To remove tags except Tag1 of Group1, Tag2, and also except Group3

[jsx97]

To remove all tag groups except Group1 and Group2, I can use

Code Select Expand

exiftool -overwrite_original_in_place -all= --group1 --group2 image.jpg
To remove all tags except Tag1 of Group1 and Tag2, I can use

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exiftool -overwrite_original_in_place -all= -tagsFromFile @ -group1:tag1 -tag2 image.jpg
But how to remove tags except Tag1 of Group1, Tag2, and also except Group3? Will the following work?

Code Select Expand

exiftool -overwrite_original_in_place -all= -tagsFromFile @ -group1:tag1 -tag2 -group3 image.jpg
I tried it and it seems to work, but I nevertheles ask it here to be completely sure.

[Phil Harvey]

From the application documentation:

--TAG
Exclude specified tag from extracted information. Same as the -x option. Group names and wildcards are permitted as described above for -TAG. Once excluded from the output, a tag may not be re-included by a subsequent option. May also be used following a -tagsFromFile option to exclude tags from being copied (when redirecting to another tag, it is the source tag that should be excluded), or to exclude groups from being deleted when deleting all information (eg. -all= --exif:all deletes all but EXIF information). But note that this will not exclude individual tags from a group delete (unless a family 2 group is specified, see note 4 below). Instead, individual tags may be recovered using the -tagsFromFile option (eg. -all= -tagsfromfile @ -artist).

(emphasis added)

- Phil

[jsx97]

Phil, I read the documentation before asking, but I don't always understand it. Or sometimes I think yes, but when I ask, it turns out I misunderstood something from what I read or missed important details. Also, I do understand that answering questions that, from a developer's perspective, are already explained in the documentation, can be boring. And it may seem that the people who ask them are simply lazy, but this is not always the case.

-all= --exif:all deletes all but EXIF information

Does it also mean -all= --exif deletes the EXIF gruoup as a block?

And does it mean my first example is correct?

Individual tags may be recovered using the -tagsFromFile option (eg. -all= -tagsfromfile @ -artist).

Does it mean my second example is correct? Note that I try to recover not only tag2 but also group1:tag1 there.

And finally, I don't understand how the passage you have quoted answers whether my third example is correct.

And also:

-GROUP:all= deletes the entire group as a block only if a single family 0 or 1 group is specified.

Does it also mean that to delete the entire group as a block, I can simply use -GROUP=?

[Phil Harvey]

Phil, I read the documentation before asking,

It is nice to find someone who has actually read the documentation.

Does it also mean -all= --exif deletes the EXIF gruoup as a block?

You are deleting all groups, but trying to exclude a specific tag.  By the syntax, --exif excludes the EXIF tag, it doesn't matter that it is a block.  You can't exclude a tag form a group delete.

And does it mean my first example is correct?

No.  --group does not specify a group -- it specifies a tag.  --group:all specifies a group.  The syntax is -TAG or -GROUP:TAG.

Does it mean my second example is correct?

Yes.

And finally, I don't understand how the passage you have quoted answers whether my third example is correct.

The third example is misleading because -group3 doesn't specify a group.

Does it also mean that to delete the entire group as a block, I can simply use -GROUP=?

Again, no.  That deletes a tag.  See the Extra tags documentation for a list of the available block tags.

- Phil

[StarGeek]

Does it also mean that to delete the entire group as a block, I can simply use -GROUP=?

Again, no.  That deletes a tag.  See the Extra tags documentation for a list of the available block tags.

As an example of this, you couldn't use
exiftool -Quicktime= file.mp4

Because there is no Quicktime tag.  It is only a group name.