaned by clicking on a small number of photos at a time.

2. The process creates a duplicate cleaned version. Now I have to go back and delete all the larger versions, one by one!

3. It adds the word “_cleaned” to each photo description. How about reducing that to “cl?”

Since I make photo mosaics, I was hoping this program would rip through my thousands of photos and really save me some space. Instead, it is a tedious process that uses up more space initially. I do like the options for deleting just specific types of data.


"3. It adds the word “_cleaned” to each photo description. How about reducing that to “cl?”"

I guess you should have downloaded File Renamer Deluxe from GAOD on 5/16/2008...

but there is also an option under Clean Setup/File Options to place the files in a different folder with the original names. There is also an option to rewrite the original files (but that is wisely not recommended).

"2. The process creates a duplicate cleaned version. Now I have to go back and delete all the larger versions, one by one!"

See response to number 2.

I have a need for a completely opposite operation. Does anyone know of a program that will put the original date a picture was taken on the picture to be printed?

Is anyone else having problems registering this product? Each time I enter the name and code it tells me it's invalid. I've tried both the full and the portable version. I get a window telling me to enter a name in parentheses. Whatever I try it won't. When I go beyond this window the programme opens.

#14: "... this data can contain your copyright notice, etc. A decent image tool can change or delete any of this stuff, that you don’t need. Programs like this just encourage people to remove this notice so they can pirate your image. I LIKE to keep most of the data in my images."

Totally FWIW, ExifCleaner lets you select just what metadata you want to remove, getting rid of stuff that is often meaningless from a practical standpoint -- exposure data for example if you're using a point & shoot camera with no hope of ever setting/repeating those settings anyway. Another example is the camera serial number recorded with a Kodak camera -- there's nothing wrong with that, but nothing *right* either as I can't imagine it benefiting the camera owner.

As far as (C) goes, again purely FWIW, very few people are 100% honest & obey every law -- how many can say they've *never* broken the speed limit? Adding a (C) statement is nice, maybe even expected, but if you park your car where it'll get stolen, sticking a note on the dash saying: "Please don't steal me" won't mean your car will be there when you return. ;-) Nor is anyone who might steal your image (or car) a pirate -- you're not likely to park either at sea, nor (at least with the image) is there likely to be acts of violence or war.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_%28disambiguation%29]
;?p

ExifCleaner is simple, straightforward, and easy to use. Selecting and cleaning images was a snap, and it’s great interface makes everything extremely easy. Images were cleaned of Exif data extremely quickly, and the program lists out nicely what data is going to be cleaned out. Overall, I’ve found using ExifCleaner a very good experience, and it’s a steal at $15 for anyone who wants a program like this.

Pros:
-Clean interface
-Easy to use
-Very fast at cleaning images
-No quality loss
-Has a portable version
-Doesn’t leave unnecessary material

Cons:
-Not free
-No help file, but you don’t really need one.

The full review of ExifCleaner 1.4

first off thank you giveaway of the day for another geat program.
this program does exactly as stated and does it in a very easy way.
to those of you that say there is no help file available try http://forum.superutils.com/ as was clearly posted in the read me file that it offered to open when you installed the program
each entry in the exif data can be changed or left as is so you have total control over what will be removed as stated.
as far as being able to edit the data I can see where this could be desirable for some people if they as someone had stated was just trying to steal someone elses material or lie about where the photo was taken, etc.

Nazani14 (#12) - In the window with the pics you can hit "Control-A" which highlights/selects all. Then with the control key only and mouse button you can deselect the files you don't want included. Under file options you can select the file folder (or make a new one) to place the modified pics. - Once again you can use the control-A to highlight all you want to delete.

Here is a handy combo you might find useful. I use this to transfer pics and files from one source to another. Leaves the originals untouched.

Control-A Highlight all
Control-C Copy all
Control-V Paste all

Hope this helps.

From developer's info above...
"helps you to hide unneeded, undesirable or sometimes sensitive information – about the image, photographer and location."

I don't see anything in the Exif info about who is holding the camera.

That said, there may be times where someone with extra expensive equipment might not want to advertise it. Or perhaps there will be times where a messy kitchen counter might want to be trimmed from a pic and the pic sent to relatives. Last thing one needs is little Hugo the nerdy cousin pulling the original thumbnail embedded in the pic and resending it to all.

I've played with Irfanview trying to delete Exif info and maybe it is just me or I have a newer version of Irfanview than the 'how to delete' info I've found online but I don't get it or just have not found a 'magic button' on Irfanview that easily allows me to remove Exif info.

I'll seldom have need to delete the info but this program looks like it is much easier than the jumping through hoops I've tried working with Irfanview.

Using Win7 -32bit
Downloaded and installed easily with no 'extras' such as toolbars, changing homepage and such. Was able to cut and paste registration info from notepad into the programs windows no problem.

I made 2 new folders. Transferred 999 pics from my camera sd card into one folder (came to 352 MB) and used Exif Cleaner with 'strip Exif data entirely'. Control A all 999 pics and placed modified files into the 2nd folder to a size of 297 MB which saved 55 MB for near 1000 pics.

For ease of use and when one cares about not sharing Exif info it really does the trick. Keeper for me.

I needed it and it works for me. Just as it says on the tin. Thanks GAOTD. I wasn't happy with the limitations available on Windows 7's “Remove Properties and Personal Information” feature but this does just the job.

Sadly, laptops and PCs come and go, but my trusty external hard drive runs and runs, so thanks for the opportunity to put the portable version on it (it registered fine). It's where I store my photos anyway, so it's in the right place. I wish more software houses offered such facilities.

Thanks also to Terry for reminding me of Irfanview's batch function, I'd forgotten that.

PS.: I think the girl in the second screenshot from ExifCleaner's site looks likes she's suffering from the chilly weather!

Damon - With cameras having geotagging capability, that info plus people being careless about what they say/dp online has caused some problems. Example - a lady took a picture of her kids and posted it online. Geotagging was active on her camera, so now anyone that sees that picture knows what her kids look like and where they live, and that you own a fancy Nikon/Canon/etc. camera. If someone also happens to disclose they're going on vacation or dislcose they're going to the grocery store/work/etc., then the crooks know the home address and when no one will be there.

Not all hosting sites remove the EXIF the data. Some suppress its display, which to me means a good hacker might be able to grab it, and some sites don't suppress it.

Would some kind soul please tell me what is so personal about the EXIF information? My examination of the data reveals nothing more personal than the make and model of the camera, and the date/time it was taken. Apart from that, just a lot of technical nous that may only be of interest to serious photographers.

Perhaps I am especially naive, but I can't see how any of this information would compromise me in any way if published with my photos on the web.

All explanations will be gratefully received. Thank you.

#8 - Ok, say you have a site with 1,000, let's say, nature photos (you know, birds & stuff, 'yeah, that's the ticket!'), at medium resolution, say 5MB each, plus a thumbnail for each at 20K, and exif data is about 30K per picture (as in your example of a 6.20 M file). If the average visitor views 5 pages of thumbnails with 30 thumbnails per page, and views 25 full-sized files, the exif data equals about 5 M per visitor. If your site has 150 visitors a day that equals 750 Megs, in a month that could add up to almost 30 Gig (with more visitors on the weekends).

If you're paying for bandwidth that seems useful to me.

(numbers are my friends {;o>)

For anyone looking for a review, here is a link to Ashraf's review back in February for version 1.1

http://dottech.org/shareware-reviews/14855

I upload hundreds of pics daily for my work. This will allow me to go back and submit a old pic (which is a no no) and there software won't catch it . So if i forget to sumit a certain photo I can go back and send a previsoly submiited pic. SWEET

If we did what Cat Schwartz did (see the link in #6) then maybe we should remove the data. If we are that silly. However this data can contain your copyright notice, etc. A decent image tool can change or delete any of this stuff, that you don't need. Programs like this just encourage people to remove this notice so they can pirate your image. I LIKE to keep most of the data in my images.

Thank you GOTD, but I'll pass on this one. Besides I have PS Elements and it does this and more.

Good morning, this is a great little program! Installed ,tried it and the results were better than i had expected. it improved photo quality.by this I mean it made photo brighter and a tad bit sharper.this will be very useful for people who put their photos online. you choose what you want to remove and click "clean" and in milliseconds its done.
very clean and quick in stall.
thanks GOTD and Superutils!

1. There's no 'drag and drop' feature that would allow you to clean whole folders of photos at once. You can only add files to be cleaned by clicking on a small number of photos at a time.

2. The process creates a duplicate cleaned version. Now I have to go back and delete all the larger versions, one by one!

3. It adds the word "_cleaned" to each photo description. How about reducing that to "cl?"

Since I make photo mosaics, I was hoping this program would rip through my thousands of photos and really save me some space. Instead, it is a tedious process that uses up more space initially. I do like the options for deleting just specific types of data.

PORTABLE VERSION: the portable version is available to us at giveaway of the day and worked fine on my windows 7 netbook.

The portable version isn't going to integrate with the windows shell (things like right click functionality). However it isn't going to clog up the registry, etc. either. A niche program? Sure. For me this is a program I'd use once in a blue moon but its worth having 'just in case' as a portable app with absolutely no registry/windows clogging downsides. I thank you. My resource low netbook thanks you. The portable version means a thumbs up for me. Thank you for your generosity in providing the portable version.

...and to think that a program like this costs only $14.95 and the idiots from BP didn't know how to delete the EXIF data :D

Good Morning! First off, I have to tell you that I am not the brightest bulb in the pack. Having said that, I have to tell you that you absolutely need a help file. I was very confused when I looked at the program options - especially the "Clean Setup". It really needs to be under the Edit-Settings menu. Then, you need to give a brief description of what those options are (not the sub items, but the first items - ex. I have no idea what a "Padding" is and whether I need it or not). Maybe this program is just for more advanced photographers? If that is the case then maybe you should state that early on. I think that I think it's a great little program, I just don't know if I can use it without flubbing up something.
Thanks SuperUtils and GOTD for this opportunity.

Can't see what the selling point of "reducing file sizes and saves download time" means.

I used it on a 6.20 Meg picture, removing ALL the data, and the new file size was 6.17 Meg. Meaning 99.5% of the file size still there!

Having said that, I do note that it is supposedly more effective on smaller files, though haven't tested that.

At the end of the day it does exactly what it is supposed to, and although I will keep it, I can't really see a use for it.

If you are in doubt, whether you need to remove Exif metadata from digital photos or not, check out a paper at our website: To Remove or Not to Remove Exif Metadata?

@NYB
right click on your image hit properties and you can add info in the details tab.Exif cleaner is a simple tool but it does what it says on the tin and has come in very handy to remove personal details from images I use in my work.I have the last GOTD offering so will update to this one,very useful software,not for every day but was just what I needed for several jobs.

It seems to work fine and register. The developer's site seems reputable. The app has lots of options.

I don't see what's so personal about the exif data. From what I understand the details are if anything, info you may want later on, like writing a title and date on the back of a picture. And I have read the amount of disc space you save is very minimal.

I don't see why anyone would be afraid of the exif data information unless they did something illegal that they photographed....or if they were under an investigation and wanted 'forensic evidence' removed.

I didn't see many good freeware alternative so I downloaded it in case I ever found a practical purpose for it.

Windows XP sp3 - succesfully installed and registered portable version

Pretty fast cleaning of the exif data, and decent importing of pictures.
Got one error that said it could not find a picture while importing, strange...
Thumbnail previewer is slow with big pictures, could get some improvements...
Shell registration has 64bit....

Key Features

Here is the list of key features that make your work with ExifCleaner productive:

* Handles the JFIF & JFIF Extension segments, Adobe XMP, IPTC (including the whole Photoshop IRB), ICC profile, Adobe Photoshop APP12 Ducky, Adobe APP14 segment, JPEG comments as well as Exif metadata.
* The program can work in a batch mode.
* It can be integrated into the Windows Explorer shell for quick access to its major functions.
* ExifCleaner doesn’t alter actual image data — all operations are lossless for a picture.
* Handy viewing of Exif data before deletion. You can copy its strings to the clipboard.
* The portable version of ExifCleaner is available.
* It doesn’t leave any unnecessary records, like some other image editors and converters do
* pretty easy to use

The Bads:
* where is the help file ? i know it's a easy program, but really... i could find a readme.pdf in the install folder
* should get a 'Add from directory' button, most people have folders with pictures

PS.: i love the girl in the second screenshot from their site

Downloaded and works Ok. Nothing special. Just does as it says. Free alternatives are JPG Cleaner v2.6 http://www.rainbow-software.org/programs.html#JPG%20Cleaner or (JPEG cleaner for Macs) and irfanview.

Some hosting sites strip out this info anyway so only needed if sending files by Email Etc. Older versions of PhotoShop also strips this info.

Would be nice it it allowed to EDIT exif (and others) data, not only erase...

Congratulations to the winners of the idea contest, Peter Walecki and David Mooney! They will receive the personal license for ExifCleaner, that includes technical support, and all future updates and bug fixes for free and for life. And thanks a lot to all the people who contributed their ideas for the project!