Random Exiftool praise

[krzysiu]

The experiment
I found out something nice. Maybe it's obvious, but I find it very cool!

Code Select Expand

D:\_FOTO\>mediainfo "D:\_FOTO\IMG_3822.MP4"
General
[basic data - formet, FPS, bitrate etc. - removed]
Performer                                : Krzysztof Blachnicki
Encoded date                             : 2022-07-07 12:49:13 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2022-07-07 12:49:13 UTC
Copyright                                : Krzysztof BlachnickiNow we copy the file and move metadata:

Code Select Expand

D:\_FOTO\copy IMG_3822.MP4 IMG_3822b.MP4
        1 file(s) copied.

D:\_FOTO>exiftool -overwrite_original -tagsFromFile IMG_3822.MP4 -all:all IMG_3822b.MP4
    1 image files updated

Copy from file to the exactly same file, what we should expect? Same metadata, duh! Well, but is it?

Code Select Expand

D:\_FOTO\aae>mediainfo "D:\_FOTO\IMG_3822b.MP4"
General
[basic data - formet, FPS, bitrate etc. - removed]
Performer                                : Krzysztof Blachnicki
Encoded date                             : 2022-07-07 12:49:13 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2022-07-07 12:49:13 UTC
Copyright                                : Krzysztof Blachnicki
Make                                     : Canon
Model                                    : Canon EOS 7D Mark II
com.apple.quicktime.compatible_brands    : mp42, avc1, CAEP
com.apple.quicktime.major_brand          : MP4 v2 [ISO 14496-14]
com.apple.quicktime.minor_version        : 0.0.1
Almost the same situation with ffmpeg -i IMG_3822b.MP4 -f ffmetadata meta.txt" - at first ffmpeg didn't report ANY metadata (it was finding something, but left just placeholders:make=\nmake-eng=\nmodel=\nmodel-eng=\ncopyright=\ncopyright-eng=, after rewritting metadata to file, ffmpeg gives the same data as mediainfo: creator, model, creation date.

Conclusion
It's no a secret that camera makers don't follow proper tag rules, but this simple rewrite 1) got incorrectly [i.e. ffmpeg and mediainfo can't see it] written metadata, dealt with incompatibility 2) wrote it in proper way. Exiftool is great QED^WAT?!


Great, but what about it?
In FLOSS^WAT?! world, there's a common ideology, which, as small time, but professional developer, I totally understand, yet it's not user-friendly at all. It's basically "don't support non-standard things, so it won't be popularized and eventually it will die out" (shh, it won't).

But here? Exiftool doesn't legitimize incorrect tags, but it can read it, because as far as I noticed, Phil writes exiftool while both keeping standards and keeping users happy. I don't know if my praise is over the top, but honestly - I don't care. Phil deserves all the best. I'm a person with disability, on minimum wage, without benefits, but as soon I'll be able to spare some ducats, I'll be glad to convert this praise to *into of Pink Floyd - Money*.

For now all I can do is to wish Phil everything the best, a lot of health, even bigger recognition, fat contracts, well deserved proudness and keeping the great work. And... That next book you'll read will be so awesome, you'll binge it in one evening! I'm just amateur photographer, I'm often donating my photos to science, but I'm not making cash out of it. But to get it all sorted, enjoy collection of nature photos, it all must be well tagged, it must work in batch. And maybe if I wouldn't have to check each file if it's ok or got corrupted - it would be great. Oh wait, it is!

Thanks, Phil! <3

[StarGeek]

Video metadata is an absolute Multiverse of Madness. Multiple tags with the exact same name in the exact same group. For example, there's
Keys:Description
UserData:Description
Itemlist:Description
Plus two more ItemList:Description tags that are marked Avoid and have to be accessed like this
ID-dscp:Description
ID-desc:Description

An additional problem is that exiftool writes Itemlist:Description (aka ID-a9des:Description) while ffmpeg writes ID-desc:Description. I know there are several other tags in which ffmpeg reads a different tag with the same name.

And then Apple apps seem to use Keys tags.

You might try using exiftool with -G1:7 to see the exact tag ID of some of the video files.

[Phil Harvey]

Thanks!  It's good to be appreciated. 

- Phil