Hi all. I have begun using XnView MP and have noticed when viewing the ExifTool tab that the photos I have added keywords (Tags) to using the Details panel of Windows Explorer have Warnings. The warnings are different for each of my cameras. Do I need to worry about these warnings? Is there anything I can do to fix them? I am using Windows 10.
Here are the Warnings I am seeing in ExifTool.
Canon PowerShot
ExifTool Version Number 12.85
Warning [minor] Adjusted MakerNotes base by 584
Warning [minor] Fixed incorrect URI for xmlns:MicrosoftPhoto
Panasonic Lumix
ExifTool Version Number 12.85
Warning [minor] Possibly incorrect maker notes offsets (fix by 184?)
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for InternalSerialNumber
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for BabyAge
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for AFPointPosition
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for FaceDetInfo
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for LensType
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for LensSerialNumber
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for FaceRecInfo
Warning [minor] Fixed incorrect URI for xmlns:MicrosoftPhoto
Sony CyberShot
ExifTool Version Number 12.85
Warning [minor] Possibly incorrect maker notes offsets (fix by 556?)
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for tag 0x1003
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for tag 0x2003
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for tag 0x200c
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for tag 0x200d
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for WBShiftAB_GM
Warning [minor] Suspicious MakerNotes offset for ShotInfo
Warning [minor] Fixed incorrect URI for xmlns:MicrosoftPhoto
Fuji FinePix
ExifTool Version Number 12.85
Warning [minor] Fixed incorrect URI for xmlns:MicrosoftPhoto
The
Fixed incorrect URI warning can be ignored. Microsoft did something stupid and changed the URI that is used for Microsoft metadata in a minor way. I have yet to see a program that has a problem with this.
For the offset warnings, see FAQ #15, I get MakerNote warnings or errors when reading or writing information (https://exiftool.org/faq.html#Q15). The offset warnings might cause problems with reading the MakerNotes if the file is edited again with a program that doesn't properly correct the offsets when editing the metadata. MakerNotes are the proprietary metadata that camera companies add to their images that contain details on the settings of the camera when the image was taken. The casual user can ignore them. Only someone who really wants to know exactly how a picture was taken would be interested.
Quote from: exangle on February 16, 2025, 09:20:18 AMIs there anything I can do to fix them?
First thing I'd advise is to not use Windows to edit you metadata. They aren't the most trustworthy when it comes to doing so. XnView is decent. Other good choices would be Adobe Bridge, DigiKam, and Darktable, all of which are free. The latter two are full-fledged Digital Asset Management (DAM) programs, with Darktable also having Lightroom like editing capabilities.
See the above FAQ on how to fix the warnings if you feel the need to do so.
Thank you. I have been adding keywords with Windows for years so it would take me a very long time to fix all of my photos. It is bugging me knowing the MakerNotes are messed up thanks to MS but I think I will leave them be for now. I will definitely not be using Windows to add keywords in the future.
You don't need to worry about the keywords that Windows did write. It writes them to the correct place.